US Open Cup: Houston Dynamo take on Sporting Kansas City

Wednesday night, the Houston Dynamo host Sporting Kansas City in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. While SKC is looking to defend their title the Dynamo are looking to win the Open Cup for the first time.

History

They have faced each other in 28 times across all competitions since 2011 with SKC holding a 10-9-9 edge.

This is the fourth straight year that the two teams will face each other. SKC won the 2015 quarterfinal and Houston won in the 2016 Round of 16. SKC prevailed again in 2017 in the Round of 16. Both times SKC has defeated the Dynamo they have gone on to win the tournament and are the current reigning champs.

How did they get here?

The Dynamo entered the Open Cup to face NTX Rayados. They defeated the amateur club 5-0, scoring all five goals in the second half. Memo Rodriguez and Aldo Quintanilla each scored two goals in the game. Quintanilla was one of seven players the Dynamo signed from USL affiliate Rio Grande Valley FC.

Advancing to the next round, the Dynamo faced fellow MLS club, Minnesota United. Mauro Manotas was the lone goal scorer in the game as his goal gave the Dynamo a 1-0 victory.

SKC faced MLS opponents in each round of the Open Cup. They entered the tournament to face Real Salt Lake. Their 2-0 victory against the Western Conference team propelled them into their next game to face FC Dallas. The game against Dallas was a back and forth battle that saw Dallas score first. SKC’s Daniel Salloi scored a brace to give them the lead but Dallas scored again to tie things back up. It was an 89th minute goal from Yohan Croizet to give SKC the win.

How are they doing in MLS?

Houston is coming off an uninspiring tie to the Colorado Rapids. The 0-0 game was boring at its best. The Dynamo trotted out a lineup with five defenders signaling that they were going for a tie on the road. They also rested a number of their usual starting forwards also signalling that they may be taking the Open Cup seriously. Or they could just be rotating players as they play five games in the next fifteen days. The Dynamo currently sit in seventh place in Western Conference.

SKC’s game against the New York Red Bulls was a much more exciting game than the Dynamo one. It looked like SKC would walk away the winners until Marc Rzatkowski scored for the Red Bulls during the 72nd and 79th minutes of the game to give his team a 3-2 victory. SKC has gone winless since their victory over the Dynamo on June 23. In spite of their current form they sit in third place in the Western Conference standings.

Game Details

Houston Dynamo vs Sporting Kansas City

Wednesday, July 18 at 7:30 pm CT

BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, TX