Open Cup Preview: Sporting KC and Houston Dynamo lock horns in Wednesday's Round of 16

The top two teams in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference take their rivalry into the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday when Sporting Kansas City visits the Houston Dynamo for a Round of 16 clash at BBVA Compass Stadium. The match will stream live on SportingKC.com with kickoff slated for 5:30 p.m. CT.

Now in its 104th edition, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the oldest national soccer competition in the United States and remains one of the sport’s most prestigious championships. Sporting Kansas City is one of 13 MLS clubs remaining in the 2017 tournament and will hope to replicate triumphs of 2004, 2012 and 2015 when the team was crowned Open Cup champion. The reward would be substantial, as the 2017 winner will receive $250,000 in prize money and a berth in the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League.

Sporting Kansas City is coming off a resolute 2-1 road win over LA Galaxy on Saturday that vaulted Manager Peter Vermes’ men five points clear atop the Western Conference table. Roger Espinoza fired the visitors ahead in the 22nd minute before Ike Opara’s magisterial bicycle-kick — which came in at No. 1 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays the next morning — doubled the lead 10 minutes before halftime. The result snapped LA’s eight-game unbeaten run in MLS play and gave Sporting Kansas City their first away win against the Galaxy since 2010.

With Matt Besler, Dom Dwyer and Graham Zusi joining the U.S. Men’s National Team for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, Vermes has called upon three members of Sporting Kansas City’s USL affiliate to join the squad for Wednesday’s match. Forward Kharlton Belmar, midfielder Felipe Hernandez and defender Parker Maher join the ranks from the Swope Park Rangers on short-term loans, linking up with a mostly healthy first-team roster. Midfielder Benny Feilhaber is the lone injured absentee, having suffered a lower leg injury in the second half of Saturday’s victory.

The Houston Dynamo have enjoyed a strong start to the 2017 campaign as one of Major League Soccer’s most improved teams. Head coach Wilmer Cabrera’s men have been particularly devastating in the friendly confines of BBVA Compass Stadium, where they boast a 7-0-2 record in MLS with 25 goals scored and eight conceded. Friday’s 1-1 draw in the Texas Derby against FC Dallas saw Dynamo forward Erick “Cubo” Torres score his 11th goal of the campaign, good for second on the MLS charts.

As excellent as Torres has been, the Mexican striker may carry an even heavier burden on Wednesday. Houston will be without two of its most dynamic players as attacking duo Alberth Elis and Romell Quioto have joined Honduras ahead of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Elis has six goals and three assists, while Quioto has four goals and two assists.

Sporting Kansas City and Houston progressed to the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 in dissimilar fashion. The Dynamo edged NASL side North Carolina FC in a 3-2 extra-time thriller as Homegrown midfielder Memo Rodriguez bagged the game-winner in the 109th minute on June 14. That same evening at Children’s Mercy Park, Sporting KC routed Minnesota United FC 4-0 behind goals from Opara, Gerso, Dwyer and Daniel Salloi.

Wednesday will mark the third straight year these teams have met in the U.S. Open Cup. Sporting Kansas City earned a 3-1 quarterfinal victory en route to winning the 2015 championship—coming from behind with three goals in the final 20 minutes at a raucous Children’s Mercy Park — before Houston posted a 3-1 win of their own in last summer’s Round of 16 at BBVA Compass Stadium. The sides also met in 2011 Open Cup qualifying when Sporting KC emerged 1-0 winners at Aggie Soccer Stadium in College Station, Texas.

Sporting KC has notably faced Houston 23 times in all competitions (8-7-8 record) since 2011, more than any other opponent. That total includes five meetings in the MLS Cup Playoffs, where the clubs dueled every year from 2011-2013.

Wednesday’s victor will progress to the quarterfinals, hosting the winner of tonight’s battle between FC Dallas and the Colorado Rapids at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The quarterfinal match will be played some time between July 7-16.