Sporting KC Skipper Johnny Russell Revels in Cup ‘Magic’ & ‘Opportunity’

Johnny Russell has participated in enough cup matches in his 17-year career to know that opportunities like these don't come around very often.

So, when the veteran forward talks to his Sporting Kansas City teammates prior to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Semifinal against Indy Eleven on August 27th, he’ll be sure to remind them about not letting the moment slip away.

“Enjoy the occasion, but you have to remain calm, because it's a job to do,” he said.

“I've played this game for a long time now. Opportunities to play in finals are very, very hard to come by. We've got a really difficult game. For a lot of guys, this might be their only chance to win a trophy. You're not guaranteed to make it back to this stage again, so you’ve got to do everything you can.”

If Sporting KC win out, the 34-year-old Russell will have another chance at securing the first trophy and winners' medal of his career. You heard that right. He’s never won a cup final.

Sporting KC, on the other hand, have won four Open Cups (2004, 2012, 2015 and 2017). Russell – the club’s captain since 2021 – would love to see the Kansas-based club make it five.

Cup Semifinal Beckons

“It’s a huge deal,” he said. “I think we were one of the teams most vocal on taking part in the Open Cup and participating in the competition. We've always taken it seriously. We've got a good track record. It's down to hard work. It's been a bit of a battle, and some tough games along the way, but we've managed to get ourselves in the Semifinal”

The 5-foot-10, 174-lb Russell – identifiable on the field for his trademark beard and tireless work ethic – knows a thing or two about cups. In the Scottish Cup, he’s played in 14 matches, scoring ten times. In the Scottish League Cup, he’s found the net six times in 13 appearances.

Russell has felt his share of the ecstasy of victory and endured the agony of defeat in cup play.

“It's amazing. It's fierce,” the Glasgow-born Russell said of the Scottish Cup. “It's a competition that's went back for years in Scotland. Everyone takes it extremely seriously. It's a huge trophy for us.

First, the ecstasy.

As an 18-year-old, he made a memorable debut for Dundee United, burying a penalty kick in the 55th minute of a 4-0 victory at East Stirlingshire in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup on January 11, 2009. Three years later, nearly to the day, he recorded a second hat-trick of his career in a 6-2 triumph over Airdrie United in the fifth round.

And on February 2nd, 2013, Russell tied Finn Døssing's record for fastest Dundee United goal, 14 seconds into a 3-0 Scottish Cup win against Rangers. “I didn't play too much league action in my younger career,” he said. “It was mainly cup games, and I always seemed to do well. I've got a pretty good record, and especially the Scottish cups that I've played in.”

“I was very lucky and very grateful to get opportunities in the cup early in my career, and that's why I think it's maybe so special for me as well, because that's really where I started to make a name for myself was in the cups,” he added.

As for the agony, Russell has never been on the winning side in a cup final.

When Dundee United captured the 2009-10 Scottish Cup title with a 3-0 victory over Ross County, he was cup tied while playing on loan with Raith Rovers. Though he didn't contribute to any of the triumphs, Russell still called winning it “an incredible feeling.”

“I think the league is obviously most important,” he said. “But cup competitions have just got such a magical feeling because anything can happen in a one-off game. That makes the cup so special.”

From Scotland to the States

After forging an 11-year career in Scotland, Sporting Kansas City came calling in 2018 – the year after the club lifted its fourth Open Cup. He got some excellent advice from Scottish icon Mo Johnston, who competed for the Kansas club in its first six MLS seasons, recording 31 goals and 28 assists.

“Yeah, Mo was a sort of main instigator,” Russell said about his own move. “It was always a league I was interested in. It was always a league that I watched. I had a few clubs that were interested. It's always about making sure that I made the right choice. Mo definitely helped guide me towards Sporting.

“Once I spoke to Peter [Vermes, long-time head coach and technical director at SKC] everything just seemed great. I fit in really well and never really looked back,” Russell said. “I had some great times here, some hard times as well.

“I'm truly grateful that I landed here,” he added.

Russell, who’s made 14 appearances for the Scottish National Team, might not have the same star-power back home as Johnston, who’s a bonafide Scottish legend. But he has cast his own unique shadow with Sporting KC. He’s the club's second all-time scoring leader ahead of Dom Dwyer and behind only Preki.

Moreover, Captain Vermes didn’t hesitate to name him captain prior to the 2021 campaign.

“He’s shown an incredible amount of leadership,” Vermes said of Russell. “Personality-wise and the way he goes about his business every day, he’s the perfect guy to rely on.”

Realizing that enormous responsibility, Russell has paid it back and then some.

“It's a huge honor. A huge responsibility,” he said. “You've got a lot of weight and pressure on your shoulders to be named captain. It's such an important role in a team, a bridge between player and staff.

“It's something that I take a huge amount of pride in every time I put on the armband. Just being someone that the younger guys can come and ask some questions, and try and gain some wisdom,” Russell said. “It's something that I really do love. I know how I looked up to my team captains throughout my career. I'm just hopeful I have the same sort of effect on my team as well.”

Open Cup Opportunity

Given that Sporting KC are in 12th place in MLS’ Western Conference, nine points adrift from a playoff spot with 10 matches remaining in the season, they’re unlikely to reach the postseason.

But miracles can and do happen.

Let's look back to Decision Day 2023 in MLS on October 21, when Russell put his team on his back. He tallied twice in a 3-1 win over Minnesota United to boost SKC into the playoffs.

“We knew going into the game, basically, whoever won had a very good chance of making it into the playoffs, just the way the other games were being played,” he said. “Teams were going to have to drop points. I was still struggling with a muscle injury. The performance by everyone that night was immense, and such a huge relief as well.”

That was then. Now is the Open Cup.

One of eight MLS squads competing in the 2024 tournament, Sporting started their run with a 2-1 win at Div. III Union Omaha in the Round of 32. They continued with a 4-0 home victory over FC Tulsa in the Round of 16 and with a 2-1 extra-time Quarterfinal triumph over visiting MLS side FC Dallas.

On August 27th, SKC take on Indy Eleven, who are in fourth place in the USL Championship (Div. II) Western Conference. Their Semifinal opponents may be from a division below MLS, but Russell insists SKC won’t take them lightly.

“It's a team that we don't get to see as often because they play in the USL, but it is something that we are obviously doing a little bit of work on,” said Russell, who was on the field when SKC lost to second-division Sacramento Republic and missed out on the 2022 Open Cup Final. “We have Orlando before that in the league, and obviously we have to fully focus on that game.”

But…

“When games like this come around, everyone's sort of got one eye on that as well, as much as you have to focus on the business at hand before that,” Russell added. “Everyone's excited when that game finally comes around.”

The winner of that match will meet the victor of the Seattle Sounders-LAFC Semifinal in the September 25th Open Cup Final.

The veteran player, who claims he has “another few years left” in him, admits that winning the Open Cup crown would be a nice gift for himself and the Kansas City soccer community.

“It's been a difficult season,” he said, pointing out the obvious as SKC have managed only six wins in 26 regular season games so far. “Everyone can see that. It’s been well documented. So, to add another trophy to a very successful side through the years, to put yourself in being a part of that history is huge for me as a player, as a captain. I know it is for the rest of the guys as well.

“Opportunities to win trophies don't come around often,” the captain insisted. “You have to do everything you can when that opportunity arises.”

Michael Lewis can be reached at socwriter@aol.com and @Soccerwriter on Twitter. His book (ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers) is available for purchase.