ST. PETERSBURG, FL – The Tampa Bay Rowdies’ matchup for the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup has been set. Tampa Bay are slated to host Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo FC at Al Lang Stadium on Wednesday, April 26, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
This will be the first time the Rowdies have hosted a Major League Soccer club in the tournament since 2013 when the Rowdies knocked off four-time Open Cup champions Seattle Sounders. Club legend Georgi Hristov scored the lone goal to lift the Rowdies to a 1-0 victory.
Founded in 2005, Houston is a past winner of the Open Cup. The club lifted the trophy in 2018 and were also crowned MLS Cup champions in 2006 and 2007.
In total, 48 teams will compete in the Third Round of the Open Cup from April 25-26 for the right to earn a spot in the Round of 32, when 8 more teams from MLS will enter the competition. The draw for the next round will take place that same week once all matches have been played.
This year’s U.S. Open Cup is the 108th edition of the single-elimination tournament, which is open to all professional and qualifying amateur teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. The Open Cup winner will receive a berth in the 2024 CONCACAF Champions League and have its name engraved on the Dewar Challenge Trophy. In last year’s tournament, the Rowdies fell to the eventual Open Cup winner, Orlando City SC in the Third Round.
Tickets for Tampa Bay’s Open Cup clash with Houston will go on sale to the general public early next week. Rowdies season ticket holders’ seats will be reserved in their digital account on Monday, with the option to purchase the tickets at that time. Season ticket holders will have until 10 a.m. on Thursday morning to purchase their tickets before they are released to the general public.
