Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

Louis Roesch

Freelance sports journalist, broadcaster and author covering everything from high school to the pros throughout Houston and beyond. With insight into the soccer world gleaned from more than 50 years of experience as a player, coach, and referee, you can read his work at DynamoTheory.com

2026 US Open Cup Round 3: Houston Dynamo cruises as early red card dooms El Paso Locomotive

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Ondřej Lingr of the Houston Dynamo celebrates after scoring a goal against the El Paso Locomotive in the Third Round of the 2026 US Open Cup. Photo: Houston Dynamo FC
Ondřej Lingr of the Houston Dynamo celebrates after scoring a goal against the El Paso Locomotive in the Third Round of the 2026 US Open Cup. Photo: Houston Dynamo FC

The Houston Dynamo advanced to the Round of 16 in the 2026 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup defeating the El Paso Locomotive 4-1 at Shell Energy Stadium on Wednesday night.

Houston’s scoring surge began in the second minute of play, Defender Nicholas Markanich delivered a ball to the edge where Odrej Lingr delivered soccer’s most beautiful play; the bicycle. Lingr finished the night with a goal and two assists in just his first start of the season and first goal since July 29, 2025.

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El Paso would go down a man off a straight red shown to Kofi Twumasi after he pushed Lingr to ground just outside the eighteen in the 25th minute.

Despite the man advantage, Houston was unable to mount any sustainable offense against El Paso causing head coach Ben Olsen to spur his team in the halftime locker room.

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“I thought the first half was really sloppy. I wasn’t happy at halftime. And the way we went about being up a man, I thought we were rushing the game. It wasn’t collective enough,” said Olsen.

Right out of the locker room, Dynamo halftime substitute Mateusz Bogusz doubled the Houston advantage in the 46th minute, Bogusz’ right footed strike caromed off an El Paso defender before rippling the back of the net.

The lead would grow to a 3-0 advantage behind Markanich’s first goal of the season before El Paso pulled one back. Former Houston Dynamo forward Beto Avila slotted one home inside the bottom right corner in the 75th minute to put El Paso on the board.

The scoring would close in the 80th minute on an Ezequiel Ponce header off a perfect service to the near post from Lingr.

Houston’s win followed their worst loss of the season in a 6-2 debacle at Colorado. Olsen told his team prior to the match to “leave that behind.” The Dynamo now advance to the Round of 16 hosting USL Championship side Louisville City FC on April 28 or 29, 2026.

2024 US Open Cup Round 4: Detroit City FC rallies to force OT, wins PK shootout to oust defending champ Houston Dynamo

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Detroit City FC players celebrate in the locker room after defeating the Houston Dynamo 10-9 in a PK shootout after a 3-3 draw in the Fourth Round of the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Detroit City FC
Detroit City FC players celebrate in the locker room after defeating the Houston Dynamo 10-9 in a PK shootout after a 3-3 draw in the Fourth Round of the 2024 US Open Cup. Photo: Detroit City FC
Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a "We Want The Cup" shirt in your team's colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP
Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a “We Want The Cup” shirt in your team’s colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP

The Detroit City FC shocked the defending Lamar Hunt US Open Cup champion winning on penalty kicks (10-9) on Tuesday night in Houston after a 3-3 draw.

The Round of 32 match was one for the ages as the Houston Dynamo FC blew leads late not once, but twice as Detroit would not go away.

Detroit heads to the Round of 16 for the first time in franchise history, and is the first Michigan club to reach that far since 2012 (Michigan Bucks).

Griffin Dorsey who made name for himself and secured a starting 11 spot because of his play in the 2023 US Open Cup opened the scoring in 2024. Flashing to the near post on a corner kick, Dorsey tapped home for the early lead in the sixth minute of play. Dynamo captain Hector Herrera earned the assist in front of an announced crowd of 7,549 at Houston’s Shell Energy Stadium.

Just past the half hour mark, Latif Blessing doubled the Houston advantage and the men in orange appeared to have all the momentum going their way but Detroit had other things in mind.

Le Rouge defender Ryan Williams scored with a banger from distance (30 yards) to cut the deficit in half just before halftime setting up a crazy freewheeling goalscoring second half.

As La Naranja has been prone to do, they surrendered the equalizer to Detroit City FC forward Yazeed Matthews with 15 minutes remaining in the match. DCFC returned the favor giving the lead right back as Houston midfielder Coco Carrasquilla found some space cutting to his left and delivering a scorcher less then two minutes later that gave Houston a 3-2 lead.


The Dynamo though could not accept the gift giving up the equalizer in the 83rd minute to Maxi Rodriguez making regulation and nine minutes of stoppage time not enough to settle this one.

Extra time was not enough either and after 120 minutes of grueling in a match that started with a game time temperature of 85 degrees and humidity in the upper 80s, the game went to a shootout.

DCFC goalkeeper Carlos Saldana who faced a barrage of 28 shots in the first 120 minutes was the hero, stopping a critical shot attempt and scoring a goal of his own. The teams were even after two rounds, but then Houston netminder Andrew Tarbell saved the third Detroit attempt taken by Ben Morris to give Houston the lead. They would carry that lead to the fifth round, where DCFC goalkeeper Carlos Saldaña would make his own save, stopping Ibrahim Aliyu. Michael Bryant would convert his attempt to lead to sudden death, where five more rounds of consecutive makes by both sides led to the keepers facing off. Tarbell’s attempt went sailing over the crossbar, which left open the door for Saldaña to win it for the lower division side. Win it he did, placing it just to Tarbell’s left with pace to send Detroit City FC to the Round of 16 for the first time in their 13-year history. It also marks the second year in a row, and only the fourth time in the Modern Era (1995-present) that the defending champions were one-and-done.

Playing their third road match in a week, the white and rouge weathered a storm of 14 Houston corner kicks on their first ever trip to an MLS Stadium. They lost everywhere on the stat sheet but where it mattered most adding the Houston Dynamo FC as their latest conquest. Houston returns to MLS action Saturday night on the road at Sporting Kansas City.

DCFC awaits the winner of the Indy Eleven/San Antonio match for the Round of 16 in two weeks.

2023 US Open Cup: Andrew Tarbell of Houston Dynamo voted TheCup.us Player of the Tournament

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Andrew Tarbell of Houston Dynamo FC named TheCup.us Player of the Tournament
Photo: Houston Dynamo FC

Houston Dynamo FC goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell was voted the 2023 TheCup.us Player of the Tournament.

Tarbell played every minute of the Dynamo’s run to the club’s second Lamar Hunt US Open Cup title. He had three clean sheets and only allowed three goals, including just a late goal in a 2-1 win in the 2023 US Open Cup Final against Inter Miami on their home turf at DRV Pink stadium, helping bring the trophy back to Houston for just the second time in tournament history.

Tarbell narrowly edged FC Cincinnati’s Alvaro Barreal for the award, with his Dynamo teammate Amine Bassi finishing third.

The award is voted on by TheCup.us staff, a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters and select backers from TheCup.us Patreon members.

The Houston Dynamo backup goalkeeper came in with plenty of Open Cup experience. Having played in seven cup games previous to his arrival in Houston, including the 2017 US Open Cup semifinal match with the San Jose Earthquakes in 2017, the 30 year old was certainly up to the task throughout the tournament. He capped off a memorable run with a three save performance in the Dynamo’s victory in the Final.

After being drafted by the San Jose Earthquakes with the 8th overall selection in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft, Tarbell was one of the first signees with Houston after general manager Pat Onstad began to rebuild the club following the 2022 season. At Tarbell’s signing, Onstad’s words now seem prophetic, “Andrew is an experienced MLS goalkeeper who brings a winning mentality to our locker room and adds competition to our goalkeeping position. We talked about adding more quality and depth to our roster this offseason and Andrew’s signing aligns with that intention. Plus, his experience on three different MLS Playoff clubs will be invaluable as we restore a winning mentality at our club.”

Tarbell put together six wins en route to the US Open Cup title. His experience and winning mentality may have been at its peak when facing Sporting Kansas City when the Dynamo were down a man for nearly an hour. Sporting the captain’s armband, Tarbell was peppered with 17 shots and tallied four saves officially as Houston won 1-0.

Following that effort in the Round of 32, Tarbell refused to talk about his performance but was not bashful about his team.

“Everyone is working together and at the end of the day if we work together, good results will come if we keep doing that. We are a great unit. We have a good collective mentality about the team and he (Dynamo HC Ben Olsen) was just encouraging that.”

In the Round of 16, the Dynamo benefited from an early red card when Minnesota United had to play a man down starting in the 38th minute. Houston would prevail at home, 4-0.

Houston hit the road in the Quarterfinals and pick up a 4-1 win over the four-time champion Chicago Fire. Tarbell made four saves to earn the win. In the Semifinals, the Dynamo returned home and needed extra time to beat Real Salt Lake, 3-1. Tarbell was only forced to make one save that night.

Including the Final, Tarbell posted 11 saves while conceding just three goals, totaling 300 minutes of play. In the end, without Tarbell who knows if Houston would enjoyed the sweet fruits of victory on a warm summer night in Miami.

Tarbell becomes just the fourth goalkeeper to be named TheCup.us Player of the Tournament. He joins Chris Eylander (Seattle Sounders, 2008), Kasey Keller (Seattle Sounders FC, 2009), Tim Melia (Sporting KC, 2017).

2023 US Open Cup Final: Houston Dynamo’s Griffin Dorsey voted TheCup.us Player of the Round

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Photo: Houston Dynamo FC

Outside back Griffin Dorsey led the Houston Dynamo FC to their second Lamar Hunt US Open Cup title in franchise history back on Sept. 27. The 24-year-old, drafted in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft, has taken his time emerging as on offensive threat off the Houston backline. His goal in the 24th minute and a solid defensive performance sparked Houston to a 2-1 win over a Messi-less Inter Miami CF squad.

His performance in the 2023 US Open Cup Final earned him TheCup.us Player of the Round honors.

The Player of the Round award is voted on by TheCup.us staff, a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters and select backers (those that pledge $10 or more) of TheCup.us’ Patreon team. Griffin edged out Houston Dynamo teammates Amine Bassi and Nelson Quiñónes for the award.

Dorsey, who was an original draft pick of Toronto FC, opened the scoring in the 108th US Open Cup Final. The former U.S. youth international broke down the right side and buried a right-footed blast top shelf far post leaving nothing to the imagination. Along with his Dynamo teammates, Griffin’s defensive performance nearly earned Houston a shutout in the championship game, but a stoppage time goal by Josef Martinez ruined the clean sheet. Despite that, Houston held on for the club’s second Open Cup title, and they remain the only South Texas club in history to lift the trophy (they are just the fourth team from Texas to win the tournament).

Under first-year Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen, the former Indiana Hoosier University player has flourished. Since early July, Dorsey has secured the right back position as his own starting ten of the team’s previous 12 games. Before that, Dorsey’s name had been called inconsistently at best with just four starts in Houston’s first 20 matches across all competitions.

When asked about Dorsey’s transformation, Olsen was quick to point out his attitude and work ethic while on the bench.

“He’s a wonderful kid and a wonderful human, and the fact that he’s been on the bench early in the year, it makes me think I was crazy,” said Olsen. “He worked at his craft, he didn’t sulk, he’s a great example of a guy that’s out of it, coming in, saying, ‘What do I need to do to get on the field? What do I need to work on?’ Grabbing assistant coaches, doing film work. And he’s just a great example for guys too, when you’re not in favor of how to get out of it.”

Dorsey’s riveting goal has everyone talking about his future. A future that included two more starts to end the season and most likely a start in the post season against Portland on Saturday Oct. 21. For the moment though, the former Toronto FC draft pick will just enjoy the hard work that has paid off with the Houston Dynamo coaching staff’s trust and confidence in his ability.

Trust it when Olsen says, “At this point, there’s no way I’m taking him off the field.”

2023 US Open Cup Semifinals: Messi leads comeback, Inter Miami wins PK shootout with FC Cincinnati

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Lionel Messi of Inter Miami CF lines up a free kick against FC Cincinnati in the 2023 US Open Cup Semifinals. Photo: Daniel Roesch

Inter Miami spotted FC Cincinnati a two-goal lead before doing the improbable against Major League Soccer’s best team. The Herons scored three unanswered goals, then gave up an equalizer in extra time before earning a berth in the 2023 US Open Cup Final on penalty kicks.

Leonardo Campana netted a brace accounting for Lionel Messi’s two assists in his US Open Cup debut. Just days away from having won the Leagues Cup, Inter Miami’s 3-3 draw, and shootout win opens the door for Messi to lift a trophy in yet another championship match.

It was a game in which Inter Miami was completely outplayed and yet Messi refused to allow his team to lose. And he did it in front of a sold-out crowd of 25,213 at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati. It was the ninth-largest crowd to witness a US Open Cup game in the 107-year history of the tournament.

Trailing 2-0, Messi on a set piece just outside the box to the left of FCC keeper Alec Kann delivered a perfect ball to the head of Campana in the 68th minute. With just seconds remaining second half stoppage time, Messi again delivered a ball to Campana who once again finished to tie the match.

Inter Miami head coach Tata Martino succinctly described Messi’s performance. “Today we needed him to be a conductor and not a finisher.”

Despite leading the possession battle 62%-38%, Inter Miami trailed at the half. Luciano Acosta in the 18th minute of play banged a ball off the post for the only marker of the night. It came after some sloppy backline play that led to a turnover in the defensive third. It was the Cincinnati captain’s first Open Cup goal, and the second of his career. His first came in 2018 as a member of D.C. United in a match that ended 1-1 with Orlando City SC. United would fall in penalty kicks that night.

Miami picked up the pace in the second half but it was Cincinnati that found the back of the net. On a quick counter in the 52nd minute, Brandon Vazquez found himself alone at the top of the 18 with a ball from Santiago Arias. A right footed laser inside the far post doubled the FCC lead.

Cincinnati had its moments to put the game away but was unable to do. In the 73rd minute, an open look by Yuya Kubo forced the Miami keeper Drake Callender into another tough save. Callender was also called upon in stoppage time to stop Santiago Arias’ close range shot following sloppy backline play once again by Miami.

Inter Miami took its first lead of the night on a Josef Martinez goal in the third minute of the first extra time. FCC equalized in the second extra time period as Kubo did not miss on his next opportunity against Callender in the 114th minute.

Tied after 120 minutes of play, the game went to penalty kicks where Messi and company prevailed 5-4 to advance to the US Open Cup Final on September 27. Messi converted Miami’s first of five successful attempts. FC Cincinnati’s Nick Hagglund had his PK saved by Callender in the fifth round, which allowed another Argentine to be the hero. 18-year-old Benjamin Cremaschi, a Miami native, scored the winning penalty to send Inter Miami to the championship game.

With the shootout win, Inter Miami becomes just the second Miami club, and the fourth Florida-based club, to reach the Open Cup Final in the history of the tournament.

2023 US Open Cup Round of 16: Corey Baird of Houston Dynamo voted TheCup.us Player of the Round

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Photo: Houston Dynamo
Photo: Houston Dynamo

Twenty two months ago, the Houston Dynamo obtained forward Corey Baird in a trade with LAFC for cash and international slot. The 27 year old, in the Round of 16 of the 2023 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, showed why Houston wanted him so badly. Baird had a hand in all four Houston goals in a 4-0 rout of Minnesota United FC.

As a result, Baird was voted TheCup.us Player of the Round.

Baird ran away with the voting for the award. Albert Dikwa (Pittsburgh Riverhounds) finished second, with a pair of goalkeeper Trevor Spangenberg (Birmingham Legion FC) and Alec Kann (FC Cincinnati) also receiving strong support. The Player of the Round award is voted on by TheCup.us staff, a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters and select backers (those that pledge $10 or more) of TheCup.us’ Patreon team.

Baird began his night converting a penalty kick in the 33rd minute. The conversion came after a handball call in the box against the reigning Player of the Round winner Bongokuhle Hlongwane. Five minutes later, El Naranja were up a man following a red card for card accumulation against Minnesota’s Kevin Arriega.

In the 68th minute, the 2018 MLS Rookie of the Year secured the brace. His second goal presented a much different style. Unlike the penalty conversion that he buried past Minnesota goalkeeper Clint Irwin, Baird took a through ball from Amini Bassi and calmly chipped a right footed shot over the onrushing keeper from the center of the box. The Houston forward’s career night continued moments later when he assisted on the Dynamo’s third goal of the match. His pass found an unmarked Ibrahim Aliyu at the top of the 18 yard box. Aliyu slotted it past Irwin for the third Dynamo marker of the night in the 79th minute. Baird turned his brace into a hat trick in the 89th minute of play. This time Baird put it past the Loons keeper with his left foot. The breakout night for the Houston forward has been long in the making. Now with his third Houston head coach in less than three seasons, the Poway, Calif. native may be finally finding his footing under current head coach Ben Olsen.

“It’s really nice to have some forwards get on the scoresheet,” Olsen said. “Corey, obviously, with a few goals, and that’s going to help him in a big way.”

Baird may be the answer to Houston continuing its strong run of play through the US Open Cup and bringing the Houston Dynamo back to soccer relevancy.

2023 US Open Cup Round of 16: Corey Baird’s big night helps Houston Dynamo cruise past 10-man Minnesota United

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Corey Baird of the Houston Dynamo celebrates after scoring his third goal against Minnesota United in the Round of 16 of the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Houston Dynamo
Corey Baird of the Houston Dynamo celebrates after scoring his third goal against Minnesota United in the Round of 16 of the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Houston Dynamo

Houston Dynamo FC forward Corey Baird scored a hat trick as the home side eliminated the Minnesota United FC from the 2023 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Round of 16. By the time regulation had ended, not only had Houston avenged its 1-0 loss to Minnesota six days ago but they recorded their third consecutive Open Cup clean sheet with a 4-0 win.


The Houston Dynamo’s Brooklyn Raines shot on frame six minutes in set the tone for the home team. Houston got on the board just past the half hour mark on a penalty conversion by Baird. A handball inside the 18 yard box marked the beginning of a monumental moment for the 27 year old.

Houston went up a man as halftime neared when Minnesota midfielder Kevin Arriega was sent to an early shower on card accumulation. With the man advantage, the Dynamo displayed patience and pise picking their moments to be the most opportune.

Amine Bassi, who had not been expected to play, threaded the needle to Baird who chipped home his second goal in the 62nd minute. Eleven minutes later, Ibrahim Aliyu received a ball from Baird in the 79th minute and put away the third marker of the night for Houston.

 As the game came to a close, Aliyu returned the favor as he found the forward in front of the net with seconds to play in regulation. Baird finished off the hat trick matching his entire output as a member of the Houston Dynamo over the past 22 months.

The hat trick was the first ever scored by a Houston Dynamo player in the US Open Cup 

Houston will play on the road in the next round as they await the winner of the Austin FC/Chicago Fire match to determine whom they will play in the Quarterfinals.

 

2023 US Open Cup Round 4: Shorthanded Houston Dynamo gives “complete effort” to edge Sporting KC

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Thor Ulfarsson and Sebastian Ferreira of the Houston Dynamo celebrate after Ulfarsson's goal against Sporting KC in the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Houston Dynamo
Thor Ulfarsson and Sebastian Ferreira of the Houston Dynamo celebrate after Ulfarsson’s goal against Sporting KC in the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Houston Dynamo

The Houston Dynamo in the Round of 32 looking to continue the magic at home for the 2023 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup match struck first against Sporting Kansas City and never looked back.

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The Dynamo playing much like 2018 when they found magic in a bottle and won their first US Open Cup title, Houston moved on to the Round of 16 with a 1-0 win despite playing a man down for 55 minutes.

Thor Uhlfarrson, the Icelander looking to claim more playing time in the regular season, put Houston on top in the 12th minute of play with a left footed banger from 25 yards out. Kansas City had made the initial clearance off a quick counter but the ball landed right at the feet of Houston’s second year forward. A quick switch to the left foot and Uhlfarrson put it inside the near post past a diving John Puhlskamp.

The goal came just moments after SKC forward Stephen Afrifa missed from the doorstep. Sporting had other opportunities to level the match but could not find the equalizer against Dynamo keeper Andrew Tarbell who was peppered with 17 shots. Conversely, the shorthanded Dynamo only managed two shots and the only one that was on target was the one that went in.

In the 55th minute, Khiry Shelton knocked one off the post for Sporting. It was the second time in the match that the frame saved Houston. Chris Rindov’s header went off the crossbar in the opening half.

Neither side played a majority their top players yet Houston was able to secure their seventh clean sheet of the season across all competitions including six at home where they remain unbeaten in 2023 and have not been scored on. Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen was happy about the effort.

“Overall, super pleased with the result and we are moving on in the tournament. More so than that, it is just amazing what you can do when everybody is selfless and gives a complete effort,” described Olsen. “It’s a lot of guys that have not gotten a lot of minutes, not only up until this point, but also collectively. So the rhythms are off. I put them in a new structure from the get-go, that we worked on for a few days, and that wasn’t ever going to be perfect. So, at the end of all this kind of craziness, and in the game, somehow, we got through it.”

This matchup between Houston and Kansas City is becoming an Open Cup tradition in recent years. This was the sixth meeting between the two MLS sides, and those games have taken place in the last seven tournaments. With Wednesday’s win, the Dynamo have evened up the Open Cup series with the four-time Open Cup champions at 3-3. Only three sets of rivals in the Modern Era of the tournament had played more often than these two teams. (Seattle Sounders FC and Portland Timbers FC top the list with eight meetings)

They now await the draw for the Round of 16 that takes place tomorrow at 1:00pm CT on the B/R Football YouTube Channel.

2022 US Open Cup Round 4: Carlos Ferreira’s late goal helps Houston Dynamo beat upset-minded San Antonio FC

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Players from the Houston Dynamo celebrate after scoring a goal against San Antonio FC in the Fourth Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: Houston Dynamo
Players from the Houston Dynamo celebrate after scoring a goal against San Antonio FC in the Fourth Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: Houston Dynamo

With Texas bragging rights on the line, the Houston Dynamo scored late and held off a late charge by San Antonio FC to secure a berth in the Round of 16 of the 2022 US Open Cup with a 1-0 win.

A sparse crowd witnessed the match partly due to a late midweek start and the simple fact that Houston has dropped three consecutive matches.

San Antonio FC and Houston spent most of the match picking their counters. Were it not for a point-blank save by Dynamo keeper Michael Nelson in the 40th minute, SAFC would have enjoyed the halftime lead. The shot by Nicky Hernandez was the only one on target off 12 combined shots by both sides in the opening 45.

The second half was more of the same until the teams came out of the hydration break for the final 15 minutes of regulation. In the 81st minute, Brooklyn Raines — the youngest player on the pitch at 17 years old — won a corner for Houston. The ensuing kick came to Sam Junqua who delivered a perfect service to Sebastian Ferreria. The Dynamo’s leading scorer across all competitions gave Houston the win on his final touch of the match in the 82nd minute.

The win was not without its nervous moments in the second half following Ferreria’s goal. In the second minute of stoppage, a dangerous San Antonio corner came across the goal mouth where SAFC were sure Griffin Dorsey handled it off the line. Play was allowed to continue and Houston came away with the win.

Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a "We Want The Cup" shirt in your team's colors. Visit <a href=
Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a “We Want The Cup” shirt in your team’s colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP

Dynamo head coach Paolo Nagamura said before the match “We as a team, we’re going to make sure that we get back to our ways, how we were a couple of weeks ago. Especially in the beginning of the season when we were a disciplined, cohesive team playing together, balanced defensively and offensively team.”

Following the match, Nagamura who won three Open Cups himself was pleased with his team’s performancespeaking nearly the same words. “I think we were well balanced.  It was a very, very good team performance. Defensively, offensively, we are well balanced. I mentioned the word urgency in the second half, we played with purpose and it gave us more opportunities to play on their half and create more chances. So, I think it was a well-balanced team performance.”

“Great win, first half we were a little slow, second half I think we were much better. Well deserved win. Really pleased with how we played the last five minutes,” he said. “Very very good team performance. I think we were well balanced.”

The Dynamo return to MLS action on Saturday May 14, 2022 against Nashville SC at PNC Stadium in Houston. Kick-off is set for 5:30pm CDT.

2022 US Open Cup Round 3: Houston Dynamo beat former affiliate, coach with stoppage time winner

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The Houston Dynamo celebrate scoring a goal against Rio Grande Valley FC Toros in the Third Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: Houston Dynamo
The Houston Dynamo celebrate scoring a goal against Rio Grande Valley FC Toros in the Third Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: Houston Dynamo

The Houston Dynamo rode the heroics of goalkeeper Michael Nelson and defender Sam Junqua to a 2-1 stoppage time win on Tuesday night. A sparse crowd (7,893) witnessed the Houston Dynamo’s win over their affiliate Rio Grande Valley FC (USL Championship) in the Third Round of the 2022 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

The unlikely heroes of the match stole the show in a game that the Dynamo did not put out their best XI nor by their own admission their best effort. Head coach Paulo Nagamura admitted as much in his post game press conference.

“Yeah, I’m pleased with the win,” said Nagamura. “I think that was the objective to go to the next round. I think in terms of playing, it wasn’t our best game. I think having new guys and young guys and a mix of the players that have not been playing lately, I think that was probably one of the reasons. We lacked a little bit of chemistry there, but credit to the players to fight until the end and get a result with the goal late. But again, the objective was to move on to the next round and we did that.”

It was match that Houston was expected to win and rather handily at that. The Dynamo opened the scoring inside the 10th minute of play. Rookie forward Thor Ulaffson sent a service into the box that RGV defender Frank Nodarse neatly headed into his own net.

Houston, though, would return the favor just minutes into the second half. A corner off the boot Ricardo Ruiz found itself deflecting off the back of Dynamo defender Teenage Hadebe leveling the matching at one.


Unable to get the run of play consistently in their favor, Houston found itself in a precarious situation. In the 61st minute, RGV’s Frank Lopez stood at the penalty mark following a foul by Houston in the box. Lopez faced Dynamo keeper Michael Nelson, just one of four remaining Houston players from the 2018 US Open Cup championship team. Nelson denied the kick setting the stage Junqua.

“Well I don’t want to give away too much of the secret sauce here,” said Nelson about his game saving stop. “But we do a little bit of research before the games certainly and study people’s tendencies and certain things like that and ultimately have an idea of where we want go and in the moment there is a little bit of the art that meets the science where you just kind of feel it out. Frank Lopez has been a professional for a long time and has taken quite a few penalties, so there is defiantly a few to look at. So, it is not complete guesswork but what goes into it is behind the scenes and we will keep it behind the curtain for now.”

As the team entered the third minute of stoppage time, forward Roberto Avila making his Dynamo debut found Junqua in the six yard box. Junqua delivered a perfectly placed header inside the far post with just one quick snap of the head.

Junqua’s game winner came against his former team and his former coach Wilmer Cabrera who drafted the defender while he was the Dynamo head coach.

Along with Vila, rookie Brooklyn Raines in the starting XI made his Houston Dynamo debut. At 17 years, 36 days he became the youngest ever to down a Dynamo uniform.

Into the Round of 32, Houston will host USL Championship side San Antonio FC on May 11.

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