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While most of our collective attention remains focused on a certain major World tournament that comes around every four years that is currently being played in Brazil, it's easy to lose track of a less prestigious tournament such as the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Still, our Houston Dynamo (the players that aren't in Brazil anyways) is taking on in-state rival FC Dallas this Tuesday. For most of us that follow the US Men's National Team, the draw to Portugal this past Sunday was sort of a letdown as 3 points and a guarantee to the round of 16 was all but certain until a last second equalizer made getting through a bit more difficult. While a knockout win over FC Dallas won't make the aforementioned result go away, beating Dallas always brings us Dynamo fans some cheer.
The Dynamo's last match against the Laredo Heat was a bizarre affair that saw two ejections including Houston's own goalkeeper Tyler Deric, making regular starter Tally Hall the man to go between the sticks against FCD. Alex Lopez's lone goal against the Heat, an amazing chip, was the difference in a game in which the Dynamo really underperformed. For Frisco, they sailed to a 2-0 win over the San Antonio Scorpions with Fabien Castillo and Andres Escobar each finding the back of the net.
This match won't be a walk in the park, and while FC Dallas isn't exactly tearing it up (they're ranked 7th overall versus the 13th ranked Dynamo), they've beaten the Dynamo once already this year. This match HAS to be a grudge match. The Dynamo needs to build on their win against Laredo and most importantly not drop two games at home to Frisco this year.
The Dynamo has had some time to heal and rest which they'll need in this one and hopefully training sessions without the pressure of a game the next weekend have allowed the players that have filled in for injured regulars (or backups) to integrate better into the team. Should the Dynamo win, they'll go on to the quarter-finals and face the winner of the Chicago Fire / Columbus Crew match. The Dynamo will kick off at 8 PM Central Time at the always beautiful BBVA Compass Stadium this Tuesday.