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

2020 US Open Cup Qualifying Round 1: Athletic Katy loses lead, survives in PKs over 10-man Houston FC

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Players from Athletic Katy FC pose for a team photo before the club's 2020 US Open Cup qualifying match against Houston FC. Photo: Athletic Katy FC
Players from Athletic Katy FC pose for a team photo before the club’s 2020 US Open Cup qualifying match against Houston FC. Photo: Athletic Katy FC

Athletic Katy FC survived a hat trick by Chance Arney, an electrical outage and two extra times to defeat Houston FC 5-4 on penalty kicks on Saturday night. The win propelled Katy to the Second Round of the Open Division Local Qualifying Tournament for the 2020 Lamar Hunt US Open qualifying. The game took place just two weeks to the day after Houston FC had defeated Athletic Katy FC 2-1 in regular season UPSL play.

Athletic jumped on top early, scoring three times in the first 16 minutes of play. Armando Mosquera opened the scoring as he stole the ball on a miscue by HFC keeper Rhett Box Rojas. Rojas had gathered a loose ball and tried to roll it to one of his defenders when Mosquera pounced on the ball and drilled it home.

One minute later, Rheem Osevwe doubled the Athletic lead slotting a shot past Rojas. Four minutes after that, it was Osevwe netting a brace in the 16th minute for a seemingly insurmountable lead.

Trailing 3-0 at the break, Houston head coach Bruce Talbot rallied his team to not give up.

Three minutes into the second half, Arney pulled one back, lasering a shot inside the far post past a stunned Katy goalkeeper Julio Valencia.

Down two goals, things became worse for Houston FC when referee Ruben Campillo showed HFC back-up keeper Josue Resendiz a red card for language and going nose to nose with the official. Resendiz had subbed on for Rojas in the 26th minute and kept Athletic at bay.

 

Down a man, Talbot turned to Cypress native Chris Gooding to man the pipes. Just a year removed from playing at nearby Cypress High School, and playing his first season of college soccer at Gardner Webb University, Gooding was playing goalkeeper for the first time and made one sterling stop after another to give his team a chance. Talbot said after the regulation period that Gooding was a tremendous player who cared the most about doing whatever it takes to help his team win.

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2020 Round 1 game-by-game review

Arney brought Houston FC to within a goal with his second of the night in the 86th minute, setting the stage for his heroics in stoppage time. Two minutes into stoppage time, Campillo whistled Francisco Medina a yellow card for a foul that occurred in the box. Arney, the Katy Taylor High School senior who completed the comeback with a penalty kick conversion.

Scoreless after the first extra time, the lights went out at Campbell Road Sports Park in Houston. The 15 minute outage gave both sides a breather, particularly HFC who had been playing down a man for more then 30 minutes. In the second overtime, Gooding came up big and Athletic came up empty forcing the match to penalty kicks. Gooding stopped Osevwe on a curling shot to the near post that would have made a professional keeper proud, followed by a kick save moments later that delayed the inevitable.

Athletic Katy FC’s Brandon Martinez ended the dream for Houston FC who despite playing down a man for nearly 45 minutes and one point down to eight due to a facial injury forced the game to PKs.

Julio Valencia, Athletic Katy FC head coach shared these thoughts following the win;

“It was a good game,” said Valencia. “Both teams gave it all and left it on the pitch. Missed opportunities and bad mistakes they were costly but getting the win is a great feeling and motivation for the next round.”

With the win, Athletic Katy advances to the Second Round of qualifying where they will travel to Lafayette, La. to take on first-year entry Louisiana Krewe on Saturday, Oct. 19. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. Eastern Time.

2019 US Open Cup Round of 16: Houston (Dynamo) has a problem in 2nd half, Minnesota United rallies to stun defending champs

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Darwin Quintero of Minnesota celebrates one of his goals with teammate Ethan Finlay in a Round of 16 match against the Houston Dynamo in the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Jose Castellanos Vos_Castellanos on Twitter and Instagram
Darwin Quintero of Minnesota celebrates one of his goals with teammate Ethan Finlay in a Round of 16 match against the Houston Dynamo in the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Jose Castellanos Vos_Castellanos on Twitter and Instagram

Darwin Quintero’s second half brace ignited a stunning come-from-behind 3-2 win, propelling the visiting Minnesota United FC to its first-ever Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Quarterfinal round. Minnesota’s three goals in 23 minutes erased a 2-0 deficit and eliminated the defending US Open Cup champion Houston Dynamo in front of their home fans.

Houston began the match strong but seemed to wither as the game went on. Goals by Ronaldo Pena (9’) and Tomas Martinez (37’) staked Houston to a 2-0 halftime lead who seemed to be in control of the match much like last week in their Third Round game against Austin Bold FC (USL Championship).

Despite falling behind, the Loons were not about to go down without a fight.

“The guys just persevered, we’ve grown a lot since last year,” described MUNFC forward Mason Toye who had the game-winner. “I think last year we don’t come back from that game. But over the course of this year we’ve done a great job of learning how to get results out of games and we’ve had a tough go at it every time we’ve come down to Houston. We were like, ‘It’s going to change tonight’, and we’ve proved that. It’s a really big opportunity for us to possibly get a championship. It’s definitely a winnable tournament.”

Houston goalkeeper Michael Nelson, in his professional debut, put on a performance worthy of the top keepers in the game, providing four spectacular saves in a span of nine minutes that had preserved Houston’s two-goal lead. In the 66th minute, an unmarked Darwin Quintero tapped home a pass from Angelo Rodriguez to cut the Houston lead in half.

The Minnesota forward completed the brace sixteen minutes later, firing a laser from distance pulling the match level at two in the 82nd minute. For Quintero, it was his fourth US Open Cup goal, which puts him into a tie for the tournament lead with Charles Boateng (Richmond Kickers) and Brandon Vazquez (Atlanta United FC). His six career tournament goals puts him firmly on top of the club’s all-time scoring list. No one else has more than one in the club’s brief three-year history.

Players from Minnesota United celebrate one of the club's goals in a Round of 16 match against the Houston Dynamo in the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Jose Castellanos Vos_Castellanos on Twitter and Instagram
Players from Minnesota United celebrate one of the club’s goals in a Round of 16 match against the Houston Dynamo in the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Jose Castellanos Vos_Castellanos on Twitter and Instagram

Much like last week’s effort against Austin Bold FC, Houston played most of the second half in the defensive third rather than pushing the tempo, allowing Minnesota to gain confidence and momentum. The Loons’ third goal of the second half came in the 89th minute. Toye, a second half substitute, touched home the game-winner. Ethan Finlay beat a tired Houston rookie defender Sam Junqua into the box, drawing the keeper and the remaining defense toward him before sliding the ball to Toye who notched his first professional goal.

All three Minnesota forwards accounted for the Loons second half outburst.

Prior to the loss, Houston had advanced in six straight games in Open Cup play dating back to last season. Houston had been seeking to become the first back-to-back winner since the Seattle Sounders did it in 2010 and 2011.

With the win, Minnesota reaches the Quarterfinals for the first time in club history, dating back to its Division 2 pro days in the North American Soccer League. They are the first Minnesota team to reach the Round of Eight since the Minnesota Thunder (USL First Division, Div. 2 pro) made their magical run to the Semifinals in 2005.

Minnesota will host the winner of Wednesday night’s FC Dallas-New Mexico United match in July.

2019 US Open Cup Round 4: Houston Dynamo hold off Austin Bold rally, advance to Round of 16

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DaMarcus Beasley of the Houston Dynamo plays the ball against the Austin Bold FC in the Fourth Round of the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Jose Castellanos || Twitter, IG: Vos_Castellanos
DaMarcus Beasley of the Houston Dynamo plays the ball against the Austin Bold FC in the Fourth Round of the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Jose Castellanos || Twitter, IG: Vos_Castellanos

The defending US Open Cup champion Houston Dynamo started off their title defense with a nail-biting 3-2 win over Austin Bold FC on Tuesday night at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Texas.

Houston opened with a dominating first 45 with goals by Tomas Martinez, Ronaldo Pena and Matias Vera, but had to hold on after Austin answered with two second half goals.

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

Martinez opened the scoring with his first career US Open Cup goal in the 14th minute of play. After forward Marlon Hairston’s attempt was blocked, the deflection fell to the feet of Martinez and he put away the opening tally. It was his third goal of the season across all competition in 2019.

Seventeen minutes later, Martinez would assist on Ronaldo Pena’s first goal of the season coming in his first start following a preseason injury. Houston’s No. 10 pulled the keeper Diego Restrepo and the Austin defense to the near post before slipping the ball to Pena who delivered, doubling the Houston lead.

Houston seemed in complete control when an unmarked Matias Vera blasted home a ball off a perfectly timed heel pass from Pena. The forward bulled his way past the remaining Austin defense and slotted home the marker giving Houston a three goal lead heading into the halftime locker room.

Austin Bold worked its way back into the match pulling to within a goal as the teams neared the hour mark. Former Chivas great Xavier Baez scored off a free kick in the 48th minute and forward Isaac Promise scored in the 58th minute but it was too little too late as Austin Bold FC could not find the equalizer.

“I don’t know if you saw the same game we saw but it was two different teams,” Dynamo head coach Wilmer Cabrera lamented following the match. “I’m disappointed and also I offer my apologies to the fans that made the effort to come over here and watch that second half from our team. We just played 45 minutes.”

The win moved Houston into the Round of 16 for the sixth straight year. US Soccer will conduct a draw at 10 a.m. CT on Thursday, June 14 to determine the opponents for games to be played on June 18th and 19th.

2018 US Open Cup Final: Houston Dynamo’s Mauro Manotas voted TheCup.us Player of the Round

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Mauro Manotas of the Housotn Dynamo celebrates one of his two goals against the Philadelphia Union in the 2018 US Open Cup Final. Photo: Houston Dynamo
Mauro Manotas of the Housotn Dynamo celebrates one of his two goals against the Philadelphia Union in the 2018 US Open Cup Final. Photo: Houston Dynamo

With his parents watching among an announced crowd of 16,060 at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Texas on Wednesday night, Mauro Manotas put on a show. With a brace before the half hour mark, Manotas singlehandedly wrote Houston Dynamo history leading the club to a 3-0 win over the Philadelphia Union in the 2018 US Open Cup Final.

For his efforts, the Colombian has been voted TheCup.us Player of the Round. The award is voted on by TheCup.us staff and a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters.

When Manotas left Colombia in 2015 as a Special Discovery signing, few believed that he would progress this far this fast. In less then a year, he had been upgraded to Young Designated Player status.

Manotas is no stranger to big moments having helped lead the Colombian Under-20 team to a silver medal at the 2015 South American Youth Football Championship. Earlier in 2014, he scored the crucial goal that kept his home club Uniautonoma in the Colombian Categoria Primera A League. In just his sixth MLS start, he scored a hat trick against the Portland Timbers.

Fast forward three years to September 26, 2018. It was the kind of night a striker dreams about. Playing in the championship game with everything on the line and knowing if you do your job, your teams stands a chance to win. That was what Manotas faced on that night.

“When you play a final you don’t need to motivate much,” said Dynamo head coach Wilmer Cabrera. “Too much talking is not good. You need to be disciplined and understand that everyone is nervous, everyone is high on adrenaline. We had to be disciplined, organized and play to our strengths. When we had the chances we had to be sure to put those away and it couldn’t work out any better for us.”

The 23-year-old striker needed little time in getting Houston on the board. Fellow forward Alberth Elis chased a ball down near the endline and delivered a perfect service to the crouching Manotas who headed it home. The fourth minute goal was tied for the fastest goal in a championship game in the Modern Era.

His tenth came in the 26th minute of play. Controlling the ball just outside the box, Manotas received a ball from the right wing from Elis and got a step on Union defender Jack Elliott before unleashing a low blast that caromed off the near post into the back of the net. For Manotas, it was his 20th goal of the season across all competitions.

“Like I’ve always said, when you pray with faith, God rewards you,” explained the ever humble Manotas about his performance. “Today, I give thanks to God. The team was spectacular. Thanks to God we were able to win.”

With the two goals, Manotas tied the Modern Era single-tournament record for goals with six and finished as the competition’s top goalscorer.

With his performance this year, Manotas is breaking and tying US Open Cup records left and right. Manotas scored his first career Dynamo goal on a game-winning header in a 2015 US Open Cup win over the Colorado Rapids. Once you add his game-winning goal in the 2018 Final, that gives him five career game-winning goals in the tournament, which ties a Modern Era record.

With six more goals, Manotas added to his record as the Dynamo’s all-time leading goalscorer in US Open Cup play. His ten goals are six more than the next closest player on the list). What’s more incredible is that he has scored those 10 goals in just nine tournament games, giving him one of the best scoring rates in the Modern Era. Those goals in the championship game also extended his streak of four consecutive Cup matches with a goal, which ties a Modern Era record.

In just a few years, Manotas has risen up the goalscoring chart of MLS players in the Modern Era. Only two players on MLS teams have scored more goals than Manotas (Kenny Cooper and Jaime Moreno).

And one final statistic that Manotas and his team appreciates: Houston has never lost an Open Cup game when Manotas scores a goal.

2018 US Open Cup Final: Houston Dynamo break Union to win first USOC title

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The Houston Dynamo celebrate the 2018 US Open Cup championship. Photo: Jose Castellanos | Twitter: @Vos_Castellanos, IG: @FutbolAndBrews
The Houston Dynamo celebrate the 2018 US Open Cup championship. Photo: Jose Castellanos | Twitter: @Vos_Castellanos, IG: @FutbolAndBrews

From Alejandro Moreno’s first-ever Houston Dynamo US Open Cup goal to Mauro Manotas’ brace in the 2018 Final, the Houston Dynamo’s quest for a US Open Cup championship has ended.

Moreno’s goal came in the 29th minute on August 2, 2006 against the PDL’s Carolina Dynamo. Twelve years, one month and 24 days later, the Dynamo hoisted the 2018 US Open Cup championship. The 3-0 win capped a summer that had seen Houston struggle in MLS play and flourish in Open Cup play.

Manotas has made a career of scoring goals in the US Open Cup. In less than four seasons since signing in 2015, the young Columbian is the most prolific goalscorer in Dynamo history, adding two more on Wednesday night to bring his career total to 10 goals in nine tournament games. His two goals also earned him the 2018 US Open Cup goalscoring title, as he tied the single-tournament record for the Modern Era (1995-present) with six goals.

“When you play a final you don’t need to motivate much,” said Dynamo head coach Wilmer Cabrera.  “Too much talking is not good. You need to be disciplined and understand that everyone is nervous, everyone is high on adrenaline. We had to be disciplined, organized and play to our strengths. When we had the chances we had to be sure to put those away and it couldn’t work out any better for us.”

With the win, the Dynamo become the first South Texas team in tournament’s 105-year history to lift the trophy.

It didn’t take long for the streamers to start flying at the 2018 Final in Houston, Texas. On a counter, Alberth Elis’ service into the box found a crouching Manotas who headed it home. The 23-year-old’s goal in the fourth minute of play was all the Dynamo needed to claim their first ever Cup championship. It was tied with D.C. United’s Luciano Emilio for the fastest goal of the Modern Era. Emilio’s goal was scored in the 2008 Final in a 2-1 win over the Charleston Battery (USL).

Philadelphia pressured the Houston defense for much of the night. Willis faced 19 shots overall in recording a clean sheet and moving to 12-3 all-time in Open Cup play. Willis won his second career US Open Cup title after he led D.C. United to four straight wins before starting goalkeeper Bill Hamid took over in the 2013 championship game where they defeated Real Salt Lake, 1-0.

Manotas completed the brace in the 25th minute. After receiving a pass from the right wing from Elis, Manotas dribbled to his left across the top of the box before rifling home a low shot off the near post.  The two goals gave Manotas 20 goals in all competitions, a single-season record for the Dynamo. The Colombian also became just the fourth player in the Modern Era to score multiple goals in a Final, and is just the fifth to score multiple goals in a championship game in a career.

“I can say that he’s a fantastic professional,” exuded Cabrera after the game. “He’s a fantastic top scorer, and we’re lucky to have him. Because every day he’s growing in all aspects, not only as a player but as a person, he’s more mature and he’s only 22, 23-years-old.And with him, he’s been professional on-and-off the field, so it’s impressive– and being that young. So it’s very good and we’re happy for him.”

A two-goal advantage, especially in the US Open Cup is not insurmountable, but a second half own goal by the Union seemed to dash any hopes of a comeback. In the 65th minute,  Romell Quioto received the ball on the left side of the box with plenty of space for a shot. He fired it toward the far post and Andre Blake dove to his left to make the save but the rebound deflected to the foot of Auston Trusty who appeared to try to clear the ball out for a corner kick. Instead, the ball ended up in the back of the net.

Trusty’s look of devastation after the own goal — just the fifth own goal scored in a championship game in tournament history —  summed up Philadelphia’s night as the Union would finish runner-up for the third time in the last five years. They are the first Modern Era club to lose three championship games, and they become just the fifth team in Open Cup history to finish runner-up three times.

Houston defender DaMarcus Beasley won his third career US Open Cup title (Chicago Fire 2000, 2003), and with the win, he breaks the Modern Era record for biggest gap in between Cup titles with 15 years. (Previous record: Jaime Moreno of D.C. United with 12 years from 1996-2008). Backup goalkeeper Chris Seitz won his second title in three years after helping rival FC Dallas lift the trophy in 2016. Dylan Remick did not play but he wins a second career US Open Cup title (2014 – Seattle Sounders FC). Andrew Wenger, who played in both US Open Cup Finals for the Union in 2014 and 2015, including missing the final penalty kick in the 2015 Final, played all 90 minutes and wins his first US Open Cup title.

With the win, the Dynamo win $300,000 in prize money (the Union received $100,000), and a berth in the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League.

2018 US Open Cup Semifinals: Hat trick by Diego Rossi earns him TheCup.us Player of the Round despite LAFC not advancing

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Diego Rossi of LAFC celebrates one of his three goals against the Houston Dynamo in the 2018 US Open Cup Semifinals. The match finished in a 3-3 draw and the Dynamo prevailed 7-6 on penalty kicks. Photo: Houston Dynamo
Diego Rossi of LAFC celebrates one of his three goals against the Houston Dynamo in the 2018 US Open Cup Semifinals. The match finished in a 3-3 draw and the Dynamo prevailed 7-6 on penalty kicks. Photo: Houston Dynamo

Los Angeles FC forward Diego Rossi has been voted TheCup.us Player of the Round for the Semifinals of the 2018 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Rossi’s hat trick wasn’t just another superb performance by the young Uruguyuan but it was historic despite the fact that Houston edged out the Black and Gold on penalty kicks 7-6 after a 3-3 draw after 120 minutes.

It was two-man race for the award as Philadelphia’s Cory Burke had a brace in the Union’s 3-0 semifinal win against the Chicago Fire and finished second. Burke’s teammate, and the man who assisted on both of his goals, Alejandro Bedoya, finished a distant third.

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

Rossi, in a season of firsts for the MLS expansion side Los Angeles FC, tied David Ochoa (Miami United FC) for the 2018 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup scoring lead with his three-goal performance.

Rossi signed in December has been as clutch for LAFC as clutch can be. In March, he scored the team’s first-ever goal in their first win against the Seattle Sounders. Since that first goal, he has climbed the ladder on the MLS stat sheets adding six more goals and six assists. Add in five more goals and an assist in US Open Cup play and the 20-year-old has 12 goals and seven assists in 25 games.

The former Penarol forward began his Player of the Round performance with what has become his trademark, sprinting into space to receive a ball from a teammate this time it was Lee Nguyen. He slotted it past Houston Dynamo goalkeeper Joe Willis in the sixth minute to give LAFC the opening goal of the game. It would be their only lead of the night.

“I’m always trying to help the team by finding space,” Rossi told MLSsoccer.com in their Rising Star series. “Being smart on the ball and continuing to be mobile.”

Late in the game, with LAFC trailing 3-1, Rossi showed the Houston Dynamo why he was labeled by the MLS piece as “A defender’s worst nightmare.”

In the 78th minute, Jordan Harvey raced towards the endline before delivering a service into the box. The ball deflected off Houston’s Andrew Wenger and then off the head of Adolfo Machado before landing at the feet of Rossi. The former Uruguyuan Under-20 champion settled and deftly placed a left-footed boot inside the far post.

Now within a goal, Rossi and company were not to be denied. The second-highest scoring team in Major League Soccer received a free kick just outside the Dynamo box late in second half stoppage time. Willis, charging off his line, deflected the Aaron Kovar delivery on one bounce to an unmarked Diego Rossi. With a flick of his head, Rossi not only tied the match but settled into the record books as the first Uruguayan to score a hat trick in the Modern Era (1995-present) after the Quarterfinals. He also became the first Uruguayan to score a hat trick in the Modern Era and the first to win the Player of the Round award.

After a scoreless 30 minutes of extra time, the match went into penalty kicks where the Dynamo prevailed, 7-6. Rossi converted his penalty kick attempt in Round 7, only to see Latif Blessing’s attempt saved in the next round which would prove to be the difference.

Rossi is the only player to win a “Round” award and not advance (NOTE: Chris Eylander of the Seattle Sounders won TheCup.us Player of the Tournament award despite being eliminated in the Semifinals).

“Diego has been great. He’s young, energetic. When he gets near the goal, he’s pretty clinical,” teammate Steven Beitashour said following a Rossi brace in mid-March. “There’s a reason we brought him here.”

And now, despite LAFC being eliminated in the Semifinals, the rest of the soccer world understands that reason too following Rossi’s historic performance.

2018 TheCup.us Player of the Round winners

Preliminary Round: Rasmus Hansen (Brooklyn Italians, NPSL)
First Round: Chuka Aruh (Inter Nashville FC, NPSL)
Second Round: Christian Okeke (NTX Rayados, USASA)
Third Round: Allisson Faramilio (FC Golden State Force, PDL)
Fourth Round: Brian Ownby (Louisville City FC, USL)
Fifth Round: Daniel Salloi (Sporting Kansas City, MLS)
Quarterfinals: Romell Quioto (Houston Dynamo, MLS)
Semifinals: Diego Rossi (Los Angeles FC, MLS)

2018 US Open Cup Semifinals: Houston Dynamo survive Rossi’s LAFC comeback, reach Final in PKs

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houston-dynamo-2018-usoc-semifinalsIt may have taken 131 minutes of soccer including stoppage time and an eight-round penalty kick shootout but the third time was still the history-making charm for the Houston Dynamo as they advanced to the 2018 US Open Cup Final. The Dynamo made history in front of the home crowd at BBVA Compass Stadium turning a 3-3 draw into a dramatic 7-6 shootout win over Los Angeles FC and continuing the quest for the team’s first US Open Cup title.

The victory marked the first time Houston has advanced to the Final in three tries. The Dynamo had reached the Semifinals in 2006 and 2009 and now, in 2018, winning the tournament is an important goal for the team.

“I am proud of this team,” said a relieved and happy Houston head coach Wilmer Cabrera. “This team has never given up. Despite we were ahead, they tied.”

Memo Rodriguez came off the bench to give Houston a 3-1 lead in the 75th minute, but Diego Rossi pulled one back for LAFC three minutes later, and then scored his third goal of the game deep into second half stoppage time to level the match at 3-3. Rossi became the first player in the Modern Era (1995-present) to score a hat trick after the Quarterfinals. But Houston goalkeeper Joe Willis made a pair of saves in the shootout to make the Dynamo just the second South Texas team in tournament history to reach the championship game (El Paso Patriots in 1995).

LAFC forward Diego Rossi slipped in behind the defense before slotting a ball between the legs of an on-charging Willis in the sixth minute of play.

The Houston Dynamo celebrate after defeated LAFC in a PK shootout in the 2018 US Open Cup Semifinals. Photo: Houston Dynamo
The Houston Dynamo celebrate after defeated LAFC in a PK shootout in the 2018 US Open Cup Semifinals. Photo: Houston Dynamo

The Dynamo, who are 23-7-7 at home under Cabrera over the last two seasons, showcased their resiliency and tenacity mere moments after the Black and Gold claimed the lead. Andrew Wenger leveled the match in the 12th minute as an Adam Lundqvuist corner kick found the Dynamo midfielder all alone at the back post for the easy tap-in.

Thirteen minutes after the equalizer, Mauro Manotas scored his fourth goal of the tournament to give Houston a 2-1 lead that they would take into the halftime break. His four goals is tied for second-most in the 2018 US Open Cup. For Manotas, it was his eighth career Open Cup goal in nine appearances, which is, by far, the most of any Dynamo player. No Houston player in team history has scored more than three goals in the competition.

Houston’s Memo Rodriguez came off the bench to replace the reigning TheCup.us Player of the Round Romell Quioto in the 72nd minute and he would make an immediate impact three minutes later.

Tomas Martinez played a ball to Rodriguez on the left wing and the homegrown player found just enough space to fire a low-driving shot toward the near post that narrowly beat LAFC goalkeeper Tyler Miller. It was the third goal of the tournament for Rodriguez and the fourth of his career.

“It’s an incredible feeling to get a goal in front of the hometown crowd,” said Rodriguez about his goal that gave Houston a two-goal lead with 15 minutes left in regulation. “You always have to be ready when you come on the pitch to make an impact for the team.”

Joe Willis of the Houston Dynamo makes one of his two saves in the PK shootout against LAFC in the 2018 US Open Cup Semifinals. The Dynamo won the shootout 7-6 after a 3-3 draw. Photo: Houston Dynamo
Joe Willis of the Houston Dynamo makes one of his two saves in the PK shootout against LAFC in the 2018 US Open Cup Semifinals. The Dynamo won the shootout 7-6 after a 3-3 draw. Photo: Houston Dynamo

Trailing 3-1, LAFC, the upstart expansion team in Major League Soccer, went to work. Rossi punched home a bouncing ball inside the box in the 78th minute to cut the deficit to one. Then he completed his historic hat trick five minutes into stoppage time when a free kick from the right wing caused problems for Willis. The netminder tried to punch the ball away which allowed Rossi on the right side of the box to head the ball back toward goal and inside the far post.

For Rossi, he became the first Uruguayan to score a hat trick in the Modern Era and he finished the game with five Open Cup goals, which ties him with David Ochoa of Miami United FC (NPSL) for the tournament lead. The last hat trick scored in the Semifinals came in 1993 when Jose Angulo of CD Mexico (now El Farolito) scored three in a 3-1 extra time win over Bavarian SC.

Neither side could find the game winner in extra time which meant a semifinal match had to be decided by a penalty kick shootout for just the 10th time in the tournament’s 105-year history.

LAFC appeared to have the game in hand after Tyler Miller blocked Boniek Garcia, Houston’s fourth shooter but Joe Willis, no stranger to penalty kick shootouts, came through again. Willis was the goalkeeper for the 2013 US Open Cup winner D.C. United and posted a shootout win in the opening game against the Richmond Kickers.

Following the Garcia save, Willis saved Laurent Ciman’s attempt in Round 5, and then stopped Latif Blessing’s shot in the eighth round to send the Dynamo to the Final, which they will host on Sept. 26 against the Philadelphia Union.

“I wasn’t very happy with my game leading up to the penalties,” said Willis following the game. “So I was happy I could make a couple of saves and help the team advance to the final.”

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

FULL MATCH REPLAY

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