Sporting Kansas City advanced to the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final with a 2-0 victory over Indy Eleven on Tuesday at Children's Mercy Park and will travel to face LAFC, who earned a 1-0 win on Wednesday over the Seattle Sounders, in U.S. Soccer's national championship.
Sporting Kansas City and LAFC will meet in the 2024 U.S. Open Cup Final on Wednesday, Sept. 25 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. The final will be free to watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV in more than 100 countries worldwide, providing the largest global audience to date for the competition's championship match, as Sporting seeks a record-tying fifth U.S. Open Cup trophy.
In addition, Sporting Kansas City has qualified for the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup with this week's results in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals. The 60th edition of the Concacaf Champions Cup, which will feature the best clubs from across the region, is scheduled to be played between February and June 2025. In addition to crowning the Confederation’s club champion, the Concacaf Champions Cup is the sole path through which clubs in North America, Central America and the Caribbean can qualify for the expanded 32-team FIFA Club World Cup.
Next year’s Concacaf Champions Cup will be played in a five-round direct elimination knockout stage format. The first four rounds—Round One, Round of 16, Quarterfinals, and Semifinals—all include home and away play, while the Final is played as a single-leg match.
Concacaf Champions Cup Berths in Club History
2002: Advanced to Semifinals
2005: Eliminated in Quarterfinals
2013-14: Advanced to Quarterfinals
2014-15: Eliminated in Group Stage
2016-17: Eliminated in Group Stage
2019: Advanced to Semifinals
2025: Round One in February
Named in honor of former Kansas City Wizards owner Lamar Hunt, the U.S. Open Cup has crowned a champion since 1914. Sporting Kansas City has reached this year's championship with a 2-1 win in extra time at Union Omaha (USL League One) in the Round of 32, a 4-0 victory against FC Tulsa (USL Championship) in the Round of 16, a 2-1 win in extra time against FC Dallas (MLS) in the quarterfinals and a 2-0 victory over Indy Eleven (USL Championship) in the semifinals.
LAFC qualified for the first U.S. Open Cup Final in the club’s seven-year history with a 3-1 win over Las Vegas Lights (USL Championship) in the Round of 32, a 3-0 victory against Loudoun United (USL Championship) in the Round of 16, a 3-1 triumph versus New Mexico United (USL Championship) in the quarterfinals and a 1-0 road result at the Seattle Sounders (MLS) in the semifinals. Sporting earned a scoreless draw at LAFC on March 9 in the only match-up so far this season with the regular season rematch coming on Oct. 5 at Children’s Mercy Park, 10 days after the U.S. Open Cup Final is played in Los Angeles.
Sporting has prevailed in 29 U.S. Open Cup matches since 2012, more than any team in American soccer, and Manager Peter Vermes has led Sporting to three of the team's four U.S. Open Cup titles - the most among active MLS coaches -- as Kansas City lifted the tournament trophy in 2004, 2012, 2015 and 2017. The four U.S. Open Cup triumphs are tied for most among MLS clubs and one shy of the record held by Maccabi Los Angeles and Bethlehem Steel in the competition's 109-year history.
U.S. Open Cup Finals in Club History
2004: Kansas City 1, Chicago 0
2012: Kansas City 1, Seattle 1 (3-2 in penalties)
2015: Kansas City 1, Philadelphia 1 (7-6 in penalties)
2017: Kansas City 2, New York 1
2024: Kansas City at LAFC (Sept. 25)
