The U.S. Open Cup 4th round kicks off for the Houston Dynamo Wednesday evening as they welcome the Austin Aztex to BBVA Compass Stadium. For the Dynamo they'll be looking to win the trophy as part of the rebuilding that is still going on under new coach Owen Coyle. For the Aztex, they'll be playing under no pressure, knowing the impetus is on the Dynamo to perform.

There is a lot to tie these two clubs together, not the least of which is the coaching. Current Aztex coach is former Dynamo striker Paul Dalglish who helped the club to back-to-back championships in 2006-07. Given their close proximity, the teams regularly spend pre-season together in scrimmages and friendlies. None of that will matter once the opening whistle is blown, however.

While on the Keeper Notes Soccer Show on 1560AM this weekend, Dalglish told host Jen Cooper, "Nobody expects anything from us. We can go into that game and enjoy the occasion and have fun and have freedom." The veteran coach is clearly putting the onus on Coyle to attack his side while the Aztex play their game without worry. With the Dynamo missing two of their premier attacking players for this match, Coyle will have to respond to a strong, fluid Aztex side.

Down in Chile for the Copa America, Giles Barnes and Jermaine Taylor are looking to strengthen Jamaica ahead of July's Gold Cup where they will be expected to make a deep run into that tournament. The team is also without Mexican striker Erick Torres, who won’t be eligible for the club for another couple of weeks.  With a lingering injury to captain Brad Davis, expect him to sit out this match as well.

With the depth available to the Dynamo in central midfield, it wouldn't be surprising to see Ricardo Clark and/or Luis Garrido given a rest for this match in favor of Nathan Sturgis and Zach Steinberger. While the former is coming off an injury, the latter has been chomping at the bit to get onto the field to continue his development. Even if Sturgis isn't ready for a start, it's almost certain the rookie will get his chance.

Another area the team have depth is in the striker pool. While Will Bruin is red hot at the moment, U-20 Colombian striker Mauro Manotas has yet to see the field for his new club and this would be a fantastic opportunity to showcase his talents to the home crowd. Chandler Hoffman has seen his time limited as Barnes and Bruin have been lighting it up lately, as well. After the week off, it's likely that Bruin and Hoffman get the start while Manotas gets subbed into the match later.

If the Dynamo is going to advance they'll need to shut down local product Kris Tyrpak who has 6 goals and 1 assist on the season so far. Trevin Caesar has a respectable 4 goals as well and will need to be marked tightly to prevent him from turning the defense.

A sad linkage between the clubs that hangs over the match is the Memorial Day Flooding that wracked both cities, leaving the Aztex's home stadium, House Park Stadium, completely underwater.

While BBVA Compass Stadium escaped damage, the greater Houston area didn't as thousands of homes were destroyed and even more vehicles. Both cities suffered catastrophic damage that left nearly two dozen people dead across Texas and Oklahoma. What's worse is that isn't the only weather related linkage. As of this writing, Tropical Storm Bill is barreling down on the Texas coast, looking to drop anywhere from a mild 3 inches of rain to a devastating 10 inches or more.

As of now, the game is set to begin Wednesday evening but both clubs are monitoring the situation carefully. For the Aztex they'll be watching very closely as the storm is predicted to swing through the Austin area directly. After having moved to a new home at Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex for the remainder of the season, all eyes will be on how the city copes with Bill.

Let's hope for a fantastic match Wednesday evening and safety for all during the storm.