ZIMBABWE international Teenage Hadebe lifted his first silverware in the United States Major League football when he won the US Open Cup title with Houston Dynamo on Wednesday night.
The 28-year-old played a cameo after he was introduced in the 91st minute to help see out the game for Houston Dynamo who beat Lionel Messi’s Inter-Miami 2-1 and landed their second US Open Cup title.
Speaking to Zimpapers Sport, Hadebe said:
“I am happy to win my first silverware with the club, it’s something I always dreamt of since I got here. I’m proud that we’ve managed to do that as a team. Of course it was an emotional moment for me, it’s something I was looking forward to. And this will be one of the highlights of my career as a footballer,” he said.
Hadebe who moved to the US in 2021, recently returned from injury and was on target in Houston’s last league assignment, which they lost 1-2 to Kansas City.
“I want to thank everyone who wished my team good fortunes and everyone who has been sending me congratulatory messages since our win against Inter-Milan,” he said.
He added:
“I want to prove my worth to the club and do all I can in making sure that I help my club in achieving their targets. My target is to finish off at a better position and help my team win some more silverware.”
Hadebe has been out with injury for the last four months. He had surgery in May and has been recovering on the sidelines.
The defender had last featured for his club during their third round US Open Cup match against Tampa Bay Rowdies which they won 1-0 on April 27.
He could have rubbed shoulders against Messi and his former Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba but the duo watched from the sidelines after they were ruled out because of injuries.
With two of their stars missing, Houston took full advantage, scoring twice in the first half from Griffin Dorsey’s close-range thunderbolt and a penalty by Amine Bassi.
Hadebe was part of the history when the final whistle blew as Houston added a second US Open Cup to their trophy case after winning it in 2018.
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