Minnesota United’s appearance in last year’s U.S. Open Cup held higher stakes than this year’s berth.

Last June, the second-tier North American Soccer League club looked to punch above its weight against Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City. The Loons players wanted to show they deserved spots in the top-flight domestic league during the single-elimination tournament game. They lost 2-1 in extra time.

The sides meet Wednesday as MLS peers when Minnesota travels to Kansas City for the fourth round of the 104th U.S. Open Cup, the country’s oldest competition between all levels of soccer. Related Articles Loons midfielder Thomas Chacon’s quiet first start of 2020 could be his only one

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The Loons’ attention this season is on contending for one of the last playoff spots in the Western Conference come November. Through 14 games, Minnesota (4-8-2) has 14 points, five removed from the sixth and final playoff spot.

“Can we make the playoffs? That is the Holy Grail for every expansion team,” United coach Adrian Heath said.

While only one of 11 MLS expansion franchises since 2005 has advanced to the playoffs in their first year, Saturday’s league game against struggling Real Salt Lake appears to be a prime opportunity for Minnesota to add three points with a road win.

With that in mind, Heath is expected to shuffle through some players that haven’t played much for Wednesday’s Open Cup match at Children’s Mercy Park. Heath said he would take until Tuesday to determine his starting lineup.

United earned the franchise’s first MLS win against Real Salt Lake in a 4-2 victory on April 1, and since mid-April, Salt Lake has lost seven of nine games.

“The Salt Lake game becomes really important for us because we have two home games to come,” Heath said. “Suddenly, you take seven or nine points out of that and it’s a completely different (standing).”

The MLS regular season will hit the halfway mark later this month, and United’s schedule gets hectic with three midweek games in addition to regular weekend matches through the end of June. The Loons lack roster depth, and the condensed schedule figures to be a challenge.

The Loons will host the Portland Timbers next Wednesday, the first mid-week game at TCF Bank Stadium this season, and then welcome Vancouver on June 24.

Veteran midfielder Sam Cronin said the Open Cup is often looked at “as a bonus.” “I think most coaches focus on playoffs at least in this league, and that has always been a goal for each team at the start of the year,” he said.

United’s priorities will be further influenced by four players away on international team duties. Center back Francisco Calvo and midfielder Johan Venegas are with Costa Rica for Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier against United midfielder Kevin Molino’s Trinidad and Tobago team. Defender Jermaine Taylor will be with Jamaica for its international friendly Tuesday with Peru.

Calvo, Venegas and Molino could return to MLS play before the Real Salt Lake match.

But for Sporting Kansas City, a team atop the Western Conference with 26 points, the Open Cup is not considered an either/or situation waged against a playoff push. The MLS charter member since 1996 has worked to build depth to often have simultaneous goals of playoffs and a cup trophy.

Kansas City won Open Cup titles in 2004, 2012 and 2015. Those deep runs come with five extra games on top of the MLS season, and along with the trophy, the pot of gold at the end is a berth in the CONCACAF Champions League, a club tournament for teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean in the offseason.

“The Champions League is a really big incentive,” Heath said. “ Everyone starts to take it serious when they get to the semis and the quarters. Then you go we can win it.”