The Houston Dynamo are one win away from the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final and will host the Los Angeles Football Club on Wednesday, August 8 in the tournament's semifinal round. This is the club’s third trip to the semifinals and its first since 2009.
The matchup was determined after Houston defeated Sporting Kansas City 4-2 and LAFC knocked off the Portland Timbers 3-2 on July 18. The date, time and location for the semifinal match were determined in a draw conducted by U.S. Soccer this afternoon.
Beginning this afternoon, all Dynamo Season Ticket Members will have an exclusive opportunity to purchase tickets to the match before they go on sale to the general public, with Members-only pricing starting at $17. Tickets will go on sale to the general public Thursday, July 25, with prices starting at $24. The match will be streamed live on HoustonDynamo.com/Live.
As part of the draw, U.S. Soccer determined the order of priority for hosting the U.S. Open Cup Final. Houston has the second priority for hosting, after the Chicago Fire. That means that the Dynamo would play at Chicago if both teams advance to the Final; if Houston and the Philadelphia Union each win their semifinal matches, then the Final would be played at BBVA Compass Stadium.
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is a single-elimination tournament to determine the champion of American soccer. Teams from every level of soccer are included, from local amateur and semi-pro sides up to Major League Soccer. Each MLS club received a bye until the fourth round of the tournament. Founded in 1914, the Open Cup is the oldest national soccer competition in the United States and the second-oldest team championship in American sports. The 2018 tournament is the 105th edition of the competition.
Houston advanced to the Semifinal with a 4-2 victory over Sporting Kansas City on July 18 in the Quarterfinal. They opened their Open Cup campaign with a 5-0 win over NTX Rayados, an amateur side from the Dallas area, on June 6 and then defeated Minnesota United FC 1-0 on June 18 in the Round of 16.
The Dynamo are 15-11-1 all-time in the tournament, with the one draw going to penalty kicks in 2008. Houston’s deepest run in the tournament has been to the Semifinal in 2006 and again in 2009. The Dynamo lost on the road to the LA Galaxy in the 2006 Semifinal and fell to the Seattle Sounders in Seattle in the 2009 Semifinal.
This will mark the first-ever meeting between the Dynamo and LAFC in the Open Cup. Houston has played Major League Soccer’s newest expansion side once in regular-season competition, rallying late to rescue a 2-2 draw at BBVA Compass Stadium on July 3.
