After all the hoopla, it comes down to two MLS teams in the end. LAFC will take on Sporting Kansas City on September 25 in the final of a tumultuous U.S. Open Cup. Here’s what to expect.
And so there were two from Major League Soccer. This year, social media has been abuzz with upheaval, anger, and podcasts discussing the importance of the U.S. Open Cup to soccer in America.
MLS withdrew all but eight teams from the competition due to ongoing issues with profit distribution and broadcasting rights with U.S. Soccer. Despite the negative publicity directed at the league and commissioner Don Garber for this decision, and the subsequent rallying around the Open Cup, the reality is that not much has changed.
MLS teams still reached the final despite the decreased participation, attendance for most games was what one might consider dismal, and overall interest in the competition remained relatively low. Nonetheless, the U.S. Open Cup is the oldest club competition in the United States, and for LAFC and Sporting Kansas City, a win could save their respective seasons.
An Overview
Sporting Kansas City has had a poor 2024, with a 7-14-7 record in the MLS regular season. Inconsistent throughout the year, the team formerly known as the Wizards needs a major overhaul to return to the form it exhibited in the 2010s.
A win in the U.S. Open Cup would salvage what has been a disappointing few years for Kansas City, where many are calling for the end of the Peter Vermes era. Vermes has been Sporting’s manager since August 2009, and has guided the club to a trio of Open Cup titles as well as one MLS Cup. A fourth Open Cup win for Vermes would be the fifth overall for Kansas City, which would tie the club for the most all time with Bethlehem Steel and Maccabee Los Angeles.
Speaking of Los Angeles, the city is home to two of MLS’s best clubs, including Open Cup finalist LAFC. A title game win over an ailing and outmatched Sporting Kansas City should be a given. Unfortunately, LAFC has struggled under Steve Cherundolo to win big games after clinching the MLS Cup in 2022, the manager’s first season at the helm. Since hoisting that trophy, the club has lost in four consecutive finals: the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League, the 2023 Campeones Cup, the 2023 MLS Cup, and the 2024 Leagues Cup.
The final, which will be a home match for LAFC, looks to be a solid opportunity to break the big-game losing streak and lift the U.S. Open Cup for the first time in club history.
Players to Watch
Sporting Kansas City has a slightly older roster, with an average age of just over 27. A trio of the club’s significant players are north of 30, including Alan Pulido (33), Johnny Russell (34), and Tim Melia (38). However, the club has experienced a youthful jolt of energy through Willy Agada. Despite having just nine league goals, not enough to crack the top 25 in MLS, Agada has the sixth-highest xG in the league with 13.11. If Kansas City wants to earn a fifth Open Cup title, Agada will need to get on the board.
Conversely, LAFC’s roster is an average age of 25, despite having a 40-year-old in Kei Kamara, and two 37-year-olds in Hugo Lloris and Olivier Giroud. Along with Giroud and Kamara, LAFC boasts an embarrassment of riches at the forward position. Denis Bouanga is one of, if not the most dangerous player in MLS, Cristian Olivera is one of the most highly-touted young talents in the league, and Mateusz Bogusz has reached double-digit goals for the first time in his career.
Who Wins the US Open Cup?
LAFC is due for a championship, and playing against what might be the weakest opponent they have faced in a final should be a consolation prize as they search for another MLS Cup.
A cup is a cup, however, and Cherundolo needs to snap the club’s losing streak in finals to get a fresh start in the lead up to the MLS Cup Playoffs.
If, by some odd circumstance, LAFC loses the Open Cup final, it will be a heavy blow for the team’s confidence. A failure to bring home the MLS Cup after losing the U.S. Open Cup could see Cherundolo go from a potential U.S. men’s national team manager candidate to jobless come December.
