Preview: Sporting KC begins Open Cup quest Wednesday vs. Minnesota United FC

Sporting Kansas City begins its quest for a fourth Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title on Wednesday when the club hosts fellow MLS outfit Minnesota United FC in the fourth round of the 2017 tournament. Kickoff at Children’s Mercy Park is slated for 7:30 p.m. CT, with tickets available on SeatGeek.com and a live stream at SportingKC.com.

Now in its 104th edition, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the oldest national soccer competition in the United States and remains one of the sport’s most prestigious championships. Sporting Kansas City is one of 19 MLS clubs to enter the 2017 tournament in the Round of 32, and will hope to replicate successes of 2004, 2012 and 2015 when the team was crowned Open Cup champion. The reward would be substantial, as the 2017 winner will receive $250,000 in prize money and a berth in the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League.

Wednesday marks the third time in four years that Sporting Kansas City and Minnesota United FC will meet in the U.S. Open Cup fourth round. Manager Peter Vermes’ men prevailed on both previous occasions, winning 2-0 at Children’s Mercy Park in 2014 before Benny Feilhaber scored and assisted in last summer’s 2-1 extra-time win at National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota.

While Sporting Kansas City has won the competition three times — one behind Seattle Sounders FC and Chicago Fire for the most titles among MLS clubs — the visiting Loons are hoping to reach the round of 16 for the first time ever. Minnesota was a member of the second-division D2 Pro League (2010) and NASL (2011-2016) for the first seven seasons of its existence.

A 1-1 draw against the Montreal Impact on Saturday denied Sporting Kansas City a seventh straight home win but extended the club’s home unbeaten streak to 17 regular season matches. Gerso bagged his team-leading sixth goal of the campaign on midfielder Ilie’s first MLS assist, but Montreal salvaged a late equalizer through Matteo Mancosu to split the points with the Western Conference leaders.

Led by head coach Adrian Heath, Minnesota United FC hasn’t played since suffering a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Sporting Kansas City on June 3 at Children’s Mercy Park. Ike Opara, Jimmy Medranda and Saad Abdul-Salaam all opened their 2017 scoring accounts in a comprehensive performance that saw the hosts unleash a season-high 27 shot attempts. The result came just four weeks after the Loons won the inaugural MLS meeting between the sides, a 2-0 decision at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis highlighted by Abu Danladi and Christian Ramirez’s first-half goals.

Sporting Kansas City defenders Matt Besler and Graham Zusi have rejoined the club after a successful World Cup qualifying stint with the U.S. Men’s National Team. Both will be available for selection on Wednesday, giving Besler the opportunity to make history. The Kansas City-born captain has logged 16 career appearances in the U.S. Open Cup, one shy of tying current assistant coach Kerry Zavagnin for first place on the club’s all-time charts. Zusi, meanwhile, could make his 200th start for Sporting KC in all competitions if Vermes chooses to insert him back into the lineup after he featured in the U.S. MNT’s 1-1 draw against Mexico on Sunday in Mexico City.

Vermes will have a strong squad of players at his disposal on Wednesday, as Latif Blessing (hip) and Erik Palmer-Brown (thigh) are the only players listed as questionable on Sporting KC’s injury report. Diego Rubio, who netted the game-winner in last year’s Open Cup victory at Minnesota, has fully recovered from an ACL injury he suffered eight months ago. Two players will remain unavailable on international duty, however, as defender Tyler Pasher (Canada) and forward Soony Saad (Lebanon) have temporarily left the club to represent their countries.

Currently occupying ninth place in the West, Minnesota (4-8-2, 14 points) will be without star midfielder Kevin Molino. The 26-year-old has five goals and three assists in MLS, but has joined Trinidad and Tobago for its ongoing World Cup qualifying campaign. The visitors will also cope with the absence of Costa Rica international duo Francisco Calvo and Johan Venegas — both of whom have held regular starting spots for most of 2017 — as well as Jamaican national team defender and MLS veteran Jermaine Taylor. Midfielder Sam Cronin, who was suspended for Minnesota’s MLS match in Kansas City, will be available for selection.

Sporting Kansas City enters Wednesday with a 24-15-6 all-time record in the Open Cup, including four penalty shootout wins in their six draws. Their last two Open Cup titles were notably decided by penalty shootouts following 1-1 draws through regulation: a 3-2 home triumph over Seattle Sounders FC on Aug. 8, 2012 and a 7-6 road win over the Philadelphia Union on Sept. 30, 2015.

Should Sporting Kansas City prevail on Wednesday, the club will learn its next Open Cup opponent during Thursday’s draw, which will place the remaining 16 teams into a geographically based, set bracket. The Round of 16 is scheduled to take place June 27-28.