Houston scored three first-half goals then nearly surrendered its lead in the second half before advancing past Austin Bold 3-2 in its opening round of the U.S. Open Cup at BBVA Compass Stadium on Tuesday.
Midfielder Tomas Martinez placed one of his four shots into the corner of the net within the first 15 minutes. He assisted Ronaldo Pena about 15 minutes later. Then, five minutes before the end of the first half, fellow midfielder Matias Vera struck for Houston.
The Martinez goal came after Vera worked the ball into the area along the goal line. He passed it toward the top of the area to Marlon Hairston, whose shot was blocked and deflected into the path of Martinez before he ripped it into the corner of the net in the 14th minute.