It didn’t take long for Houston Dynamo FC to recover from their Leagues Cup 2023 round of 16 defeat to Charlotte FC. Two weeks on from being knocked out of the tournament, the Texan team have followed up a 5-0 MLS win over the Portland Timbers with a 3-1 victory over Real Salt Lake in the U.S. Open Cup semi-finals.
Héctor Herrera would open the scoring in first-half stoppage time for the hosts, before the Utah outfit pulled one back on the hour mark. The game would go into extra-time, and Houston Dynamo FC would eventually come out on top thanks to strikes from Adalberto Carrasquilla and Luis Caicedo.
Not only has the victory set up a clash in next month’s final against **Lionel Messi**’s **Inter Miami CF**, but it’s also guaranteed Ben Olsen’s men a spot in the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup.
This is because the Florida side have already clinched their spot in the continental tournament, and have even secured a bye to the round of 16 by virtue of their **Leagues Cup 2023** final win over **Nashville SC**.
Houston Dynamo FC’s last appearance on the CONCACAF stage was in the 2019 Champions League - incidentally, a spot they won by lifting the U.S. Open Cup at the first time of asking, in 2018.
The following season, the team fell to a 3-0 aggregate defeat in the Champions League quarter-finals against Club Tigres. Houston have appeared in the competition six times before that, never going past the semi-final stage.
They’ll be looking to go one better next year - but first, the Orange Crush will have their sights set on lifting the U.S. Open Cup again when they take on Inter Miami CF on September 27.
