CHICAGO (Aug. 28, 2024) – Next month’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final will feature a first-time finalist in Los Angeles Football Club, which rode Denis Bouanga’s late-game penalty conversion to a hard-fought 1-0 Semifinal victory over Seattle Sounders this evening at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash.
LAFC will host the 2024 U.S. Open Cup Final at BMO Stadium in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, September 25, against fellow Major League Soccer side Sporting Kansas City, which seeks to become the first MLS outfit to capture a historic fifth Open Cup crown.
Six years after their inaugural season run to the tournament Semifinals in 2018, LAFC cashed in on their second attempt to qualify for the Open Cup Final, which will help make up for the sting of dropping the Leagues Cup Final just three days ago.
LAFC has made a habit of reaching the cusp of lifting a trophy over the last 15 months, as the Open Cup will mark their fourth Finals appearance in domestic and international competitions dating back to last June. However, the trophy chest has been denied new hardware in that remarkable run, as last December’s MLS Cup Final ended the same as the Leagues Cup did with a loss at Columbus Crew SC and a memorable Concacaf Champions League chase fell short last June against Liga MX’s Club Leon.
With LAFC already capturing a spot in the 2025 edition of the tournament – now known as the Concacaf Champions Cup – courtesy of their Leagues Cup runner up finish, this evening’s result handed Sporting KC the U.S. Open Cup’s slot in the continental club championship.
Another recent trend for LAFC has been defeating their rivals from Seattle, although this fourth win over the Sounders in as many meetings in 2024 was the toughest yet. The tighter confines at Starfire led to a tight opening from both sides, the first shots of the night coming from LAFC’s Cristian Olivera and Eddie Segura that sandwiched the quarter-hour mark.
While the hosts worked themselves evenly into the proceedings from there, only half chances came the Sounders’ way throughout the first 45 minutes. LAFC striker Kei Kamara took the game’s first big chance in the 40th minute, and while his stunning 10-yard sidewinder beat Seattle goalkeeper Andrew Thomas it couldn’t make its way past Jackson Ragen, one of three Sounders spread across the goalline as a line of last defense.
The visitors continued to hold the better of the chances out of the second half gates, with much of their threats coming off dead ball opportunities. In the 63rd minute Thomas scampered to his right to bat away a dangerous set piece service bound for one of two LAFC runners to the far post, and Segura’s header off the ensuing corner looped just over the crossbar.
Another LAFC set piece caused havoc in the 80th minute as a poorly cleared corner dropped sweetly for Mateusz Bogusz, whose blast into traffic bounced off the tucked in arms of both Pedro de la Vega and Christian Roldan. The VAR check confirmed the center referee’s point to the spot, setting up Bouanga’s penalty that he tucked neatly inside the right post despite Thomas guessing the right way.
More controversy arrived in the first of seven minutes of stoppage time when Sounders striker and hometown hero, Jordan Morris appeared to equalize with a diving header of Christian Roldan’s service to the six. However, the assistant referee raised the offside flag on a call that appeared close but just. Seattle’s unofficial home of “Open Cup Magic” could not conjure up any more late game favors for the home side down the stretch, as LAFC repelled all remaining threats the Sounders could muster to secure a chance at a first trophy for the SoCal superclub since MLS Cup 2022.
Next month’s Final will be available to stream for FREE on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. With broadcasts in more than 100 countries worldwide, the conclusion of the 109th edition of the Open Cup will be available to its largest global audience to date. MLS Season Pass is available on billions of devices through the Apple TV app on Apple devices, smart TVs, streaming devices, set-top boxes, and game consoles, as well as on the web at tv.apple.com. To learn more about MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, including how to subscribe, visit apple.co/_MLS_.
For more details on this year’s competition, including schedule details, features, and more, visit usopencup.com.
