The Open Cup dream is still alive.
In a Round of 16 U.S. Open Cup match featuring Texas teams at Q2 Stadium on Wednesday night, Austin FC bounced Houston Dynamo FC 3-1, on the strength of a Brandon Vázquez opener, an Osman Bukari penalty kick conversion, and an Ilie Sánchez strike to cap off an excellent five-minute stretch in the second half.
The win puts Verde into the quarterfinals just two weeks before All-Star festivities come to Austin.
Head coach Nico Estévez set a lineup that tipped toward going for it, with two of their front line designated players starting, with its current first-choice fullbacks, and perhaps most significantly, with starting goalkeeper Brad Stuver starting after Stefan Cleveland's shaky Cup performance against El Paso two weeks ago.
The Dynamo, in the meantime, started with a lineup that said "we're going to overwhelm them with subs in the 60th minute if needed," leaving Ondřej Lingr, Jack McGlynn, Ezequiel Ponce, Amine Bassi, and Griffin Dorsey on the bench, and running out 36-year-old Nico Lodeiro and 20-year-old Brooklyn Raines as two of their more notable starters.
It took Verde just 43 seconds to force a corner, with Vázquez getting forward for several attempts (if not calculable shots) in the early stages of the game. The referee also let an early potential yellow card slide when Franco Escobar palmed the ball in Verde's defensive third about 10 minutes in.
For a moment in the 15th minute, a clever Jáder Obrian breakaway was developing, with both Vázquez and Bukari not impossible to pick out with a pass. (Going for the streaking Bukari alone on the wing, rather than Vázquez with three defenders converging on him, might have been the choice.)
Parked on just one shot heading into the half-hour mark, Vázquez changed that on his own, receiving a pass in traffic, working himself toward goal past Pablo Ortiz, and taking an off-balance, tough-angled shot near the end line he was able to connect on.
That's all Verde was able to do the rest of the half, though, and the Dynamo came out of the locker room making two subs, including Jack McGlynn (for Artur), who immediately made his presence felt with a shot forcing Stuver into a save.
Verde got a lifeline in the 54th minute, with Obrian sending in a shot that struck a sliding Franco Escobar in the hand. Bukari converted the PK, and got the insurance goal they've struggled to get in most of their matches this season.
But there was more to come. Four minutes later, Ilie contributed to his quest to get more Open Cup wins than either Dallas or Houston — okay, maybe that's Emergency Podcast's projected quest for him — by slotting in a goal past both a 'keeper and a defender on the line.
Shortly after, that brought a trio of Austin subs, getting Žan Kolmanič, Besard Šabović, and Uzuni into the fray. The Dynamo, unsurprisingly, brought on Ponce and Lingr in an effort to chip away at the lead, and then got that via a 70th-minute Ponce goal, in which he slipped in between Julio Cascante and Oleksandr Svatok to spoil the shutout.
The Dynamo continued to put Verde on their heels for much of the final stage of the match, but weren't able to get another shot past Stuver, finishing with 10 after Brooklyn Raines picked up a second yellow for a foul on Uzuni.
But Verde also finished with 10, with Cascante getting sent off for a foul on Lingr that appeared to be the denial of a goal-scoring opportunity.
In getting the win, Verde will at least go as far as they've ever gone in a cup competition, finding out at 10 am CT on Thursday morning (on the Golazo Network) who they'll play in the Elite Eight either July 8 or 9.
And, with FC Dallas knocked out in PKs by New York Red Bulls earlier in the evening, Austin FC is the last Texas team standing in the tournament.
Best Verde moment (that wasn’t a goal)
Bukari's effort in front of goal to keep the ball in Verde's possession for long enough to get the assist off to Ilie was wonderful. He's quite good on the ball.
Worst Verde moment (that wasn't a goal allowed)
Does putting out the lineup card count?
Don't get me wrong; I liked it a lot, and I enjoy seeing Stuver in goal immensely. Yet, seeing Cleveland lose the Cup 'keeper spot — a role that capable backup 'keepers typically, traditionally handle — I have to wonder if Rodolfo Borrell is eyeing the market for a new Stuver backup. When Cleveland arrived on Christmas Eve 2023, he was one of the most capable No. 2 goalkeepers in the league, having spelled Stefan Frei for stretches of 2021 (15 starts) and 2022 (seven starts).
Something you might have missed
In the 39th minute, Owen Wolff had a rug-pull defensive move, poking the ball away from Toyosi Olusanya, snuffing out an attack and causing Olusanya to fall — but cleanly.
One nerdy tidbit
There's not much to work with, given the few stats available, but Verde lost the shots battle in the first half 7-4. (Not the 7-4 the fans in the South End sing about — and speaking of the South End, it hasn't ever acquired a good nickname. But I believe some people are trying Enchanted Broccoli Forest on for size.)
A question we have heading into the press conference
I'm wondering if Uzuni not starting was rotational or motivational.
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. You can comment here if you’re a subscriber, or reach out via Bluesky.
The Open Cup dream is still alive.
In a Round of 16 U.S. Open Cup match featuring Texas teams at Q2 Stadium on Wednesday night, Austin FC bounced Houston Dynamo FC 3-1, on the strength of a Brandon Vázquez opener, an Osman Bukari penalty kick conversion, and an Ilie Sánchez strike to cap off an excellent five-minute stretch in the second half.
The win puts Verde into the quarterfinals just two weeks before All-Star festivities come to Austin.
Head coach Nico Estévez set a lineup that tipped toward going for it, with two of their front line designated players starting, with its current first-choice fullbacks, and perhaps most significantly, with starting goalkeeper Brad Stuver starting after Stefan Cleveland's shaky Cup performance against El Paso two weeks ago.
The Dynamo, in the meantime, started with a lineup that said "we're going to overwhelm them with subs in the 60th minute if needed," leaving Ondřej Lingr, Jack McGlynn, Ezequiel Ponce, Amine Bassi, and Griffin Dorsey on the bench, and running out 36-year-old Nico Lodeiro and 20-year-old Brooklyn Raines as two of their more notable starters.
It took Verde just 43 seconds to force a corner, with Vázquez getting forward for several attempts (if not calculable shots) in the early stages of the game. The referee also let an early potential yellow card slide when Franco Escobar palmed the ball in Verde's defensive third about 10 minutes in.
For a moment in the 15th minute, a clever Jáder Obrian breakaway was developing, with both Vázquez and Bukari not impossible to pick out with a pass. (Going for the streaking Bukari alone on the wing, rather than Vázquez with three defenders converging on him, might have been the choice.)
Parked on just one shot heading into the half-hour mark, Vázquez changed that on his own, receiving a pass in traffic, working himself toward goal past Pablo Ortiz, and taking an off-balance, tough-angled shot near the end line he was able to connect on.
That's all Verde was able to do the rest of the half, though, and the Dynamo came out of the locker room making two subs, including Jack McGlynn (for Artur), who immediately made his presence felt with a shot forcing Stuver into a save.
Verde got a lifeline in the 54th minute, with Obrian sending in a shot that struck a sliding Franco Escobar in the hand. Bukari converted the PK, and got the insurance goal they've struggled to get in most of their matches this season.
But there was more to come. Four minutes later, Ilie contributed to his quest to get more Open Cup wins than either Dallas or Houston — okay, maybe that's Emergency Podcast's projected quest for him — by slotting in a goal past both a 'keeper and a defender on the line.
Shortly after, that brought a trio of Austin subs, getting Žan Kolmanič, Besard Šabović, and Uzuni into the fray. The Dynamo, unsurprisingly, brought on Ponce and Lingr in an effort to chip away at the lead, and then got that via a 70th-minute Ponce goal, in which he slipped in between Julio Cascante and Oleksandr Svatok to spoil the shutout.
The Dynamo continued to put Verde on their heels for much of the final stage of the match, but weren't able to get another shot past Stuver, finishing with 10 after Brooklyn Raines picked up a second yellow for a foul on Uzuni.
But Verde also finished with 10, with Cascante getting sent off for a foul on Lingr that appeared to be the denial of a goal-scoring opportunity.
In getting the win, Verde will at least go as far as they've ever gone in a cup competition, finding out at 10 am CT on Thursday morning (on the Golazo Network) who they'll play in the Elite Eight either July 8 or 9.
And, with FC Dallas knocked out in PKs by New York Red Bulls earlier in the evening, Austin FC is the last Texas team standing in the tournament.
Best Verde moment (that wasn’t a goal)
Bukari's effort in front of goal to keep the ball in Verde's possession for long enough to get the assist off to Ilie was wonderful. He's quite good on the ball.
Worst Verde moment (that wasn't a goal allowed)
Does putting out the lineup card count?
Don't get me wrong; I liked it a lot, and I enjoy seeing Stuver in goal immensely. Yet, seeing Cleveland lose the Cup 'keeper spot — a role that capable backup 'keepers typically, traditionally handle — I have to wonder if Rodolfo Borrell is eyeing the market for a new Stuver backup. When Cleveland arrived on Christmas Eve 2023, he was one of the most capable No. 2 goalkeepers in the league, having spelled Stefan Frei for stretches of 2021 (15 starts) and 2022 (seven starts).
Something you might have missed
In the 39th minute, Owen Wolff had a rug-pull defensive move, poking the ball away from Toyosi Olusanya, snuffing out an attack and causing Olusanya to fall — but cleanly.
One nerdy tidbit
There's not much to work with, given the few stats available, but Verde lost the shots battle in the first half 7-4. (Not the 7-4 the fans in the South End sing about — and speaking of the South End, it hasn't ever acquired a good nickname. But I believe some people are trying Enchanted Broccoli Forest on for size.)
A question we have heading into the press conference
I'm wondering if Uzuni not starting was rotational or motivational.
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. You can comment here if you’re a subscriber, or reach out via Bluesky.
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