It took a penalty kick once again for the Seattle Sounders to eliminate the Kansas City Wizards in the Quarterfinals, but this year, instead of settling the game after extra time like in 2008, it was taken at the end of regulation. Sebastien Le Toux scored on an 89th minute spot kick to give the Sounders a 1-0 win, which booked them a spot in the Semifinals. It marks the third year in a row that a Sounders team has advanced to the final four, the last two years it was the USL First Division version of the Seattle-based club.
Seattle Sounders MLS
2009 Third Round recap: Portland, Seattle renew rivalry, Houston face Battery (again)
The underdogs of the USL ruled on day one of the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, but the Seattle Sounders and the Houston Dynamo each earned wins on Wednesday to level the tournament with four MLS teams and four USL teams in the Quarterfinals. For the second year in a row, the USL will have at least one team in the Semifinals.
The Houston Dynamo defeated the Austin Aztex 2-0 on Wednesday to set up a date with the Charleston Battery next Tuesday at Blackbaud Stadium. This will be the third year in a row that the Battery and the Dynamo square off in the Open Cup with Charleston eliminating Houston in both years.
2009 US Open Cup Round 3: Rivalry thrives across league lines; record crowd watches Sounders edge Timbers
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.