Aggie Soccer Stadium - College Station, TX - 7:00pm CT
This is the first time the Dynamo have been forced to go through U.S. Open Cup qualifying. Houston had qualified automatically through regular season performance in their first five seasons.
Hard to say what kind lineup we'll see tonight from Dominic Kinnear but it should be a mix of starters and reserves with the likes of Brad Davis, Geoff Cameron, Lovel Palmer and Tally Hall the best candidates to be on the bench. Indications are midfielder Colin Clark will finally get his opportunity to make his Dynamo debut after joining the club last season in the Brian Mullan trade. Clark has been recovering from a knee injury and has been practicing without restriction for the past couple weeks.
We'll have to see how the lineup shakes out tonight but I expect the Dynamo to be competitive.
Dynamo Notes
- The Dynamo are 5-4-1 all-time in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup play, reaching the tournament semifinals in 2006 and 2009. Houston is 3-1 at home in Open Cup play, including a 2006 win at the Carl Lewis Track & Field Complex.
- Houston leads the all-time series with Kansas City 6-2-3, including a 2-0 win in the 2007 Western Conference championship game. Kansas City's 4-3 comeback win against the Dynamo last September broke a nine-game Houston unbeaten streak in the series.
- Dynamo goalkeeper Tally Hall has a 3-2 Open Cup record with five shutouts over the last two years, including a club-record-tying 10 saves in the 2009 semifinals against Seattle. Midfielder Geoff Cameron and defender Eddie Robinson are the club's leading Open Cup scorers among active players with two each; former Dynamo forwards Alejandro Moreno and Dominic Oduro each scored three goals in Open Cup play.
- Midfielder Alex Dixon made his professional debut on Saturday, entering as a 73rd-minute substitute in Houston's 1-1 tie against New York. Dixon (Humble, Texas) became the third Dynamo Academy player to compete for the first team, joining midfielder Francisco Navas Cobo (April 17, 2010) and goalkeeper Tyler Deric (September 16, 2010). Dixon was also Houston's third rookie to appear this season, joining first-round draft picks Will Bruin and Kofi Sarkodi.
