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2011 US Open Cup Quarterfinal Bracket D: Kitsap Pumas at Seattle Sounders; LA Blues at LA Galaxy

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THIRD ROUND

Kitsap Pumas at Seattle Sounders
June 29, 10 p.m. ET  Starfire Sports Stadium; Tukwila, Wash.
Video/Audio: Video: Seattle; Audio: Kitsap

Los Angeles Blues at Los Angeles Galaxy
June 28, 10:30 p.m. ET  Titan Stadium (CSUF); Fullerton, Calif.
Video/Audio: TBA

Kitsap Pumas

Founded in 2009 by a former co-owner of the USL Seattle Sounders, the Pumas have been a dominant force playing as a professional side in the PDL, reaching the postseason in its first two years.

First Round: Kitsap Pumas (PDL) 0:0 (6:5 in PKs) El Paso Patriots (PDL)
The Pumas battled with host El Paso in the hot Texas summer to a scoreless stalemate over 120 minutes in the First Round Tuesday. Penalties to break the tie also went into extra time as the match needed nine rounds to decide a winner with Kitsap coming out on top 6-5. Recap [+]

Second Round: Real Colorado Foxes (PDL) 1:3 Kitsap Pumas (PDL)
In a showdown of PDL unbeatens, the Pumas grabbed the initial lead through Cameron Hepple 17 minutes in, only to see the visitors get level six minutes later via an own goal from Steve Mohn. Robbie Christner restored the advantage just before the break in the 43rd, and provided some insurance with another goal two minutes before the close of the game. Recap [+]

Path to Open Cup: For the third consecutive year, it was a neck-and-neck race with Portland. This year’s berth came down to a complete deadlock on all tiebreakers, with the two sides having played to a scoreless draw in their lone meeting. Instead of using a lottery, the two clubs and league office agreed to use an unprecedented ‘fifth match’ to serve as the tiebreaker ,as they were scheduled to meet in the regular season the Friday after qualifying concluded. Kitsap opened with a 3-0 victory at home versus the Crossfire with Warlen Silva providing a goal and assist. A week later they played to the stalemate against the Timbers. On the final qualifying weekend, the Pumas won 6-1 at Tacoma with Matt Friesen scoring twice, They finished with Friesen scoring in a 1-0 win at North Sound, leaving them vulnerable to Portland’s result, however, the Timbers only managed a 2-0 win later that night, creating the table deadlock.  In the tiebreaker match, Kitsap jumped to a two-goal lead via Robbie Christner and Nik Besagno, only to see Portland fight back in a thriller. A Brent Richards goal cut the deficit, but Christner added a second in the 66th to restore the lead before Brian Burke was sent off, allowing the hosts to make a late charge in hopes of penalties only to come up short, 3-2.

This Month in USL PDL: Kitsap was idle this week in league play after defeating fellow PDL side Real Colorado in the Open Cup. The previous week the Pumas posted a 4-1 win over visiting Abbotsford June 17. Brian Burke tallied to give the lead to Kitsap, who saw goalkeeping star Zach Lubin from the First Round match sent off in the 72nd. Abbotsford then leveled before the Pumas tallied two unanswered from Nik Besagno and Matt Friesen shorthanded. They opened the month with a pair of road victories, downing Washington Crossfire 2-1 June 8 and the Portland Timbers U23s in a wild 3-2 decision June 3. The team is 8-0-1 in the PDL Northwest Division.

Open Cup History: The Pumas have yet to miss the tournament in three years of play, making them the first PDL team to qualify in each of their first three years. Only two other teams have accomplished that.  They had been haunted by the senior Portland Timbers club, who have knocked them out twice as a member of the second division. They were blanked 3-0 in the first round of the 2009 tournament and downed 4-1 last year in the second round with Nik Besagno scoring the team’s lone goal. They opened with a 4-2 overtime win against the Bay Area Ambassadors (USASA/NPSL).
PRO ERA RECORDS: 3-2-0 overall | 0-1-0 vs. pro teams (0-0-0 vs. MLS)

Seattle Sounders

How They Qualified: Automatic entrant from top six MLS finish in 2010.

Photo: Jane Gershovich | Prost Amerika Soccer

This Month in MLS: Seattle won the first of two games this week, downing the New York Red Bulls Thursday evening 4-2, in a game where a two-goal lead from Erik Friberg and Osvaldo Alonso was erased, before Roger Levesque scored two off the bench. They played host to the New England Revolution Sunday, coming from behind for a 2-1 win on goals from Tyson Wahl and Alvaro Fernandez. The Sounders played their third match of the month June 18 in Toronto, edging the hosts on a 90th free kick from Fredy Montero, after playing nearly the entire second half down a man from Jhon Kennedy Hurtado’s send-off. Seattle opened the month with a scoreless draw in Chicago June 4 with Keller in goal, and played a 2-2 stalemate at home against Northwest rival Vancouver Whitecaps June 11. Seattle saw the Whitecaps steal the draw after the Sounders had rallied to take the lead on goals from Mauro Rosales and Osvaldo Alonso in a wild finish.
Last Five: W-W-W-D-D | Season Record: 8-4-7 (5-2-3 Home), Tied for second in Western Conference, Second Overall.

Open Cup History: Sounders FC set out to become a force in the Open Cup during their 2009 inaugural year, and did just that. They became the first expansion team since Chicago Fire in 1998 to take the Cup, winning 2-1 against DC United. They then turned around and made more history in 2010, as they became the first team since the New York Pancyprian Freedoms in 1982 and 1983 to win back-to-back Open Cups. Their victims this time were the Columbus Crew, the final score 2-1 in front of the largest Final crowd ever. Seattle has earned both titles, only playing non-MLS opposition twice (defeating the Portland Timbers in the Third Round both years). The first Puget Sound Showdown against Kitsap marks the first time the team has played a non-first or second division side.
PRO ERA RECORDS: 7-0-1 (1-0 in PKs) overall | 2-0-0 vs. Non-MLS Teams (0-0-0 vs. PDL)

Note: A USL team also called the Seattle Sounders made 12 Open Cup appearances from 1995-2008 and made history with back-to-back trips to the Semifinals in 2007 and 2008. The USL franchise’s history is officially not recognized by the MLS franchise, nor by the Kitsap Pumas, who gained the USL Sounders’ franchise rights.

Los Angeles Blues

Founded in 2010 by the ownership of the successful Pali Blues W-League team, the side is in its debut season in USL Pro.

First Round:  Hollywood United (NPSL) 1:3 LA Blues (USL Pro)
Despite playing a man down since Leo Griffin was sent off in the 19th minute, LA’s Mehrshad Momeni scored once in each half to give the Blues a two-goal lead in the First Round. Hollywood would answer but after both sides saw a red card late each, Gerardo Bravo sealed it for the Blues. Recap [+]

Second Round: LA Blues (USL Pro) 1:0 Ventura County Fusion (PDL)
In a closely fought contest, the professional club came out on top with a strike from Israel Sesay just before halftime, putting away a rebound after a Chukwudi Chijindu breakaway was stuffed point blank by Fusion goalkeeper Sam Hayden. Recap [+]

This Month in USL Pro: Aside from the Open Cup contests, the Blues were idle in June prior to Friday’s first of two meetings against visiting Harrisburg City Islanders on the weekend. LA found themselves trailing in the 53rd minute, but answered back six minutes later when Chijindu found Josh Tudela for the equalizer in a 1-1 draw. They finished the weekend with a 2-1 loss to the City Islanders, getting a consolation strike from Sesay eight minutes from time. The team is 5-3-3 and sits third in the USL Pro National Division.

Path to Open Cup: Automatic entrant from USL Pro.

Open Cup History: First appearance in the tournament.

Los Angeles Galaxy

Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Galaxy.

How They Qualified: Automatic entrant from top six MLS finish in 2010.

This Month in MLS: On Saturday, Los Angeles earned a scoreless draw under unlikely circumstances in San Jose, losing starting keeper Donovan Ricketts to an apparent broken arm early and then Josh Saunders to a red card just before halftime, leaving midfielder Mike Magee as the netminder for the remainder of the match. The Galaxy played their third match of the month in Colorado June 18 , posting a 3-1 victory with Juninho doubling the advantage after an own goal and Chad Barrett securing the victory late. They opened the month with the first of two draws, finishing in a scoreless stalemate against DC United June 3 with Josh Saunders in goal. On June 11 they hosted Toronto in a 2-2 draw with two go-ahead goals from Chris Birchall and Juan Pablo Angel.
Last Five: D-W-D-D-W | Season Record: 9-2-8 (4-0-4 Home), first in Western Conference, first Overall.

Open Cup History: The Galaxy have had a considerable amount of success in the Open Cup, winning two championships in 2001 and 2005, as well as finishing as runners-up in 2002 and 2006. Since falling short to the Chicago Fire in the 2006 Final, the Galaxy were upset by the Richmond Kickers (3rd Division) and then failed to qualify the next two years. In 2010, they returned to the tournament where they beat AC St. Louis of the NASL (2nd Division) before losing to eventual champion Seattle Sounders FC in the quarterfinals.
PRO ERA RECORD: 21-8-1 (1-0 in PKs) overall | 11-2-0 vs. Non-MLS teams

Local History: Since teams from Los Angeles began participating in the Open Cup in 1954, LA-area clubs have reached 24 Open Cup Finals, winning 10 of those games.

2011 US Open Cup Quarterfinal Scenarios

LA Galaxy / LA Blues at Seattle Sounders
Starfire Sports Stadium – Tukwila, Wash. – 10:00 pm ET
OR
Kitsap Pumas at LA Galaxy
Titan Stadium – Fullerton, Calif. – 10:30 pm ET
OR
LA Blues at Kitsap Pumas
Bremerton Memorial Stadium – Bremerton, Wash. – 10:00 pm ET

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2011 Gold Cup & US Open Cup: The Overlap

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Rafael Marquez is away with Gold Cup favorite Mexico, which could affect Third Round Red Bulls roster

Beyond the obvious fact that the first two rounds of the 2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup occur during the current edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup that kicked off Sunday, there is some extended overlap with players. The overlap will come when the Major League Soccer teams enter the competition in the Third Round, set for June 28 – three days after the Gold Cup Final.

Six of the eight MLS clubs playing in the US Open Cup this year have a total 17 players away for national team duty for the Gold Cup, representing 10 of the 12 nations (excludes Cuba & Panama).

International duty has long led to the traditional argument from MLS coaches excusing multitudes of players from Open Cup play to ensure they are properly rested for league competition. That rationale will likely come into play as the New York Red Bulls (5), Sporting Kansas City (4) and Real Salt Lake (4*) each have at least three players in action at the Gold Cup.

Perhaps hardest hit are the Red Bulls, who have three players for the CONCACAF heavyweights Mexico (Rafael Marquez) and USA (Tim Ream, Juan Agudelo) that will likely be in action in the June 25 Final. On top of that, New York arguably has the toughest MLS schedule on either side of the Open Cup Third Round road matches in Chicago on the 26th and San Jose the following Saturday.

And then there is the case of injury. On Monday Kansas City’s Craig Rocastle went down after a collision playing against Jamaica shortly before halftime. Grenada took him out of the game during the break.

Landon Donovan will lead US in Gold Cup, has Champions League in future. What will that mean for US Open Cup?

The Los Angeles Galaxy, who have Donovan Ricketts (Jamaica) and Landon Donovan (USA) on international duty, also have the Champions League in their future, which will no doubt create discussion amongst Bruce Arena’s coaching staff about conserving player energy.

The other two Open Cup and Champions League clubs, FC Dallas and Seattle Sounders, are not in that situation as of yet. The two sides were the only ones among the eight MLS US Open Cup participants that did not have any players leave for the Gold Cup.

One thing is for certain. No matter what the coaches of the clubs in question decide to do, it will not have as big of an impact as the 1996 US Open Cup when the Colorado Foxes withdrew from the tournament after losing five Jamaican players to the Gold Cup, prompting the Colorado Rapids to fulfill their spot.

2011 US Open Cup Clubs & Players in Gold Cup

New York Red Bulls: Rafael Marquez (Mexico), Dane Richards (Jamaica), Dwayne DeRosario (Canada), Tim Ream (USA), Juan Agudelo (USA)

Sporting Kansas City: Craig Rocastle (Grenada), Roger Espinoza (Honduras), Shavar Thomas (Jamaica), Stephane Auvray (Guadeloupe)

Real Salt Lake: Alvaro Saborio (Costa Rica), Arturo Alvarez (El Salvador), Will Johnson (Canada), Nick Rimando* (USA) – *Rimando on call as 3rd GK, staying with RSL unless needed

LA Galaxy: Donovan Ricketts (Jamaica), Landon Donovan (USA)

Chicago Fire: Marco Pappa (Guatemala)

Columbus Crew: Robbie Rogers (USA)

FC Dallas: None

Seattle Sounders: None

2011 US Open Cup qualifying updates: MLS play-in tournament underway

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Tony Tchani (23) of the New York Red Bulls battles for the ball against Joseph Niouky (23) of the New England Revolution during last year's MLS qualifying tournament. | Photo: RBNY/Getty Images

For the fifth year in a row, Major League Soccer (MLS) will conduct a play-in tournament to narrow the number of teams that enter the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Beginning on June 28, eight MLS clubs will join the 98th edition of the tournament in the third round, with the top six MLS teams based on the 2010 league standings automatically qualifying. The 10 remaining US-based clubs are left to fight for the last two spots.

Below are the matchups as well as which team will host each match, as determined by a coin flip at MLS headquarters. The dates, times and locations will be announced at a later date.

Automatic qualifiers: Columbus Crew, FC Dallas, Los Angeles Galaxy, New York Red Bulls, Real Salt Lake, Seattle Sounders FC

2011 MLS qualifying bracket

First Round

(8) Chivas USA 0:2 (10) Portland Timbers – RECAP
Tuesday, March 29 – 10 p.m. EST | Merlo Field (Portland, Ore.)

(7) Philadelphia 2:2 (9) DC United – RECAP
DC advances 4-2 in PKs
April 6, 7:30 p.m. | Maryland Soccerplex (Boyds, Md.)

Second Round

(2) San Jose Earthquakes 1:0 (10) Portland Timbers – RECAP
After Extra Time
May 3, 10:30 p.m. EST | Jeld-Wen Field (Portland, Ore.)

(6) New England 3:2 (9) DC United – RECAP
April 26, 7:30 p.m. EST | Maryland Soccerplex (Boyds, Md.)

(1) Colorado Rapids 1:2 (4) Chicago Fire – RECAP
March 30, Shea Stadium (Peoria, Ill.)

(3) Sporting Kansas City 1:0 (5) Houston Dynamo – RECAP
After Extra Time
April 6, 8 p.m. EST – Aggie Soccer Stadium (College Station, Tx.)

Third Round*

(4) Chicago Fire 2:2 (2) San Jose Earthquakes – RECAP
Chicago qualifies for the 2011 US Open Cup, 5-4 in PKs
May 24, 10:30 p.m. EST – Buck Shaw Stadium (Santa Clara, Calif.)

(6) New England Revolution 0:5 (3) Sporting Kansas City – RECAP
Kansas City qualifies for the 2011 US Open Cup
May 25, 8:30 p.m. EST – Blue Valley District Activities Complex (Overland Park, Kan.)

MLS qualifying team profiles

Chicago Fire: The MLS team with the most Open Cup titles (4) only had to qualify one time and only had to play one game to qualify for that tournament in 2008. They defeated the Columbus Crew 3-2 and they would advance to the quarterfinals that year, losing to DC United.

Chivas USA: Has never had to qualify for the US Open Cup

Colorado Rapids: The Rapids share the unfortunate distinction with Real Salt Lake as the club who has played the most qualifying matches over the last four seasons. Which only means a lot of heartbreak for their fans, as Colorado has a 3-2-2 record (1-1 in PKs) and after advancing in 2007, the Rapids have fallen one game short in each of the last three years. In 2010, they lost to the New York Red Bulls, 3-0.

DC United: In two years (2009, 2010), DC has never lost a qualifying match, with a perfect 4-0 record. Last year, United advanced to the semifinals where they lost to the Columbus Crew, and in 2009, they joined fellow qualifying survivor Seattle Sounders FC, by reaching the championship game. Seattle won the final 2-1 at RFK Stadium.

Houston Dynamo: Houston has never had to qualify for the US Open Cup.

New England Revolution: Last year was the first time New England has had to qualify for the Open Cup, and they lost in the semifinals, 3-0, to the New York Red Bulls.

Philadelphia Union: In their inaugural season last year, the Union lost their first qualifying match, 2-1 to the New York Red Bulls.

Portland Timbers: 2011 MLS expansion club

San Jose Earthquakes: The Earthquakes have never won a qualifying match (0-2-1), failing to advance each of the last three years. The closest they came was last year, when they drew 3-3 with Real Salt Lake, but fell short in the shootout.

Sporting Kansas City: The club formerly known as the Wizards have also never won a qualifying game (0-2-1, 1-0 in PKs). The only time they advanced was when they defeated the Colorado Rapids in a penalty kick shootout to qualify for the 2008 US Open Cup.

Hosting MLS qualifying games (2007-2010)

Chicago: 1 game, 1 home, 0 away (1-0)
Colorado: 7 games, 2 home, 5 away (3-2-2, 1-1 in PKs)
Columbus: 3 games, 2 home, 1 away (1-2-0)
DC United: 4 games, 4 home, 0 away (4-0-0)
FC Dallas: 2 games, 0 home, 2 away (0-2-0)
Los Angeles: 4 games, 2 home, 2 away (2-1-1, 0-1 in PKs)
New England: 1 game, 0 home, 1 away (0-1-0)
New York: 6 games, 3 home, 3 away (4-2-0)
Philadelphia: 1 game, 0 home, 1 away (0-1-0)
Real Salt Lake: 7 games, 2 home, 5 away (2-4-1, 1-0 in PKs)
San Jose: 3 games, 2 home, 1 away (0-2-1, 0-1 in PKs)
Seattle: 2 games, 2 home, 0 away (2-0-0)
Sporting Kansas City: 3 games, 2 home, 1 away (0-2-1, 1-0 in PKs)

More: USSF announces 2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup team allocations, dates

State of the US Open Cup: After 97 years, is the tournament finally starting to arrive?

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Photo: Jane Gershovich | Prost Amerika Soccer

Writing editorials is not my thing. I tend to keep the material on TheCup.us to strictly reporting and keeping people informed about the tournament (someone has to) but I thought it was appropriate to write a kind of, “State of the Open Cup” piece. This is not the umpteenth “how to fix the open cup” article (although I have a couple suggestions), or a list of complaints (I think most of us are aware of the competition’s shortcomings) — but rather a statement of where I think we are.

The US Open Cup has a long history but 2010 might have proven that it has an even better future. The competition has admittedly gone through some stages of near dormancy, but as of 2010, it seems to be stronger than ever but still has a very long way to go.

The record crowd of over 30,000 at this year’s final in Seattle testified to a great degree of interest in that soccer-mad town and proved that with proper marketing, the competition can appeal to the soccer fans of this country. It is probably only fair to give due credit to the marketing folks in the Sounders front office who apparently threw all the skills and resources they could muster at selling tickets for the final and promoting their tournament games.

It has to be said that the City of Seattle and Sounders FC are at the forefront of this revival in the cup’s fortunes, and those of us who follow the tournament closely hope that this level of excitement isn’t limited to just the Emerald City. Since the Sounders entered MLS, they have won the Cup twice (2009, 2010), and prior to joining the league, the USL franchise of the same name earned back-to-back semifinal appearances in 2007 and 2008. The question becomes, was this purely a Seattle thing or does it take four straight semifinal appearances and a couple of championships to reach this level of enthusiasm and interest?

We won’t know if the crowds in Seattle got the attention of the casual soccer fan until next year’s tournament, but I would like to think that four-digit attendances for the championship game are a thing of the past. However, in reality, as long as the title game continues to be held midweek, that will continue to be an issue.

Feurstein’s Fire
Another independent media outlet who did a great job of covering the US Open Cup is Daniel Feurstein’s podcast “Feurstein’s Fire.” Daniel provided fans throughout the tournament with previews and recaps of each round and interviews with the players and coaches involved with the competition.
Check out Feurstein’s Fire’s podcast archive

The only thing fans of the US Open Cup can hope is that the pro teams in this country, and most of all the United States Soccer Federation, were taking notes of Seattle’s marketing efforts. Will we see 30,000 on a Tuesday night for next year’s final at a non-Seattle venue next year? I hope so. But one game does not a tournament make. MLS, with their greater resources, should not be getting outdrawn by PDL teams in early round games. Sure, it’s hard to get MLS fans to get out to support their team against a lower division club they’ve never heard of. If that’s the case, maybe lower division teams, for the good of the tournament, need to get preference in hosting games? (The flawed bidding process is a whole other monster)

The fact that there are soccer fans in this country who are unaware of this tournament is really the biggest tragedy. Is it that hard to ‘sell’ a tournament like this? Whenever I am interviewed about the Open Cup, the most popular question is, “How can the US Open Cup become more popular?” I believe the answer is simple. Tell the fans about it. Hell, I don’t even have trouble selling the tournament to non-soccer fans. I’ve had co-workers at my full-time job ask about the website that I run, and I tell them about the tournament. I usually put it in baseball terms and that does the trick. “Imagine if the Lansing Lugnuts (or insert any local minor league baseball team, or you can even use the local beer league team as an example) had a chance to play against the New York Yankees in a single elimination, March Madness-style tournament.” Sold.

But there are reasons for optimism.

We can point to the growing number of visitors to TheCup.us, and our social media accounts like Twitter (@USOpenCup – which, as of writing this, has over 2,400 followers) and Facebook which have seen increased numbers. Which is impressive considering we don’t have an advertising budget (or any kind of budget), so people are seeking out the tournament on their own.

The increase in viewers is also impressive considering the history section still hasn’t been fully moved over from the old USOpenCup.com website (USOpenCup.com now points to USSoccer.com — here’s the reason why, in case you missed it). This delay is due, in large part, to the fact that very few people work on this website, and all of our available time was making sure we covered the 2010 tournament. Real life gets in the way sometimes.

ProstAmerika.com US Open Cup coverage
Prost Amerika not only produced a tremendous, accurate and fair match report at the Final but they preceded it with the best build up coverage with a strong 25 minute interview with a Crew broadcaster Neil Sika, exclusive interviews with Sounders players, top quality photographs including the most comprehensive Cup Final gallery, and then a follow up interview with Player of the Tournament Nate Jaqua. The site also covered earlier rounds, traveling to matches not involving the Sounders to provide comprehensive coverage to clubs such as the Kitsap Pumas and both Portland Timbers games.

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 – TheCup.us Player of the Tournament

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

The goal for this off-season is to get most of it posted on the site before the 2011 tournament begins next Spring. Certainly, if you are passionate about the tournament and would like to contribute, we would love to hear from you. (EMAIL HERE)

Another reason for optimism is the press coverage that continues to improve with each passing year. The success of the Sounders, we saw a huge spike in interest out West, where there was unprecedented coverage in quantity as well as quality.

One of the websites that caught my eye was ProstAmerika.com, which is based in Seattle, but isn’t just a Sounders website. They certainly give the home team tremendous coverage, but they strive for impartiality in their work rather than reflecting a home team bias, all the while providing league-wide and local soccer coverage.

Since I wasn’t able to make the trip from Michigan to Seattle for the championship game, I needed someone to cover the final for me, so I contacted Prost Amerika editor and fellow North American Soccer Reporters member, Steve Clare, to write our Cup Final match report.

(Fun fact: As sad as it may be, it’s true … the guy who runs TheCup.us hasn’t been to an Open Cup Final since 2002 in Columbus)

The quality of his match reports is already recognized in Seattle, having won the Emerald City Supporters award for Sounders Match Report of the Year every year since the inception of the award beating out the mainstream press and the club itself. The site was covering the Open Cup the way it was meant to be covered, and after a well-written match report and other post-game coverage, we hope to work together with Prost Amerika in the future.

So the competition, one of the oldest in world soccer, begins qualification for the 2011 tournament this month. The Wisconsin state qualifier, unfortunately, only had one entry so Bavarian SC has punched their ticket to the Region II tournament.

The television rights for the tournament are up in the air for 2011, which could play a big role in the promotion of the Open Cup. Hopefully wherever it lands, it will include more than just the final. Anyone who follows the Cup, or any knockout competition, knows that the best drama happens in the early rounds.

There’s a lot to fix, we all know that. But if 31,311 can get together to watch an Open Cup game on a Tuesday night, maybe there’s some reason for optimism.

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

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Nate Jaqua celebrates one of his two goals against the Los Angeles Galaxy in the semifinals. Photo: Seattle Sounders FC

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 SuccessUS 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.

Nate Jaqua scored two goals for the second straight US Open Cup game. Photo: Corky Trewin | Sounders FC

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.

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 Final: Record crowd sees Seattle Sounders become first repeat champion since 1983

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Seattle Sounders FC: 2010 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup champions

Sanna Nyassi became the first player in the Modern Era (1995-present) to score twice in the US Open Cup Final as the Seattle Sounders FC retained the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, defeating the Columbus Crew 2-1 in front of 31,311, the largest crowd to ever witness a US Open Cup final. With that win, the Sounders became the first team to repeat as champions since the New York Pancyprian Freedoms accomplished the feat in 1982-83.

Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid dispensed with Leo Gonzalez entirely to allow Sanna Nyassi to start, and remain within the allocation of foreigners. Meanwhile, his Crew counterpart Robert Warzycha selected Andy Gruenebaum in goal rather than Will Hesmer, opting for the keeper who had performed so well in getting them to this final. Other than that, it was the same outfield ten that played in their last MLS game. Blaise Nkufo was preferred over Nate Jaqua.

Montero had a gilt edge chance as early as the 2nd minute. James Riley swung in a cross from the right, but Montero mistimed his jump and headed into Gruenebaum’s arms. An early indication of one of the key battles came when Emmanuel Ekpo took on Tyson Wahl down the Columbus right. On this occasion honors were even, Ekpo failing to beat the left back but managing to get the ball behind him. The cross however was hurried and sailed harmlessly past.

Sanna Nyassi of the Seattle Sounders made history with two goals in the 2010 US Open Cup final. Photo by Rick Morrison

Steve Zakuani got his first chance to run at Frankie Hedjuk in the 6th minute. Hedjuk looked as puzzled as ever and backed off until Zakuani was able to cross the ball to Blaise Nkufo. The veteran of the Swiss Cup Final in 1998 could only flick the ball straight at the goalkeeper.

Seattle striker Fredy Montero was lucky to escape an early booking after tripping Crew midfielder Eddie Gaven in the 11th minute. There was plenty defensive backup with rendered the foul even more needlessly. Patrick Ianni was very alert to intercept a Guillermo Barros Schelotto flick aimed at Steven Lenhart. Seconds later Gaven drilled a long range effort over the bar. Columbus had achieved their first aspiration of not conceding an early goal and were becoming more adventurous.

Zakuani abandoned the left and caused some danger down the center channel in the 16th minute. He ran through the heart of the Crew defense and flicked the ball to Montero. Gruenebaum spilled the Colombian’s shot, but gathered at the second attempt.

The Sounders had a period of sustained pressure in the 18th minute, all started when Zakuani snuck inside Chad Marshall. Zakuani’s cross went across the face of the goal inspiring panic from Columbus, but no finish from Seattle.

Just before the 20th minute, Columbus carved out the best chance of the match. A beautiful Schelotto flick found Ekpo who laid the ball back to Gaven from inside the penalty area. Nearly eight yards out, Gaven should have put the visitors ahead. He snapped at the ball and sent it embarrassingly over the bar, a scant reward for one of the better players on the park at that point.

Montero had been lucky to escape a yellow for an earlier tackle and was even luckier when he crashed into Ekpo from behind. James Riley was about to be the next Sounders player to benefit from Michael Kennedy’s generosity in the 23rd. However referee Kennedy finally produced the yellow for another foul on Gaven, probably for persistent fouling by the Sounders. It was a little harsh on James Riley who was paying for team indiscretions, mostly Montero’s.

The Crew took the lead in the 24th minute, with  Frankie Hejduk as the offensive instigator. He found Lenhart who was allowed to turn inside the box and rolled the ball back to Kevin Burns. Burns succeeded where Gaven had failed minutes before and slotted the ball into the inside corner down to Kasey Keller’s right. It was a goal Columbus deserved, as they had looked the more dangerous of the sides after defending for the first ten minutes. Although Lenhart was given the sole assist, the goal was the culmination of a 5-man slick passing move involving those three, Schelotto and defender Brian Carroll.

A yellow was given to Shaun Francis in the 28th minute for a studs up tackle on Nate Sturgis. Merely yellow was being kind to Francis. On another day it could have easily been a red but neither side was showing any dissent to a referee being equally lenient to both sides.

The Sounders had an injury scare after Osvaldo Alonso tangled with Lenhart. Alonso was probably more sinner than sinned against but a better explanation was of two players going for a 50-50 ball with total commitment.

Montero committed his third foul, this time on Schelotto prompting Chad Marshall it was about time he was cautioned. However it seemed that Riley had got the card for his one foul and Montero’s three.

Sanna Nyassi became the first MLS player to score multiple goals in a US Open Cup final. Photo: Jane Gershovich | Prost Amerika Soccer

The Sounders equalized in the 38th minute and it was Sanna Nyassi who scored for the second game running. Gruenebaum attempted to punch a looping Tyson Wahl cross from the left. Under pressure from Nyassi, the keeper made very little impact on the ball which landed at the feet of Sturgis. He slipped the ball back to Nyassi who, seeing Gruenebum still off his line fired home powerfully behind the keeper.

Carroll was the next player to tempt Michael Kennedy to reach into his pocket. He was booked in the 41st minute while preventing Zakuani getting anywhere near Hedjuk.

Seattle constructed a beautiful passing move between Montero and Zakuani. Zakuani seemed destined to unload a shot on target until Marshall superbly dispossessed him using only his excellent reading of the game and his body weight to win the ball without even making a tackle. It was the art of defending at its best.

The Sounders began the second half the stronger without really troubling Gruenebaum. The keeper caught a Sturgis corner cleanly but that was his only action in the first 15 minutes of the second half even though Sounders had more possession. Montero and Riley combined to win a corner after a trailing leg deflected an effort wide. Gruenebaum came for the corner and missed again but Jeff Parke headed the free ball over.

He did foil Zakuani brilliantly seconds later after Hejduk had let him through, diving low down at the midfielder’s feet. Keller was finally called into action in the 63rd minute when Eddie Gaven ended another passing move with a long range effort. The veteran keeper held the ball cleanly.

Nyassi scored a second in the 66th minute after chaos in the Crew defence Nkufo hit the bar with a header but the ball bounced down in front of him and Hejduk. Nkufo anticipated the bounce first. With Gruenbaum stranded behind the goal line, Nyassi put the ball into the net.

Hejduk attempted to make amends with a cross which was allowed to progress too far along the ground into the heart of the Seattle defense. Keller came out and followed that with a good scream at his inattentive defenders. Gaven nearly put the ball through his own net after Wahl back headed a Sturgis corner.

Sigi Schmid of the Seattle Sounders FC is showered with champagne during his post-game preference after winning the 2010 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup championship.
Sigi Schmid of the Seattle Sounders FC is showered with champagne during his post-game preference after winning the 2010 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup championship.

Alonso picked up a yellow for a foul on Gaven in the 74th minute. Steve Zakuani finally ran through Hejduk but he out paced his colleagues. Nyassi joined him a minute later for fouling Ekpo as the Crew picked up a gear.

Emilio Renteria and Andres Mendoza replaced Lenhart and the goal scorer Burns in the 78th minute. Montero hit Nkufo’s header with a drive but it was mostly Crew pressure. Goal scorer Nyassi left the field for Alvaro Fernandez a minute later, as Sigi Schmid sought to seal up the final ten minutes.

Warzycha threw his final substitute on in the 81st minute, with Robbie Rogers replacing Gaven.

Riley’s diving header led to a corner which Rogers turned onto the crossbar with Keller beaten. The deflection wasn’t as kind to Columbus as the earlier one had been to Seattle and was cleared.

Schelotto was booked for body-checking Zakuani in full flight. Sturgis fired the free kick straight into Gruenbaum’s arms.

Levesque came on to run down the clock with Zakuani leaving with only minutes remaining.

Jaqua came on to replace Montero in stoppage time but the die was cast. The Sounders had won the cup. They now become the first team to qualify for the 2011-12 CONCACAF Champions League, where they will enter in the preliminary round.

2010 – Columbus Crew (MLS) 1:2 Seattle Sounders FC (MLS)
10/5/10 | Qwest Field – Seattle, Washington

Scoring Summary
Columbus: Kevin Burns (Steven Lenhart) – 24th minute
Seattle: Sanna Nyassi (Nathan Sturgis) – 38th minute
Seattle: Sanna Nyassi (Unassisted) – 66th minute

Seattle Sounders: Kasey Keller (GK), James Riley, Jeff Parke, Patrick Ianni, Tyson Wahl, Nathan Sturgis, Osvaldo Alonso, Blaise Nkufo, Sanna Nyassi (79′ Alvaro Fernandez), Steve Zakuani (90′ Roger Levesque), Fredy Montero (90’+ Nate Jaqua)

Cautions – James Riley 23′, Osvaldo Alonso 74′ , Sanna Nyassi 75′ ,

Columbus Crew: Andy Greunebaum (GK), Frankie Hejduk, Chad Marshall, Andy Iro, Shaun Francis, Brian Carroll, Emmanuel Ekpo, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Steven Lenhart (78′ Andres Mendoza), Kevin Burns (78′ Andres Mendoza), Eddie Gaven (81′ Robbie Rogers)

Cautions – Shaun Francis 24′ , Brian Caroll 41′ , Guillermo Barros Schelotto 87′

Stats
Shots – Seattle 10:10 Columbus
On Goal – Seattle 5:1 Columbus
Saves – Seattle 0:3 Columbus
Fouls – Seattle 11:10 Columbus
Corners – Seattle 6:2 Columbus
Offsides – Seattle 0:0 Columbus

Att – 31,311 | Referee – Michael Kennedy | Linesmen – Thomas Supple, Paul Scott | 4th Official – Ricardo Salazar

2010 US Open Cup Final: Sanna Nyassi of Seattle Sounders easy choice for TheCup.us Player of the Round

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Sanna Nyassi became the first MLS player to score multiple goals in a US Open Cup Final. Photo: Jane Gershovich | Prost Amerika Soccer

Sanna Nyassi of the 2010 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup champion Seattle Sounders has been voted TheCup.us Player of the Round for his performance in the Open Cup final. Nyassi scored both goals in the Sounders’ 2-1 come-from-behind victory over the Columbus Crew, giving Seattle their second consecutive Open Cup title. The club is the first team to repeat as champions since 1983 (New York Pancyprian Freedoms).

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.

After Kevin Burns put the Columbus Crew up 1-0 in the 24th minute, Nyassi equalized in the 38th minute on an assist by Nathan Sturgis. His second goal, which would prove to be the game-winner, came in the 66th minute when Steve Zakuani’s header struck the crossbar and fell to the feet of Nyassi who powered it into the back of the net.

The Gambian not only becomes the first player in the Modern Era (1995-present) to score multiple goals in an Open Cup final, but he is also the only Modern Era player to have multiple championship game goals in a career.

The last player to score multiple goals in the Open Cup final was in 1994 when Mike Deleray of San Francisco’s Greek American AC bagged a pair of goals in his club’s 3-0 win over Milwaukee’s Bavarian SC.

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

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Nate Jaqua scored two goals for the second straight US Open Cup game. Photo: Corky Trewin | Sounders FC

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

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Nate Jaqua scored two goals for the second straight US Open Cup game. Photo: Corky Trewin | Sounders FC

The victory party for the 97th 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 59th 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 97th 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.

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 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.

Montero gave Seattle a 2-0 lead in the 59th 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.

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

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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.

Nate Jaqua celebrates one of his two goals against the Los Angeles Galaxy in the semifinals. Photo: Seattle Sounders FC

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.

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