Nate Jaqua

2011 US Open Cup Third Round: Seattle Sounders quest for three-peat opens with 2-1 win over Kitsap Pumas

June 29, 2011 by Gerald Barnhart

The defending two-time US Open Cup champion Seattle Sounders grabbed a two-goal lead on a pair of Mike Fucito goals, but were unable to cruise to victory in a Puget Sound showdown against the local PDL Kitsap Pumas, who fought back in a contest that finished in a back-and-forth 2-1 decision.

With a ninth consecutive tournament victory (in regulation or penalty kicks) over the course of three years, the MLS club made history with the longest such streak as they started their quest to become the first team to three-peat since New York Greek American Atlas, who accomplished the feat from 1967-69. Seattle advances to the Quarterfinals to face the Los Angeles Galaxy, who are also looking for a third US Open Cup championship.

Continual pressure from the top flight club finally found a result in the 39th minute when Nate Jaqua, who scored five goals in the three previous Open Cup games at Starfire Sports Stadium the past two years, knocked the ball down for Fucito.

Fucito would double the advantage in the 62nd minute by dancing through the Kitsap defense and around the goalkeeper, 2011 Sounders draft pick Bryan Meredith, before finding the back of the net.

With Kitsap appearing to tire and a win appearing to be in hand, the Pumas dug deep and found a second breath. Leading the resurgence was former MLS number one draft pick Nik Besagno. A cross from Second Round hero Robbie Christner found Besagno for the easy finish in the 71st minute, setting up a tense finish.

Four minutes later Meredith made an excellent save, one of several on the night, to deny Miguel Montano from restoring a two-goal Sounders advantage, and then stopped Jaqua as well.

Warlen Silva had a great opportunity for an equalizer with a breakaway but missed on a brilliant chance. Meredith was forced to play the hero again, making yet another save after Osvaldo Alonso beat three tied Pumas players for a chance.

With the final seconds ticking away, Stephen Mohn sent in a cross to Silva for a final look that, symbolically, proved just a shade too high for the onrushing Brazilian.

TheCup.us Match MVP: Mike Fucito

Scoring Summary
SEA — Mike Fucito (Nate Jaqua) 39
SEA — Mike Fucito (unassisted) 62
KIT — Nikolas Besagno (Robert Christner) 71

Misconduct Summary
KIT — Taylor Hyde (caution; Reckless Tackle) 43
KIT — Dan Scott (caution; Tactical Foul) 80

Lineups

Kitsap Pumas — Bryan Meredith, Stephen Mohn, Taylor Hyde, Dan Scott, Mark Lee, Matt Friesen (David Gray 84), Nikolas Besagno, Elliott Fauske, Cameron Hepple (Tye Perdido 83), Robert Christner, Bryan Burke (Warlen Silva 69).
Substitutes Not Used: Zac Lubin, Samuel Roca, Chris Andre, Kendell McFayden.

Seattle Sounders — Terry Boss, Zach Scott, Leo Gonzalez, Taylor Graham, Michael Tetteh, David Estrada (Pat Noonan 54), Osvaldo Alonso, Mike Seamon (Servando Carrasco 85), Miguel Montano, Mike Fucito (Jeff Parke 68), Nate Jaqua.
Substitutes Not Used: Roger Levesque, Lamar Neagle, Tyson Wahl, Josh Ford.

Referee: Tyler Ploeger
Referee’s Assistants: Mike Rottersman; Jeff Hosking
4th Official: William Niccolls
Weather: Cloudy and 63 degrees
Attendance: 3,811

2010 US Open Cup: Nate Jaqua of Seattle Sounders named TheCup.us Player of the Tournament

October 15, 2010 by Steve Clare | Prost Amerika

Nate Jaqua has been voted the TheCup.us Player of the Tournament in 2010. The tall striker spent most of the early part of the season on the treatment table as a pelvic injury kept him sidelined and badly hit the club’s goal production.

However, his lack of opportunity to make an impact in the early part of the 2010 MLS season was more than compensated for, by the impact he made on Sounders’ successful retention of the US Open Cup.

Nate Jaqua spoke to us on Wednesday hours after learning he had won the award. The interview can also be heard on this week’s Radio Sounders show.

Prost Amerika: Congratulations on your award. When did you find out about it?

Nate Jaqua: Just today. So, yeah, it’s pretty good, and it’s a testament to our team’s success and the fact that we won the tournament.

Prost Amerika: Now obviously the US Open Cup has got to be dear in your heart because in a certain way it helped provide you a conduit back from injury toward the first team.

Nate Jaqua: Yeah. I was able to get some opportunities. When it was kind of tough getting in with the first team, got a bit more playing time, and I was able to take advantage of it and I think some of the younger guys got some opportunities as well, and we all stepped up and did well.

Prost Amerika: I love the way you say ‘some of the younger guys.’ Is that a testament to I think the collective spirit in the squad, I’m actually going to ask you about Fredy Montero especially and how he seems to have adopted, especially with regard to some of the newer players, a nurturing role. So is there a feeling in the squad that as new people come in some of you guys who were the youngsters step up to a new level of responsibility?

Nate Jaqua: Yeah definitely. I’ve been in the league now for eight years, so when guys come in it’s one of those ones where you try to help them out, try to get them going, and the more you can do that the more it helps the team.

Prost Amerika: Many of the people who have excelled in the US Open Cup at Starfire have a longstanding relationship with the ground because of their time in the USL. But for yourself it was new. Coming into Sounders FC you’d never really played there before. Tell me a little bit about what it’s like playing at Starfire.

PROST AMERIKA’S 2010 US OPEN CUP COVERAGE
Jaqua: My Cup Award is a Testament to the Team’s Success US Open Cup Final Gallery
Nate Jaqua’s 2010 US Open Cup in Pictures
Nate Jaqua – US Open Cup Player of the Year
Lamarvellous – Sounders Night of Cup Glory Watched by Record Crowd
Radio Sounders Show: Open Cup Celebration Special
How the Cup Was Won
Prost Amerika Soccer Sounders Cup Final Player Ratings
Sounders Reactions
Levesque: Having the energy in the stadium pulled us through
Ianni – This I’ll definitely never forget. It’s unbelievable
How the Cup was Lost – the Crew Viewpoint
Prost Amerika Soccer Columbus Crew Player Ratings
Columbus Crew Reactions
Preview Show with Neil Sika, play-by-play announcer of the Columbus Crew

Nate Jaqua: It’s a great atmosphere. The fans are right on the pitch. I appreciated this year too that they switched out the turf and got a little bit longer turf in there, the ball holds up a little bit more. Last year it was a little bit more bumpy and it’s a small pitch so it’s one of those ones where it was a bit more of a fight last year. I think we were able to get the ball down and play a little bit more quality soccer and we were able to put on I think some very good performances there and had a very enjoyable time playing there.

Prost Amerika: And you managed to survive this year’s competition without bleeding.

Nate Jaqua: I did. That’s always a good thing.

Prost Amerika: But Paulo Nagamura appears to have taken the brunt of it for you.

Nate Jaqua: Yeah. I think he got a little beat up in that one. They’re always very physical games there. It’s a smaller field, it’s one where you have to win your individual battles.

Prost Amerika: Talk about the crowd atmosphere at Starfire.

Nate Jaqua: It’s unbelievable. You wouldn’t think a stadium of 4,000 could get that loud but it’s just kind of right on top of you, and we really appreciate all the fans coming down there and making it that type of atmosphere.

“A few of the other clubs don’t take it seriously, but I think it’s a great tournament.”

Prost Amerika: It seems like this club has a very special relationship with the US Open Cup. Maybe you can speak on behalf of yourself and to a certain extent on behalf of the rest of the locker room. How do the players feel toward this competition?

Nate Jaqua: I think one of the things is we have such a deep team, and I think some of the other teams aren’t able to — I mean they’re more worried about on Saturday so they aren’t able to field quite the squad that we are, and we give some guys some rest and other guys can really step in and play. We definitely I think it was a special moment winning it last year, and I think we wanted to win it again. It’s one of those ones we definitely take seriously. I was with a group in Chicago though where we also took it pretty seriously. A few of the other clubs don’t, but I think it’s a great tournament, it’s a fun tournament and it’s one that hopefully grows with time.

Prost Amerika: Now I want to ask you a little about your new arrival up front, Blaise Nkufo. Steve Zakuani I believe was widely quoted as saying that he was one of the best guys in that small portion of the box he’s seen. Have you been learning a lot off Blaise?

Nate Jaqua: Yeah, Blaise is a very very smart player. He’s been around for quite a few years and is very experienced, so I definitely try to learn from him. He’s good at finding those little pockets. The ball’s kind of getting cut back, find a quick touch and create space and get shots off.

Prost Amerika: As luck would have it not only did you win an award today but last night you scored at Qwest Field. That’s the first time in a while you’ve scored at Qwest Field, isn’t it?

Nate Jaqua: I hadn’t thought about that but yeah, it was good to get on the score sheet last night, and it was a fun game last night against Chivas. Good battle and I like playing up top with Fucito, I think we have a good partnership, and it was good to get back out there.

nate-jaqua-seattle-sounders-vs-portland-timbers — Photo: Gary Sheldon | leadingedgeimages

Prost Amerika: What is, from inside the locker room from a fellow professional, what is the scouting report on Mike Fucito? What are his strengths?

Nate Jaqua: To begin with, he’s got great pace. So he’s always somebody who can stretch the line, and for me that helps quite a bit, always has the option to play somebody through, but he also runs off me well and combines well, and he’s got a very good finishing touch right now.

Prost Amerika: Like Sanna Nyassi, he seems to have the golden boot that everything he tries seems to turn to a goal.

Nate Jaqua: Yes. Sanna’s been amazing the last month, and it was pretty incredible to see him come into the game and have one kind of bounce off his knee into the goal but a perfect time for him, and he’s been doing well, and I’m happy to see it.

Prost Amerika: That is one thing that has been the strength of the club this year that Fredy was scoring and scoring, and he’s gone through a drought of five or six games and others have stepped up to make up the numbers in terms of goals.

Nate Jaqua: I think we have a very deep team and quite a few different ways to attack, different qualities to attack, and when one guy’s not scoring I think other guys are able to step up, and that’s definitely important for our team.

Prost Amerika: To move on to another subject, it’s getting toward that time of year when the expansion draft starts to happen and this year is fairly unique because there are two clubs and they’re both local. A lot of people are saying Nate Jaqua must be protected or Player X must be protected. But emotionally how does a player handle the uncertainty of waiting for a list to be published and not quite knowing what his fate will be?

Nate Jaqua: Right now we’re still in the season, so it’s not something we’re really thinking about. It’s obviously one where we have a deep team, and I think we have a lot of guys after you — over that eleven number where there are definitely guys that are — we could lose some guys next year. But right now we’re concentrating on the season and then we’ll deal with that after the season’s done.

Prost Amerika: There’s another one last challenge for you. You probably are well aware that you joint hold the record for US Open Cup goals this year with a young guy called Paulo Junior who scored five for Miami FC in the early rounds. He then went on and scored one for RSL in the CONCACAF Cup. You’ve got one game left in which to do that. Is it worth going and knocking on Sigi’s door saying you don’t want to be one-upped by this kid in Utah?

Nate Jaqua: I haven’t really thought about that. I’m excited to play in that next Tuesday game against Saprissa. We still want to do well in that. We want to get another win. Anytime you can play out at Qwest in front of our fans, it’s more about getting out there and beating them.

Prost Amerika: So there’s no atmosphere in the Sounders dressing room, that of recharging the battery before the playoffs, you’re going to keep trying to win the three remaining games?

Nate Jaqua: Yeah definitely. I’m not quite sure how we’re going to approach every game, but right now I think we’re going in to play Chivas this weekend, we’re going to put up the best team and get a victory there. I think we’ll give some opportunities to some guys in the Saprissa game obviously and rest some of the other guys. But no, we want to stay on a roll. It’s not one where you really want to take your foot off the pedal going into the playoffs . It’s one where you want to stay on a roll and keep winning.

2010 US Open Cup semifinals: Nate Jaqua wins second straight Player of the Round award

September 16, 2010 by Josh Hakala

Nate Jaqua of the Seattle Sounders has won TheCup.us Player of the Round award for his two-goal performance in the semifinals of the 2010 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Jaqua scored two of the Sounders’ three goals in a 3-1 win over Chivas USA to punch their ticket to their second straight Open Cup final. He edged out teammate Steve Zakuani for the honor, who assisted on two of the three goals.

The Player of the Round award is voted on by the staff at TheCup.us and a select panel of members from the North American Soccer Reporters.

Jaqua’s first goal was set up by Zakuani 10 minutes into the match. Zakuani made a run down the left wing and near the touch line, sent a cross into the box where he found Jaqua for the opening goal. Fredy Montero would add a second goal in the 59th (assisted by Zakuani), and Jesus Padilla pulled one back for Chivas USA in the 66th, but Jaqua would put put the game away in second half stoppage time.

With his second straight two-goal performance, Jaqua now has five goals, tying him with Miami FC’s Paulo Araujo Jr. for the tournament lead. The former University of Portland star now has seven career Open Cup goals, which ties him for 7th place on the Professional Era (1995-present) goalscoring chart.

Jaqua has a habit of scoring goals in big games in this competition. Prior to this year, his other two goals in tournament play helped his team win an Open Cup championship. Last year, he scored the opening goal in the Sounders’ 2-1 semifinal win over the Houston Dynamo. And back in 2006, Jaqua scored the first goal for the Chicago Fire against the Los Angeles Galaxy in the Open Cup final

When the Sounders take on the Columbus Crew at Qwest Field on October 5 for the Open Cup championship, it will be the fifth time in eight years that a team Jaqua is playing for has reached the final.

Nate Jaqua’s Open Cup goalscoring record

2010 Semifinals (Seattle Sounders): 2 goals in 3-1 win vs. Chivas USA
2010 Quarterfinals (Seattle Sounders): 2 goals in 2-0 win vs. Los Angeles Galaxy
2010 Third Round (Seattle Sounders): 1 goal in 1-1 draw vs. Portland Timbers (SEA advanced 4-3 in PK shootout)
2009 Semifinals (Seattle Sounders): 1 goal in 2-1 win vs. Houston Dynamo
2006 Final (Chicago Fire): 1 goal in 3-1 win vs. Los Angeles Galaxy

2010 US Open Cup Semifinals: Seattle Sounders will defend Open Cup title at home after 3-1 win vs. Chivas USA

September 2, 2010 by Jose M. Romero

The victory party for the 97^th US Open cup will go through the Emerald City, with the defending US Open Cup champion Seattle Sounders trying to make history with a chance to win a trophy in front of their home fans for the first time.

The Seattle Sounders, undefeated in Open Cup play on the FieldTurf of the Starfire Sports Complex in suburban Tukwila, advanced to the final with a 3-1 win over Chivas USA Wednesday night in front of a sold-out crowd of 4,547 fans. Seattle won the bid to host the game at Qwest Field if they reached the final, and will face the Columbus Crew on Oct. 5 for the chance to add a second trophy to their case.

By reaching the final, they become the first expansion team in the Professional Era (1995-present) to play in the final in their first two seasons as a franchise. If they are able to defeat the Crew, they will become the first club to repeat as champions since the New York Pancyprian Freedoms won the 1982 and 1983 Open Cups.

Seattle won the U.S. Open Cup in its inaugural season, 2009, at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. last September, defeating host D.C. United. Next month, it’s former Crew-turned Sounders coach Sigi Schmid facing Robert Warzycha, his former assistant in Ohio-turned Crew head coach, in a match for the hardware.

Nate Jaqua scored the game’s first and last goals, the clincher coming in stoppage time of the second half, and Fredy Montero added another for the Sounders, who found plenty of holes in Chivas’ defense all night.

Jaqua’s brace gives him seven career US Open Cup goals and five in this year’s tournament, tying him for the lead in the latter category with Paulo Araujo Jr. of Miami FC (USSF Division 2). His first goal came off a run down the left side by Steve Zakuani, who didn’t quit when he reached the touch line and centered to Jaqua for the put-away.

: Photo: Corky Trewin | Sounders FC

Montero gave Seattle a 2-0 lead in the 59^th minute, with Zakuani providing the assist again. Chivas USA rallied to make it 2-1 nine minutes later, with Jesus Padilla driving home a flick from Justin Braun, and it appeared the finish was going to be a thriller.

The Sounders took the air out of the ball and did a good job stalling and keeping possession, as goalkeeper Kasey Keller was barely threatened. They found an opening in the final minute with Chivas pushed forward for an equalizer, and Jaqua made them pay once again.

Scoring:
SEA – Nate Jaqua (Steve Zakuani) – 10th minute
SEA – Fredy Montero (Steve Zakuani) – 59th minute
CHV – Jesus Padilla (Justin Braun) – 66th minute
SEA – Nate Jaqua (Roger Levesque) – 90th+ minute

Misconduct Summary:
CHV – Paulo Nagamura (Yellow) – 51st minute
SEA – Osvaldo Alonso (Yellow) – 79th minute

Lineups:

SEA: Kasey Keller, James Riley, Tyrone Marshall, Taylor Graham, Leo Gonzalez, Alvaro Fernandez (Roger Levesque 83rd), Osvaldo Alonso, Nathan Sturgis (Mike Seamon 66th), Steve Zakuani (Jeff Parke 90+), Fredy Montero, Nate Jaqua.
Subs not used: Terry Boss, David Estrada, Michael Fucito, Zach Scott

CHV: Zach Thornton, Michael Umana, Mariano Trujillo, Ante Jazic, Dario Delgado, Marcelo Saragosa, Paulo Nagamura, Rodolfo Espinoza, Jonathan Bornstein (Michael Lahoud 45th), Justin Braun, Giancarlo Maldonado (Sal Zizzo). Subs: Kevin Guppy, Carlos Borja, Yamith Cuesta, Michael Lahoud, Jesus Padilla, Ben Zemanski, Sal Zizzo.

Stats:
Shots – Chivas USA 10:19 Seattle
Shots on goal – Chivas USA 6:9 Seattle
Saves – Chivas USA 6:5 Seattle
Fouls – Chivas 13:9 Seattle
Corner Kicks – Chivas USA 7:10 Seattle
Offsides – Chivas USA 3:1 Seattle

Referee: Ricardo Salazar
Referee’s Assistants: Colin Arblaster, Mike Kampmeinert.
4th Official: Josh Wilkens
Weather: Party Cloudy, 67 degrees
Attendance: 4,547

North American Soccer Reporters Links:
Zakuani a force in Sounders’ Open Cup victory (Andrew Winner, MLSSoccer.com)
Commentary: Goats doomed by lack of swagger (Jeffrey King, MLSSoccer.com)
Seattle player quotes | Chivas USA player quotes | Sigi Schmid & Adrien Hanauer quotes (Joshua Mayers, Seattle Times)

The victory party for the 97^th U.S. Open cup will go through the Emerald City, and the host team will also be the home team.

The Seattle Sounders, undefeated in Open Cup play on the FieldTurf of the Starfire Sports Complex in suburban Tukwila, advanced to the final with a 3-1 win over Chivas USA Wednesday night in front of 4,547 fans. Seattle won the bid to host the game at Qwest Field if they reached the final, and will face the Columbus Crew on Oct. 5 for the chance to add a second trophy to their case.

Nate Jaqua scored the game’s first and last goals, the clincher coming in extra time of the second half, and Fredy Montero added another for the Sounders, who found plenty of holes in Chivas’ defense all night.

Jaqua’s brace gave him seven career U.S. Open Cup goals and five in this year’s tournament, tying him for the lead in the latter category. His first goal came off a run down the left side by Steve Zakuani, who didn’t quit when he reached the touch line and centered to Jaqua for the put-away.

FULL MATCH VIDEO (FIRST HALF) – SoundersFC.com

FULL MATCH VIDEO (SECOND HALF) – SoundersFC.com

2010 US Open Cup Quarterfinals: Sounders FC’s Nate Jaqua scores brace and Player of the Round

August 4, 2010 by J.T. Alwin

Nate Jaqua scored both goals in the Seattle Sounders FC’s 2-0 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy in the US Open Cup quarterfinals. The win not only sent Seattle to the semifinals for the second consecutive year as a MLS side (and fourth straight year under the Sounders banner), but also served as revenge against LA.

TheGalaxy had beaten Seattle 3-1 three days before in Los Angeles. Jaqua’s clutch performance earned him the Player of the Round for the quarterfinals.

The award is voted on by the staff of TheCup.us and a select panel of members of the North American Soccer Reporters (www.soccerreporters.com).

Jaqua edged Justin Braun of Chivas USA for the award, who scored a pair of goals in the Goats’ 3-1 win over the Houston Dynamo. Both Braun and Jaqua will face off with their respective teams in the final four, which will be held at Starfire Soccer Complex in Tukwila, Wash. The game will be played September 1 at 10 p.m. Eastern Time.

Jaqua was gracious enough to make time to talk with Matt Gaschk of SoundersFC.com about his performance:

How important was the 2-0 win over LA for the Sounders?

Jaqua: It was big. Especially since we just played them and lost to them down there , so there was a bit of revenge there. There was also the Open Cup – we’re the defending champions and it’s something we want to defend. It was good for us and got us some motivation going forward. We’re in the semifinals now, so were one game away from the final and another chance to bring another championship back to Seattle.

You had two goals in that game, how were they set up?

They were both good service. One was bouncing around and I was able to get my head on it. The other one, Miguel Montano put a good ball in. If you make good runs and get to the right spots and we get good service, we’re going to score a lot of goals.

You were fresh off an injury at that point. How important was it for your confidence to go into a game and get a couple of goals?

It was big. I was trying to carry that over a little bit and had a bit of a setback with the injury, so now I’m just trying to get going again.

How much did that help the team in starting the run that you’re on now?

I can’t really pinpoint what it was that got us playing better and playing more as a team, but that was one step in the right direction. It’s something that we are trying to build going forward every game. We’re still not playing to our potential. I think we can still improve and get better and have everybody more on the same page and be the team we can be. I don’t think we’re there yet, but we’ve definitely made some good steps in the right direction.

How close does this team feel to the one that won the US Open Cup last year?

We’re really close. We’ve got the game at home at Starfire again and that will be a big lift. It’s fun playing out there. We’re definitely close. It’s just a matter of getting out and playing at home against Chivas. If we play the way we can and get that win we’ll be in the final again and anything can happen then.

2010 US Open Cup Quarterfinals: Sounders back in semifinals after Nate Jaqua’s brace vs. Galaxy

July 8, 2010 by Josh Hakala

The defending US Open Cup champion Seattle Sounders returned to the semifinals with a 2-0 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy on Wednesday night. In front of a sold-out crowd of 4,512 at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash., Nate Jaqua scored a pair of second half goals and Terry Boss kept a clean sheet to preserve the win.

While the Sounders have officially said that the USL franchise’s history is separate from the MLS team, it’s worth noting that this is the fourth year in a row that a team with the nickname of “Sounders” has reached the final four. Only the Chicago Fire (2003-2006) of Major League Soccer have accomplished that feat, winning the tournament in 2006 and 2003 and falling in the championship game in 2004.

The first goal didn’t arrive until the 50th minute when Seattle’s Miguel Montano fired a shot that hit the crossbar, and Jaqua was at the right place at the right time as he headed the loose ball into the back of the net.

About 12 minutes later, Montano created a second by sending in a cross from the left wing, finding Jaqua whose diving header gave the home team a two-goal cushion.

Boss only had to make two saves as the Sounders defense held the Galaxy to only 10 shots for the entire match.

Seattle will return to the Starfire Complex for the semifinals on September 1 as they will host Chivas USA, who are making their first-ever appearance in the final four. Kickoff is scheduled for 10 p.m. While this will be the first meeting between Seattle and Chivas in the Open Cup as MLS franchises, the USL Sounders eliminated Chivas in 2007 and 2008.

MLSSoccer.com Matchcenter

Scoring Summary:
SEA – Nate Jaqua 2 (Unassisted) 50’
SEA – Nate Jaqua 3 (Miguel Montano 1) 62’

Misconduct Summary:
LA – Alex Cazumba (Yellow Card) 45’
LA – Bryan Jordan (Yellow Card) 70’
SEA – David Estrada (Yellow Card) 89’
LA – Alan Gordon (Yellow Card) 89’

Lineups:
LA Galaxy: Josh Saunders; A.J. DeLaGarza, Leonardo (Sean Franklin 71’), Omar Gonzalez, Eddie Lewis; Chris Klein© (Dema Kovalenko 69’), Bryan Jordan, Jovan Kirovski (Juninho 72’), Alex Cazumba; Clint Mathis, Alan Gordon.

Subs Not Used: Donovan Ricketts, Todd Dunivant, Michael Stephens, Tristan Bowen.

Seattle Sounders FC: Terry Boss; Zach Scott, Jeff Parke, Patrick Ianni, Tyson Wahl; Sanna Nyassi, Nathan Sturgis, Mike Seamon (James Riley 78’), Miguel Montano (Leo Gonzalez 71’); Roger Levesque, Nate Jaqua© (David Estrada 86’).

Subs Not Used: Kasey Keller, Steve Zakuani, Pat Noonan, Fredy Monteo.

2010 US Open Cup Third Round: Sounders outlast Timbers in PKs to move on to quarterfinals

July 1, 2010 by Jose M. Romero

It took 120-plus minutes and penalty kicks, but the Seattle Sounders remained on track to defend their U.S. Open Cup.

And it was only fitting that an old Portland Timbers nemesis from back in the USL days, Sounders defender Zach Scott, was the one to seal the deal in this the greatest of Northwest derbies that will only intensify when both clubs are in MLS next year and beyond.

15,422 fans showed up for Wednesday's third round match, falling just short of last year's record-setting total. Photo: David Jacobson | Portland Timbers

Scott, the Sounders’ fifth PK shooter, converted to give the Rave Green a 2-1 win (4-3 on penalties), propelling the Sounders into the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals against the Los Angeles Galaxy in Seattle next week. The match is set for July 7 at 7:30 p.m. at the Starfire Sports Complex in nearby Tukwila.

Sounders FC, last year’s Open Cup champion in its inaugural season, got a stiff challenge from the host Timbers before 15,422 at PGE Park, a season-high attendance for a game in the Rose City. But Seattle held on late though the Timbers of USSF Division 2 were more the aggressors on offense.

The Timbers failed to avenge a home loss to the Sounders on July 1, 2009, also a U.S. Open Cup third-round game, and couldn’t take advantage of a one-man advantage during the overtime periods.

Seattle scored early to take a 1-0 lead, forward Nate Jaqua heading in a centering pass from Sanna Nyassi in the 13th minute. Jaqua was playing in only his second game of the season after a short substitute stint in Sounders FC’s loss at Philadelphia Sunday.

But the Timbers went on the attack, as forwards Ryan Pore and Bright Dike put pressure on the Sounders’ defense time after time.

Pore, a former trialist with Seattle during its inaugural season, set up Dike, a former first-round pick of the Columbus Crew in this year’s MLS Superdraft, for the equalizer in the 38th minute. Pore gathered in a failed clearance from Sounders defender Tyson Wahl and fed Dike, whose shot squirted under goalkeeper Kasey Keller’s arms and into the net.

Seattle opened with only two regular starters after playing in a match just three days earlier. They were Keller and defender James Riley. But Sounders coach Sigi Schmid showed a desire to win when he inserted fleet midfielder Steve Zakuani and scoring striker Fredy Montero into the match in the second half.

The game went into extra-time periods, and Sounders defender Taylor Graham was sent off with a second yellow card in the 101st minute when he fouled Dike just outside the box.

In the penalty-kick round, Keller saved a pair of shots, one from Pore, and Nate Sturgis, Steve Zakuani and Fredy Montero converted their PKs for Seattle.

Lineups:
POR: GK Cronin, D Thompson, D Danso, D Smith, D Joy, M Nimo (Lopez, 69), M McManus, M Marcelin (Keita, 109), M Suzuki (DeMartin 85), F Pore, F Dike

SEA: GK Keller, D Riley, D Scott, D Graham, D Wahl, M Nyassi, M Sturgis, M Seamon (Ianni, 102), M Montano (Zakuani, 69), F Levesque, F Jaqua (Montero, 65)

Scoring Summary:
SEA: Jaqua (Nyassi), 13
POR: Dike (Pore), 38

PK Shootout Summary:
POR: Pore – Save (0-0)
SEA: Sturgis – Goal (0-1)
POR: DeMartin – Goal (1-1)
SEA: Zakuani – Goal (1-2)
POR: Danso – Goal (2-2)
SEA: Montero – Goal (2-3)
POR: Smith – Save (2-3)
SEA: Ianni – Miss (2-3)
POR: Lopez – Goal (3-3)
SEA: Scott – Goal (3-4)

HIGHLIGHTS / POST-GAME

2009 Semifinals: Sounders reach 1st Final with late equalizer, OT winner; beat Houston Dynamo 2-1 (video)

July 21, 2009 by Aaron Stollar

The weather was perfect for soccer in Tukwila for the Seattle Sounders’ Semifinal US Open Cup match against MLS Western Conference rivals Houston Dynamo. The two teams had met this past week in league play with Seattle coming out on top 2-1 victors and in front of a sold-out crowd of Sounders faithful at the Starfire Sports Complex, they repeated the feat but needed extra time to do it.

It was Houston who struck first with an Ade Akinbiyi strike after 32 minutes of play. Houston looked strong early despite having few regulars and tried to make the most of their goal by eating up the clock. Play was rough with Houston unwilling to go down twice in one week while the Sounders tried to breach the Open Cup Semifinal barrier.

Nate Jaqua sported a bandaged head from a collision early in the game that continued to bleed however his pain would turn to pleasure when his 89th minute goal saved his team from elimination. Sebastien Le Toux played a ball into the box and Roger Levesque one-timed it to Jaqua who’s shot deflected off a defender and into the goal.

Seattle had battled furiously into the closing minutes and their effort was rewarded as they continued forcing chances into the overtime period. It was Stephen King that brought the Sounders their go ahead goal five minutes into the overtime to the relief of the fans. Steve Zakuani took his defender one-on-one on the left wing, played a ball on the ground into the box and Le Toux got the slightest of touches to the center of the box where King was there on the doorstep to bury it into the top part of the net. Despite losing All-Star defender Jhon Kennedy Hurtado to a second yellow caution, the Sounders held on to defeat Houston and advance to the Open Cup Final to face defending champions DC United on September 2.

Despite having a rich and successful history as part of the USL First Division, the Seattle Sounders’ MLS expansion team is considered a completely brand new franchise, putting them in position to become the first expansion team since the Chicago Fire in 1998 to win the tournament in their inaugural season. The Sounders become the first Seattle-based team to reach the Open Cup Final since the Mitre Eagles did it in 1987.

HIGHLIGHTS: HOUSTON DYNAMO AT SEATTLE SOUNDERS

2009 US Open Cup Round 3: Rivalry thrives across league lines; record crowd watches Sounders edge Timbers

July 1, 2009 by Aaron Stollar

Nate Jaqua celebrates Roger Levesque's goal with Sebastien Le Toux — Nate Jaqua celebrates Roger Levesque’s goal with Sebastien Le Toux | Photo: Seattle Sounders F.C.

In the most anticipated US Open Cup non-Final game in years, the Seattle Sounders and the Portland Timbers met at PGE Park in front of 16,382 fans, the largest non-doubleheader, non-final game in the Modern Era (1995-present) of Open Cup history; many of them were traveling from Seattle to watch their team play their longtime Cascadia rivals. Those traveling fans were treated to a 2-1 Sounders win in the Rose City, giving them a 2-1 edge all-time in the Open Cup.

The Sounders started right out of the gate only 48 seconds in as Roger Levesque, who could be considered the most hated player on the team by Timbers fans, put home a diving header from Sanna Nyassi to give Seattle the early lead. Later, in the 27th minute, Stephen King receives a pass from Nate Jaqua and makes the most of it, blasting it inside the far post to give the Sounders a 2-0 lead.

The Timbers, however, wouldn’t go down without a fight. Mere minutes before half, in the 43rd, Mandjou Keita finds a pass from David Hayes in the box and volleys it past Sounders keeper (and former Timber) Kasey Keller to pull Portland within one.

Portland had plenty of chances in the second half to try and equalize, but it wasn’t to be. Seattle one-ups its rival 2-1 at PGE Park to move on to the Quarterfinals, where they will take on the Kansas City Wizards next Tuesday at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: SEATTLE SOUNDERS VS. PORTLAND TIMBERS