Houston, we have a champion

Houston Dynamo 3-Philadelphia Union 0 

The Houston Dynamo won the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup after beating the Philadelphia Union 3-0 in Texas. This is the first Open Cup title in franchise history and it is it’s the first one in over a decade for the Orange. On the other hand, the Union, which was looking for its first title, was not effective in the match and lost its opportunity to get a trophy for the more than 500 fans who traveled to H-Town to support their team.

This championship comes to Houston after a disastrous MLS season. The team has suffered this year especially in defense, but they knew by winning this final it would show their home supporters they have character and that they hadn’t given up. This was definitely shown throughout the game. And even though this title does not save their season, according to club’s captain DaMarcus Beasley it puts Houston back on the soccer map.  With the win they secured a spot in the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League as the domestic cup champs.

During the match, the Union was the team that showed they wanted the title. They created many opportunities to score, but it was Houston the one who open their way to the title when Mauro Manotas scored the 1-0 for the home team at the 4’. Manotas doubled the lead for the Orange at the 25’, and after that, the team seemed relax and in control of the match.

Philly had many shots on goal, but they were not effective in their offensive side. With 19 total shots, they managed to get only 5 on target. Dynamo’s goalkeeper Joe Willis was on point on all of those shots to deny a score for the visitors.

Houston took advantage of their fast counterattack and got a third goal to secure the win at the 65th minute. Union’s defender Auston Trusty scored an own goal after Dynamo’s Romell Quioto shot was deflected.

Even though the visitors continue pressuring the Dynamo, the final scored prevailed, and Houston got a title that was deny to them in prior editions.

In addition to the trophy and the spot at the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League, the Houston Dynamo will receive a monetary prize of $300,000. This will come handy for the team that needs to strength its roster for next season as it was mentioned by coach Wilmer Cabrera after the match.

Now Houston will try to finish the season on a high note as they will be hosting the San Jose Earthquake on Saturday 29th. The Union meanwhile, who are still trying to secure a spot in the MLS post season, will visit the Crew on Saturday as well.