HOUSTON (May 20, 2025) – Houston Dynamo FC will continue their 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup campaign on Wednesday, May 21, traveling to face in-state rivals Austin FC in the Round of 16. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. CT at Q2 Stadium, and fans can follow the action live via Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network.
Houston advanced to the Round of 16 after defeating USL Championship side Phoenix Rising FC 4-1 on the road after extra time earlier this month in the Round of 32. Houston and Phoenix each scored once in regulation, before the Dynamo secured the victory in extra time with goals from midfielder Jack McGlynn, forward Ezequiel Ponce and midfielder Sebastian Kowalczyk. In the first half, defender Felipe Andrade scored his first goal for the Dynamo. Notably, defender Pablo Ortiz made his Dynamo debut as a starter.
If the Dynamo advance to the Quarterfinals, fans can tune in to CBS Sports Golazo Network’s flagship program, Morning Footy, on Thursday May 22, at 8:30 a.m. CT for the draw that will lock in the bracket – including hosting scenarios – for the tournament Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Final.
The champion of this 110th U.S. Open Cup will earn a berth into the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup.
The Dynamo are coming off a 2-0 road Texas Derby victory versus FC Dallas on Saturday in MLS action. Defender Griffin Dorsey and McGlynn, whose performances earned them MLSSoccer.com Team of the Matchday honors, each found the back of the net in the second half, while goalkeeper Jonathan Bond recorded three saves to help Houston earn their sixth clean sheet of the season. Notably, the result marked Houston’s first road win of the season and their first victory in Frisco since 2011.
Austin advanced after coming back to defeat USL Championship side El Paso Locomotive FC 3-2 at home in the Round of 32. The home side found themselves down by two goals at halftime, but a brace from Brandon Vázquez and a goal from Myrto Uzuni in the second half saw Austin through to the next round.
Austin enters Wednesday’s match following a scoreless draw versus Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Q2 Stadium in MLS action. Austin has not won a regular season match since losing to the Dynamo in late April, going 0-3-2 (WLD) during that stretch. They currently sit ninth in the Western Conference with 18 points and an overall record of 5-6-3 (WLD).
The two sides most recently met in Houston at Shell Energy Stadium in late April, with the Dynamo earning a 2-0 victory behind goals from Ponce and midfielder Ondřej Lingr, who became the fourth Dynamo player in Club history to score in his first two appearances. The most recent meeting at Q2 Stadium came in September last season, when Houston earned a 1-0 victory behind a goal from former Dynamo midfielder Adalberto “Coco” Carrasquilla. The result set a single-season Club record with eight roads wins, while marking Houston’s first victory on the road at Austin.
Notably, Dynamo assistant coach Josh Wolff joined Houston ahead of this season from Austin FC, where he served as the club’s first-ever head coach over four seasons (2021-24) and led Austin to a second-place regular-season finish in the Western Conference in 2022, with a 16-10-8 (WLD) record en route to a Western Conference Final appearance.
The Dynamo have won two U.S Open Cup titles in Club history, with their most recent triumph coming in 2023 when they defeated Inter Miami CF 2-1 at Chase Stadium (previously DRV PNK Stadium) in 2023. Houston’s goal scorers on the night were Dorsey and forward Amine Bassi. Notably, Houston never trailed in a match during its championship campaign.
Head coach Ben Olsen became the third coach to win the U.S. Open Cup with two different teams, after lifting the trophy as a player (2008) and head coach (2013) with D.C. United. Assistant coach Aurélien Collin also won the 2012 cup title as a player with Sporting Kansas City, while Wolff won three cup titles with the Chicago Fire (1998 and 2000) and Kansas City Wizards (2004).
Now in its 110th edition, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup has crowned a champion since 1914 in every year except 2020 and 2021. The history-filled tournament is conducted on a single-game-knockout basis and open to all professional and amateur teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer.
Houston returns to MLS play on Saturday, May 24, traveling to the West Coast to face the San Jose Earthquakes at PayPal Park, with kickoff scheduled for 9:30 p.m. CT. Fans can stream the match via MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
