CHICAGO (Aug. 27, 2024) – Sporting Kansas City will have the opportunity to become the first club to win five titles in the modern era of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup after a 2-0 pummeling of Indy Eleven in the 2024 tournament’s opening Semifinal on Tuesday night at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City.
Despite a nearly three-hour weather delay, SKC charged out of the locker room and into the lead inside the first 15 minutes of the match. After an early thunderbolt from Erik Thommy crashed off the crossbar in the 11th minute, Indy did not heed the intent of their hosts and were punished three minutes later on another long-distance strike. This time it was SKC captain Johnny Russell, who rifled a shot into the far, left-side netting to make it 1-0 for the four-time Champs.
The early outlook was further clouded for Indy Eleven as center-back Callum Chapman-Page, the lynchpin of the visitors’ three-man backline, had to be substituted in the 17th minute due to injury, and Augi Williams, Indy’s leading offensive threat, put his side’s only real opportunity of the half directly at Tim Melia in the Kansas City goal moments later.
Thommy cracked another shot off the left post from a 25-yard free kick in the 21st minute as the home side dominated first-half possession (80 percent) and chances created (.43 xG). Fifteen minutes later, Kansas City had its second as Dany Rosero guided his attempt inside the back post with a sliding header for a 2-0 lead that the hosts took into halftime.
Kansas City continued to control the contest in the second stanza, but Indy, fighting for their Open Cup survival, punched much closer to even and were denied on multiple occasions only by the heroics of Melia in the KC net. The former MLS Best XI goalkeeper saved his best for a pair of long-distance strikes from Indy’s Jack Blake around the 70th and 80th minutes but was also relieved to see Williams ping the rebound from the second Blake blast off the right post.
Melia’s opposite number, Hunter Sulte, provided the final highlight of the night, sparing his side a heavier defeat when he saved Alan Pulido’s penalty kick attempt in the final minute of second-half stoppage time as a valiant challenge from the last remaining lower-division side in the competition melted away in the heat of the Kansas City night.
Having qualified for the 2024 U.S. Open Cup Final, SKC will await the winner of tomorrow night’s second Semifinal between the Seattle Sounders and Los Angeles Football Club. The two West Coast rivals kick off from Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Washington, at 10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 PT in what’s sure to be a crackling win-or-go-home encounter that fans can stream for free on Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass. Should LAFC win that match, it would hand Kansas City the U.S. Open Cup’s slot in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup due to the fact that the Black & Gold have already qualified for that competition by reaching the Leagues Cup 2024 Final.
The Open Cup Final will be played on Wednesday, Sept. 25 at the home stadium of either Seattle Sounders or LAFC, who were both drawn ahead of Kansas City in the Final Hosting Priority Draw. The 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.
