Trent Reinsmith
- Who: Houston Dynamo vs. Real Salt Lake
- What: 2023 U.S. Open Cup Semifinal
- Where: Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, Texas
- When: Wednesday, August 23, 2023
- Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: Paramount+, peacock
The 2023 U.S. Open Cup has reached the semifinal stage. Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF face the top club in MLS, FC Cincinnati, in one of those matches. In the other game, the Houston Dynamo host Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, Texas. The winner of the two games moves on to the U.S. Open Cup Final, which takes place on September 27. Below we look at the betting breakdown of the knock-out game between the Houston Dynamo and Real Salt Lake.
The Houston Dynamo are currently in sixth-place in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer with nine wins, 10 losses, and five draws. The team is coming off a great performance against the Portland Timbers, beating them 5-0 with five different Houston players contributing goals in that game, which took place on Sunday.
Real Salt Lake sit in third place in MLS’ Western Conference with 10 wins, seven losses, and seven draws. The club is coming off an August 8 shutout loss to LAFC.
Before we look at the U.S. Open Cup semifinal matchup between the Houston Dynamo and Real Salt Lake, check out the best sites for MLS betting and our betting picks for Inter Miami CF vs. FC Cincinnati.
U.S. Open Cup Semifinal betting picks: Houston Dynamo vs. Real Salt Lake
| To Win U.S. Open Cup Semifinal |  |  |  |  |
| Houston Dynamo | +116 | +120 | +120 | +114 |
| Real Salt Lake | +210 | +200 | +200 | +217 |
| Draw | +280 | +240 | +240 | +261 |
U.S. Open Cup Semifinal betting breakdown: Houston Dynamo vs. Real Salt Lake
These teams have played 36 matches against each other. Houston has 13 wins in those games, while Salt Lake has triumphed 12 times. In their only meeting of 2023, the teams played to a 0-0 draw. Salt Lake has the two most recent victories in the series, winning 3-0 in 2022 and 2-1 in 2021.
As far as their play this year, Salt Lake has the third most goals for in MLS’ Western Conference with 35. As for Houston, they are in the middle of the pack when it comes to goals for with 31. Defensively, Salt Lake has allowed 34 goals, while Houston is even with 31 goals allowed during the MLS season.
With these teams being so evenly matched, this game could come down to home-field advantage, which Houston has on Wednesday night. Houston has eight wins, two draws, and two losses at home this year. However, Salt Lake is a strong road team with six wins, three losses, and three draws away from their home field. Salt Lake has five wins, and three draws in their last eight away games.
U.S. Open Cup Semifinal betting breakdown: Houston Dynamo vs. Real Salt Lake – What to watch
The first thing that stands out about this game is inactivity, and Houston last played an official game in early August. If Salt Lake can jump to an early lead, Houston might have trouble getting their legs under them for the remainder of the matchup.
The second thing that stands out is that Salt Lake has not won in Houston since 2018.
As for possession and shots, Houston had the ball 61 percent of the game these teams played in May and put 16 shots on goal. Salt Lake had 13 shots in that game.
Best Bets for U.S. Open Cup Semifinal: Houston Dynamo vs. Real Salt Lake
With a spot in the U.S. Open Cup Final on the line, look for Houston and Salt Lake to come out motivated, and while Houston has not played in a few weeks, Salt Lake has not been a consistent team this year. With that, one cannot put too much into their recent 5-0 victory. Houston has played great at home, expect that to carry over in this game, and they are the betting pick to move on to face the winner of Miami Vs. Cincinnati game in the U.S. Open Cup Final in September.
Best Houston Dynamo vs. Real Salt Lake betting pick: Houston Dynamo to beat Real Salt Lake
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