Houston Dynamo FC advanced to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final tonight, defeating Real Salt Lake 3-1 after extra time.
The Dynamo advance to face Inter Miami CF and Lionel Messi on the road in the final on Wednesday, Sept. 27. Houston also qualified for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup. This is the first time the team will compete in a regional Concacaf tournament since 2019.
Houston opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time when captain Héctor Herrera found the back of the net from inside the six-yard box. Forward Nelson Quiñónes played a ball across from the left side of the penalty box that fell to forward Amine Bassi, who tapped the ball to Herrera.
The visitors scored the equalizer in the 64th minute off a cross from Jefferson Savarino that found Anderson Julio at the near post.
Houston took the lead in extra time in the 105th minute when midfielder Adalberto “Coco” Carrasquilla slotted the ball across goal into the bottom left corner of the net from the top of the penalty box. Bassi was credited with the assist.
Midfielder Luis Caicedo scored Houston’s third goal of the night in the 125th minute after winning possession at the top of the penalty box and playing a one-two with Bassi. The Colombian hammered the ball into the top of the net for his first goal for the Club. Meanwhile, Bassi assisted on all three of Houston’s goals tonight and created nine chances.
Real Salt Lake played the final five minutes of extra time with 10 men after Brayan Vera was show his second yellow card of the match for a foul on Caicedo near the corner flag, which resulted in some extracurriculars from both teams.
Houston’s first threat of the evening came in the 14th minute after Quiñónes won the ball in the opposing half. The young forward dribbled toward the box and tested his luck from outside the box, but his effort just missed the inside corner of the near post.
The first shot on target of the evening came in the 16th minute following a corner kick that ultimately found Justen Glad at the near post, but his header was comfortably stopped by Dynamo goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell for his only save of the night.
Herrera forced a save in the 20th minute with a shot from outside the box. The Dynamo captain finished with three chances created.
Quiñónes found space behind the Salt Lake backline to win a corner kick in the 31st minute. Defender Griffin Dorsey found forward Corey Baird outside the box after the Dynamo won possession in the opposing half. Baird played the ball wide to an open Quiñónes, but his effort bounced off a defender for a corner kick.
The Dynamo almost doubled their lead before halftime when Herrera delivered a free kick from the left side of the penalty box. Carrasquilla received the ball and backheeled it to Baird, who one-touched the ball into the back of the net. However, the Panamanian international was ruled offside on his initial touch.
Carrasquilla just missed the inside of the near post in the 49th minute. The play began after Herrera won the ball at midfield. Houston generated a sequence of passes along the top of the box prior to the shot at the near post.
Defender Franco Escobar forced a save in the 85th minute when Carrasquilla played a ball to Dorsey running into the right side of the penalty box. The defender played a ball across that ended up at Escobar’s feet, but his shot was corralled by Salt Lake goalkeeper Zac MacMath.
Another chance followed in the 88th minute when Bassi played a ball to a charging Carrasquilla, but the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup Player of the Tournament was just unable to catch up to the ball at the edge of the six-yard box. Bassi ended the night with nine chances created.
Houston had the first shot of extra time when Carrasquilla took his chances from outside of the box in the 92nd minute, but the ball just went wide of the right post.
Quinones forced a fingertip save from MacMath with a strong shot from outside the left corner of the penalty box in the 101st minute that went just over the crossbar.
Houston resumes league play at RSL on Saturday, Aug. 26, with kickoff scheduled for 8:30 p.m. CT.
