Sporting Rolls into Open Cup Quarterfinals

May 21, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release

Sporting Kansas City surged into the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals behind a dominant 4-0 victory over FC Tulsa in the tournament’s Round of 16 on Tuesday at Children’s Mercy Park.

Felipe Hernandez bagged a brace to go with goals on both sides of halftime from Stephen Afrifa and Marinos Tzionis, propelling the four-time Open Cup champions in to the final eight of the 2024 competition. Sporting will learn its quarterfinal opponent Wednesday at 9 p.m. CT during a livestream draw on the U.S. Soccer YouTube channel.

A reshuffled Sporting lineup featured seven changes from Saturday’s 3-2 road loss at Austin FC, including the return of center back Dany Rosero after the Colombian had missed four straight matches due to injury and the introduction of Afrifa, who earned his first start since July 2023. It was Sporting’s seventh different starting XI in as many matches across all competitions and the first time the front three of Afrifa, Tzionis and Willy Agada started together.

Manager Peter Vermes’ side was rampant from start to finish, holding 74% of possession and a 34-3 advantage in shot attempts, and put their USL Championship counterparts under significant pressure from the opening whistle. Tulsa goalkeeper Michael Creek was the busiest man of the night, producing 10 saves, and did well to dive at full extension to cast aside Erik Thommy’s venomous blast in the 10 minute. Thommy threatened again shortly thereafter, receiving an incisive pass from fellow German Tim Leibold before seeing his deflected strike palmed away by Creek.

Center back Andreu Fontas almost etched his name onto the scoresheet in the 20th minute, blazing high after Jake Davis had a long-range effort blocked through traffic. Creek then made a stunning kick save to thwart Agada on the doorstep before Afrifa’s volley on the rebound pinged the top of the crossbar. Less than a minute later, Afrifa was again denied by the woodwork as his sweetly struck curler from 25-yards rattled the post.

Tulsa’s forays into the attack were few and far between, but the visitors almost took an unlikely lead in the 32nd minute when Phillip Goodrum strode down the right side and whipped in a cross for Camilo Ponce to nod goalward. Sporting goalkeeper John Pulskamp did brilliantly to drop low and get his mitts on the header and keep the game goalless.

At the opposite end, Sporting kept knocking on the door and were eventually…