Sporting Kansas City will begin their defense of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday, June 6, visiting fellow MLS club Real Salt Lake in the Fourth Round of the prestigious tournament at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. CT.
U.S. Soccer today announced all Fourth Round matchups for the 2018 U.S. Open Cup, which will see 20 MLS clubs enter the competition in the round of 32. Sporting KC is the reigning Open Cup champion, having defeated the New York Red Bulls 2-1 in the 2017 final last September at Children’s Mercy Park.
Sporting KC and Real Salt Lake will square off in one of four all-MLS fixtures in the Fourth Round. The Western Conference rivals have met twice previously in Open Cup competition, with Real Salt Lake earning a 2-1 win in the 2007 qualifying phase and Sporting KC prevailing 3-1 in the 2015 semifinals. The sides also met in the 2013 MLS Cup at Children’s Mercy Park as Sporting KC prevailed 7-6 on penalty kicks following a 1-1 draw.
Led by Manager Peter Vermes, Sporting KC (7-2-3, 24 points) sits atop the Western Conference table heading into Week 13 of the MLS regular season. Real Salt Lake (4-6-1, 13 points) currently occupies ninth place in the West under head coach Mike Petke, going 4-1-0 at home.
Sporting KC owns four Open Cup titles in team history, tied with the Chicago Fire and Seattle Sounders FC for the most among MLS clubs. Vermes has guided the side to three Open Cup championships over the last six seasons, hoisting the trophy in 2012, 2015 and 2017 to go with the club’s first title in 2004. Real Salt Lake posted its best Open Cup finish in 2013, finishing as runners-up to D.C. United.
The 2018 U.S. Open Cup began May 6 with 97 teams from all levels of American soccer. The 105th edition of the storied tournament features a single-tiered bracket with eight rounds of single-elimination play until a champion is crowned in September.
2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match dates (subject to change)
- Fourth Round – June 6
- Fifth Round – June 20
- Quarterfinals – July 18
- Semifinals – Aug. 8
- Final – Sept. 26
The winner of the 2018 U.S. Open Cup will receive $300,000 in prize money, up from $250,000 last year. The tournament runner-up will receive $100,000 (up from $60,000) and the team that advances the furthest from each lower division will earn $25,000 (up from $15,000). The 2018 champion will also receive a berth in the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League, a tournament Sporting KC has already qualified for as last year's champion.
The U.S. Open Cup, named in honor of the late soccer pioneer and former Kansas City Wizards owner Lamar Hunt since 1999, is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the United States and the world's third-longest-running open soccer tournament. An Open Cup champion has been crowned every year dating back to 1914.
