Andy Gruenebaum vs. Tim Melia.
Six years ago, the goalkeepers faced off in the 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Last night, they turned back the clock on The Sporting KC Show to re-tell the match-up between Gruenebaum's Columbus Crew and Melia's Rochester Rhinos.
Spoiler alert: each saved a penalty kick -- Gruenebaum in regulation, Melia in a shootout -- but the USL side upset the defending MLS champions.
Melia'sbragging rights proved to be a timely topic after the 29-year-old goalkeeper twice starred for Sporting KC in the past week. He was voted MVP of the 2015 U.S. Open Cup Final last Wednesday and then put in an MLS Player of the Week performance on Saturday in a 1-0 win at Portland.
"It’s been such a cool week," Melia said. "Even starting from the Seattle game to get a result there then to roll right into the Open Cup and then to Portland. It’s been a week that, as players and as a club, we can really be proud of because we used pretty much our entire roster and got enormous performances from everyone who stepped onto the field. And we got results when we really needed them in a playoff push and in a final of the Open Cup.”
For more from Melia, listen to the full episode of this week's Sporting KC Show embedded below with Gruenebaum joined by co-hosts Nate Bukaty and Carter Augustine.
