The Houston Dynamo are one win away from hoisting the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup trophy, and they will have home field advantage in the Final on Wednesday, Sept. 26 at BBVA Compass Stadium. Tickets for the Final will go on sale to the general public beginning Thursday, August 16 at 10 a.m. CDT.
Dynamo Season Ticket Members have access to an exclusive presale opportunity that runs through Thursday morning. Members will receive a 30 percent discount on individual ticket prices throughout their presale window, and will receive a 15 percent discount from August 19-September 21.
This is the club’s first trip to the Open Cup Final. Houston advanced to the Final by defeating the Los Angeles Football Club 7-6 on penalty kicks last Wednesday, August 8. The teams played to a 3-3 draw in regulation and then fought to a stalemate over two extra-time periods, sending the match to penalties. Goalkeeper Joe Willis made two saves in the shootout, including the match-winning save in the eighth round of attempts. Dynamo field players converted seven of their eight penalty attempts to secure a spot in the final.
Across all competitions, this will be Houston’s fifth appearance in a final. The Dynamo have advanced to the MLS Cup Final four times, most recently in 2012, and won MLS Cup in both 2006 and 2007.
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is a single-elimination tournament to determine the champion of American soccer. Teams from every level of soccer are included, from local amateur and semi-pro sides up to Major League Soccer. Each MLS club received a bye until the fourth round of the tournament. Founded in 1914, the Open Cup is the oldest national soccer competition in the United States and the second-oldest team championship in American sports. The 2018 tournament is the 105th edition of the competition.
Houston advanced to the Semifinal with a 4-2 victory over Sporting Kansas City on July 18 in the Quarterfinal. They opened their Open Cup campaign with a 5-0 win over NTX Rayados, an amateur side from the Dallas area, on June 6 and then defeated Minnesota United FC 1-0 on June 18 in the Round of 16.
The Dynamo are 16-11-1 all-time in the tournament, with the one draw going to penalty kicks in 2008. Prior to this season, Houston’s deepest run in the tournament was to the Semifinal in 2006 and again in 2009.
This will mark the first-ever meeting between the Dynamo and Philadelphia in the Open Cup. The two teams have faced off once this season in league play, with Philly capturing a 3-1 win at BBVA Compass Stadium, scoring twice in the second half after a controversial red card was shown to Dynamo midfielder Tomás MartÃnez in the 54th minute. The regular-season series between the teams is level at 6-6-4 all-time, and the Dynamo hold a 5-3-0 edge in Houston.
