The Final of the 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup caps off one of the most talked about tournaments in recent memory, and the two clubs in the Final have quite the opposite history with the championship game. On one side we have Los Angeles FC, a nine-year-old club making its Open Cup Final debut, representing a city with a rich history in the tournament’s championship game.
Sporting Kansas City, their opponents, are one of the founding members of Major League Soccer. Sporting reps a city with virtually no open Cup history outside of its own but is chasing the ultimate in Open Cup history by joining Bethlehem Steel, Maccabee AC and the Fall River Marksmen/New Bedford Whalers in the exclusive 5-time champions club.
The Final will be carried live by Apple TV with kickoff scheduled for 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
LAFC and Sporting have met just once this year, a scoreless draw, way back on March 9 at LA’s BMO Stadium, so it’s hard to judge the two teams on a game played six months ago. What is known is that the two clubs’ seasons took different turns since then.
US Open Cup winners missing MLS Cup playoffs
2018 Houston Dynamo (10-16-8)
2013 D.C. United (3-24-7)
2008 D.C. United (11-15-4)
Sporting KC’s year immediately got off to a bad start, going 2-2-5 in their opening nine games. Then SKC would lose 11 of their next 13 games, anchoring them to the bottom of the MLS Western Conference. The club has gone 5-3-2 since then, but with just three games remaining the club was mathematically eliminated from reaching the MLS Cup playoffs.
Since 2010 seven teams have reached the Open Cup final while missing out on the MLS Cup playoffs. Inter Miami were the last club to accomplish this feat in 2023. Only three clubs, Houston Dynamo in 2018 and D.C. United in 2013 & 2008, have managed to win the Open Cup without making the MLS post-season cut.
On the other hand, Los Angeles FC has been near the top of the MLS Western Conference standings all season. After a shaky start to the season that saw LAFC go 2-3-1, the club caught fire once April started. From April 6 to July 4 LAFC went 11-4-1, including a 10-game unbeaten streak. Since then, LAFC have won just one league contest in their last seven and are 0-3-2 since resuming MLS play after the Leagues Cup. Among the losses is a 4-2 defeat to El Trafico rivals LA Galaxy, and a 3-1 loss away to FC Dallas on Sept. 21. One has to wonder if reaching the Leagues Cup Final took something out of LAFC, as they haven’t won a league game since.
The scoring tandem of Denis Bouanga and Mateusz Bogusz have been quiet since finishing with the Leagues Cup, having only scored a goal each in the five games. Despite the slowdown, Bouanga sits tied for second in MLS in goals scored with 17.
OPEN CUP PEDIGREE
Initially known as the Kansas City Wiz, then the Kansas City Wizards, and now Sporting Kansas City, along with the Chicago Fire and Seattle Sounders, are on the cusp of joining Bethlehem Steel, Maccabee AC and the Fall River Marksmen/New Bedford Whalers as five-time Open Cup champions. After a slow first few years, KC hit their stride in the Open Cup, and since 2002 they’ve never gone more than two years between reaching at least the Quarterfinals. Sporting is 16-11-3 (1-2 PK) against fellow MLS clubs in its long Open Cup history, although they have faced MLS opposition just four times since the Open Cup was called off in 2020 and 2021.
The last three years are a stark contrast to the five years before the COVID-19 cancelled tournaments. From 2015-2019, 14 of SKC’s 16 Open Cup opponents were from MLS. SKC’s Open Cup record in road games isn’t as stellar, sitting at 9-9-5 (2-3 PK). Their last road win against an MLS team came in the 2018 Fourth Round, a 2-0 defeat of Real Salt Lake. SKC’s one and only Open Cup trip to California was in the 2022 Semifinals, where they were eliminated on penalty kicks by Sacramento Republic of the USL Championship.
LAFC made a splash in their inaugural Open Cup appearance in 2018, reaching the Semifinals where they were ousted by the Houston Dynamo on penalties after a 3-3 draw. Since then, a Quarterfinal finish in 2019 is the deepest LAFC has gone, getting eliminated by “El Trafico” rivals LA Galaxy in 2022 & 2023. LAFC are the first MLS club since Real Salt Lake in 2013 to reach the Semifinals without playing another MLS team in previous rounds. LAFC has not beaten another MLS club in the Open Cup since their 2-0 win over the Portland Timbers in the 2022 Fourth Round. The loss to Portland was also LAFC’s last Open Cup defeat at home, where they hold a 8-2 record.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
SPORTING KANSAS CITY
Fourth Round >> Sporting Kansas City 2:1 (AET) Union Omaha (USL League One)
In their rematch from the 2022 Quarterfinals, Sporting Kansas City narrowly avoided a penalty shootout with Union Omaha, snatching a 2-1 win at the end of extra time. Omaha held a 1-0 lead at halftime, but Marinos Tzionis equalized for SKC just after the break. The teams battled through over 70 more minutes of scoreless play and just as it looked like a penalty shootout was necessary, Alan Pulido snuck a shot by Omaha goalkeeper Rashid Nuhu from the top of the penalty area to give Sporting the win. (VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS)
Fifth Round >> Sporting Kansas City 4:0 FC Tulsa (USL Championship)
In the Round of 16, KC dominated FC Tulsa 4-0 at home. Felipe Hernández scored on both sides of halftime and Stephen Afrifa and Marinos Tzionis provided the other goals as Sporting outshot Tulsa 34-3. (VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS)
Quarterfinals >> Sporting Kansas City 2:1 (AET) FC Dallas (MLS)
Looking to go 6-0 in the Open Cup against FC Dallas, SKC hosted their MLS rivals where they hadn’t lost an Open Cup game in 14 tries. After 51 minutes of scoreless play, thunderstorms rolled into the area causing the match to pause for almost an hour and a half due to lightning. When the game finally resumed, most of the 12,943 fans in attendance were chased away. SKC’s Willy Agada opened the scoring in the 77th minute, and to make the night just a bit longer, Petar Musa equalized for FC Dallas with three minutes remaining. Finally, at 12:32 a.m. local time, Dany Rosero headed home a Johnny Russell corner kick for a 2-1 lead SKC would not give up. (VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS)
Semifinals >> Sporting Kansas City 2:0 Indy Eleven (USL Championship)
Mother Nature struck again, turning another Open Cup match into an all-night marathon. Before SKC and Indy could even kick off, thunderstorms in the area kept the game from starting for almost three hours. Once the game finally kicked off, Sporting ended the upset dreams of Indy Eleven 2-0, and kept alive their quest for a record-tying fifth Open Cup championship. Johnny Russell opened the scoring in the 14th minute with a long-range blast. Twenty minutes later Dany Rosero doubled the lead after he headed home a Remi Walter pass. Indy came to life in the second half, but GK Tim Melia held the in check, earning TheCup.us’s “Player of the Round” for the semifinals. TheCup.us has awarded a Player of the Round award since 2006. During that time, Melia has won the award three times, which is more than anyone during that span. Melia has won this award two times (2015 Final, 2017 Final) during his time at Sporting KC, and once as a member of the Charleston Battery in 2010. (VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS)
LOS ANGELES FC
Fourth Round >> Los Angeles FC 3:1 Las Vegas Lights (USL Championship)
LAFC kicked off their tournament in the Fourth Round, putting away the Las Vegas Lights 3-1. After the teams traded goals early in the second half, Cristian Olivera came through with a pair of scores in the 70th minute and stoppage time.
Fifth Round >> Los Angeles FC 3:0 Loudoun United (USL Championship)
In the Round of 16, LAFC had little trouble with Loudoun United, who traveled across the country to the west coast. LAFC defeated the USL Championship side 3-0. Timothy Tillman opened the scoring in the 8th minute and Cristian Olivera and Tomas Angel added second half goals. (VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS)
Quarterfinals >> Los Angeles FC 3:1 New Mexico United (USL Championship)
Waiting for LAFC in their first Open Cup Quarterfinal since 2019 was a home matchup with the USL Championship’s New Mexico United. Timothy Tillman put the home side ahead early with a 6th minute goal, collecting the rebound off a save from New Mexico goalkeeper Alexandros Tabakis. David Martinez doubled the lead in the 37th minute and then after his initial shot was saved by Tabakis, Martinez scored off the rebound. Greg Hurst pulled New Mexico to within one in the 57th minute with a blast from just outside the top of the penalty area. Then, Mateusz Bogusz snuffed out any hope of a comeback for New Mexico in the 77th minute with his first goal of the tournament and a 3-1 lead. (VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS)
Semifinals >> Los Angeles FC 1:0 Seattle Sounders SC (MLS)
LAFC and Seattle were the first MLS opposition for each other in the 2024 Open Cup. Fresh off a disappointing Leagues Cup Final loss to the Columbus Crew, LAFC rebounded with a hard fought 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders at Starfire Sports Stadium in Tukwila, Washington. The win not only earned LAFC their first Open Cup Final appearance but also stopped Seattle’s quest to join the exclusive club of five-time Open Cup winners. After a scoreless 80 minutes, LAFC won a penalty kick when Seattle’s Pedro de la Vega was called for a handball in the box. Denis Bouanga stepped up and converted the spot kick for the game’s lone goal. (VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS)
Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
24th US Open Cup appearance (1996-98, 2000-06, 2008-19, 2022-23)
4th Final appearance
Overall: 36-16-7 (4-3 PK)
Away: 9-9-5 (2-3 PK)
vs. MLS: 17-11-3 (3-0 PK)
Best finish: Champions (2004, 2012, 2015, 2017)
Los Angeles FC (MLS)
5th US Open Cup appearance (2018, 2019, 2022, 2023)
1st Open Cup Final appearance
Overall: 12-3-2 (1-1 PK)
Home: 8-2-0 (0-0 PK)
vs. MLS: 5-3-1 (0-1 PK)
Best finish: Semifinals (2018)