IN A GAME that was rough and physical with occasional moments of high quality, Sporting Kansas City defeated host Philadelphia Union in the 2015 U.S. Open Cup final, 7-6, on penalties after playing to a 1-1 draw at a wet PPL Park on Wednesday night.

Kansas City, in fifth place in the Western Conference and within striking distance of a favorable playoff seed, entered the game as the favorite. Struggling Philadelphia, meanwhile, is set to miss out on the playoffs yet again, just as it’s done all but one time since its inaugural season in 2010. 

True to form, it was the visitors who started off the game more aggressively, nearly taking the lead in the 12th minute. Kansas City's Paulo Nagamura found himself open for a shot on the left side of the box and unleashed a powerful low shot that hit the post but bounced straight back and right into Union goalkeeper Andre Blake's hands.

Following that, however, it was the Union that controlled the match for the remainder of the half. It began meekly, with C.J. Sapong in the 15th minute getting an open shot in the box but not quite catching the ball enough to test Sporting's Tim Melia. Four minutes later, it was Sapong again who had a more dramatic opportunity with a bicycle kick, which was hit hard but right at Melia.

In the 23rd minute, Philadelphia had an opportunity it would not squander, when Union midfielder Vincent Nogueira played an inch-perfect pass to send fellow Frenchman Sebastien Le Toux behind the defense. Le Toux—terrific for Philadelphia during its entire U.S. Open Cup run—made no mistake in giving the home team a 1-0 lead.

The Union continued to assert itself for the remainder of the half, and it was Melia who kept Sporting KC in the game. In the 37th minute he made a pair of very impressive saves, with the first coming on Le Toux and the second on a swerving shot from Tranquillo Barnetta.

In the second half, with more chances and sustained pressure, Kansas City began to come to life. It was rewarded with the equalizer in the 65th.

After Chance Meyers sent a pass into the box, Graham Zusi set up Krisztian Nemeth on the left corner of the area, and the Hungarian then curled a one-timed shot through traffic, past Blake and into the side netting. 

After 90 minutes, the game continued to be deadlocked, and so for the second consecutive year the Open Cup final would have to go into extra time. In the additional 30 minutes that followed, the game only grew more physical, and the yellow cards began to accumulate. By game’s end, there were a total of 10 yellow cards handed out—seven to Kansas City players.

Nonetheless, Philadelphia pressed late in extra time and forced Melia again to make a big save in the 110th minute. In the 117th, only a deflection from Kansas City's defense kept out another dangerous chance.

Union head coach Jim Curtin saved his boldest decision of the night for the final minute of stoppage time, when he used his third substitution to remove Blake for John McCarthy, in a move reminiscent of the Netherlands’ bringing on Tim Krul against Costa Rica in the 2010 World Cup: McCarthy, who’s started 11 league games for Philadelphia this season, had played the hero in two shootout victories earlier in the tournament.

In this shootout, both teams took their chances well. Sporting briefly held an advantage in the third round when Melia saved a poorly taken penalty from former U.S. international Maurice Edu. That advantage was short-lived, though, as in the next round a diving McCarthy pushed Nemeth’s ball onto the post, temporarily saving his team and prolonging the match.

Each side would continue to convert until the seventh round, when Philadelphia's Andrew Wenger, himself an extra-time substitute, had his weak attempt stopped easily by Melia.

Young Spaniard Jordi Quintilla, whose first appearance for Kansas City only came back on Aug. 30, then converted his own pressure-packed attempt to give Sporting Kansas City its third Open Cup title.

For Philadelphia, still seeking its first-ever trophy, it was a second consecutive Open Cup final loss. Those frustrations, combined with a continued inability to qualify for the postseason, will likely leave the front office staff once again in search of new ideas.

Sporting Kansas City—qualified for the next CONCACAF Champions League with three Open Cups, two MLS Cups, and one Supporters’ Shield in tow—has had no such problems.