FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Was I crazy?
That’s what Houston Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen thinks of, recalling that Griffin Dorsey was on the bench for the better part of the first season.
The former Toronto FC wingback had been relegated to a bench role and played sparingly in the first half of the season, including a four-game streak as an unused sub in early July that ended when he started Houston’s first Leagues Cup game.
Dorsey rewarded his coach throughout the tournament by scoring a goal, nabbing an assist, and making countless dangerous runs up the right wing while keeping up his defensive duties. The Indiana Hoosier alums’ energizing play helped the Dynamo reach the League Cup Round of 16.
Since the Leagues Cup, Dorsey has made the right-back position his own, starting in seven of Houston’s next nine games and being a pivotal cog in La Naranja’s offensive surge.
In Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup Final, Dorsey announced himself to a larger viewing audience, and spoiler alert, the winger-turned-fullback put on a show, blasting a right-footed golazo to give Houston the early lead over Inter Miami FC.
NOTHING LESS THAN MAGISTERIAL FROM GRIFFIN DORSEY 💥
Houston Dynamo strike first in the @opencup final. 🍿 pic.twitter.com/nMXSPqxAYJ
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 28, 2023
Dorsey’s run, touch, and rifling shot in DRV PNK Stadium was the rightful reward for the Dynamo’s purpose-driven start to the final. The goal took many breaths away, including a GOAT sidelined for the match.
Griffin Dorsey took Lionel Messi’s breath away. 👀 pic.twitter.com/t7UrQApDoY
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 28, 2023
Griffin’s goal set the tempo for the rest of the match, an eventual 2-1 win for the visiting side, giving Houston its second U.S. Open Cup title.
After the game, after the celebratory beer showers, and the countless screams of joy, Olsen addressed the media. When asked about Dorsey’s play and his golazo, Olsen spoke candidly about how Dorsey’s work earned him the right to be Houston’s starting right back.
“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. … At this point, there’s no way I’m taking him off the field.”
Dorsey appreciates the time Dynamo assistant coaches have spent with him after practice to get him back in the starting lineup.
“I have a lot of respect for the coaching staff and they helped me when I needed help. And they’ve continued to coach me throughout this entire process. And it’s special to feel it now,” said a wide-smiled Dorsey after Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup Final.
Watching the U.S. Open Cup Final, it’s hard not to notice Dorsey’s relentless runs up the right flank. Dynamo backup ‘keeper Andrew Tarbell, who started Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup Final, got an up-close view of Dorsey’s run and defensive presence in the game. Beyond Wednesday’s final, Tarbell has seen Dorsey’s rise over the past months.
“He’s just come on like an amazing player. He’s scoring goals left and right, and defending hard. I mean, every time he gets in and around the box he’s making something happened,” said Tarbell. “I’m just so happy for him. To score a golazo tonight was just incredible.”
Safe to say Tarbell wasn’t the only Dynamo player or coach to be all smiles after Dorsey’s performance in the U.S. Open Cup Final. The cavalry of Dynamo fans who made the trip to Fort Lauderdale screamed and jumped with bliss and excitement after Dorsey’s goal.
And while he wasn’t sitting with the Dynamo supporters, a special guest of Dorsey’s’ no doubt felt the same seeing the long-haired Colorado native score.
“I got my grandpa over there. He’s only seen me play one other time,” Dorsey shared with CBS sideline reporter Susannah Collins after the game. “It’s going to be really special to celebrate with him right now.”
Dorsey’s transformation will continue past the U.S. Open Cup Final, and Wednesday’s match clearly showed to those watching that the 24-year-old is on the rise and one to watch.
Jesus Acevedo Jr. is the Editor-in-Chief of The Bayoucitian. He’s an award-winning bilingual journalist from Houston, TX. A graduate of the University of Houston, he has written for the Houston Chronicle, La Voz de Houston, MLSsoccer.com, and ProSoccerUSA.
Before becoming a journalist, Jesus spent his early 20s drumming his way across Houston with two bands — Shortcomings and InsertNameHere. The memories that Jesus made as a musician were the seeds that started the idea for the comedy, Houmans: The Series.
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