Jose Guillermo ‘Memo’ Rodriguez knows the power of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
From his start in the Houston Dynamo youth academy to his professional debut in 2015, and winning the tournament as a player in 2018, the Open Cup and the opportunities it creates have been seminal to Rodriguez’s life and career.
Now 27, he’s scoring crucial goals for LA Galaxy and providing offense and insight for his new team heading into this week’s Quarterfinal matchup against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night (LIVE on the B/R App and B/R Football YouTube.
Always around the ball
His mother, Velia, drove more than an hour each way from their home in El Campo, Texas, into Houston for a decade-plus so young Memo could play at a higher level.
He served as a ball boy (pictured below) for the Dynamo in the Open Cup – “I didn’t even know that picture existed!” – and in 2014 was the sixth homegrown signing in the club’s history.
Loaned to then USL Championship affiliate Charleston Battery in 2015, Rodriguez had a goal and an assist in his first 17 professional appearances in the second division.
“I did the whole process, even to the point where I got waived for the year and I had to go to RGV (Rio Grande Valley FC to prove myself again and gain a first-team contract again,” said Rodriguez, who totaled six goals in 30 appearances for Championship side RGVFC in 2016.
“It’s something that I think everyone in their career has – ups-and-downs and you just have to stay mentally strong,” Rodriguez said. “It was the support system that I had that made me keep going to keep making my way up to the first team again.”
