HOUSTON (May 6, 2024) – Houston Dynamo FC kick off their Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title defense at Shell Energy Stadium on Tuesday, May 7, hosting USL Championship side Detroit City FC in the Round of 32. The match is scheduled to kick off at 7:00 p.m. CT, and tickets are available HERE.
If the Dynamo advance to the Round of 16, Houston will travel to face the winner of Indy Eleven and San Antonio FC. The tournament champion will earn a berth into the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup, which would be the second consecutive appearance for Houston.
Houston wraps up the week returning to MLS play with a road trip to Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, May 11, followed by a midweek road trip to in-state rivals Austin FC on Wednesday, May 15.
The Dynamo lifted the 2023 U.S. Open Cup with a 2-1 victory over Inter Miami CF at Chase Stadium in September. Houston’s goal scorers on the night were Griffin Dorsey and Amine Bassi. Notably, Houston never trailed in a match during its championship campaign.
The victory secured Houston’s fourth domestic title in club history after the Dynamo won back-to-back MLS Cup titles in 2006 and 2007, as well as the 2018 U.S. Open Cup.
Head coach Ben Olsen, who recently signed a multi-year contract extension with the Dynamo, became the third coach to win the U.S. Open Cup with two different teams, after lifting the trophy as a player (2008) and head coach (2013) with D.C. United. Assistant coach Aurélien Collin also won the 2012 cup title as a player with Sporting Kansas City.
Detroit City FC competes in the USL Championship, currently sitting third in the Eastern Conference with a 5-1-1 (WLD) record and 16 points. Detroit advanced to the Round of 32 after earning a 1-0 home victory over local foes Michigan Stars FC, who compete in NISA, earlier this month. The match was decided by a stoppage-time goal from Maxi Rodriguez.
Houston currently sits eighth in the Western Conference with a 4-4-2 (WLD) record and 14 points. The Dynamo ended a two-match slide on Saturday, earning a scoreless home draw after keeping a potent St. Louis CITY SC attack off the scoresheet. The result marked Houston’s third clean sheet of the season, while also managing a season-high 22 shots on the night. Additionally, captain Héctor Herrera made his first start of the season on the way back from injury.
Now in its 109th edition, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup has crowned a champion since 1914 in every year except 2020 and 2021. The history-filled tournament is conducted on a single-game-knockout basis and open to all professional and amateur teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer.
Houston wraps up the week returning to MLS play with a road trip to Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, May 12, followed by a midweek road trip to in-state rivals Austin FC on Wednesday, May 15.
