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Sporting Kansas City is gearing up for a Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Semifinal match with Sacramento Republic FC on Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. CT at Heart Health Park. Wednesday marks Sporting KC's first match at a lower division opponent since 2016 when they faced then NASL-side Minnesota United.
Sacramento has had a long winding road to get to this point in the tournament with wins over two Major League Soccer teams, San Jose Earthquakes and LA Galaxy. Sporting defeated FC Dallas, and the Houston Dynamo with comeback wins before trouncing Union Omaha 6-0.
Here is a statical preview of Wednesday's Open Cup semi between Sporting Kansas City and Sacramento Republic FC.
Head-to-Head
- Wednesday marks the first-ever meeting between Sporting and Sacramento Republic FC.
- A lower-division team has not defeated an MLS club in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals or finals since 1999 when the Rochester Rhinos defeated Columbus and Colorado in the semifinals and final, respectively, to win the tournament championship.
- MLS clubs have won the last six Open Cup semifinal matchups against lower-division teams, with victories in 2004 (Chicago Fire over Charleston Battery), 2005 (LA Galaxy over Minnesota Thunder), 2007 (New England Revolution over Carolina RailHawks), 2009 (D.C. United over Rochester Rhinos), 2011 (Chicago Fire over Richmond Kickers) and 2017 (New York Red Bulls over FC Cincinnati).
- Non-MLS teams own a 3-7 record in the Open Cup semifinals, but only the Rochester Rhinos (in 1996 and 1999) have managed to defeat an MLS opponent at this stage of the tournament.
Sporting Kansas City
- 2022 MLS record: 5-13-5, 20 points (14th in Western Conference)
- 2022 MLS road record: 2-8-3, 9 points (11 GF, 29 GA)
- 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs: Lost to Real Salt Lake in Western Conference Semifinals
- All-time Honors: Two MLS Cups (2000, 2013), four Open Cups (2004, 2012, 2015, 2017), one Supporters' Shield (2000).
- Sporting have reached the U.S. Open Cup semifinals for the sixth time in club history. In each of the last four instances, they went on to win the competition (2004, 2012, 2015 and 2017).
- Sporting have outscored opponents 12-3 in three previous Open Cup wins this season.
- Sporting have earned two comeback wins during their 2022 Open Cup run, reversing deficits against FC Dallas on May 10 (won 4-2 after trailing 2-0) and against Houston Dynamo FC on May 25 (won 2-1 after trailing 1-0).
- Sporting have prevailed in 24 U.S. Open Cup matches since 2012, more than any other team.
- Sporting are 15-5-3 against non-MLS teams in the U.S. Open Cup all-time.
- Sporting have won four Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup titles, tied with Chicago Fire FC and Seattle Sounders FC for the most among MLS clubs and one behind Maccabi Los Angeles and Bethlehem Steel for most in the tournament’s 107-year history.
- Forward Johnny Russell leads Sporting with eight goals in all competitions, while fellow winger Daniel Salloi ranks second with six.
- Russell, Salloi and fellow forward Khiry Shelton have scored two goals apiece during the 2022 Open Cup campaign.
- Midfielder Felipe Hernandez leads Sporting with four assists in all competitions.
- Midfielder Remi Walter leads MLS in distance covered (154.7 miles) and ranks third among field players in recoveries (177). His three goals are a career-high for a single league season dating back to 2013.
Sacramento Republic FC
- 2022 USL Championship record: 8-5-6, 30 points (7th in Western Conference)
- 2022 USL Championship home record: 5-1-3, 18 points (14 GF, 8 GA)
- 2021 USL Championship Playoffs: N/A
- All-time Honors: One USL Cup (2014)
- Sacramento are the first lower-division club to host an Open Cup semifinal match since 2017 when then-USL side FC Cincinnati fell 3-2 to the New York Red Bulls after leading 2-0.
- Since their inaugural season in 2014, Sacramento have prevailed in 16 of 17 Open Cup home matches with 54 goals scored (3.18 per match) and 13 goals allowed (0.76 per match).
- Sacramento have won all three of their Open Cup home matches against MLS opponents.
- Sacramento’s only Open Cup home loss in club history came against Kitsap Pumas of the USL Premier Development League on June 1, 2016.
- Sacramento has rattled off five Open Cup wins to reach the semifinals, including victories over MLS clubs San Jose Earthquakes on May 25 and the LA Galaxy on June 21.
- Sacramento are 9-1-3 at home this season in all competitions, including four wins in the Open Cup.
- Sacramento are 0-2-2 in their last four USL Championship matches and have failed to score in three of four games during that stretch.
- Forward Maalique Foster leads Sacramento with four league goals but has yet to score in the Open Cup.
- Sacramento have outscored opponents 14-2 during their 2022 Open Cup run.
- Midfielder Luis Felipe has scored in each of Sacramento’s last three Open Cup matches.
- Midfielder Rodrigo Lopez is the leading scorer of the 2022 Open Cup with four goals. Lopez leads Sacramento with three assists and 38 chances created in league play, more than double any other player on the team.
Milestones and Miscellany
- Forward Johnny Russell ranks third in club history with 46 regular season goals and fourth with 51 goals in all competitions, one shy of tying Davy Arnaud for third.
- Forward Daniel Salloi has 12 career game-winning goals in the regular season, one shy of tying the club record held by Preki and Dom Dwyer.
- Manager Peter Vermes has won three Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup titles, the most among active MLS head coaches, and boasts a 23-7-3 record in the competition dating back to 2010. The three draws account for shootout victories in 2012, 2015 and 2017, meaning he has prevailed in 26 of 33 Open Cup matches as Sporting’s head coach.
