US Open Cup final score, result, highlights as Lionel Messi-less Inter Miami fall to Houston Dynamo

Kyle Bonn

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US Open Cup final score, result, highlights as Lionel Messi-less Inter Miami fall to Houston Dynamo image

No Messi, no problem? Nope. Houston, we have a problem.

With Lionel Messi watching from the stands thanks to injury, Inter Miami put forth a putrid effort at home as Houston Dynamo secured the 2023 U.S. Open Cup title with a 2-1 victory.

In truth, it wasn't really that close, as Houston completely dominated the first half, entering the break with a 2-0 lead behind an 18-1 shot advantage. Goals from Griffin Dorsey and Amine Bassi made the difference, but it was 21-year-old Nelson Quinones whose star shined brightest.

It seemed that the visitors had taken a 3-0 lead at DRV PNK Stadium as Quinones put the ball in the back of the net with 17 minutes to go, sealing the victory, but it was chalked off for a hint of offside. Josef Martinez's 91st-minute goal gave Inter Miami a sliver of hope, but it was too little, too late.

Without Messi, Inter Miami had very little to offer going forward through most of the match, and DeAndre Yedlin was carved to pieces throughout the game by Quinones. They showed improvement in the second half after Gerardo Martino made changes, but there wasn't enough life to find a way back.

MORE: Lionel Messi injury history as Inter Miami star misses U.S. Open Cup final

The Sporting News followed the U.S. Open Cup final live, providing score updates, commentary and highlights below as they happened.

U.S. Open Cup final score

  Score Goal scorers
Inter Miami 1 J. Martinez (90+2')
Houston Dynamo 2 Dorsey (24'),
Bassi (33')

Starting lineups:

Inter Miami (4-3-3, right to left): Callender (GK) — Yedlin (D. Ruiz, 76'), Kryvtsov, Miller, Allen — Gomez (Arroyo, 46'), Busquets, Cremaschi — Taylor (J. Martinez, 46'), Campana, Farias.

Houston Dynamo (4-3-3, right to left): Tarbell (GK) — Escobar, Sviatchenko, Micael, Dorsey — Carrasquilla, Herrera, Artur — Bassi (B. Smith, 79'), Baird (Aliyu, 83'), Quinones (Caicedo, 83').

Inter Miami vs Houston Dynamo live updates, highlights, commentary

FULLTIME: Inter Miami 1-2 Houston Dynamo

That's it! Ben Olsen has led the Houston Dynamo to the U.S. Open Cup! It's their second U.S. Open Cup title, and first since 2018!

The visitors at DRV PNK Stadium were by far the better team, and deserved their victory. They will now hope that Nelson Quinones is ok, as the 21-year-old looked electric until he was forced off with injury, and his presence will be a huge boost for their run at a potential MLS Cup title going forward.

Inter Miami were putrid for most of this match without Lionel Messi, and while they looked like a possible comeback was on the cards for a bit, it wasn't enough. Tata Martino has a big job to do for this team to be contenders for a playoff berth if Messi sits for more matches.

Inter Miami vs Houston Dynamo: Second Half

90+7 min: Chance, Inter Miami! Luis Caicedo gets a slight block on Facundo Farias's shot, and there is time for a corner as it deflects just wide! Drake Callender is up for the effort, but it's cleared.

90+5 min: Chance, Inter Miami! Leonardo Campana's header is caught by Andrew Tarbell. The Inter Miami striker is down complaining about a push in the back, but it would require a clear foul for the official to blow for a penalty here.

The hosts have thrown the kitchen sink forward!

90+2 min: GOAL! INTER MIAMI! A beautiful little flick from Facundo Farias slips Josef Martinez through, and he finishes with a very strong presence amidst pressure! GAME ON!

90+1 min: Adalberto Carrasquilla needs treatment and takes ages to slowly walk off the field. He's replaced by Teenage Hadebe as the referee points aggressively to his watch, indicating he is accounting for the stoppage. Six minutes of added time is shown.

89th min: Inter Miami have thrown the kitchen sink forward, but there's very little room to operate. Their domination from early in the second half has disappeared since Nelson Quinones thought he'd put Houston up 3-0. 

87th min: Chance, Houston Dynamo! Is it a pass or a shot from Brad Smith? Hard to tell, but his ball goes skittering agonizingly wide of the far post as Ibrahim Aliyu just can't quite reach it. Artur, who's been sensational tonight, made it happen with a mazy run through midfield.

83rd min: Another Dynamo change as Ibrahim Aliyu comes on in place of Corey Baird.

Inter Miami make a swap of their own as striker Nicholas Stefanelli replaces Benja Cremaschi. A final punt by Gerardo Martino.

78th min: You hate to see this. Nelson Quinones has been brilliant this match, and minutes after getting his goal chalked off, he will have to be replaced as he limps off injured. Brad Smith comes on, as does Luis Caicedo.

73rd min: Chance, Houston Dynamo! It's Nelson Quinones, who fully deserves a goal tonight, kills off the match with Houston's third! Inter Miami have been much better this half, but they've been completely undone by Houston's first real attack since the break. DeAndre Yedlin just...completely failed to track Quinones on the overlap. Fell completely asleep.

Now wait a minute, hold on...the official is going to the monitor to review this one, as there's a potential offside here. It's ruled out!

Inter Miami make a change in the aftermath of the decision, as Yedlin is replaced by David Ruiz.

65th min: Houston's left flank has completely smothered Facundo Farias as he continues to get on the ball down the Inter Miami right side. Do the hosts have enough time to work back into this match? They look much better but it has been tough to work through the Houston Dynamo setup, which has bunkered a bit.

The crowd gets loud as they notice Lionel Messi in his street clothes joining the Inter Miami substitutes as they warm up.

60th min: Chance, Inter Miami! The hosts are cooking now, as Benja Cremaschi forces the first save of the evening by Andrew Tarbell! CBS analyst Ray Hudson rightly points out that the next goal in this match is pivotal. Can the hosts get one to find a way back in?

58th min: Chance, Inter Miami! Josef Martinez, who has struggled to make an impact for Inter Miami this season, has brought life to the hosts up front so far. He is threaded clean through on goal by a wonderful touch from Leonardo Campana, but the ball gets stuck at his feet and he slips trying to control it.

56th min: Chance, Inter Miami! A free-kick gives Inter Miami a look on goal, as Josef Martinez rises high to meet the vertical delivery from Facundo Farias, but he flashes his effort just wide!

51st min: The referee has an animated chat with Hector Herrera who takes ages to take a free-kick deep in the Houston Dynamo defensive half. The crowd jeers believing that Herrera is time-wasting.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino is in the house to watch this domestic Cup final.

Kickoff: A desperate Tata Martino makes two changes at the break, bringing on Josef Martinez and Dixon Arroyo in place of Robert Taylor and Diego Gomez. That does not appear to trigger a formational change, as Martinez enters the attacking line and Arroyo slots into midfield.

Dynamo minority owner James Harden has been enjoying the match so far, as you might imagine.

HALFTIME: Inter Miami 0-2 Houston Dynamo

The Houston Dynamo were far and away the best team in that first 45 minutes, completely overwhelming Inter Miami without Lionel Messi.

Possession finishes 50-50, but the Dynamo have a gargantuan shot advantage 18-1, and that's not a mistake. Nelson Quinones has been the best player on the pitch, eviscerating the right side of Inter Miami's back line and giving DeAndre Yedlin fits.

From an Inter Miami perspective, Sergio Busquets was unable to get a foothold in the match and made a few big mistakes, and Facundo Farias was invisible up front. The hosts miss Messi badly, and the Dynamo are taking advantage. It's hard to imagine what Gerardo Martino could do at halftime to turn this around, but we will see what he does with his attempt.

Inter Miami vs Houston Dynamo: First Half

42nd min: Chance, Inter Miami! Inter Miami get on the ball in the attacking third, and the crowd gives the hosts a big cheer, pumped to finally have something to cheer about. They work the ball to Leonardo Campana, but at a difficult angle, he decides against an awkward shot and lays it off to Benja Cremaschi whose blast goes over the crossbar.

That's Inter Miami's first shot of the match! They'd have preferred Campana take it from inside the top of the penalty area, but he just didn't have the body positioning compared to goal.

36th min: Chance, Houston Dynamo! Adalberto Carrasquilla skies a chance to score a third! Again it's Nelson Quinones who starts the move, and on a Corey Baird cutback right to the penalty spot, Carrasquilla tries to one-time redirect the ball on frame, but he sends it to the moon instead.

Houston are flying right now, and Inter Miami look completely overwhelmed in every faced. They don't yet have a single shot, and have hardly seen a touch of the ball in the attacking half since the first 10 minutes of play.

32nd min: PENALTY, HOUSTON DYNAMO! DeAndre Yedlin clatters Nelson Quinones and the referee immediately points to the spot! Replay shows it's the right call, as Yedlin's slide whiffs over the top of the ball and slams into the shin of Quinones, sending him spilling to the turf. It correctly survives the requisite VAR check.

Amine Bassi steps up to take, and...GOAL! HOUSTON! Bassi goes right down the middle and fools Drake Callender! The visitors have a big lead and are in complete control!

29th min: Inter Miami are looking for a response, but are closed off by a suddenly bunkered Houston Dynamo. The hosts still do not have a single shot through a half-hour.

24th min: GOAL! HOUSTON DYNAMO! Griffin Dorsey opens the scoring from a tight angle! The Houston Dynamo have been the better side so far, by a wide margin, and they finally cash in!

Nelson Quinones has been the main danger man to this point, and with Inter Miami shaded too far over to his side, the Dynamo switch it around to the opposite side and Dorsey blasts his effort into the top corner through a very tight window!

22nd min: Chance, Houston Dynamo! WHAT A DOUBLE SAVE DRAKE CALLENDER! That's an electric stop to keep the game scoreless! He goes full-stretch to stop the initial hit from Nelson Quinones, and while it's spilled as he slams into the turf, he stops a follow-up from Griffin Dorsey at point-blank range. How about that!

Watch in USA:

19th min: Another early booking is shown, with Noah Allen picking up a yellow for dragging back Adalberto Carrasquillo.

18th min: Chance, Houston Dynamo! Nelson Quinones again proves dangerous! He clowns DeAndre Yedlin and then sends a cross to the middle where Corey Baird just can't quite reach it with his head. If he had been able to make contact on the doorstep, he could have had the opening goal! Quinones has been the best player on the pitch early on.

16th min: Now an Inter Miami defender picks up a booking as Serhiy Kryvtsov is shown a yellow card for a late challenge on Adalberto Carrasquillo. He arrived well after the ball had been offloaded, and barged into the Dynamo midfielder.

15th min: Chance, Houston Dynamo! Drake Callender makes the game's first save! It's hard to tell whether Nelson Quinones meant that as a shot or cross from a tight angle on the left, but Callender parries the ball out of danger. Inter Miami have been under pressure early!

12th min: The first yellow card of the match is shown to Franco Escobar who clatters Benja Cremaschi with a wild swing of the leg into the midsection of the Inter Miami midfielder. It didn't seem to have dangerous intent as the ball was high in the air, but Escobar was late and the resulting challenge was ugly.

11th min: Chance, Houston Dynamo! There seemed to be space on the shot as the Dynamo break Inter Miami's press and have numbers forward, but Kamal Miller makes a last-second block on a shot by Nelson Quinones! The young Colombian had cut inside on his right and seemed to have a good look on frame, but Miller denied the chance at the last possible moment.

9th min: Both teams are playing a defensive style and looking to get forward on the counter. It's causing the match to be played in a back-and-forth manner with very few sustained possessions.

4th min: Inter Miami look bright in their build-up, but their first two forays into the attacking third are cut down by mistakes. First, they get forward down the left but after Robert Taylor's cut back to Diego Gomez at the top of the penalty area, a heavy touch off Gomez's foot betrays him before he can get a shot off. Then, a minute later, Sergio Busquets is very late getting the ball to Taylor's run and it's intercepted easily.

1st min: These are two of the most chaotic teams in MLS, and that's evident right from the start as the Houston Dynamo begin on the ball. Diego Gomez, just returning from an injury suffered over the international break, slips on the rain-soaked grass, and while Kamal Miller steals a vertical ball, he clears it right back to Griffin Dorsey.

This match could get weird.

Kickoff: The teams have been introduced with a shredding electric guitar and sparking pyrotechnics at DRV PNK Stadium, the national anthem has been performed by The Voice contestant Kennedy Holmes, and the match is now under way!

Inter Miami vs Houston Dynamo: Pre-match commentary, analysis, stats, and more

5 mins to kickoff: There is NOT a 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup berth on the line in tonight's match. The U.S. Open Cup champion generally qualifies for the North American continental tournament, but due to Inter Miami having already qualified for the competition via their Leagues Cup title a month ago, the Houston Dynamo have therefore automatically earned a spot regardless of tonight's outcome.

Also, of note, while Lionel Messi is not in the squad tonight, he would still earn a trophy and a medal should Inter Miami emerge victorious tonight, since he played in the semifinal and is part of the competition roster. You know, just in case.

10 mins to kickoff: Despite earlier reports that Lionel Messi was nowhere to be found at DRV PNK Stadium, he has indeed made his way to the venue for the match tonight. He will be in attendance to support Inter Miami.

20 mins to kickoff: Zinedine Zidane is in the house! He reunites with a former Real Madrid teammate of his, Inter Miami owner David Beckham.

35 mins to kickoff: For the Houston Dynamo, head coach Ben Olsen has kept his cup goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell in that role for the final, but has switched to a back four, away from the 3-5-2 he has utilized for many of the team's recent matches. Sebastian Kowalczyk is sacrificed to add an extra forward in 21-year-old winger Nelson Quinones.

50 mins to kickoff: Lineups are in, and indeed Lionel Messi does not start for Inter Miami. In fact, he doesn't even appear on the team sheet, meaning he will not be involved at all for Inter Miami. Gerardo Martino has been steadfast that this match was the top priority for Inter Miami, and therefore Messi, even above the MLS playoff race. Messi's injury must be significant for him to miss out tonight.

Messi did not appear out on the pitch to warm up with the rest of the Inter Miami squad as they came out onto the field with about an hour to go before kickoff.

1 hour to kickoff: Lineups are imminent, so while we wait, a look at the referee for tonight's final, Jon Freemon. Just 34 years old, Freemon is a regular referee in Major League Soccer, telling U.S. Soccer that he started refereeing games at 13 years old and worked his way up through youth travel leagues, USL League Two, USL League One, and then finally MLS.

He has worked the USL League One final and was the VAR official for the 2021 MLS Eastern Conference final. Freemon called his selection for this match "just an absurd honor," noting how important this game will be given the added attention with Inter Miami's participation.

Freeman is one of the more lenient referees in MLS this season, handing out 3.75 yellow cards per match, which ranks him 20th out of 25 referees with at least 10 matches officiated. He does not, however, hesitate to blow his whistle, as his 0.85 fouls per tackle mark puts him just sixth, meaning while he will call fouls regularly, he is selective when it comes to booking players.

1 hour 15 mins to kick: The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, set to conclude its 108th edition, is the oldest top-level professional sports trophy in the United States. It's so old that most of its champions are no longer in existence. Three different MLS clubs have won four titles each, but they are far from the only multiple-time winners of the competition.

Learn more about the U.S. Open Cup name, history, and champions here.

Get a look at all the results from this year's U.S. Open Cup here.

1 hour 30 mins to kick: Florida weather can be unpredictable, and it appears they got some last-minute raid ahead of today's match. It appears to be pretty gross in Fort Lauderdale this evening, with muddy parking lots and overcast skies. The weather report says there will be scattered thunderstorms right up until kickoff.

1 hour 45 mins to kick: There is a report out that Lionel Messi will not start tonight, but that instead he will come off the bench, likely to play around 30 minutes.

To add some speculation, it would be surprising to see Messi play if Inter Miami have a lead, but if they are level or trailing in the second half, that's where Messi could see the field. If they are winning, it would be smart for Inter Miami to protect their star in a situation where he is not otherwise needed.

2 hours to kickoff: Lionel Messi's potential participation in this match is by far the biggest storyline, and it will surely go right up until kickoff. The report by Gaston Edul of TyC Sports from yesterday indicated that Messi's ability to start the match is growing more unlikely, but that he is pushing to be involved as a substitute.

That's probably the most plausible scenario at this point, as it would allow Inter Miami to rest Messi completely if they manage to secure a lead without him, but also leave him able to enter should they need his services to turn around a deficit.

Inter Miami vs Houston Dynamo lineups & team news

Inter Miami has publicly insisted their goal is to have Lionel Messi fit to start this match, prioritizing the U.S. Open Cup final over the MLS playoff run. Tata Martino indicated that if this was a regular league match, Messi would not be risked, but since it's a cup final, "we might take that risk." A report on Tuesday indicated it will be "difficult" for Messi to start, and that he will target simply making himself available off the bench.

Tata Martino indicated in his pre-match press conference that they will "wait until the last minute to see how he [Messi] feels." Martino did say that Jordi Alba's participation is unlikely, but they have not ruled him completely out.

Martino has been rotating between tactical setups, sometimes operating with four at the back, and sometimes three, so it's been difficult to predict his starting lineup from game to game. The coach addressed this on Tuesday, noting that the lack of time between matches has been difficult to combat.

Inter Miami starting lineup (4-3-3): Callender (GK) — Yedlin, Kryvtsov, Miller, Allen — Gomez, Busquets, Cremaschi — Taylor, Campana, Farias.

Inter Miami subs (7): Dos Santos (GK), McVey, Aviles, Arroyo, D. Ruiz, Stefanelli, J. Martinez.

The only injuries for Houston Dynamo are long-term issues for Ifunanyachi Achara and Tate Schmitt. Achara has a knee issue that will keep him out for another few weeks, while Schmitt's torn ACL has him done for the year.

Otherwise, the Dynamo will be at full strength for this Cup final, with international veterans Hector Herrera and Coco Carrasquilla to run the midfield, supporting the attacking spine of Amine Bassi and Corey Baird.

Andrew Tarbell has been charged with goalkeeping duties throughout the U.S. Open Cup fixtures, so it can be expected he will again be deployed over regular No. 1 Steve Clark again unless head coach Ben Olsen decides to switch things up.

Houston Dynamo starting lineup (4-3-3): Tarbell (GK) — Escobar, Sviatchenko, Micael, Dorsey — Carrasquilla, Herrera, Artur — Bassi, Baird, Quinones.

Houston Dynamo subs (7): (Lineups released one hour prior to kickoff)

How to watch Inter Miami vs Houston Dynamo

MORE: Watch Premier League matches live with Fubo in USA

  TV channel Streaming
USA English: CBS Sports Network
Spanish: Telemundo, Universo		 English: Fubo, Paramount+
Spanish: Fubo, Peacock
Canada  — DAZN

Inter Miami vs Houston Dynamo betting odds & lines

  Inter Miami
win (90 mins)		 Draw Houston
win (90 mins)		 Both teams
to score Y / N		 Over / Under
3.5 goals		 Inter Miami
lift trophy		 Houston
lift trophy
BetMGM
(USA)		 -115 +250 +225 -200 / +135 +130 / -190 -200 +140
Sports
Interaction
(Canada)		 -112 +267 +232 -213 / +132 +132 / -185 — —

Kyle Bonn

Kyle Bonn Photo

Kyle Bonn, is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.