"By The Numbers presented by Compass Minerals" is a season-long series that gives a statistical preview of every Sporting match. To visit the series archive, click here.
Sporting Kansas City's pursuit of a record-tying fifth Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title will resume Tuesday when USL Championship side FC Tulsa visits Children's Mercy Park in the Round of 16. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. CT with tickets available at SeatGeek.com, a live stream on MLSsoccer.com and local radio coverage on Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM.
Manager Peter Vermes is no stranger to resounding Open Cup success, having led Sporting to the tournament championship in 2012, 2015 and 2017. FC Tulsa, meanwhile, are in the midst of their best Open Cup showing in club history. With a quarterfinal spot on the line, we take a statistical look at this compelling clash in our newest edition of By The Numbers, presented by Compass Minerals.
Head-to-Head
- Tuesday will mark the inaugural meeting between the clubs.
- Sporting has faced a team from Tulsa, Oklahoma, once previously, defeating Tulsa Athletic by a 3-0 scoreline in the U.S. Open Cup third round on April 25, 2023, at Children’s Mercy Park. Daniel Salloi, Alan Pulido and Marinos Tzionis scored goals to pace the victory.
- Sporting is one of six MLS teams remaining in the 2024 Open Cup alongside Atlanta United FC, FC Dallas, LAFC, San Jose Earthquakes and Seattle Sounders FC. The Round of 16 field also includes nine USL Championship clubs and one MLS NEXT Pro side. MLS teams will not face each other in the 2024 Open Cup until it is no longer possible to avoid an all-MLS matchup.
- The winner of Tuesday’s match will advance to the Open Cup quarterfinals on July 9 or 10 against an opponent to be determined.
- The 2024 Open Cup champion will receive $300,000 in prize money and a berth in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup.
Sporting Kansas City
- Best Open Cup Finish: Champions (2004, 2012, 2015, 2017)
- 2024 Open Cup Round of 32: Won 2-1 at Union Omaha on May 8
- 2024 MLS Record: 2-6-5, 11 points (21 GF, 24 GA) | 13th in Western Conference
- Sporting has 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 109-year history.
- Sporting has won three Open Cup titles since 2012, more than any other team.
- Sporting has prevailed in 26 Open Cup matches since 2012, more than any other team.
- Sporting owns a 17-5-4 all-time record against non-MLS opponents in the Open Cup.
- Sporting owns a 25-7-3 home record in the Open Cup and hasn’t lost at home in the competition since falling in the Round of 16 to the Portland Timbers on June 24, 2014.
- Sporting has prevailed in 13 straight Open Cup home matches, posting a 12-0-1 record since 2015. The lone draw accounts for a shootout win following a 1-1 stalemate against the San Jose Earthquakes in the 2017 semifinals.
- Sporting owns a 35-18-8 overall record in the Open Cup.
- Forward Daniel Salloi is Sporting’s all-time leader with eight career goals in the Open Cup.
- Salloi has 15 career Open Cup appearances for Sporting, one shy of tying Seth Sinovic and Chance Myers for fifth most in club history.
- Forward Johnny Russell has six goal contributions (four goals, two assists) in eight career Open Cup appearances.
- Forward Marinos Tzionis has scored three of his four career goals for Sporting in the Open Cup. He had one goal and one assist in Sporting’s 2-1 win at Union Omaha in the Round of 32 on May 8. Four of his six career goal contributions for Sporting have also come in the Open Cup (three goals, one assist).
- Forward Alan Pulido has scored or assisted in four of his last six appearances for Sporting in all competitions, including a 120th-minute winner over Union Omaha in the Open Cup Round of 32 on May 8 that stands as the latest extra-time goal in club history.
- Goalkeeper Tim Melia has prevailed in 10 of his 11 career Open Cup appearances for Sporting, including penalty shootout wins in the 2015 final and the 2017 semifinal (8-1-2 record).
- Goalkeeper John Pulskamp has a 5-1-1 record in the Open Cup, posting three shutouts and a 0.63 goals against average in seven tournament appearances.
- Melia (eight) and Pulskamp (five) rank first and second in club history, respectfully, in career goalkeeper wins in the Open Cup.
- The following players on Sporting’s current roster have won U.S. Open Cup titles: goalkeeper Tim Melia (2015 and 2017 with SKC), forward Daniel Salloi (2017 with SKC) and midfielder Memo Rodriguez (2018 with Houston).
FC Tulsa
- Best Open Cup Finish: Round of 16 (2024) - Still Active
- 2024 Open Cup Round of 32: Won 1-0 at Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on May 7
- 2024 USL League One Record: 2-3-4, 10 points (13 GF, 19 GA)
- Launched in 2015 as Tulsa Roughnecks FC and rebranded to its current name in 2020, FC Tulsa has reached the Open Cup Round of 16 for the first time in club history.
- Tulsa has reached the Round of 16 behind a 2-1 home win over Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC in the third round on April 17 and a 1-0 road win over Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on May 7.
- Tulsa is 0-2-0 all-time against MLS opponents in the Open Cup with a pair of 2-1 away losses at FC Dallas in the 2017 round of 32 and the 2022 third round.
- Tulsa has a 3-2-2 away record in all competitions this season, including league wins over Las Vegas Lights FC and El Paso Locomotive FC as well as an Open Cup triumph at Pittsburgh.
- Tulsa has conceded nine goals in its last three USL Championship matches, including a 5-0 loss at the Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday.
- Forwards Stefan Stojanovic and Phil Goodrum are tied for the team lead with three goals this season in all competitions. Goodrum scored the winner in Tulsa’s 1-0 Open Cup win over Pittsburgh on May 7.
- Since the start of 2022, Goodrum has scored 38 goals in 75 combined appearances for Memphis 901 FC and FC Tulsa in all competitions.
- The Tulsa roster has just two players over the age of 30: midfielder Justin Portillo (31) and defender Bradley Bourgeois (30).
- Defender Patrick Seagrist leads Tulsa in league minutes played (809) as one of five players to start all nine USL Championship matches for the team alongside Stojanovic and the midfield trio of Boubacar Diallo, Blaine Ferri and Justin Portillo.
- Now in its 10th season in the second-division USL Championship, Tulsa has made three playoff appearances and has yet to win a USL postseason match (0-2-1 record). The club’s two winning seasons came consecutively in 2020 and 2021.
