Houston Dynamo FC's Leagues Cup run comes to an end
Written by David Garcia
In the second all-time matchup between the two teams, The Houston Dynamo lost 2-1 to Charlotte FC in the round of 16 of the Leagues Cup, marking the end of the Dynamo’s Leagues Cup run.
The Dynamo opened the scoring early when Griffin Dorsey made a great run and sent a pass to Nelson Quinones who made a great cross that found Corey Baird and his volley opened the scoring in the 10th minute of play. After the goal, Dynamo maintained their foot on the gas with great transition play. “Coco” Carrasquilla nearly doubled the lead in the 26th minute after once again, a run started up by Dorsey from near the halfway line, and Amine Bassi found Coco but his shot was just deflected and went out for a corner. Charlotte earned a couple of corners but they were not able to get a clear goal-scoring chance. The match entered the half with a 1-0 Dynamo advantage.
In the 54th minute, Jaylin Lindsey’s cross found an open Kerwin Vargas in the far post but Steve Clark made a huge save to maintain his team's lead. Both teams would make a couple substitutions and Dynamo would have a couple of shots blocked inside the box. In the 80th minute, but only his 8th minute of play, Patrick Agyemang would tie the match for Charlotte by rounding Clark who came off his line. After Dynamo resumed play, Charlotte would not need to touch the ball to gain the lead as Micael’s attempt to pass back to Clark went wrong; an own goal. The Dynamo nearly tied it a minute later when a Dorsey through ball left Ibrahim Aliyu in a one versus one with the keeper but his shot went just inches outside the post. Hector Herrera’s cross in the 85th minute would find Aliyu but his uncomfortable shot would fall into Kristijan Kahlina’s hands. Dynamo received two yellow cards in stoppage time and the final whistle blew ending the tournament for them.
When speaking about the match, Ben Olsen stated that the team found a way to lose the match but that is not like them. Despite the sting that it leaves the team, he added that the team's objectives are still the same and that there’s a lot to look forward to including the U.S. Open Cup. We asked Ben if it is a possibility to see some first team players feature for Dynamo 2, and he told us that it is a possibility and a chance for those who haven’t had a lot of minutes. He added that the staff will determine who needs more days and who needs minutes but they have somewhat prepared for that. We also asked what he learned about the tournament overall. He stated that It was better than he thought and that somehow, the team ended up having three home games that were all exciting and eventful. This one maybe in the wrong way, but it was an enjoyable tournament. Although the team will not move on they will get to get away from the game a little bit and recharge and get ready for the season.
The men in orange will now have a two-week break before resuming MLS play against Portland at Shell Energy Stadium on August 20 which will begin their 5 game stretch from August 20 to September 2.