In the final contestation of the 108th Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, Houston Dynamo FC claimed the club’s second U.S. Soccer National Championship by defeating Inter Miami CF 2-1 before a packed house at DRV PNK Stadium. Griffin Dorsey and Amine Bassi scored first half goals for the visitors whose veteran midfield pair of captain Héctor Herrera and Artur stymied a Miami side that was shorn of Jordi Alba and reigning World Cup MVP Lionel Messi.
The victory sees Houston pocket the competition’s $300,000 grand prize and underlines the place it earned in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup with its Semifinal victory. The Dynamo are the first team since Sporting Kansas City in 2015 to win an Open Cup crown as the away team.
Both teams started the match well, putting in strong tackles and pushing the ball forward with scoring intent, but it was Houston that looked the more dangerous of the two. After the opening quarter hour, Corey Baird came close when he redirected a Nelson Quiñónes cross just over the bar in a warning sign for the home side that the pair of Houston attackers would be a problem throughout the night.
The injured Messi wasn’t in head coach Gerardo Martino’s team sheet – nor was fellow superstar summer signing Jordi Alba – and Houston took full advantage, outplaying and outperforming a Miami side that lacked the power and precision the legendary No. 10 supplied en route to their historic Leagues Cup 2023 title last month.
First-year head coach Olsen had the tactical edge over Martino from the start, with the Dynamo dominating the hosts in virtually every offensive metric in the opening 45 minutes.
That scenario inevitably led to Dorsey’s 24th-minute opener, the culmination of a perfectly worked build-up the fullback slammed home with his right boot. Eleven minutes later, another line-splitting sequence gave DeAndre Yedlin no recourse but to foul Nelson Quiñónes inside the box. PK specialist Bassi took care of the rest, beating goalkeeper Drake Callender from the spot to add to Houston’s cushion.
Ben Olsen has led the Houston Dynamo to the U.S. Open Cup! It's their second U.S. Open Cup title, and first since 2018!
The visitors at DRV PNK Stadium were by far the better team, and deserved their victory. They will now hope that Nelson Quinones is ok, as the 21-year-old looked electric until he was forced off with injury, and his presence will be a huge boost for their run at a potential MLS Cup title going forward.
Inter Miami were putrid for most of this match without Lionel Messi, and while they looked like a possible comeback was on the cards for a bit, it wasn't enough. Tata Martino has a big job to do for this team to be contenders for a playoff berth if Messi sits for more matches.
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