HOUSTON – The Houston Dynamo front office, coaching staff, and ownership group have repeatedly stated how the club is building toward a brighter future.
On Wednesday night, the Dynamo took a massive step in that direction after its 3-1 extra-time win over Real Salt Lake punched their ticket to the 2023 US Open Cup Final on Sept. 27 against Inter Miami FC and Lionel Messi.
The win also guarantees a CONCACAF Champions berth for Houston even if it loses the US Open Cup final since Inter Miami FC qualified when they lifted the Leagues Cup trophy earlier this month.
Houston started the scoring just before halftime via a Hector Herrera goal. Real Salt Lake leveled the game in the second half and held off a hungry and persistent Dynamo to take the game into extra time.
The Dynamo took the lead for good minutes from the end of the first half extra time through some individual brilliance from Coco Carrasquilla and sealed the win when Luis Caicedo netted a goal in the 125th minute.
“This is just a really good step for this group and the organization,” Houston Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen said. “To put ourselves in a situation to play in the finals after the year that we had last year and the last few years, it shows that there’s at least some growth here.”
The growth was evident against Real Salt Lake, where the local side outshot its opponent 30 to 11. Olsen recognized his side played at a high-level Wednesday night, calling it some of the best soccer the club has played.
“Today was a game where soccer rewards us for all the effort we have been making,” Carrasquilla said.
For a moment, it seemed like Houston would let another victory slip from their fingertips when Real Salt Lake leveled the game despite having few scoring opportunities. But Olsen’s faith in his team never wavered.
“We’ve shown throughout this year that when teams come back and score, we’ve done okay. More times than not, we’ve been able to manage that and either respond or get the win,” Olsen said. “The way the game was going, I knew we’d get some chances.”
Franco Escobar noted after the game that Houston should have put Real Salt Lake away earlier.
“We have this thing where we give opponents life and end up suffering,” Escobar said. “But the team showed desire, attitude, and the dream that we had of reaching a final. And we did it.”
Houston’s dream of lifting a trophy this season continues, but the team knows their forthcoming match against Inter Miami FC and Messi could be their most challenging yet.
“This isn’t an ordinary final,” Hector Herrera said. “Because of their players, winning this final will not be the same as winning, and not to belittle other teams or players, but we’re talking about them having the best player in the world today. It will be a special and beautiful game, and I hope we can take the cup.”
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.
Jesus:
I love your content and I sincerely hope you can monetize the Bayoucitian very soon. Seems you might have a better opportunity now that the Dynamo are on the upswing and with CCL coming. Best of luck for the future of this great blog.
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