Houston Dynamo vs. Minnesota United FC | 2018 US Open Cup Match Preview

Houston Dynamo vs. Minnesota United FC
2018 U.S. Open Cup - Round of 16
BBVA Compass Stadium — Houston
June 18 - 8:30 pm ET

Western Conference foes Houston Dynamo and Minnesota United FC meet for the first time in the U.S. Open Cup, with their Round of 16 encounter set for Monday night at BBVA Compass Stadium.

This is the second meeting between the teams this year, with the Loons pulling out a 2-1 league win at TCF Bank Stadium on April 28 with Ibson scoring what proved to be the winner in the 70th minute.

• Heath hails midfield as Loons nix Cincy Cup magic
• Dynamo will use break to "prepare for what is coming"

Houston Dynamo

The Dynamo made short work of amateur side NTX Rayados, scoring five times after the break in a 5-0 Fourth Round victory on June 6. Memo Rodriguez and Aldo Quintanilla each struck for a brace in the final 35 minutes and Matias Zaldivar added a goal as Houston outshot NTX Rayados 31-12, putting 14 attempts on frame.

Houston returned to league play on Saturday, beating the Colorado Rapids, 2-0, at home. Tomas Martinez opened the scoring on the half-hour mark, and Mauro Manotas converted a penalty kick six minutes later, as the Dynamo cruised against a Rapids team reduced to 10 men when Yannick Boli was sent off on a straight red card in first-half stoppage time.

“It’s going to help us prepare for what is coming against Sporting Kansas City on June 23, who are on top of the Western Conference table,” Wilmer Cabrera said of the USOC clash. “We want to win at home and we have to win at home, so it’s a very important game for us.”

• Suspended: None
• Suspended after next caution: None
• International duty: D - Adolfo Machado
• Injury Report: OUT: A.J. DeLaGarza (torn left ACL), D - Dylan Remick (concussion), D - Jared Watts (concussion), M - Darwin Ceren (leg injury), M - Juan David Cabezas (left quad injury), F - Mac Steevens (left hip injury); QUESTIONABLE: M/D Andrew Wenger (calf injury)

Projected Starting XI
(4-2-3-1, right to left)
GK: Joe Willis — Adam Lundqvist, Kevin Garcia, Leonardo, DaMarcus Beasley — Eric Alexander, Oscar Boniek Garcia — Alberth Elis, Tomas Martinez, Romell Quioto — Mauro Manotas

• Notes: The Dynamo are 13-11-1 all-time in the tournament, with the one draw going to penalty kicks in 2008. Houston’s deepest run in the tournament has been to the Semifinals in 2006 and again in 2009.

Minnesota United FC

After 120 scoreless minutes, Minnesota United FC advanced to the Round of 16, 3-1 on penalties, over last year’s semifinalist, FC Cincinnati, at Nippert Stadium.

It was the first time the Loons, who had a league bye on the weekend, advanced to the Round of 16.

“Obviously delighted,” Minnesota coach Adrian Heath said after the match. “Because you just want to get through. That’s the name of the game. You win and advance or lose and go home. It was a very difficult environment. This is going to be a great addition to the MLS — I thought the crowd were terrific. First time I’ve been here. But for our guys, I was really pleased with them because on the back of the weekend result, I thought we dug in and worked really hard for the result.”

• Suspended: None
• Suspended after next caution: None
• International duty: D - Francisco Calvo
• Injury Report: OUT: M - Sam Cronin (cervicogenic dysfunction), M - Kevin Molino (torn left ACL), M - Ethan Finlay (torn ACL), D - Marc Burch (left knee surgery), D - Jerome Thiesson (right leg injury); QUESTIONABLE: GK - Matt Lampson (right knee injury)

Projected Starting XI
(4-3-3, right to left)
GK: Bobby Shuttleworth — Tyrone Mears, Michael Boxall, Brent Kallman, Eric Miller, Collen Warner, Maximiniano, Collin Martin — Abu Danladi, Christian Ramirez, Miguel Ibarra

• Notes: Road matches have not been kind to the Loons nor their defense this season. Minnesota is 1-6-0 away from home in 2018 and has conceded three or more goals in five of those seven contests. … MNUFC is 6-7 all-time in the Open Cup, including 1-1 in their MLS era.

All-Time in U.S. Open Cup

• Overall: Houston Dynamo 13 wins … 42 goals … Minnesota United 6 wins … 14 goals
• This is the first U.S. Open Cup meeting between the Houston Dynamo and Minnesota United FC