CHICAGO (Aug. 23, 2023) - The Final of the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, U.S. Soccer’s National Championship, will be an epic exhibition between skyrocketing Inter Miami CF and hard-nosed Houston Dynamo after world champion Lionel Messi and Co. defeated FC Cincinnati 5-4 in a penalty kick shootout after an enthralling 3-3 draw and Adalberto Carrasquilla fired the Texas club past Real Salt Lake 3-1 in an extra-time battle of wills.
The 2023 U.S. Open Cup champion will be decided on Sept. 27 at Miami’s DRV PNK Stadium and broadcast by CBS Sports and Telemundo. Additional broadcast details will be announced at a later date.
Seeking a second trophy in just over a month, Inter Miami -- revitalized by the summer arrivals of Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba -- needed their new talisman an captain to dig out of a 2-0 hole in the second half to reach overtime. After 2019 Open Cup champion Josef Martinez scored early in the bonus period, the hosts crafted a comeback of their own with substitute Yuya Kubo keeping the dream alive for the Queen City club.
Ultimately Miami had just enough magic left in the tank as goalkeeper Drake Callender guessed correctly to deny Cincinnati native Nick Hagglund in the fifth and final round of the penalty kick shootout. With the opportunity to provide his team a first appearance in an Open Cup Final, rising young star Benjamin Cremaschi coolly finished the job for Miami in front of the sellout crowd of 25,513 at TQL Stadium.
In the nightcap, Houston produced some of their own magic through Panamanian star Adalberto Carrasquilla in a hard-fought affair to pull out a 3-1 win against Real Salt Lake. Houston took a late first-half lead through Mexico star Héctor Herrera, but a confident RSL equalized midway through the second period. Carrasquilla, who was dangerous throughout the match, conjured the go-ahead goal with the final kick of the first extra-time period, before triggering the play that led to Luís Caicedo putting the 2018 Open Cup champions out of sight.
With the win, Houston claims a 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup slot which is awarded to the Open Cup champion. Because Inter Miami already earned a Champions Cup berth by virtue of winning the Leagues Cup, the prize goes to Houston.
In its 108th edition, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – U.S. Soccer's National Championship – has crowned a champion annually since 1914 (with the exception of 2020 & 21 due to COVID-19). The history-filled tournament is conducted on a single-game, knockout basis and open to all professional and amateur teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer.
In 1999, the competition was renamed to honor United States soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt. The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the United States and the world's third-longest continuously run national cup tournament.
The 2023 U.S. Open Cup winner will earn $300,000 in prize money and the club’s name will be engraved on the Dewar Challenge Trophy – one of the oldest nationally-contested trophies in American team sports – now on permanent display at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco, Texas. The runner-up will earn $100,000, while the team that advances the farthest from each lower division takes home a $25,000 cash prize.
For complete coverage of the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, visit usopencup.com and follow the tournament's official social accounts on Twitter and Instagram @OpenCup and Facebook @OfficialOpenCup.