Red Bulls, Sporting KC set for U.S. Open Cup
There was a time not so long ago that the U.S. Open Cup was an afterthought, a nice trophy to win for a Major League Soccer club but nothing compared with the league’s MLS Cup.
That’s not how MLS teams Sporting KC and the New York Red Bulls have treated it.
And perhaps more than any other reason, that’s why the two will meet Wednesday night to decide the nation’s oldest ongoing soccer competition in Kansas City.
The charm of the U.S. Open Cup is that, along with the MLS clubs, it includes teams from the North American Soccer League, the United Soccer League and top amateur leagues. Though none of those clubs has won the title since 1999, they occasionally pick off a few MLS clubs along the way.
Sporting KC had to knock off Minnesota United, the Houston Dynamo, defending champion FC Dallas and the Earthquakes to reach the final. New York beat New York City, the Philadelphia Union, New England Revolution and USL powerhouse FC Cincinnati.
“We only played MLS teams, so we knew the matches would be very tough. We had to be prepared for them,” said Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes, who led his club to U.S. Open titles in 2012 and ’15. “I think anybody goes into this competition with everything they have.”
The New Revolution fired head coach Jay Heaps, who had been with the team as a player or coach for 15 seasons. Assistant coach Tom Soehn will take over for the rest of the season.
U.S. women: In Cincinnati, Cal alum Alex Morgan scored twice as the national team concluded a two-game series against New Zealand with a 5-0 victory to improve to 9-3 this year.
Bundesliga: James Rodriguez thrived in his first Bundesliga start for Bayern Munich, scoring one goal and playing a role in the others for a 3-0 win at Schalke. Rodriguez, who switched from Real Madrid in the offseason, earned a penalty and then scored in the first half.
Fin Bartels’ second-half header earned Werder Bremen a 1-1 draw at Wolfsburg.
Michael Gregoritsch’s fourthminute strike was enough for Augsburg to beat visiting Leipzig 1-0 for its third win in five games.
Two goals from Brazilian midfielder Raffael gave Borussia Moenchengladbach a 2-0 win at home over Stuttgart.
English League: Shinji Okazaki inspired Leicester’s secondhalf turnaround in a 2-0 win over Liverpool in the League Cup, the latest disappointing result for Juergen Klopp’s team.
Tottenham beat second-tier Barnsley 1-0 thanks to Dele Alli’s second-half goal. Crystal Palace scored for the first time since Aug. 22 to beat Huddersfield 1-0 for its first win under new manager Roy Hodgson, and there were victories for Swansea and West Ham.
In the big shock of the night, second-tier Bristol City beat Stoke 2-0 for its second straight win over Premier League opposition, having eliminated Watford in the second round.