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MLS Seattle Sounders FC

Sounders at Charleston Battery in Semis of U.S. Open Cup Live on usllive.com

August 11, 2008 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Seattle Sounders FC News Release


(Seattle, Wa)- In a battle of United Soccer League First Division clubs, the Seattle Sounders travel to Charleston, South Carolina for the semifinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup to square off with the Battery, Tuesday, August 12. Kickoff at Blackbaud Stadium is set for 4:30 pm PT and fans can view free of charge on usllive.com.

A victory over Charleston means the Sounders will host the final at Qwest Field against the winner of D.C. United versus New England Revolution.

The Sounders advanced to their second consecutive U.S. Open Cup semifinal by defeating MLS' Kansas City Wizards 1-0 in penalty kicks. Goalkeeper Chris Eylander held the Wizards to a scoreless draw through 120 minutes of play. When it was all said and done, Eylander had made 13 saves, including two stops in the shootout, to propel Seattle to victory. For his effort, Eylander was selected USOpenCup.com Player of the Round. He has not allowed a single goal in 2008 Open Cup play; a professional era Open Cup tournament record of 420 shutout minutes. The win was the Sounders second straight versus MLS competition.

In round three, the Sounders defeated MLS' CD Chivas USA 2-0. Defender Taylor Graham headed home the winner from a Josh Gardner corner in the 43rd minute. Striker Sebastien Le Toux provided the cushion in the 80th, beating the onrush of goalkeeper Brad Guzan to place the ball in an empty net. The goal was Le Toux's tournament-leading fifth, tying his total from last year's tournament. Le Toux is also tied for tops in the USL-1 with ten league goals.

Tuesday night's match between Charleston and Seattle ensures a USL side in the final for the first time since Rochester won the tournament in 1999. The two sides have played in league action three times this season, two of which were at Blackbaud Stadium. The season series is currently tied at 1-1-1.

Seattle prevailed 1-0 when the two sides last played July 26 at Starfire. Le Toux launched the winner in the 58th minute from 16 yards out over the head of former Sounders goalkeeper Dustin Hudock. On July 5, Battery midfielder Lazo Alavanja scored in the 10th minute in route to a 1-0 defeat. Seattle drew 1-1 in the April 19 season opener behind midfielder Kenji Treschuk's equalizer in the 90th minute.

This is the Battery's third semifinal appearance; the most of any USL-1 club since the inception of MLS in 1996. Charleston earned their way to the semis by defeating round three foe Houston Dynamo 2-1 in penalty kicks, and FC Dallas 3-1 in the quarterfinals. The win in Dallas was the first for the Battery against an MLS opponent on the road.

The Battery are led by leading scorer Randi Patterson, who has eight league goals on the season. Charleston will be without the services of the team's second leading scorer, midfielder Lazo Alavanja. After scoring an early goal in Battery's quarterfinal defeat of Dallas, Alavanja was ejected late in the game and will be unavailable.

Dating back to 1914, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the oldest cup competition in United States soccer and is among the oldest in the world. In 1999, the competition was renamed to honor long-time soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt. Open to all affiliated amateur and professional teams in the United States, the U.S. Open Cup is the U.S. Soccer Federation's National Championship. In addition to taking home prize money, the winner of the annual tournament earns the right to play in the CONCACAF Champions League.

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