Five years ago today, Sporting Kansas City wrote one of the most glorious chapters in club history.
On Sept. 30, 2015, Peter Vermes' men traveled to face the Philadelphia Union for the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final, played before a hostile crowd and amidst rainy conditions at Talen Energy Stadium. The match hung in the balance for 120 minutes, with Sebastien Le Toux and Krisztian Nemeth scoring on either side of halftime to force a penalty shootout.
Goalkeeper Tim Melia turned away Andrew Wenger's shot in the eighth round of spot kicks, opening the door for newly acquired midfielder Jordi Quintilla to bring the Open Cup back to Kansas City. The young Spaniard, just 21 at the time, had played less than 200 minutes for Sporting the entire season. Yet the weight of the moment did not deter Quintilla, who wrong-footed John McCarthy and calmly slotted low into the net.
On-field celebrations ensued near the traveling Roaddron, comprised of 1,000 raucous fans who had made the trip to see Sporting win their third major trophy in four years, following previous penalty-kick successes in the 2012 Open Cup Final and MLS Cup 2013 at Children's Mercy Park.
Vermes and Sporting would win yet another Open Cup title in 2017, their third of the decade and the club's fourth overall.
