Dynamo eliminated from US Open Cup in penalty kick loss to Detroit
(image via Billy Mears)
The Houston Dynamo began the defense of their Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Round on Tuesday night at Shell Energy Stadium. Houston entered the tournament in the Round of 32 where they met USL Championship club Detroit City FC. Houston looked to be comortable, leading twice in the match but Cinderella showed up in Houston and Detroit never quit, eliminating the Dynamo from the US Open Cup in penalty kicks.
It was the reigning champions who got the party started early, thanks to last year’s USOC hero Griffin Dorsey. Hector Herrera, making his second straight start, whipped a corner into the box just 5 minutes into the match. Dorsey made a run to the near post and volleyed it out of the air and into the back of the net to give the Dynamo the early lead.
Latif Blessing thought he had scored his first goal for the Dynamo in the 16th minute but the flag went up on the far side for offside. He did open his account, however, in the 31st with a goal that would stand. Brad Smith won the ball back in the Detroit half and played the ball to Herrera. The captain found the feet of Gabe Segal who laid the ball off to Blessing who was making a run into the box. Blessing tucked the ball away at the back post to double the lead.
The visitors pulled one back in spectacular fashion in the 41st minute. Ryan Williams, making his debut for Detroit City one-timed a ball from well outside the box and thumped it into the top corner. You’ll be hard pressed to find a better goal all tournament. The goal made it 2-1 to Houston and that was the score as the teams went to half time.
Artur came on for Herrera to begin the second half. The Mexican got another 45 minutes in as he continues to regain fitness in his return from injury. The Dynamo searched for a third goal to try and put away the tie but were unsuccesful. Segal tried an acrobatic scissor kick in the 53rd minute but missed the target. Brad Smith then fired from the left side of the box but had his attempt saved in the 59th minute.
Ben Olsen brought Erik Sviatchenko and Amine Bassi on in the 63rd minute and Coco Carrasquilla on in the 70th minute to try and see the game out. Detroit had other ideas. In the 75th minute, Yazeed Matthews got free in the right side of the box and drilled a shot back post past Andrew Tarbell to tie the match at 2-2.
Houston had let their 2-0 lead slip away but they would grab it back right away. Carrasquilla, just having come into the match, wiggled free at the top of the box. The Panamanian laced a left-footed shot along the grass and past Detroit goalkeeper Carlos Saldana to give the Dynamo a 3-2 lead.
However, the away side still wouldn’t go down without a fight. And they had plenty of fight left in them. In the 83rd minute, it was Detroit’s star man Maxi Rodriguez who ran onto a pulled back ball into the box and tucked it away to once again tie the game, this time at 3-3.
The Dynamo tried to find a winner in regulation to avoid having to play extra soccer. Aliyu Ibrahim, another second half sub, had three shots from inside the box in stoppage time but the Detroit defense and goalkeeper kept him from scoring. The full time whistle blew and the teams would head to thirty minutes of extra time tied 3-3.
The Dynamo controlled extra time but couldn’t score and the match went to penalty kicks. Ben Morris was saved by Andrew Tarbell and Houston made their first four, setting up Aliyu to win the match. The Nigerian’s kick was saved and the penalty kicks went to extra time. The teams traded makes until all ten field players had shot. It came down to the goalkeepers and Tarbell missed the net with his attempt. Saldana blasted his penalty into the net to win the match and send Detroit into the Round of 16.
The 2024 US Open Cup is over for the reigning champions just as it begun. But, Houston has no one to blame but themselves. Detroit deservedly won the match against a Dynamo team that just looked out of sorts. Houston will now return to MLS play where they will travel to Sporting Kansas City this weekend.
