By The Numbers: Sporting KC at Philadelphia Union - September 30, 2015

The wait is finally over.

Sporting Kansas City and the Philadelphia Union square off Wendesday in the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final at PPL Park in Chester, Penn. The match will be televised nationally on ESPN2 and Univision Deportes with live radio coverage locally on Sports Radio 810 WHB.

Peter Vermes’ side has stormed to the 2015 championship game in style, scoring 13 goals in four earlier rounds at Sporting Park. The Union, meanwhile, have endured several close calls en route to Wednesday’s final at their home stadium, prevailing twice in penalty shootouts and notching a pair of one-goal wins. In our By The Numbers preview, we take a closer look at the 102nd final of American soccer’s oldest and most storied competition...

Head-to-head

• The home team in the series has just two wins in the last eight meetings in all competitions (2-5-1).
• Sporting KC has won three of its last four matches at PPL Park in all competitions dating back to 2012.
• Dom Dwyer has scored in three of his last four MLS appearances against Philadelphia dating back to May 2014.
• The teams met once this year in MLS action with Sporting KC receiving goals in second-half stoppage time from Jalil Anibaba and Krisztian Nemeth to defeat Philadelphia 3-2 on April 5 at Sporting Park. Dom Dwyer also scored for the hosts, while Philadelphia struck courtesy of Fernando Aristeguieta and an own goal.
• The teams have met once before in the U.S. Open Cup in the 2012 semifinal when Jacob Peterson and Graham Zusi bagged goals to give Sporting KC a 2-0 win at PPL Park. Seven current SKC players started in that match (Peterson, Zusi, Matt Besler, Seth Sinovic, Chance Myers, Roger Espinoza and Paulo Nagamura). Philadelphia Union forward C.J. Sapong, then playing for Sporting KC, also came on as a substitute in the 2012 semifinal.
• Sporting KC has 10 wins in the U.S. Open Cup since 2012, more than any other team (10-2-1 record). Philadelphia is tied for second with nine (9-3-3).

Philadelphia Union

• 2015 MLS record: 9-15-7, 45 points (9th in East)
• 2015 home record (all competitions): 8-7-4 (24 GF, 20 GA)
• Last five MLS games: 2-2-1, 7 points (L-W-L-W-D)
• Best U.S. Open Cup finish: Finalist in 2014
• U.S. Open Cup Final appearance: Second
• Philadelphia is seeking its first major trophy in team history on Wednesday.
• Sebastien Le Toux extended his modern era U.S. Open Cup goal scoring record to 15 with the game-winner in a 1-0 victory over the Chicago Fire in the semifinals on Aug. 12. His 15 career strikes in the competition aren’t far behind the combined total of Sporting KC’s current roster (19).
• Cristian Maidana leads MLS with 78 chances created and is tied for second with 14 assists.
• Former Sporting KC forward C.J. Sapong leads Philadelphia this season with nine MLS goals while also contributing four assists.
• Philadelphia is currently 18th in the Supporters’ Shield standings and has the worst home record in MLS (6-7-3).

Sporting KC

• 2015 MLS record: 12-9-9, 45 points (5th in West)
• 2015 road record (all competitions): 3-8-4 (18 GF, 24 GA)
• Last five MLS games: 1-2-2, 5 points (T-L-W-L-T)
• Best U.S. Open Cup finish: Champions in 2004 and 2012
• U.S. Open Cup Final appearance: Third
• Sporting KC is seeking its sixth major trophy in team history, having previously won the 2000 Supporters' Shield, 2000 MLS Cup, 2004 Open Cup, 2012 Open Cup and 2013 MLS Cup.
• Dom Dwyer leads the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Golden Boot race with five goals. Two goals from Dwyer in the final would make him the first player to score seven goals in one tournament during the modern era.
• Krisztian Nemeth has scored in each of the team’s past three U.S. Open Cup matches. A goal in the final would make him just the fourth player in the modern era to tally in four straight games during the tournament. The others: Diego Serna (2000 Miami Fusion), Herculez Gomez (2005 LA Galaxy), Kenny Cooper (2014 Seattle Sounders FC).
• Benny Feilhaber ranks first in Kansas City history with five Open Cup assists, all coming during the 2015 edition of the tournament.

Open Cup Notables

• The visiting team has won each of the last two U.S. Open Cup Finals and four of the previous eight, including Philadelphia's loss to Seattle Sounders FC at PPL Park last season.
• Seven Open Cup Finals in the tournament’s modern era (1995-present) have gone to extra time, while four have been decided by penalty kicks -- including Sporting KC's 2012 triumph over Seattle.
• No team has lost consecutive Open Cup finals since 1975-1976. Philadelphia lost to Seattle in last year's championship game.

How They Got Here

2015 MLS Regular Season Leaders

Team Stats (2015 MLS Regular Season)

MLS rank in parenthesis (Opta stats as of Sept. 29, 2015)

Recent #PHIvSKC Meetings

• All competitions record vs. Philadelphia: 6-4-4 (1-0-0 in Open Cup)
• Road record at Philadelphia: 3-2-2 (1-0-0 in Open Cup)