Old friend Feilhaber helps Des Moines defeat Sporting KC II in U.S. Open Cup showdown
A small but brave and vociferous crowd endured gusting wind and driving sleet at Children’s Mercy Victory Field at Swope Soccer Village on Wednesday night.
Mostly Kansas City fans, they came ready to heckle a Des Moines Menace roster sprinkled with former Major League Soccer veterans and stars, including Sporting KC Legend and former Sporting KC II head coach Benny Feilhaber.
Feilhaber now plays for the Menace, Wednesday evening’s opponent for Sporting KC II in the first round of the 2025 U.S. Open Cup.
With chants of “Your head looks cold!” to Bradley Wright-Phillips, or barbs toward Justin Meram about his bald spot, fans spent most of the match ribbing the formerly marquee players in a once-in-a-lifetime setting.
The best jibe? Chants of “Get him some Advil!” as some of the older vets were subbed off in the second half.
As for the outcome of the game? Father time might’ve been undefeated coming in, but he took the loss in this one.
Sacha Kljestan converted two second-half penalty kicks as the Menace beat Sporting KC II 2-1, eliminating Sporting Kansas City’s second team from the tournament.
“It was definitely a cup game,” Sporting KC II head coach Istvan Urbanyi said. “I think we did a lot to win this one … chances in both halves.”
Beckham Uderitz, son of former Kansas City Wizard Scott Uderitz, scored the goal for SKC II.
A scoreless first half didn’t mean a lack of chances for Sporting KC II. The hosts took 11 shots before halftime and hit the crossbar twice but couldn’t put anything in the net.
In partnership with the gusting wind, SKC II pinned Des Moines in its defensive third for the opening half of play. The Menace rarely ventured beyond the halfway line.
But that changed in the second half. On Des Moines’ first attacking sequence after halftime, Feilhaber was fouled in the box to set up a penalty kick. Kljestan put it down the middle to give the road team a 1-0 lead.
Uderitz equalized on a fast and deadly counterattack less than 10 minutes later. But then came the biggest flashpoint of the night: a pass in behind sent Leroy Enzugusi toward the home goal.
He was taken down inside the box for another penalty kick. The problem? Enzugusi was at least five yards offside, directly in front of the assistant referee.
With no VAR in the U.S. Open Cup, Kljelstan stepped up and buried another penalty kick.
“We’re really happy to win because we get one more game together,” Kljestan said.
More so than the cast of former stars, the wind had an impact on the midweek match. Gusts to 50 mph knocked goal kicks back a good 10-15 yards and at times pushed passes as much as 20 yards beyond their intended target.
“In terms of the weather,” Feilhaber said plainly, “this is crap.”
Poor weather and all, the former Sporting KC stalwart put in his share of tackles against his former players. Some give it right back to him.
“It’s all love,” Feilhaber said. “I have a lot of respect for these guys that work their (tails) off. It’s a tough environment, and it’s a tough league. It’s not easy to try and make the jump from the second team to the first team or beyond. I’ve always loved coaching these guys and it was a blast playing against them.”
One big draw for Feilhaber on Wednesday was the opportunity to play in front of his children, some of whom weren’t yet born, or old enough to understand what was happening, when he last played in MLS.
“Seeing them on the sideline, and in what a pitiful (weather) environment this was, and they’re still all smiles, you can see their teeth,” Feilhaber said. “It’s really awesome to be able to do that when I didn’t get a chance to do it too much when I played.”
Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.