Sporting Kansas City begins play in the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup this week with a Round of 32 clash against USL Championship team the Colorado Springs Switchbacks at Weidner Field on Tuesday night. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT and will be available to stream on Paramount+, while the game will also be broadcast locally on the radio via Sports Radio 810 WHB.
1. FOCUS SHIFTS TO OPEN CUP
Sporting Kansas City will shift the club’s focus from the MLS regular season to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup this week as the team heads west to take on the Colorado Springs Switchbacks at Weidner Field in the Round of 32 on Tuesday night.
The change of pace is a welcome one for Sporting, having endured a string of frustrating results since the team’s first win of the season at the LA Galaxy on March 14. Over the weekend, Sporting fell to the high-flying San Jose Earthquakes in the 250th MLS regular-season match at Sporting Park to extend the team’s winless run at home to seven games dating back to last September.
Sporting has a history of success in the U.S. Open Cup - headlined by the team’s four championships in 2004, 2012, 2015 and 2017 - and last participated in the tournament in 2024, reaching the final of the competition where the team suffered a 3-1 defeat in extra time to LAFC at BMO Stadium.
2. SKC TO BEGIN USOC JOURNEY AT COLORADO SPRINGS
Sporting Kansas City will begin the club’s participation in the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in the Round of 32 on the road at USL Championship opponents Colorado Springs Switchbacks at 7 p.m. CT this Tuesday, April 14 at Weidner Field.
U.S. Soccer conducted the U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 and Round of 16 draw on April 2, determining the matchups and hosts for the next two rounds of the 111th edition of the competition.
The winner between Sporting Kansas City and Colorado Springs Switchbacks will play the winner between the Colorado Rapids (MLS) and Union Omaha (USL League One) in the Round of 16 with hosting priority for the Round of 16 fixture assigned to Sporting Kansas City (1st), Colorado Rapids (2nd) and Union Omaha (3rd).
Sporting Kansas City is one of 16 MLS teams entering a field that features 16 teams from leagues in the lower divisions of American soccer as Colorado Springs and Sporting will meet for the first time. After winning the USL Championship in 2024, the Switchbacks reached the Round of 32 with a 3-0 victory Azteca FC (United Premier Soccer League) in the First Round before prevailing in penalties against Spokane Velocity FC (USL League One) in the Second Round.
3. BARTLETT SCORES FIRST PROFESSIONAL GOAL
Sporting Kansas City Homegrown midfielder Jacob Bartlett scored his first professional goal in the club’s 3-1 defeat to the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night, opening the scoring in the 27th minute.
Receiving an intricate pass from Dejan Joveljic, Bartlett strode into the area and slotted his finish beyond Daniel in the San Jose goal to give Sporting a first-half lead - just the second goal that San Jose has conceded all season. After tallying two assists in his rookie season in 2025, Saturday night marked the first goal of Bartlett’s professional career at any level.
At the age of 20 years and 186 days, Bartlett became the youngest player to score for Sporting KC in MLS play since Alenis Vargas on March 30, 2024. Bartlett is also the first Kansas City native to score for the club in all competitions since Kortne Ford scored in a U.S. Open Cup match on June 22, 2022. He is the first KC native to score in an MLS game since Cam Duke on Sept. 15, 2021.
Bartlett was born and raised in Kansas City, joining the SKC Academy as an 11-year-old in 2017 before signing with Sporting Kansas City as a Homegrown Player in 2025. His older brother, Lucas Bartlett, is a fellow professional at D.C. United who is in the midst of his fifth MLS season.
4. DPs TEAM UP FOR ASSIST
Sporting Kansas City Designated Players Manu Garcia and Dejan Joveljic combined brilliantly to set up the team’s opening goal on Saturday night in the 3-1 defeat to the San Jose Earthquakes at Sporting Park.
Receiving the ball in the final third, Garcia quickly found Joveljic on the edge of the area and the Serb - usually a goalscorer - turned provider by patiently allowing Jacob Bartlett to run beyond him into the penalty area before slipping a perfectly-timed pass into Bartlett’s path, allowing the SKC Academy product to slot home his first career goal.
Joveljic earned the primary assist on the goal, his second assist of the season and he now has multiple assists in all six seasons he’s played in MLS. A San Jose killer, he now has 11 goal contributions (seven goals, four assists) in 13 career regular season appearances against the ‘Quakes.
Garcia was credited the secondary assist, his second assist of the season and 11th in two seasons after leading the club with nine assists in 2025.
5. CAPITA MAKES DEBUT OFF THE BENCH
Sporting Kansas City forward Capita Capemba made his highly-anticipated debut this past weekend, playing the final 33 minutes of the team’s 3-1 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes at Sporting Park.
A recent acquisition from Radomiak Radom in Poland, Capita received his P1 visa at the start of the month and was available for selection for the first time on Saturday night. Replacing Calvin Harris in the 57th minute, Capita became the 11th player to make his debut for a new-look Sporting so far in 2026.
Capita showed flashes of his speed and quality during his 33-minute cameo, constantly looking to get in behind while showing off his trickery with some silky dribbles and a sumptuous nutmeg. The Angolan had a chance to score on his debut, but blazed his effort just over the bar after being picked out by Justin Reynolds in the 68th minute.
Born and raised in Angola, Capita spent the early years of his development with local teams in his hometown of Luanda before making the jump to Europe by joining Portuguese side C.D. Trofense in January 2020. Capita had stops in France (Lille), Belgium (Mouscron), Portugal (Trofense and Estrela da Amadora) and Israel (Hapoel Jerusalem) before moving to Radomiak Radom in the Polish top division in a permanent transfer ahead of the 2024-2025 season.
Capita developed into one of the premier attacking players in Poland over the past two seasons, tallying 12 goals and two assists in 38 appearances for Radomiak in the Ekstraklasa.
