Teammates from 2012-2014, Dom Dwyer and C.J. Sapong contributed 51 goals in Sporting Kansas City's previous three MLS seasons. The dynamic duo combined for plays like this one in a 2-1 win at Toronto FC two years ago and celebrations like this one in a 4-1 win over Toronto FC last year.
Now -- after the Philadelphia Union traded for Sapong last December -- they're 13 days from facing off in the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final on Sept. 30 at PPL Park as each team's leading scorer. Sapong has netted eight times for the Union in 2015, including the club's lone goal in a 2-1 home loss to the Columbus Crew on Saturday. Dwyer has nine goals to his name in this year's MLS campaign to go along with an additional five goals in the U.S. Open Cup, making him the tournament's Golden Boot favorite.
Long before either knew that they'd meet again with the Dewar Challenge Trophy at stake, Dwyer and Sapong exchanged jerseys (pictured above) after Sporting Kansas City's 3-2 comeback victory over Philadelphia in April following the lone regular season meeting.
"It was awesome. He's a close friend of mine,'" Dwyer said postgame. "He's someone I massively looked up to, and still do, as a player and a person. He was a fantastic member of this club."
By the time Sporting KC and Philadelphia booked their tickets to the U.S. Open Cup Final with semifinal victories on Aug. 12, both Dwyer and Sapong wasted little time in setting the stage for the rematch.
"C.J., see you very soon mate," Dwyer said over the Sporting Park sound system in the minutes after a 3-1 victory over Real Salt Lake, by which point Sapong had already taken to Twitter to echo his excitement.
Fast forward to today when each player was handed the reigns to their team Twitter accounts to field questions from fans...and ultimately each other as neither could resist a bit of back-and-forth banter.
