Giroud, Lloris win maiden trophy in Major League Soccer as LAFC beats Sporting KC to clinch US Open Cup

It was Los Angeles FC’s first appearance in the Open Cup championship and snapped a run of four straight title matches across various competitions without a victory.

Olivier Giroud (#9) and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris (#1) of Los Angeles FC hoist the Championship trophy after defeating Sporting Kansas City, 3-1, during the U.S. Open Cup final at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California. | Photo Credit: Getty Images via AFP

Omar Campos and Kei Kamara scored in extra time and Los Angeles FC won the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup for the first time with a 3-1 win over Sporting Kansas City.

French striker Olivier Giroud also scored for LAFC, which captured its fourth trophy since starting play in 2018. The club captured Major League Soccer’s Supporters Shield as the top club in the regular season in 2019 and ‘22, and then beat the Philadelphia Union in penalty kicks to win the MLS Cup in 2022.

It was LAFC’s first appearance in the Open Cup championship and snapped a run of four straight title matches across various competitions without a victory. It was the 109th edition of the Open Cup, the oldest national soccer competition.

HISTORY 🏆

2024 U.S. OPEN CUP CHAMPIONS pic.twitter.com/LDkK4pa6uj

— LAFC (@LAFC) September 26, 2024

By advancing to the finals of the Leagues Cup and U.S. Open Cup, LAFC is on pace to play 46 matches in the regular season. It played in 53 matches last year, including advancing to the final of the CONCACAF Champions League and MLS Cup.

With Wednesday’s win, LAFC is 48-25-21 in all competitions over the past two seasons.

Erik Thommy scored for Sporting KC, which had won four previous Open Cup finals, with the last coming in 2017.

Sporting KC goalkeeper Tim Melia made three saves that helped keep the game scoreless in the first half.

Giroud broke through for LAFC in the 53rd minute, catching Melia out of the goal and beating two defenders.

Olivier Giroud #9 of Los Angeles FC celebrates his gaol standing over Robert Castellanos #19 of Sporting Kansas City during the second half of U.S. Open Cup Championship final. | Photo Credit: Getty Images via AFP

It was Giroud’s second goal in 10 matches for LAFC since joining the club in early August.

Thommy tied it up in the 60th minute with a blast inside the near post off a cross from Dániel Sallói.

Campos, a second-half substitute, scored in the 102nd from atop the box for his first goal with LAFC.

Kamara, the second-leading goal scorer in MLS history, added an insurance goal on a header in the 109th minute LAFC is fourth in the Western Conference going into the home stretch of the MLS regular season. Sporting Kansas City will not qualify for the postseason.