Houston Dynamo FC will face Tampa Bay Rowdies from the USL Championship in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at Al Lang Stadium later this month. The matchup was determined earlier today in Florida and the full results are available here.The date and time of the match will be announced at a later date by U.S. Soccer.
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. 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 2023 tournament is the 108th edition of the competition.
The Dynamo captured the 2018 U.S. Open Cup, the club’s first title in the tournament, with a 3-0 win over the Philadelphia Union on September 26, 2018, at BBVA Compass Stadium (now Shell Energy Stadium). The Open Cup title was the third domestic championship in Dynamo history and first since the club’s back-to-back MLS Cup titles in 2006 and 2007.
After the tournament’s two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Houston advanced to the Round of 16 in last year’s competition, falling 2-1 to Sporting Kansas City on the road. The Dynamo took down RGV Toros 2-1 in the third round before knocking out San Antonio FC 1-0 in the Round of 32 in 2022.
Current Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen won the Open Cup once 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.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies earned a spot in the Third Round with a 2-0 victory at home against Nona FC (USL League 2) on April 4. The Rowdies finished third in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship last season and reached the conference final. Tampa Bay currently sits in 11th place with two points secured after four matches.
