MLS Sporting Kansas City

Sporting KC Heads to Houston for U.S. Open Cup Clash on Wednesday

Published on May 9, 2023 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release


Sporting Kansas City will resume the club's run in the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup as the team travels to Texas to take on the Houston Dynamo at 7:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday at Shell Energy Stadium in the Round of 32.

The cup clash will be streamed live on the U.S. Soccer YouTube channel with local radio broadcasts airing on Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM. Wednesday's winner will advance to the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16, which is scheduled to be played May 23-24, with the Round of 16 draw to be conducted at 1 p.m. CT on Thursday live on the Bleacher Report App and B/R Football's YouTube channel.

Sporting KC progressed to the U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 with a 3-0 victory against Tulsa Athletic at Children's Mercy Park on April 25. Daniel Salloi scored his 50th goal for the club in all competitions - including a team-record eight goals in the U.S. Open Cup - while Alan Pulido and Marinos Tzionis each struck for goals in the second half. In addition, John Pulskamp saved a first-half penalty kick to improve to 4-0-1 all-time in the U.S. Open Cup with three shutouts and a 0.53 goals against average.

The Houston Dynamo advanced to the U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 with a 1-0 victory at the Tampa Bay Rowdies on April 26 with a goal from 18-year-old Brooklyn Raines. The 2018 U.S. Open Cup champions, Houston is currently sixth in Major League Soccer's Western Conference with a 4-3-2 record in the regular season boosted by a 4-0-1 home record at Shell Energy Stadium, where the Dynamo are yet to concede a goal through five home matches in 2023.

Houston is led by head coach Ben Olsen, who won the U.S. Open Cup with D.C. United as a player (2008) and as a manager (2013), along with assistant coach Aurelien Collin, who won the U.S. Open Cup and MLS Cup during a memorable four-year stint with Sporting KC from 2011-2014. Club captain Hector Herrera has represented Mexico at three FIFA World Cups and Dynamo newcomer Amine Bassi has scored five goals in seven MLS starts this season.

While Houston and Sporting have won three of the past six U.S. Open Cup titles, the teams will meet in the U.S. Open Cup for a sixth time in the past seven editions of the tournament. During the Sporting era of the club (2011-present), Sporting will now have faced Houston 11 times in elimination matches with four meetings in the MLS Cup Playoffs (2011, 2012, 2013 and 2017) and seven match-ups in the U.S. Open Cup (2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022 and 2023).

All told, Sporting has faced Houston 42 times in all competitions since 2011 -- more than any other opponent -- and SKC is 4-0-1 in the past five meetings, including a 2-1 win in the 2022 U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 at Children's Mercy Park. The mid-week match continues a busy stretch of five matches in 14 days for Sporting Kansas City with four of those five matches coming on the road.

Sporting Kansas City started the stretch in fine fashion with a 2-1 win over the first-place Seattle Sounders on Sunday. Designated Players Erik Thommy and Alan Pulido scored first-half goals to hand the reigning Concacaf Champions League winners their first home defeat of 2023.

After a bye on Matchday 10, Houston is coming off a scoreless home draw against Real Salt Lake on Saturday and the Dynamo will next play at home this Sunday - affording the hosts not only an extra day of rest on each side of Wednesday's fixture, but also the good fortune of no travel amidst the schedule congestion.

Open to all professional and amateur teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer, the 2023 U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 features 24 clubs from Major League Soccer and eight teams from the second division USL Championship. A champion will be crowned in September after eight rounds of single-elimination play and the winner will claim the Dewar Challenge Trophy along with $300,000 in prize money and a berth in the 2024 Concacaf Champions League.

The U.S. Open Cup, named in honor of former Kansas City Wizards owner Lamar Hunt, has crowned a champion since 1914 and this year celebrates the 108th edition of the competition. Sporting KC (2004, 2012, 2015, 2017) are four-time winners of U.S. Soccer's national championship, tied for the most among MLS clubs, and Sporting have prevailed in 25 U.S. Open Cup matches since 2012, more than any other team in American soccer.

Sporting Kansas City at Houston Dynamo FC

2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup | Round of 32

Wednesday, May 10 | 7:30 p.m. CT (7:39 kickoff)

Shell Energy Stadium | Houston, Texas

Broadcast Schedule:

Live Stream | U.S. Soccer YouTube channel

English Radio | Sports Radio 810 WHB

Spanish Radio | La Grande 1340 AM

Check out the Sporting Kansas City Statistics

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