On This Day presented by UMKC takes daily strolls down memory lane and celebrates memorable moments in Sporting Kansas City history. As one of Major League Soccer's proud charter members, Sporting has a decorated past full of thrilling victories, amazing goals, momentous off-the-field developments and more. This series pays tribute to these specific instances, turning back the clocks while treating fans to nostalgia and club history lessons. For more, visit SportingKC.com/OnThisDay.
Fans can tune into FOX Sports Kansas City this Saturday at 7 and 9 p.m. CT for a re-airing of the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final, featuring second-screen commentary from club greats Paulo Nagamura and Jimmy Nielsen. The epic encounter, of course, has gone down as one of the greatest in Sporting history: a back-and-forth affair against Open Cup powerhouse Seattle Sounders FC at Children's Mercy Park that was ultimately decided by penalty kicks in front of the raucous Cauldron. Nielsen made a few huge saves, Nagamura buried a clutch penalty, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Eight years ago today, Manager Peter Vermes and Sporting Kansas City were still in the early stages of their run to the 2012 Open Cup title. On June 5, 2012, longtime Western Conference rival Colorado Rapids paid a visit to Children's Mercy Park for a Round of 16 showdown that the hosts largely controlled from start to finish.
A header from Aurelien Collin near the half-hour mark forced a Colorado own goal, which gave Sporting a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Forward Teal Bunbury sealed the 2-0 victory with a well-taken goal in the late stages to send his team to the quarterfinal stage.
Sporting's 2012 Open Cup triumph was its first of three championships in the competition last decade. Vermes' men went on to defeat the Philadelphia Union in the 2015 final and the New York Red Bulls in the 2017 final, giving the club four Open Cup titles to equal Seattle and the Chicago Fire for the most all-time among MLS clubs.
