Lionel Messi watches on as his Inter Miami club falls to Houston Dynamo in US Open Cup Final

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (KTRK) -- With international superstar Lionel Messi unable to compete and watching from a field-level suite, the Houston Dynamo took down the hottest team in Major League Soccer, Inter Miami CF, to earn the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday night.

The Dynamo scored both of their goals in the first half of the championship game in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

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Houston midfielder Griffin Dorsey scored in the 24th minute, shooting from the right side of the box. Nine minutes later, in the 33rd minute, midfielder Amine Bassi made good on a penalty kick that the Dynamo earned when Inter Miami's DeAndre Yedlin was assessed a yellow card in the box.

Inter Miami's lone score came in the 92nd minute during stoppage time.

The Dynamo's match with Inter Miami has been on the calendar for a month, with Houston players salivating at the chance of sharing the pitch with newly-crowned World Cup winner Messi, who debuted with Florida's lone MLS club in July.

Messi was a game-time decision due to an injury picked up on duty for the Argentina national team. Ultimately, he was not listed on the team sheet.

For Houston, Wednesday's victory marked the final destination of a multi-month tournament. The win also gives the Dynamo its second Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in six years, adding to the one won in 2017.

The U.S. Open Cup also gives the winner a spot into the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup, which the Dynamo earned already due to Inter Miami grabbing a spot through its Leagues Cup win earlier this year.

Houston returns to Shell Energy Stadium on Saturday to resume MLS play against rival FC Dallas. The Dynamo are currently fourth in the Western Conference table and would qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs if they started today.