Philadelphia Union, Sporting Kansas City chase Open Cup title
Most MLS teams treat the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup as an obligation instead of an opportunity. The addition of awkward fixtures in the middle of the league campaign provides the opportunity for squad rotation, but it also extracts a toll on sides during the summer months. The resulting performances often betray the relative lack of incentives afforded in a scenario where league achievements trump everything else.
The calculus tips as the competition reaches the latter stages. The self-selected clubs willing to apply themselves often reap the benefits of their exertions. Those familiar sides march deep into the tournament until the Dewar Cup and the attached berth in the CONCACAF Champions League emerges within sight.
The showpiece final at PPL Park on Wednesday night affords Philadelphia Union and Sporting Kansas City the chance to complete their latest runs with silverware. It is a precious opportunity created through application and diligence. And it is a chance both teams hope to take.
“There are only two trophies in this country that you can lift -- MLS Cup and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup,” Union coach Jim Curtin said during a conference call earlier this week. “It’s a competition that I take very seriously from when I was a player in Chicago and have passed that onto the guys here in Philadelphia. We’re very focused, ready to go and excited for the match.”
Philadelphia entered this competition back in June with ample motivation to succeed after losing the final to Seattle on home soil a year ago. This latest cup run boasted plenty of intrigue -- including penalty kick victories over Rochester Rhinos in the fourth round and the New York Red Bulls in the quarterfinals, a triumph over D.C. United with 10 men in the fifth round, and a narrow win over Chicago in the semifinals -- and provided a chance to atone for a miserable league campaign.
There is considerable pressure on the Union to claim its first title at the second attempt after coming within a matter of inches of knocking off Sounders FC a year ago. This final offers a chance to ensure some security for the core of the side and lay the financial groundwork -- every club receives additional allocation money for reaching the Champions League -- for the sort of revival produced by D.C. United after winning this competition in 2013. It also supplies an opportunity to set the club on the proper course after years of discontent and underachievement and a difficult regular season almost certain to end without a playoff berth.
“With this team, we talk a lot between us that we have to do everything we can to get the trophy,” Union forward Sebastien Le Toux said. “Last year was a pretty hard moment for all of us because we wanted to have the trophy for our fans. And now we have a second chance at it. When life gives you a second chance, you need to give it everything and I hope that’s what we do on Wednesday.”
Curtin and his players are more equipped to deliver on the second attempt. The recent uptick in form coincided with the arrival of Tranquillo Barnetta to scheme in midfield, the emergence of C.J. Sapong as a productive center forward option and the injection of pace and mobility into the attack. There are still fitness questions surrounding captain Maurice Edu and the defense occasionally creaks when placed under examination, but this side is a more formidable outfit than it was several months ago.
Whether those traits rise to the fore on this occasion remains uncertain. Philadelphia -- unlike Sporting Kansas City -- lacks a record of achievement in these sorts of positions. The weight of expectation looms as a potential issue as the Union approaches this final, according to Sporting Kansas City manager Peter Vermes.
“We understand the environment we’re going into,” Vermes said. “We understand we’re away from home. We understand there are a lot of things in their favor. We have to be smart around that, but, at the same time, you also know that it is not easy to win a final at home because of the expectation -- you’re in front of your home crowd and everything else. That’s a big part of this. You just understand that it’s a big game.”
It is the latest in a string of them for Vermes and his players as Sporting chases a third trophy in four years. The sustained success in both club and league competitions reflects the ambition of the club and underscores the ethos instilled since investor/operators Sporting Club took charge. Every competition -- from the Champions League through the Open Cup -- receives attention and care, even if it forces adjustments and stretches the squad.
The emotional and the physical investment places Sporting in a position to triumph once more. There are several selection concerns to weigh -- including the availability of goalkeeper Tim Melia (hamstring) and the midfield conundrum created by Roger Espinoza's continued absence -- ahead of this affair, but the key principles remain firmly in place. This is a side prepared to grasp the initiative from the outset, place the Union under duress in possession and rely on Benny Feilhaber and Graham Zusi to provide plenty of supply to Dom Dwyer (top scorer in this competition to date with five goals) and Krisztian Nemeth in advanced areas.
“We put a lot of emphasis on this tournament at the beginning of the season,” Sporting Kansas City defender Matt Besler said. “We wanted to put ourselves in the position we’re in right now, with the opportunity to win a trophy. That’s what we set out to accomplish at the beginning of the season and we have that opportunity in front of us on Wednesday night.”
