Houston Dynamo defeated Inter Miami 2-1 to be crowned the 2023 US Open Cup champions last night.
The Herons were missing star forward Lionel Messi who was sidelined with a muscle injury he picked up against Toronto last week.
The Orange Crush dominated proceedings from the outset and could have broken the deadlock early on if not for some excellent saves from Drake Callender.
However, the 25-year-old couldn’t stop them for long as Griffin Dorsey unleashed a fierce shot to score in the 24th minute.
Dynamo soon received a penalty opportunity after DeAndre Yedlin fouled Nelson Quinones in the box.
Amine Bassi stepped up to the spot and comfortably beat Callender.
Miami manager Gerardo Martino brought on Dixon Arroyo and Josef Martinez in a bid to make a comeback in the second half.
Although the changes improved their attack and Martinez went close with a header, the Herons failed to breach Houston’s defence.
The Orange Crush appeared to score their third in the 73rd minute, but Quinones’ strike was ruled out for offside.
Miami finally scored in the first minute of stoppage time, with Martinez hitting a fine shot to beat the goalkeeper.
However, it was too late as Dynamo held out for a comfortable 2-1 win at the DRV PNK Stadium.
This is the second time the Houston outfit have lifted the US Open Cup, having previously done so in 2018.
