Countdown to Cup: Dom Dwyer poised to follow Sebastien Le Toux into USOC history books

Sporting Kansas City's main marksman has stamped his name on the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Dom Dwyer leads the tournament's Golden Boot race with five goals, a tally that vaults him into a tie atop the club's all-time Open Cup scoring chart. The Englishman's unprecedented quadruple in a 6-2 fifth round win over FC Dallas was arguably the best performance from a Sporting player this season, while his quarterfinal game-winner against Houston preserved Kansas City's dreams of a third Open Cup title.

“The bull is out tonight," coach Peter Vermes told those around him on the sideline during Dwyer's four-goal salvo. "He’s been unleashed.”

In 25 days, Dwyer and his teammates will meet the Philadelphia Union at PPL Park with the Dewar Challenge Trophy up for grabs. And while Dwyer is in pole position to claim Golden Boot honors by the end of the night on Sept. 30, he'll likely lock horns with a fellow forward whose Open Cup scoring pedigree is unrivaled.

Philadelphia veteran Sebastien Le Toux is the all-time leading scorer during the Open Cup's modern era (1995-present). To put the Frenchman's success into perspective, his 15 career strikes in the competition aren't far behind the combined total of Sporting KC's current roster (19).

ALL-TIME LEADING SCORERS IN U.S. OPEN CUP MODERN ERA (1995-PRESENT)

It's fair to say that Le Toux has been in Dwyer's position before.

He earned Open Cup Golden Boot honors three consecutive times from 2007-2009, helping Seattle Sounders FC win the championship in the final year of that streak. Le Toux moved to Philadelphia in 2010 and has since led the Union to three Open Cup semifinal appearances in the last four years, including back-to-back appearances in the Final.

Most recently, Le Toux booked Philadelphia's spot in the 2015 title game with the decisive goal in a 1-0 win over the Chicago Fire on Aug. 12.

“It’s a great feeling, one more to go and we’ll have what we want,” Le Toux said after the match. "It’s a good feeling right now, but we have one more game to win.”

Dwyer isn't close to matching Le Toux's career goal tally in the Open Cup, but he's well-positioned to enter the history books on Sept. 30 in a different way. Since 1995, no one has scored more than six goals in a single Open Cup tournament. With a goal in the 2015 final, Dwyer would join a group of eight players to hit six in one season.

It should also be noted that Dwyer's main contender for the tournament's Golden Boot boot award is fellow forward Krisztian Nemeth, as no Philadelphia player has more than two goals. Nemeth has netted four in three Open Cup matches, including this sure-to-be Sporting KC Goal of the Year nominee.

"This is a final," Dwyer proclaimed after Sporting KC's Round of 16 victory over FC Dallas. "In this tournament every game’s a final for us. We want to win this competition and we’re very serious about it. I remember how it felt in 2012 and I want that feeling back again."

PLAYERS TO REACH SIX GOALS IN A SINGLE U.S. OPEN CUP (1995-PRESENT)

Josh Hakala of TheCup.us contributed statistical information in this article.