The Houston Dynamo outlasted CF Pachuca, winning a penalty shootout after the two sides played to a 0-0 draw at Shell Energy Stadium.
Houston created far more chances in the Round of 32 match but were unable to find the back of the net while Pachuca had few opportunities and saw their 2023 Leagues Cup campaign come to an end.
The Dynamo advance to the Round of 16 where they will host Charlotte FC on Monday evening.
Story of the match
In the sixth minute, Griffin Dorsey, one of Houston's best players in the tournament, looped a ball into the six-yard box for Aliyu Ibrahim, who saw his shot blocked.
Clark made one of his two saves in the match on 22 minutes as he got his body in front of a long-range shot by Erick Sanchez and that managed to send it wide of the post.
On the half-hour mark, Dynamo captain Hector Herrera sent in an inviting ball from a corner kick that defender Erik Sviatchenko got on the end of, but the shot lacked the power needed to trouble the Los Tuzos goal.
Franco Escobar managed to track down a rolling ball on the left, managed to beat two Pachuca defenders, fed Maciel in space in the penalty box only to see his strike fly over the crossbar.
The hosts created their best opportunity came when Adalberto Carrasquilla fed Amine Bassi with a weighted pass as the forward was making a run into the penalty area and his first touch forced a point-blank save from Moreno.
Two minutes into the second half, Clark kept the match scoreless, making a fingertip save from an audacious shot by David Terans from outside the left corner of the penalty box.
Herrera was beginning to have more influence over the contest and in the 53rd minute, he slotted the ball for Nelson Quinones and after his run on the left, his strike was blocked.
Dorsey then made a sizzling run down the right, backheeling to Corey Baird, who let the ball go to Bassi, but the Moroccan just missed to the right.
Quinones then won a free kick as he was brought down in the 70th minute after shaking free of his defender in the area. The ensuing set-piece saw Herrera's shot nearly dip under the bar.
On 79 minutes, Los Tuzos nearly went in front, Sanchez going for goal from the middle of the penalty box but his attempt sailed well over the crossbar.
The match would be decided in a shootout and while the Dynamo converted all five of their spot kicks, Clark denied Tony Figueroa on Pachuca's fourth attempt, which proved to be the difference in the match.
Man of the match: Steve Clark
While he didn't have much to do over the 90 minutes of regulation time, his save in the penalty shootout, the only spot-kick not converted, won the game for Houston.