Sporting Kansas City will look to write another glorious chapter in club history on Wednesday when the New York Red Bulls visit Children’s Mercy Park for the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final, slated for 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.
In our 21-day Countdown to Cup, SportingKC.com is highlighting the most relevant storylines, historical narratives and statistical trends surrounding the Open Cup Final, U.S. Soccer’s National Championship.
This installment of the daily countdown revisits the best matches of the 2017 tournament.
A competition rich in history and drama certainly hasn’t disappointed in 2017.
The 104th edition of the U.S. Open Cup will culminate a week from tonight when Sporting Kansas City and the New York Red Bulls battle for the crown. But before we cast our eyes on the mouthwatering final, now is as good a time as any to revisit SportingKC.com’s seven best matches of the 2017 tournament to date.
For the sake of relevance to the two teams competing in the final, our Top 7 list includes matches from the Round of 32 onward. It was at that stage that all 19 American MLS sides entered the competition.
7. Orlando City SC 1-3 Miami FC — June 14 (Round of 32)
The NASL’s best representative at the 2017 Open Cup was undoubtedly Miami FC, a side coached by Italian World Cup winner Alessandro Nesta. The second-year club made mince meat of their Florida counterparts as Stefano Pinho silenced the Orlando City crowd with a stunning hat-trick. The Lions mustered a late consolation goal, but Miami FC had done more than enough to secure a signature “cupset” in the fourth round.
6. New York Red Bulls 1-1 (5-3) Philadelphia Union — June 28 (Round of 16)
The Red Bulls had fallen to Philadelphia in each of the previous two Open Cups and nearly stumbled a third time in late June. Sacha Kljestan fired the hosts ahead in the 42nd minute, but Roland Alberg equalized with four minutes left to force extra time. New York goalkeeper Ryan Meara promptly delivered, stopping Fafa Picault’s spot kick in the third round of penalties. The Red Bulls, meanwhile, converted all five of their attempts to survive a close shave and progress to the quarterfinals.
5. Miami FC 3-2 Atlanta United FC — June 28 (Round of 16)
Miami FC’s unlikely run continued in the fifth round, when Nesta’s men knocked off MLS expansion side Atlanta United FC in a five-goal thriller. Atlanta struck first through Brandon Vazquez, but Pinho and Rhett Bernstein pushed the hosts ahead shortly after the break. Julian Gressel leveled proceedings in the 75th minute, only for Miami to grab a dramatic, 93rd-minute winner through Kwadwo Poku.
4. Sporting KC 1-1 (5-4) San Jose Earthquakes — Aug. 9 (Semifinals)
Manager Peter Vermes’ men entered the semifinal fixture as favorites, but Danny Hoesen’s superb opener in the fourth minute marked the first time Sporting KC had conceded all tournament. The hosts would dominate for large periods from that point forward, pulling even in the 32nd minute following a majestic 18-pass sequence that was finished off by Diego Rubio. Despite their marked superiority, Sporting KC was unable to find a second goal against in-form San Jose goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell. The shootout, however, belonged to Tim Melia, who made two vital saves to vault his side into the final.
3. FC Cincinnati 0-0 (3-1) Chicago Fire — June 28 (Round of 16)
The Cinderella slipper belonged to FC Cincinnati throughout the 2017 Open Cup. The USL club defeated Columbus Crew SC in the fourth round before hosting Bastian Schweinsteiger and the Chicago Fire on June 28 before a raucous crowd of 32,287 at Nippert Stadium. The game itself wasn’t the prettiest spectacle, but Cincinnati goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt enjoyed what was probably his best game as a professional, making 10 saves through 120 minutes before stopping three penalty kicks in the shootout. Thus, a national TV audience on ESPN2 was familiarized with FC Cincinnati’s Cinderella story.
2. FC Cincinnati 2-3 New York Red Bulls (AET) — Aug. 15 (Semifinals)
Seeking to become the first lower-division team to reach an Open Cup final since 1999, FC Cincinnati rode the emotion of another sellout crowd at Nippert Stadium to a 2-0 lead over the Red Bulls in last month’s semifinal. The Red Bulls looked destined to fall victim in a remarkable upset — that is until the hosts conceded their first goal of the tournament in the 75th minute through Gonzalo Veron. Three minutes later, Bradley Wright-Phillips’ equalizer had effectively shell-shocked a USL side that suddenly appeared out of gas. Wright-Phillips then struck the winner in the 101st minute to complete a wild comeback and end Cincinnati’s Open Cup dreams.
1. Sporting KC 3-0 FC Dallas (AET) — July 11 (Quarterfinals)
Emotion. Controversy. Red cards. Scary injuries. Scoring chances. And finally, at the very end, goals. Yes, this match had just about everything. Played two days after the passing of Sporting KC co-owner Neal Patterson, the quarterfinal between Sporting KC and FC Dallas will go down as one of the most memorable matches in Children’s Mercy Park history.
