Indeed, it was a glorious night at Children’s Mercy Park. At kickoff, the skies were bright with the near-setting sun highlighted by the type of scattered clouds that grant the scene more depth and more beauty. The 78° air encouraged shorts if one so chose, and the ESPN2 national television broadcast elevated the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final to true event status.
When Sporting Kansas City’s Latif Blessing rose to meet a heavenly Graham Zusi cross from the right wing in the 25th minute, the crowd was driven from rowdiness to out-of-body elation, the gift that only a goal for the home side in a final can give in this beautiful game we call ours.