Preview: Sporting Kansas City aims to do the unthinkable in the 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup final against LAFC

The oldest soccer competition in United States history comes to an end on Wednesday night when LAFC hosts Sporting Kansas City in the final of the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

96 teams from all levels of American soccer entered the competition, but now there are only two. This cup final will pit two MLS Western Conference rivals against each other: Sporting Kansas City, a storied franchise with multiple Open Cup titles, and LAFC, a new elite club that has reached the MLS Cup finals in the last two years and won one of them.

Sporting KC's Peter Vermes is a manager who knows how to win the Open Cup — in fact, he's done it three times, in 2012, 2015 and 2017 with Sporting. Meanwhile, this is LAFC's first appearance in the USOC final.

Sporting's 2024 MLS season didn't quite go to plan as they were eliminated from the MLS playoffs, but they were excellent in the Open Cup. Can they pull off a surprise upset over Olivier Giroud and LAFC? Or will Cherundolo and Co. lift their first trophy of the season?

GOAL takes a look at the upcoming game.