FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Houston Dynamo are the 2023 U.S. Open Cup champions.
The Bayou City team lifted the U.S. Open Cup Wednesday night after a 2-1 win over a Messi-less Inter Miami FC. With the win, Houston joins an elite class of teams who have won multiple U.S. Open Cup trophies.
“Thrilled with the win. It means a lot to the players. We’re starting in a lot of ways, a new Houston, and trying to build something. And as this goes on, we have these little moments to have growth, this kind of speeds it up a little bit, pours gasoline on what we’re trying to do,” said Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen.
“Credit Ted [Segal], our owner, and what he’s done. Pat Onstad and Asher Mendelsohn for putting together a really great group and allowing me to get back in the game. So, just a great moment for the organization to keep pushing us forward.”
Houston had no problem going forward in the first half of the final. Truthfully, the Dynamo couldn’t have scripted a better first half. To say La Naranja dominated would be an understatement. According to OptaJack, Houston’s 18 shots, to Miami’s sole single shot, is the second-largest difference between two MLS teams in 2023.
From the whistle, Houston was on the front foot, constantly pushing Miami back into their box in the first 20 minutes. Houston’s quick passing was on full display early in the game, with the Dynamo quickly getting into Miami’s half. While Houston pressured Miami, it was unable to break through.
Then Griffin Dorsey did what Dorsey has been doing since July.
Dorsey got the ball just outside the box on the right side. He took one dribble toward goal and then rifled a right-footed shot past Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender for the game’s first goal.
The goal opened up the game even more for Houston.
In the 33rd minute, Nelson Quiñónes beat Miami’s DeAndre Yedlin to a ball in the box but paid for it as the USMNT right back tackled Quiñónes. The ref immediately pointed to the spot, awarding Houston a penalty. Amine Bassi, who’s converted every penalty he has taken this season, stepped up and calmly put the ball in the back of the net for Houston’s second goal.
Houston could have added a third and a fourth in the first half alone, as Miami had no answer for La Naranja’s attack.
“We were so up for this match, and we put so much into that,” said Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen. “It was some good soccer on the offensive side and defensively just dialed in.”
Being outplayed in the first half, Miami FC head coach Tata Martino had no choice but to make halftime substitutions. Among the substitutions was one-time MLS goal-scoring leader Josef Martinez.
The substitutions immediately impacted the game as Houston played on the back foot, taking in pressure from Miami. The Heron’s front-footed mentality nearly paid off in the 55th minute. A Miami free kick found Martinez in the box, with the Venezuelan rising to meet it, but his header was just wide of the goal.
For Houston, the US Open Cup was a tale of two halves.
While they ran Miami off the pitch in the first half, it opted for a more conservative approach in the second half.
Olsen said he wishes his side could have replicated the first-half performance in the second half, but the three-time U.S. Open Cup winner — two as a head coach, one as a player — said the game showed Houston’s two sides.
“At times this year, we’ve been resilient. We’ve had to grind a little bit and get results that way. And there have been times when where we can play in the way we did in the first half,” said Olsen.
Despite the reserved nature, Houston added a third goal in the 72nd minute. But the celebration was short-lived as VAR concluded that Quiñónes was offside by a smidge.
Miami kept searching for a goal and were rewarded for their efforts in the 90th minute when Martinez found the back of the net to keep the Heron’s hope alive.
The ensuing six minutes were filled with suffrage.
“We had to suffer, but we always knew we would,” said Dynamo General Manager Pat Onstad. “Miami is a very good team, regardless of who’s playing, but tonight we were determined to win the game.”
The determination rewarded Houston as it clutched to it’s 2-1 to collect their second U.S. Open Cup title.
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.
[…] 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. […]