Countdown to Cup: Can Tim Melia continue his Open Cup mastery?

Sporting Kansas City will look to write another glorious chapter in club history on Sept. 20 when the New York Red Bulls visit Children’s Mercy Park for the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final, slated for 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.
In our 21-day Countdown to Cup, SportingKC.com is highlighting the most relevant storylines, historical narratives and statistical trends surrounding the Open Cup Final, U.S. Soccer’s National Championship.
Our 10th installment of the daily countdown focuses on Sporting KC goalkeeper Tim Melia, who has never lost in the Open Cup competition.

By now, most are familiar with Tim Melia's rise from long-time backup to League Pool goalkeeper to Sporting Kansas City starter.

If not, you can click here. Or here. Or here. Or even here.

Now in his eighth professional season, Melia has reached new heights. He's a bona fide Goalkeeper of the Year candidate with a crop of stats that stack up better than anyone else's in the league. Melia leads the league in shutouts (10), goals against average (0.77), penalty kick saves (three) and save percentage (79.0) among keepers with at least six games played.

But Melia's success in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is a storyline with origins that date back to 2012, well before his days as Sporting KC's No. 1 between the posts.

The 2012 U.S. Open Cup gave Melia his first competitive appearances for an MLS club. After never playing for Real Salt Lake from 2010-2011, Chivas USA would give him his first legitimate shot as a professional in the early rounds of U.S. Soccer's National Championship.

Melia played in Chivas USA's three Open Cup victories that summer, but returned to the bench as head coach Robin Fraser opted to start Dan Kennedy in the semifinals against Seattle Sounders FC. Chivas suffered a 4-1 defeat. The 2013 and 2014 tournaments came and went without Melia making an appearance.

A move to Sporting Kansas City paved the way for Melia's breakout. He started all five matches en route to the club's 2015 Open Cup title, highlighted by two saves in the penalty shootout of a gripping final against the Philadelphia Union.

Alec Kann started each of Sporting KC's Open Cup fixtures in 2016, but Melia has picked up the reins again in 2017. He posted shutouts in each of the team's first three Open Cup wins and saved his best for the semifinals, where he again made two pivotal stops in a shootout victory over the San Jose Earthquakes.

Do the math, and Melia's Open Cup record since 2012 is nothing short of fantastic. Ten wins, zero losses and two penalty shootout wins that go down in the history books as draws.

Heading into the 2017 final on Sept. 20, Melia's Open Cup resume includes a 10-0-2 record, five shutouts, a 0.62 goals against average, two shootout triumphs and one tournament title. A second championship would cement his status as one of the competition's best goalkeepers since the dawn of the modern era in 1995.

Tim Melia: U.S. Open Cup Game Log since 2012