Three minutes in, Sporting Kansas City found themselves in an unfamiliar place in this year’s open cup. They were behind. Danny Hoesen saw space and fired far post past Tim Melia and gave San Jose the early lead. Not only was it the first time Sporting trailed in the Open Cup, it was the first goal they had allowed in the tournament.
After the unexpected goal, Sporting saw a lot more of the ball and created more chances to score. In the 32nd minute they got their equalizer from Diego Rubio. Sporting continued to play on the front foot, but couldn’t get another past Andrew Tarbell, who played very well for the Earthquakes.