Dynamo Eliminated by St. Louis CITY SC After Penalty Shootout Drama

Photo provided by Houston Dynamo FC

The Houston Dynamo saw their 2026 U.S. Open Cup run come to a painful end Tuesday night after a dramatic 2-2 battle against St. Louis CITY SC ended in a 4-2 loss on penalties at Energizer Park.

The match began in frustrating fashion for Houston. In the 10th minute, a costly mistake from

Felipe Andrade allowed St. Louis to take the lead as Marcel Hartel capitalized to make it 1-0 for the home side. But the Dynamo answered immediately. Just one minute later, the St. Louis goalkeeper slipped while trying to control the ball, gifting Mateusz Bogusz the opportunity to score into an open net and level the match 1-1.

Houston continued to grow into the game and found another breakthrough before halftime. Conner played the ball forward to Guilherme, who quickly connected with Jack McGlynn. McGlynn then delivered a perfect pass to Artur, who calmly finished to give the Dynamo a 2-1 lead in the 42nd minute.

St. Louis responded early in the second half when Hartel converted a penalty in the 51st minute to tie the game 2-2. The rest of regulation and extra time turned into a tense physical battle. Houston’s hopes took a major hit in the 108th minute when Lawrence Ennali received his second yellow card of the night, leaving the Dynamo down to 10 men for the remainder of extra time.

Photo provided by Houston Dynamo FC

Despite the disadvantage, Houston fought hard defensively and forced the match to penalties. However, St. Louis stayed composed in the shootout, winning 4-2 to secure a place in the semifinals. After the match, the Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen praised the effort and mentality shown by his players despite the heartbreaking result.

"I am disappointed for the guys after what was a good performance. The guys played really hard. They were up for it. A lot of guys played a lot of minutes, especially after a quick turnaround, and they gave each other everything. We produced some really good soccer and some really good moments. We have got to finish that game out. We had a few chances that we have got to take. That is soccer.”

• Houston Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen

I loved the performance from the team tonight. Of course the result was not the one we wanted, especially losing on penalties, but I’m proud of how the players fought and gave everything on the field. Even with 10 men, they kept battling until the very end. The defeat marked Houston’s first match against an MLS opponent in this year’s U.S. Open Cup after previously defeating two USL sides earlier in the tournament. The Dynamo’s cup run now comes to an end as one of the top eight teams in the competition, falling just short of another semifinal appearance.

Postgame media availability with Ben Olsen can be found below and on Foxtrot TV.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30X1kh5vwuM