The Carolina Dynamo boast a 14-1-2 record and won the 2006 PDL Regular Season National Championship before falling in overtime in the PDL playoffs. Along with Saxe, the Phoenix is represented by three players on the Carolina squad. The other two are defender Junior Nombre and midfielder Brett Paschall.

Of the upcoming opportunity Saxe said, "It's one of the biggest experiences of our careers. It's a time for us, as amateurs, to see how we stack up against the some of the best players in the country. I think we have a decent chance to pull something off."

In 10 PDL games, Saxe has surrendered just seven goals and has blanked three opponents. He has also grabbed 40 saves. Nombre has appeared in nine contests, while Paschall has seen time in three outings.

The team earned the right to face the Houston Dynamo (8-4-8) by advancing in the U.S. Open Cup series. Carolina started the series with a 4-3 win over the Cape Cod Crusaders of the PDL. In the second round, Carolina defeated the USL Second Division's Richmond Kickers 1-0. Round three saw Carolina knock off the USL First Division's Seattle Sounders 3-2 in overtime. A victory over Houston would advance Carolina to the quarterfinals where they would face either FC Dallas (MLS) or the Charleston Battery (USL Second Division) on August 23.

Saxe also spoke about bouncing back from the playoff loss. "It was a heartbreaker," he stated. It's emotional because we'd been doing so well together all year. But looking ahead to Houston, I think the guys are up for that challenge. One of our goals was to go deep into the Open Cup."

Houston features defender Eddie Robinson who is the brother of Elon goalkeepers coach Chris Robinson. Houston sits in second place in the Western Conference of MLS.