The United States Soccer Federation announced the referee assignment for Wednesday’s 2015 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Final between the Philadelphia Union and Sporting Kansas City at PPL Park in Chester, Pa. American official Ted Unkel will be the referee the match along with assistants Ian Anderson and James Conlee, and Chris Penso as the 4th official.
This will be the second championship game that Unkel has officiated in his six years as a professional. The 37-year-old was the center referee for the 2014 North American Soccer League championship game between the San Antonio Scorpions and the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. Other notable games include a 2011 NASL Semifinal (Fort Lauderdale Strikers vs. Puerto Rico Islanders), a 2011 WPS Semifinal (Philadelphia Independence vs. MagicJack FC) and a 2009 WPS Semifinal (Saint Louis Athletica vs. Sky Blue FC).
Unkel has been the center official for four career US Open Cup games. His first came in the 2012 Fourth Round as the Carolina RailHawks hosted Chivas USA. His next two were a pair of Orlando City SC home games: a 2013 Third Round match against the Colorado Rapids and a 2014 Third Round match against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. His most recent Open Cup outing was the referee for the highly-anticipated New York Cosmos vs. New York Red Bulls Fifth Round match at Red Bull Arena earlier this year. In those four games has has averaged 4.25 yellows per game and has given out three total red cards (One to an assistant coach).