Sporting Kansas City will begin their 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup campaign on June 14 at 7:30 p.m. CT, hosting fellow MLS club Minnesota United FC in the fourth round of the prestigious tournament at Children’s Mercy Park.
Tickets for the Open Cup match are included in Sporting Kansas City Season Ticket Member packages as Game A. Single-game tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning at 10 a.m. CT Friday via SeatGeek.com.
U.S. Soccer today announced all potential fourth-round matchups, which will see 19 MLS clubs across the United States enter the competition in the round of 32. Sporting Kansas City and Minnesota United FC square off in one of three all-MLS fixtures in the fourth round.
MLS expansion side Minnesota United FC currently occupies eighth place in the Western Conference with 11 points from 11 matches. The Loons stumbled to an 0-3-1 start but have rebounded since then, winning three of their last seven including a 2-0 home victory over Sporting Kansas City on May 7.
Sporting Kansas City and Minnesota United FC will meet in the U.S. Open Cup for the second straight year and the third time since 2014. Manager Peter Vermes’ men were victorious on both previous occasions — a 2-0 home decision in the 2014 fourth round and a 2-1 fourth-round triumph last June in Blaine, Minnesota.
The 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup began with a modern-era record 99 teams in a single-elimination, bracket-style format. Upon completion of the fourth round, the 16 remaining clubs will be placed in a fixed bracket and divided geographically (regardless of league affiliation) into groups of four. A random draw on June 15 will then determine the fifth-round pairings within each group.
2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Schedule
- Fourth Round: June 14
- Round of 16: June 28
- Quarterfinals: July 11
- Semifinals: Aug. 9
- Final: Sept. 20
The 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup champion will receive $250,000 as well as a spot in the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League. The winner will also hoist the historic Dewar Challenge Trophy, one of the oldest nationally contested trophies in U.S. team sports. This year’s runner-up will take $60,000, and the team that advances the furthest from each lower division will receive $15,000. Sporting Kansas City has won the title three times — in 2004, 2012 and 2015.
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup serves as U.S. Soccer’s national club championship and is open to all amateur and professional teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. The tournament has crowned a champion for 103 straight years dating back to 1914.
