3160114986119914942595">Coming off a 1-1 draw against FC Dallas last Friday, the Houston Dynamo return to U.S. Open Cup play as they host another rival, Sporting Kansas City, tonight (5:30 p.m. CT | TICKETS). It will be the second consecutive time the two sides meet in the fifth round of the competition, the Dynamo prevailing in last year’s edition with a 3-1 win at BBVA Compass Stadium.
The two rivals have eliminated each other in the last two instances of the tournament and have met in elimination matches across all competitions on six different instances, setting Wednesday up to be another classic.
3160114986119914942605">“Kansas City is a good side, but we also think we have very good players,” said forward Andrew Wenger. “The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is always a special place to play and we are looking forward to that.”
3160114986119914942610">Wenger scored the equalizer in the Dynamo’s 3-2 extra time win over North Carolina FC in the fourth round of the competition. The 26-year-old was an unused sub in the two league matches since playing 120 minutes against NCFC. Should the Dynamo advance, they would host FC Dallas in the Open Cup quarterfinals.
3160114986119914942615">“My role is nothing different that it will be any other day,” said Wenger. “The approach is that we want to go out there and win the game. That’s the approach that we have every other game."
3160114986119914942620">Head coach Wilmer Cabrera will be counting on his depth this week as the Dynamo manage two matches in four days. The Dynamo return to league play on Saturday in an away match against the Colorado Rapids (8 p.m. CT | KUBE 57).
3160114986119914942625">“They are two very tough games, one at home against a team that has been doing very well and is first in the Western Conference, for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup,” said Cabrera. “The second game is for MLS, it’s going to be against the Colorado Rapids who are trying to come back for the second part of the season. We have to continue growing as a team. We have been close, but we haven’t been able to win away; that’s an opportunity right there for us.”
