LDN - Sports

Sporting KC, Red Bulls clash for U.S. Open Cup crown

[September 20, 2017] By David Smale, The Sports Xchange

Sporting Kansas City aims for its fourth Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title as it hosts the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday at Children's Mercy Park.

Sporting is 3-0-0 all-time in Open Cup Finals, having won in 2004, 2012 and 2015. The Red Bulls will be striving for their first Open Cup title in their second Finals appearance (the other being 2003).

Sporting KC will try to rely on a very good home-field advantage. The club hasn't suffered a home loss in the U.S. Open Cup since 2014 (seven matches) and is 11-0-6 at home this year in all competitions.

"The wait is just about over," Sporting defender Matt Besler wrote in an open letter to the SKC fans. "Wednesday night is our biggest match of the season thus far. This is when we have another opportunity to paint the wall. This is when you will remind the country where the best fans in Major League Soccer reside.

"As our supporters, you are the lifeblood of this club. You are the energy and the passion that help us find an extra gear when we need it most. On championship nights like these, your screaming and chanting and unwavering belief makes all the difference."

Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch knows the challenge ahead for his club.

"I think being the underdog in many ways will be good for us," he said. "It puts the pressure on Kansas City. We can go there and have free minds and free hearts, and go after the game in a big way. With our young team, we can throw everything we have after it, which I know we will."

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The 22-year-old head-to-head series with two MLS originals is dead even, with both teams owning 21 wins and 13 draws across all competitions. The sides last met on May 3 when Sporting KC earned a 2-0 victory at Children's Mercy Park. New York has failed to score in two straight meetings against Sporting KC, falling 2-0 on both occasions.

New York has not been spectacular in its run to the Open Cup Finals, but it has been good enough. The Red Bulls scored just one goal in each of their first three matches, before overcoming a 2-0 deficit in the second half of their semifinal match at FC Cincinnati. They managed two goals in the final 15 minutes and then scored a third in extra time to win 3-2.

Sporting, meanwhile, has been much more dominant. The team has outscored its first three opponents 9-0 combined, before finally eliminating the San Jose Earthquakes on penalty kicks in the semifinals.

In the last 11 regular-season matches between the two clubs (all in MLS competition), the home team is just 2-5-4. The winner of the match will claim $250,000 and a berth in the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League to go along with the trophy for North America's oldest soccer tournament, which began in 1913.

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