Hadebe in form as Houston Dynamo lifts US Open cup
Story by Raynald Ngwarati
WARRIORS defender Teenage Hadebe played a crucial role as Houston Dynamo lifted the US Open Cup in the early hours of today.
Playing before a packed house at DRV PNK Stadium, Hadebe’s Houston Dynamo were clinical from the get-go as they went on to beat Inter Miami 2-1 in the final to win the US Open Cup.
Evidently, Dynamo led by the Warriors star defender kept it watertight at the back, to silence Miami’s strikers and block their penetration into the final third.
With Lionel Messi ruled out due to an injury, Miami was on the backfoot earlier on, with goals from Griffin Dorsey and Amine Bassi thrusting Dynamo into a two-nil first-half lead.
Things were not easy upfront for Miami in the absence of Messi, as they barely threatened the Dynamo goal registering only a single shot in the first half of the game.
While Messi was out injured, his ex-Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba was also missing from action as Hadebe and company made sure they left no loose end.
Miami’s coach Gerardo Martino made some crucial second-half changes, which brought an improvement, but Hadebe was at the center of it all, making sure that Miami did not crawl back into the game.
However, Miami pulled one back as Josef Martinez scored a 91st-minute consolation, but his efforts were too little, too late as Dynamo bagged their second U.S. Soccer National Championship.
