Houston Dynamo Return to Open Cup Action With Quarterfinal Trip to St. Louis

(image via Aldo Canale)

The Houston Dynamo return to play in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Cup tonight as they take on St. Louis CITY SC in the quarterfinals of the tournament.

When: Tuesday, May 16 | 7:00 PM CT kickoff

Where: Energizer Park; St. Louis, Missouri

TV/Stream: Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network

Closer to the Cup

The Dynamo are now in the quaterfinal round of the Open Cup, one step closer to lifting the trophy for the third time in club history. Ben Olsen has repeatedly spoken about how important this tournament is to him and the club. Not only is it a trophy but it also comes with a berth in the Concacaf Champions Cup in the following year. There’s a lot riding on the line and if Houston can win three more matches, they can once again be called champions.

Open Cup Ponce

Ezequiel Ponce doesn’t have a goal in league play this season. That sentence is very worrying. But, where Ponce has seemed to excel is the Open Cup. The Argentine Designated Player has scored in each of his last four USOC games. Three of those four games were against USL Championship clubs. The other was a 3-1 loss to Austin FC that eliminated the Dynamo from last season’s tournament. Ponce needs something to get him going. He’s a DP striker and Houston needs him finding the back of the net. It hasn’t worked so far after his other Open Cup goals but, maybe tonight is the night to jumpstart his season?

Soccer City

St. Louis has a rich soccer history, predating their time in MLS, especially in the U.S. Open Cup. The city has had a club win the tournament ten times in its history, going all the way back to a club named Ben Millers winning it in 1920. This tournament means a lot to the city of St. Louis and now their MLS team has advanced farther than it ever has. CITY comes into this match unbeaten in their last three leagues matches with two wins and a draw. Houston did win both meetings between the teams in 2025, a 1-0 win in June at Shell Energy Stadium and a 3-2 win in August at Energizer Park.

Houston Dynamo FC – no availability report available

St. Louis CITY SC – no availability report available

Predicted Lineup