Houston Dynamo Win US Open Cup Final 2-1 Over Inter Miami

Drv Pnk Stadium – The Houston Dynamo dominated Inter Miami Wednesday night to conquer the US Open Cup Championship in convincing fashion by a score of 2-1. Houston was the superior team through most of the match, with Miami only having spurts of quality play. Now, Inter will shift its focus toward making the MLS Playoffs with five games left to play in the season and the team five points behind the final playoff spot.

Starting XI

The news broke before the match began that Lionel Messi would not be available to play for Miami. Jordi Alba was also a scratch for the US Open Cup Finals, leaving Tata Martino to field a lineup that was questioned by many. Martino came out in a 4-5-1 formation looking to slow down Houston’s speedy wingers and give Miami an opportunity to have control of possession.

Miami formed a backline of Noah Allen, Kamal Miller, Sergeii Kryvtsov, and DeAndre Yedlin. The midfield included Diego Gomez, Benjamin Cremaschi, and Sergio Busquets, with Robert Taylor and Facundo Farias as wingbacks. The inclusion of Gomez as a starter did not sit well with many because the young Paraguayan had missed several games due to injury, but Tata Martino decided to start him in the Final in his first game back.

Our official @opencup line up 😤#MIAvHOU | 8:30PM ET pic.twitter.com/cLPkUfdxb5

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) September 27, 2023

Kick Off

From the initial whistle, Houston was all over Inter Miami pressing high and not allowing space for easy transitions. A costly mistake by Facundo Farias led to the Dynamo’s first score. A pass by Farias was intercepted by Houston and led to a potent counterattack Golazo by Griffin Dorsey. Houston led 1-0 in the 24th minute, and deservedly so.

Dorsey completely scorches the #InterMiamiCF net..1-0 Houston…#MLS #InterMiamiCF https://t.co/VOxW2XoQ7X

— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) September 28, 2023

Just under ten minutes later, Amine Bassi scored via a penalty kick giving Houston the 2-0 lead. The Dynamo was cruising and in control of the match.

Bassi puts the penalty past Drake for the 2-0 Houston lead…#MLS #InterMiamiCF https://t.co/DU2yTpfYoq

— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) September 28, 2023

Second Period

At the start of the second period, Martino sent Josef Martinez and Dixon Arroyo onto the pitch for Robert Taylor and the struggling Diego Gomez. The substitutions helped Inter Miami gain a little spark as the squad desperately attempted to score. In stoppage time Josef Martinez gave Miami hope with a left-footed smash to shorten the Dynamo lead. It was too little too late as Houston Dynamo held on to crown themselves the 2023 US Open Cup Champions.

Farías ➡️ Martínez

Josef puts it in the back of the net to put us on the board.#MIAvHOU | 1-2 pic.twitter.com/cy8rU4DXsH

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) September 28, 2023

Postgame

Tata Martino summarized the US Open Cup Finals defeat in two short sentences,

The reality is that today Houston was better than us… Now we have a final on Saturday, and another on Wednesday

The Houston Dynamo were vastly superior to Inter Miami on Wednesday night, outplaying the Herons from start to finish. Miami seemed confused and in disarray from the beginning. Messi’s presence was sorely missed, but Inter’s poor play never gave them a  chance. Not one player seemed to be at his best in the Finals when it mattered most. Now they must put it behind them and move on to the next objective, the MLS Playoffs.

Final Thoughts

Inter Miami could not have picked a worst time to have a terrible game. Finals are to be played with absolute passion and intensity, but mainly intelligently. Tata Martino was coy the whole week about Lionel Messi and the last-minute news of his absence seems to have taken the spirit away from the team.

Facundo Farias was called upon to be a difference-maker in the match, but for the most part, he was invisible or erratic. Farias provided the assist on Josef’s goal, but even that was too little too late. Campana was not special in the match either, the same could be said for Cremaschi and Diego Gomez. Miami’s young talent was inconspicuous against the Houston Dynamo, no one had a good game.

There is no shame in losing in the Finals, but the ugly football Miami displayed and lack of fight was uncharacteristic of the squad. The long season could have taken its toll at a crucial moment in the season. Now Inter Miami must focus on making the playoffs or at least keeping the chase interesting.

📸Credit: IMCF