The Lamar Hunt US Open Cup is the oldest and most historic soccer tournament in the United States. It originated one hundred ten years ago in 1914. Some of the best talent the US has seen have participated in this prestigious competition. This tournament comprises teams from all over the country at all levels. Everywhere from semipro teams to top-tier MLS teams.
MLS teams started participating in the Open Cup in 1996. An MLS club has won the competition every year since they joined, except for one year. This was very close to changing, however. The MLS attempted to pull their teams out of the tournament this year. MLS created a new summer tournament called “Leagues Cup” and wanted to force teams out of the US Open Cup so they could play in their own tournament. US Soccer denied this action and forced eight MLS clubs to stay in the competition.
Following suit of prior years, the 2024 US Open Cup final will be played between two MLS clubs. Los Angeles FC and Sporting Kansas City will face off on September 25 at 7:30 PM PT/ 9:30 PM CT.
LAFC has yet to win a trophy in this competition even though they have been extremely successful in MLS League Play with their most recent championship coming in 2022.
Sporting Kansas City has a rich history in this competition. They have won four championships in this competition dating back to 2004 and most recently in 2017. Kansas City is no stranger to the Open Cup.
Two players on LAFC have competed for Sporting KC and were part of Open Cup championship teams with SKC. Sporting legend, Kei Kamara was a part of the 2012 championship campaign in which he scored SKC’s only goal in the final to send the team into a penalty shootout and then onto winning the championship. Now, Kamara has found a new home in LA. In addition to Kamara, a fan favorite, Illie will be playing with LAFC on Wednesday. Illie was a part of SKC when they won the 2017 US Open Cup.
SKC and LAFC have had very different seasons so far in MLS play. Sporting KC has struggled to get positive results in their games, especially early on. SKC now sits in twelfth in the Western Conference. Their MLS Playoff hopes are pretty much out of the window at this point. But, that makes this game much more important. This is the biggest game of the season for SKC. This is their only chance for a trophy.
LAFC on the other hand have had a solid season sitting at fourth in the West. However, as of late, they have not been as good as many fans know them. They have not won a match in five games.
These two clubs faced off early in the 2024 season. The game ended 0-0.
Each team had different paths to the final. SKC battled against the USL Championship (Second Division) side, Indy Eleven in the semifinal. SKC came out on top 2-0. LAFC on the other hand defeated the Seattle Sounders with a late goal sending them through to the final.
A historically good, but struggling team facing off against a fairly new but highly successful team. A trophy on the line, 300,000 dollars on the line, and better seeding for the Concacaf Champions Cup on the line. This is a must-see game.
The game is streaming FOR FREE on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. You don’t need to have the subscription to watch it! The game kicks off in Los Angeles at 7:30 PM and 9:30 PM for those viewing in Kansas City!
