On June 18th, the Houston Dynamo hosted Minnesota United for their U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 clash. On paper, there couldn’t have been a more exciting matchup for the home faithful. This was the same Loons side that Houston beat 1-0 in the same round of last year’s tournament en route to lifting their first cup title. But while the Dynamo announced an attendance of 4,559 (likely padded by their season ticket holders), their loss on Tuesday didn’t appear to have even a thousand fans watching according to the eye test.



The following night, Saint Louis FC hosted MLS expansion side FC Cincinnati in the same tournament. True to their average attendance in league games, a crowd of 4,033 headed to the World Wide Technology Soccer Park to face their former USL rival. What ensued was a match that encapsulates the intrigue of the Open Cup—a cagey fixture between a rotated MLS roster and a motivated lower-division foe. While the hosts had the better of the...