What to Watch for as LouCity Visits Houston in the Open Cup
USL Louisville City FC

What to Watch for as LouCity Visits Houston in the Open Cup

Published on April 28, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Louisville City FC News Release


Louisville City FC Interim Head Coach Simon Bird
Louisville City FC Interim Head Coach Simon Bird
(Louisville City FC, Credit: Connor Cunningham)

Louisville City FC has the chance to make history Wednesday as it visits the Houston Dynamo in the Round of 16 in the 111th Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET at Houston's Shell Energy Stadium.

With a win, LouCity would advance to the quarterfinal stage of the annual knockout tournament for just the second time in club history and first since 2018.

If LouCity can advance Wednesday, it would also be the first time the club has done so on the road against a team from Major League Soccer.

LouCity has failed to advance in five previous visits to MLS clubs in the U.S. Open Cup and is 0-4-1 in those matches. Louisville took a 2-2 draw at the Seattle Sounders in 2024, but fell in penalty kicks.

Louisville advanced to the Round of 16 after a 2-1 win over Austin FC. It was the second win in club history over an MLS club in the U.S. Open Cup.

That win started a three-game winning streak for Louisville. Most recently, the boys in purple defeated Fort Wayne FC 3-1 on Saturday in the Prinx Tires USL Cup.

Houston, meanwhile, is coming off a 2-0 loss to Austin FC - a team LouCity has already defeated this season. That loss ended a three-game winning streak, which included a 4-1 win over El Paso Locomotive FC in the U.S. Open Cup.

Follow Along

- The match will stream live on Paramount+. The game will air locally on the radio on ESPN Louisville's 680 AM and 105.7 FM.

- For starting XI and in-game updates, follow @loucityfc on Twitter. Also, find the club at louisvillecityfc on Instagram and Louisville City FC on Facebook.

Storylines...

Preseason: This will be the first competitive meeting between Louisville and Houston, though the two did clash in preseason play on January 24. The clubs also met in the 2021 preseason.

Kiwi connection: Louisville City FC captain Kyle Adams previously played for the Houston Dynamo organization. The 29-year-old New Zealander signed with Houston in January 2020, but spent the season on loan with the club's USL Championship affiliate, Rio Grande Valley FC Toros.

Open Cup merchant: Louisville's Tola Showunmi enters the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 as the tournament's leading scorer with four goals. The 25-year-old Englishman also leads LouCity in scoring with five goals in all competitions.

Upset-minded: LouCity is one of three teams from the United Soccer League remaining in this year's tournament. The Colorado Springs Switchbacks, from LouCity's USL Championship, will face the Colorado Rapids Wednesday. One Knoxville SC, from USL League One, will take on the Columbus Crew.

Check out the Louisville City FC Statistics

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Images from this story

Louisville City FC Interim Head Coach Simon Bird
Louisville City FC Interim Head Coach Simon Bird
(Connor Cunningham)		   



United Soccer League Championship Stories from April 28, 2026


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