Houston Dynamo FC advanced to the Round of 32 in this year’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup after defeating the Tampa Bay Rowdies 1-0 on the road earlier today.
Coming off a quick counterattack, midfielder Brooklyn Raines opened the scoring for Houston in the 44th minute, slotting it past goalkeeper Connor Sparrow with his right foot after a pass to the middle of the box from forward Corey Baird.
Houston’s first chance came in the opening minutes when captain Héctor Herrera won the ball from a Rowdies defender to the left of the penalty box, putting the ball across to Baird, who just pushed the ball past the near post.
The Rowdies registered the first effort on goal of the match, as midfielder Jerome Williams fired a low strike to the right side of goal that was handled by goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell. Tarbell earned his first start for the Dynamo tonight and this was the fifth clean sheet for the team in all competitions.
The Dynamo had another chance in the 12th minute after forward Amine Bassi won a free kick a few yards outside of the press box. Herrera shot directly for the goal but put the ball just over the crossbar.
Three minutes later, Tampa Bay found their biggest chance of the first half, as midfielder Jordan Doherty forced a diving save from Tarbell to the left side of goal that ultimately clipped the far post.
Another goal looked like it might be on the way for Houston in the 42nd minute, as Bassi took a chance from distance outside the box. However, the 25-year-old put the shot over the crossbar and out of play.
Houston started the second half quickly, as forward Sebastian Ferreira forced a save from Sparrow in the 49th minute. Six minutes later, Baird followed with a shot that just carried over the crossbar.
The Dynamo thought they had extended the lead in the 77th minute, but midfielder Adalberto “Coco” Carrasquilla’s would-be goal was ruled offside.
Tampa Bay put consistent pressure on the Dynamo defense throughout the second half, requiring Tarbell’s attention on multiple occasions. However, the goalkeeper and his backline managed to keep a clean sheet for the entirety of the match, advancing to the next round of the competition.
The U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 Draw will be held Thursday, April 27 at 1 p.m. CT, streaming live on the B/R App and B/R Football YouTube Channel. The Dynamo return to MLS play on May 6 to host Real Salt Lake at Shell Energy Stadium at 7:30 p.m. CT.
