Bitter rivalries rekindled. Jaw-dropping golazos. Late-game heroics.
Sporting Kansas City’s run to the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final has offered some of the season’s greatest and most memorable moments to date. Each match has offered something uniquely different yet equally captivating—whether it was the first-ever meeting with Saint Louis FC, the historic goalfest against Dallas, the thrilling comeback to dispose Houston Dynamo or the heated grudge match with Real Salt Lake.
And each step of the way, fans have shown up in droves to give Peter Vermes’ men a palpable home-field advantage. If anyone doubts Kansas City’s moniker as the “Soccer Capital of America,” Sporting KC supporters have delivered another compelling argument during the 2015 U.S. Open Cup.
Sporting Park drew a total attendance of 72,117 in four U.S. Open Cup matches this summer, setting the single-year record for highest combined home attendance in the tournament's modern era (1995-present). The venue also achieved modern-era attendance records for every round of the competition from the round of 32 through the semifinals.
SPORTING PARK ATTENDANCES IN 2015 U.S. OPEN CUP
<strong>Date</strong> |
<strong>Opponent</strong> |
<strong>Attendance</strong> |
<strong>Significance</strong> |
6/16/2015 |
Saint Louis FC<br>
(W 1-0) |
19,298 |
Largest Round of 32 crowd<br>
in USOC modern era |
7/1/2015 |
FC Dallas<br>
(W 6-2) |
19,113 |
Largest Round of 16 crowd<br>
in USOC modern era |
7/21/2015 |
Houston Dynamo<br>
(W 3-1) |
17,589 |
Largest Quarterfinal crowd<br>
in USOC modern era |
8/12/2015 |
Real Salt Lake<br>
(W 3-1) |
16,117 |
Largest Semifinal crowd<br>
in USOC modern era |
*Attendance information courtesy of Josh Hakala (TheCup.US)
From a nationwide scope, U.S. Open Cup attendance figures over the last 20 years suggest that Kansas City is leading an upward trend.
Below are the combined attendance figures for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup during the MLS era (1996-2015) from the quarterfinal, semifinal and final rounds. There is perhaps no better evidence that the tournament is becoming increasingly popular among fan bases across the country.
* Attendance TBD for 2015 U.S. Open Cup final on Sept. 30
** Attendance not reported for NY/CHI quarterfinal match in 2011
With the championship match still to be played at Philadelphia Union’s PPL Park, 2015 attendance is just 1,830 shy of the previous high of 67,373 set in 2013. Sporting Kansas City’s progression to the final is a large reason why, as quarterfinal and semifinal matches at Sporting Park had more fans (33,706) than the other four quarterfinal/semifinal matches combined (31,837).
"The fans were fantastic, I don’t really know what else to say," Vermes remarked shortly after a sold-out crowd watched Sporting KC beat Saint Louis FC in the round of 32. "It proves every time we play a game here that this is an incredible environment. I think every player that has a chance to play a game here leaves saying, 'Wow, what a great place and what a place I’d like to play in.' Great fans, great environment and it makes it easy to play a game as a player, that's for sure."
