Houston Dynamo to Host Minnesota United in US Open Cup Round of 16

It was announced today that the Houston Dynamo will host Minnesota United FC in the Round of 16 of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Tuesday, June 18th at BBVA Compass Stadium at 6 PM CT.

This is the second game in the tournament for both clubs. The Dynamo will continue their title defense following their 3-2 win over USL Championship side Austin Bold FC. The Loons bested Sporting Kansas City 4-1 at Allianz Field in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

In the Dynamo win over Austin Bold we saw a fairly polarizing game in terms of how different each half was. Houston got hot early with Tomás Martínez finding the net in the 14^th minute followed by Ronaldo Peña in the 31^st and Matías Vera in the 40^th. However, Austin would come within a goal of equalizing thanks to an early second half free kick – which took a generous deflection – and Isaac Promise who put back a shot that was initially saved by Tyler Deric.

For the Loons, they looked dominant in their win over SKC. Goals from Angelo Rodríguez, Ethan Finlay, and a brace by Darwin Quintero were more than enough to put away our out-of-state rivals.

The Dynamo defeated the Loons in the US Open Cup last year 1-0. Mauro Manotas was the lone goal scorer in the 2018 Round of 16. Houston and Minnesota United have met once already this season in Saint Paul where the Loons came away with three points after a 1-0 performance.

So what do you think of the draw? How far can Houston’s title defense go? Let us know below.