When: Tuesday, August 27, 2024, at 7:00pm (7:10 kickoff)

Where: Children’s Mercy Park

How t0 Watch: Apple MLS Season Pass (Free)

All eyes are on Tuesday. Sporting Kansas City will host the USL Championship’s Indy Eleven in the 2024 US Open Cup semifinal matchup. Two wins away from a trophy. It’s a weird thing to say in a season that has been full of disappointment. Sporting KC won over the weekend against Orlando City in convincing fashion, but they still need a miracle to make the MLS Cup Playoffs. But none of that matters on Tuesday night in Kansas City. Two wins and they lift a cup.

The Paths to the Semifinal

The 2024 Open Cup has been a unique one. Only eight Major League Soccer (MLS) teams entered the competition and three remain. Indy Eleven are the only lower division side to advance to the final four teams, and they only had to beat a single MLS club to get there.

Sporting KC are in a similar boat. They didn’t enter until the round of 32 and it took 120 minutes to get by their third division opponent, Union Omaha. The round of 16 was significantly easier as they smoked FC Tulsa 4-0, another USL Championship side. Finally, they would play their first MLS opponent when FC Dallas came to Children’s Mercy Park twice in a week and lost both games. The Open Cup quarterfinal was closer, again requiring extra time and a massive weather delay, but Dallas were thwarted.

FINAL FOUR 💥 #USOC2024 pic.twitter.com/i7tXtsiGdT

— U.S. Open Cup (@opencup) July 11, 2024

Indy Eleven entered the competition one round sooner than Kansas City, starting in round three. They first knocked of the Chicago Fire II of MLS Next Pro in Bridgeview, Illinois. They got to host fellow USL Championship side San Antonio FC and pulled a 2-0 win in the round of 32. They were back at home against another USLC team when they beat Detroit City 3-0. And finally, their first MLS opponent arrived in the quarterfinals where they went on the road to Kennesaw, Georgia to pull the 2-1 upset over Atlanta United.

What Lineup Should KC Play?

On Saturday, Sporting KC rolled out a unique lineup. With a groin injury to Nemanja Radoja keeping him out for “a while,” the team got creative playing left back Zorhan Bassong in a double pivot alongside Jake Davis. While it seemed like a move aimed at preserving legs for a very short turnaround, it worked quite well. Despite the success, the plan I laid out last week probably remains the same.

Sporting KC’s Ideal Lineup for the Rest of 2024 and the Open Cup

One thing worth considering is how much Indy will bunker against KC. If they park the bus, a more technical lineup may actually be the right choice to break down the defense. All of KC’s goals this past weekend against Orlando were bangers, with the exception of the Daniel Salloi goal which came on the counter. A team can’t rely on upper 90 shots all the time. Sporting KC will have to pass through the Indianapolis defense if they want to advance.

There is also often a tendency to blame short rest, but Indy are in an even worse situation. They, like KC, played Saturday night. However, they played later at night and are travelling for both games, unlike KC who remain at home. The short rest cannot be an excuse when Kansas City’s payroll is surely multiples higher than their USLC foe.

Prediction

I suspect it’ll be a tough game, but one that KC are capable of winning. Home field advantage is absolutely a thing for Sporting. They are 14-0-1 in their last 15 home US Open Cup matches, with the one “draw” eventually being won in a shootout over the San Jose Earthquakes on the way to winning the 2017 Open Cup later that year.

Speaking of winning cups, Sporting KC are tied with the Chicago Fire and Seattle Sounders for four Open Cup wins. Only the inactive Maccabi Los Angeles and Bethlehem Steel have five. Seattle sit on the other side of the bracket, facing an LAFC team on short rest for the other spot in the finals. A chance at history sits two wins away. A chance for redemption for a team that hasn’t had the year (years?!) that they’ve wanted. A chance to give Johnny Russell his first trophy in Sporting Blue.

KC have been here before. In 2022, another down season, SKC made a US Open Cup run. They made it all the way to the semifinals and once again faced a USL Championship team. They utterly dominated the Sacramento Republic, but couldn’t score. Then came extra time and they continued to dominate, but not score. Ultimately, the game went to penalties and KC were sent home. Many of the members of that team are still around. The players don’t want that feeling again. I think they find a way to get it done.

If Sporting KC win, they cannot host the final. They’ll face the winner of Seattle/LAFC  on the road on September 25th.