LAFC won the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a 3-1 win over Sporting Kansas City in extra time on Wednesday night in front of a capacity crowd at BMO Stadium. Olivier Giroud scored his first-ever goal at BMO Stadium in regulation time before substitutes Omar Campos and Kei Kamara broke a 1-1 tie by scoring in extra time to help LAFC lift the Open Cup for the first time in club history.
After a tight first half that saw each goalkeeper called upon to make multiple saves, LAFC was able to break the deadlock in the 53rd minute thanks to Giroud. The combination of Maxime Chanot and Eddie Segura won the ball in midfield before quickly playing forward for Sergi Palencia. His through ball found Mateusz Bogusz streaking in on the right wing and the Polish international was able to hit a low cross into the center of the box for Giroud, the high-profile summer acquisition who side-footed Bogusz’s delivery into the net, giving LAFC a 1-0 lead.
Sporting Kansas City equalized seven minutes later when Erik Thommy took a pass from Dániel Sallói and hit a right-footed shot just inside the post, tying the score 1-1.
The score would stay that way until the end of 90 minutes, sending the game into extra time. LAFC would go back in front just before the end of the first 15-minute period thanks to the first goal of Omar Campos’ LAFC career. Cristian Olivera collected the ball just inside the box on the right and was able to hold off a Sporting defender before playing a short pass to Campos, who cut inside onto his right foot and curled a right-footed shot past the dive of Tim Melia and inside the post, giving LAFC a 2-1 advantage.
In the second half of extra time, Kei Kamara put the game out of reach, heading home a Denis Bouanga cross in the 109th minute to make the score 3-1 and seal the first U.S. Open Cup championship in LAFC history.
This is the fourth major trophy in LAFC’s seven-year history, joining the 2019 and 2022 Supporters’ Shields and the 2022 MLS Cup.
LAFC returns to MLS action on Saturday, September 28 when the club heads to Ohio to take on FC Cincinnati. That game kicks off at 4:30 p.m. PT, and will be shown live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
NEWS & NOTES
- This is the first U.S. Open Cup championship in LAFC’s history. Before this year, the club’s deepest Cup run was to the Semifinals in its inaugural 2018 season.
- LAFC finishes the 2024 competition with a perfect 5-0-0 record in the Open Cup, scoring 13 goals while conceding just three. The club scored three goals in four of its five Open Cup games this year.
- In addition to its 5-0-0 Open Cup record, LAFC went 5-1-1 in Leagues Cup, making the club 10-1-1 in Cup matches this year.
- All-time, LAFC is now 12-3-2 in U.S. Open Cup play.
- This was the third of those 17 all-time Open Cup games to go to extra time, and the first that did not go to penalties.
- LAFC players Ryan Hollingshead, Kei Kamara, and Ilie Sánchez each won the Open Cup for a second time. Hollingshead won the tournament in 2017 with FC Dallas while Kamara did so with Sporting Kansas City in 2012 and Sánchez did so in 2017 with Sporting Kansas City.
- Olivier Giroud scored his first-ever goal at BMO Stadium in the second half. This was also his U.S. Open Cup debut.
- Giroud has now played in two finals for LAFC and has scored in each of them.
- Mateusz Bogusz was credited with the assist on Giroud’s goal for his first assist in the competition and eighth in all competitions.
- The eventual game-winning goal in the 102nd minute by Omar Campos was the first goal of his LAFC career. He was the first and only defender to score in the Open Cup for LAFC this year.
- Cristian Olivera assisted on the goal by Campos, giving him a team-best five goal involvements in the Open Cup with three goals and two assists.
- Kei Kamara rounded out the scoring with his second Open Cup goal of the year and eighth in all competitions for LAFC. He has three goals in MLS play and also scored three times in Leagues Cup.
- With his goal, Kei Kamara became the oldest player, at 40 years of age, to score in an Open Cup Final since the inception of MLS in 1996. He was also the oldest player to score at any stage of the Open Cup this year.
- Denis Bouanga, who entered the game tied with Timothy Tillman for the second-most assists in the 2024 Open Cup, assisted on Kamara’s goal, giving him a team-best three assists in the tournament this year.
- Bouanga now has a team-best 16 assists in all competitions this year to go along with 24 goals. He has scored or assisted on 40 of the 82 goals that LAFC has scored in 2024.
- Hugo Lloris finished the game with four saves. He allowed just two goals in three Open Cup appearances this year to help win his first trophy with LAFC.
- Nine different players scored a goal for LAFC in the Open Cup this year with Cristian Olivera leading the way with three. That left him tied for second in the tournament. Kei Kamara and Timothy Tillman each finished with two goals while Tomas Angel, Mateusz Bogusz, Denis Bouanga, Omar Campos, Olivier Giroud and David Martìnez each had one.
- Brazilian defender Marlon, who officially signed with LAFC on September 11, entered the game in the 112th minute to make his LAFC debut.
