MLS Seattle Sounders FC

Sounders FC Begins Open Cup on Wednesday, Visits Chivas USA on Saturday

Published on May 28, 2013 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Seattle Sounders FC News Release


The three-game road trip continues for Sounders FC with Wednesday's Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match in Florida followed by Saturday's first regular-season meeting with Chivas USA in Southern California.

Wednesday's game is Seattle's first Open Cup match of the 2013 tournament, entering in the third round against the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer League. Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. PT at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, Fla. The match will be available via live video stream on SoundersFC.com with Ross Fletcher calling the action and Matt Johnson hosting pregame and halftime.

Saturday's match against Chivas USA kicks off at 7:30 p.m. PT at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The match will be televised live on KONG 6/16 with Ross Fletcher and Taylor Graham calling the action, and can also be heard on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM. The Spanish broadcasts are available on THIS-TV (KOMO 4.2) and La Gran D 99.3 FM.

Sounders FC (4-4-3, 15 points) suffered its worst defeat in three years on Sunday night as Seattle allowed four goals in a shutout loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy. The loss snapped Seattle's league-best three-game winning streak and six-game unbeaten run. Sounders FC currently sits sixth in the West, four points out of a playoff spot.

Sounders FC now turns to the Open Cup to provide the spark needed to move past Sunday's defeat. A three-time champion and last year's runner-up, Seattle is looking to become just the second club in the 100-year history of the tournament to reach the final five straight years. Overall, Sounders FC is 17-0-2 in Open Cup games, and has gone 3-0-2 on the road.

Seattle's Open Cup opponent, the Tampa Bay Rowdies, are the reigning NASL champions and ousted local PDL side VSI Tampa Bay, 2-1, last week. Tampa Bay defender Daniel Scott, brother of Sounders FC defender Zach Scott, and midfielder Raphael Cox both have ties to the Seattle area and have competed against Seattle in Cup play in years past.

Following the midweek Cup contest, Sounders FC will return to Los Angeles to face Chivas USA (3-7-2, 11 points) on Saturday night. After starting the season with three wins in the opening five matches, Chivas has lost four-straight and are winless over the past seven outings (0-6-1). Chivas will visit the LA Blues (USL) on Tuesday night in Open Cup action at Titan Stadium in Fullerton, Calif.

The Sounders FC reserves will remain in Los Angeles to play the Chivas USA reserves on Sunday at 11 a.m. PT. It will be Seattle's fifth MLS Reserve League game of the season, having gone 1-2-1 in the previous four matches.

The team will then return to Seattle for a two-week stay. In the next home match, Sounders FC will open the entire stadium to host the Vancouver Whitecaps FC on June 8 in the second Cascadia Cup fixture of the season.

The Vancouver match is included in the Sounders FC 4-Match ticket packages, which are available by phone at 1-877-MLS-GOAL or online at www.SoundersFC.com. Single-match tickets to Sounders FC home matches are available through SoundersFC.com, all Ticketmaster Outlets, the CenturyLink Field Box Office or by calling 800-745-3000.

Just three days after the Sounders FC-Whitecaps FC match, CenturyLink Field will host the U.S. Men's National Team in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Panama. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. PT on June 11.

Tickets to the qualifier are available through Ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster by phone (800-745-3000) and the CenturyLink Field Box Office.

On Point: Seattle Could Post Second-best Start in Club History

Sounders FC has earned 15 points through the opening 11 matches of the 2013 MLS regular season, already matching the point total from the opening 12 games in 2010. In both 2009 and 2011, Sounders FC earned 17 points through the first dozen matches. With a win at Chivas USA, Seattle could post the second-best record through 12 games in club history. The top mark was set last season when the club earned 23 points in the first 12 contests.

Record through Opening 12 Matches

Year GP Record (points)

2012 12 7-3-2 (23 pts.)

2011 12 4-3-5 (17 pts.)

2009 12 4-3-5 (17 pts.)

2010 12 4-5-3 (15 pts.)

2013 11 4-4-3 (15 pts.)

Bouncing Back from a Loss

Sounders FC bounces back quickly following a loss. Seattle has lost back-to-back games just six times over the past five seasons, including just two three-game losing streaks. The losses earlier this season at San Jose and Salt Lake marked Seattle's first consecutive league losses since March 19, 2011, ending an all-time league record 742-day streak. Sounders FC has allowed four goals just three other times in club history, and, in the matches immediately following those four-goal games, Seattle has gone 1-1-1, including a road loss at Salt Lake in 2009, a win at New York in 2010 and a home draw versus Kansas City last season.

Sounders Seek Fifth Straight Cup Final Appearance

Wednesday evening marks the start of another U.S. Open Cup journey, which has ended in the final the past four seasons. Seattle will seek to become just the second club in the 100-year history of the tournament to reach five straight finals, as Bethlehem Steel made the championship match from 1915-19. A fourth title over a five-year span would match Bethlehem as the best run in tournament history, and would also match the Chicago Fire for most Cup titles in MLS. Including the Sounders USL side in 2007 and 2008, Seattle has reached the semifinals six straight years.

Sounders FC is currently one of three teams to win three Open Cups (New York Pancyprian-Freedoms and Stix, Baer and Fuller FC). Four sides have won four titles (Chicago Fire, Fall River Marksmen, Greek American AA and the Philadelphia Ukranians). And two teams have won five championships (Bethlehem Steel and Maccabi Los Angeles).

Seattle Spark Plug: Sounders Best during Cup Play

Sounders FC will again look to the U.S. Open Cup as a spark plug for league play. Following the club's first-ever Open Cup play-in match in 2009, Seattle went on a five-match unbeaten run, ultimately losing just once over the next dozen league contests (3-1-8). In both 2010 and 2011, Sounders FC earned eight MLS victories while participating in the Open Cup, securing over half (27) the season point total during Cup play in 2010. And last season, Sounders FC went 5-3-4 in league play after falling to Sporting KC in the final in early August. Despite the schedule congestion caused by the additional Open Cup games, Seattle has earned points in 11 of 17 MLS games immediately following a Cup match.

Year MLS Record during Cup Play MLS Record Immediately following Cup Match

2009 4-4-10 2-0-3

2010 8-2-3 1-2-1

2011 8-2-2 1-2-1

2012 3-2-4 0-2-2

Totals: 23-10-19 4-6-7

How They Got Here

Sounders FC enters the 2013 U.S. Open Cup in the third round along with the 15 other U.S.-based MLS clubs. The Tampa Bay Rowdies received a first round bye and ousted local USL side VSI Tampa Bay, 2-1, in the second round on the road last week.

Flashback: 2012 Open Cup Results

Date Result Location

May 30 Seattle 5 vs. Atlanta Silverbacks 1 Tukwila, Wash.

June 5 Seattle 5 vs. Cal FC 0 Tukwila, Wash.

June 26 Seattle 1 at San Jose Earthquakes 0 San Francisco

July 11 Seattle 4 vs. Chivas USA 1 Tukwila, Wash.

August 8 Seattle 1 at Kansas City 1 (PK, 2-3) Kansas City

Third Rounds of Years Past

Seattle's previous four matches in the U.S. Open Cup third round have been memorable. Roger Levesque scored just 48 seconds into the club's first-ever third-round match, celebrating with his unforgettable tree celebration at Portland's PGE Park. The following year, Sounders FC again returned to the rival Timbers (USL) and advanced in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw. Veteran defender Zach Scott scored the deciding penalty kick for Sounders FC. In 2011, Sounders FC opened Cup play at home for the first time, beating local PDL side Kitsap Pumas, 2-1. Last season, Seattle hosted the Atlanta Silverbacks of the NASL, winning 5-1 behind four second-half goals. Wednesday's match at Tampa Bay will be the club's second against an NASL club and sixth (3-0-2) all-time Open Cup road match.

All-Time Third Round Results

Date Result Location

July 1, 2009 Sounders FC 2 at Portland Timbers (USL) 1 PGE Park, Portland

June 30, 2010 Sounders FC 1 at Portland Timbers (USL) 1 (PK 4-3) PGE Park, Portland

June 28, 2011 Sounders FC 2 vs. Kitsap Pumas (PDL) 1 Starfire Stadium, Tukwila

May 30, 2012 Sounders FC 5 vs. Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL) 1 Starfire Stadium, Tukwila

Cup Format Notes

If any U.S. Open Cup game is tied at the end of regulation, a 30-minute extra time period (consisting of two 15-minute halves) shall be played in its entirety. If the score is still tied at the end of the 30-minute extra time period, the game shall be decided by a penalty kick tiebreaker. Teams are limited to five foreign players on the 18-player match roster and only one assist is counted in the official records.

Seattle defender Patrick Ianni and midfielder Osvaldo Alonso will serve a one-game suspension on Wednesday after being issued red cards in last year's final.

About Tampa Bay

The Tampa Bay Rowdies are the reigning champions of the North American Soccer League, and finished second overall in the 2012 regular season. The current Rowdies were founded in 2008, but the team was originally created in 1974, participating in the NASL and various minor leagues until folding in 1993. The Rowdies are currently third in the NASL standings at 3-2-2, having gone winless at home (0-2-2) and a perfect 3-0-0 on the road. Bulgarian forward Georgi Hristov and English midfielder Luke Mulholland co-lead the team with four goals and three assists each. The team's best finish in Open Cup play was last season, reaching the third round before losing to the Colorado Rapids, 3-1.

The Rowdies feature local connections in defender Daniel Scott, brother of Sounders FC defender Zach Scott, and Raphael Cox, who is originally from Tacoma, Wash. Both Scott (Kitsap Pumas/2011) and Cox (Atlanta Silverbacks/2012) have previously faced Sounders FC in the third round of the Open Cup.

And the Winner is...

The winner of the Sounders FC-Tampa Bay Rowdies match will advance to the fourth round to face the Wilmington Hammerheads-Portland Timbers victor. Should Sounders FC advance, Seattle would host either the Hammerheads or Timbers at Starfire Stadium on June 12 at 7 p.m. PT. Should Tampa Bay advance, the Rowdies would either visit Portland on June 12 or face the Hammerheads at a yet to be determined location.

In the 2013 edition of the U.S. Open Cup, home teams are determined by a random selection process from among those clubs that have applied to host and whose venues meet the minimum tournament requirements.

Road Trip Tested: Sounders to Travel Furthest

Sounders FC will travel over 6,700 miles in an eight-day span, beginning with last Saturday's trip to Los Angeles. The cross-country trip from Los Angeles to Tampa means Seattle will travel further than any other MLS team for the U.S. Open Cup third round. Following Wednesday's match in Florida, Sounders FC will return to Southern California to take on Chivas USA before returning to the Pacific Northwest next Sunday. Over the past four years, Sounders FC has played more road matches (five) in Cup play than all but one MLS side.

Road Trip Breakdown

Seattle to Los Angeles: 961

Los Angeles to Tampa: 2,418

Tampa to Los Angeles: 2,418

Los Angeles to Seattle: 961

Total Air Miles Traveled: 6,758

Summer of Soccer at CenturyLink Field

The upcoming summer months will be an exciting time for soccer fans in the Pacific Northwest as CenturyLink Field will host a variety of events in June, July and August. The summer fun begins with a Cascadia Cup clash against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC on June 8, which will feature seating to include the entire stadium. Three days later, The U.S. Men's National Team visits Seattle for the highlight event of the summer in a World Cup qualifier against Panama. CenturyLink Field will also host a CONCACAF Gold Cup doubleheader in July, pitting Mexico against Canada in the second match. Sounders FC will host five other MLS matches at CenturyLink Field before the end of August, concluding with a Cascadia Cup match against the Portland Timbers. Overall, CenturyLink Field will host nine soccer matches in just under three months, including teams from five different countries and across three different competitions.

2013 Summer Schedule at CenturyLink Field

June 8, 7:30 p.m. - Cascadia Cup: Sounders FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC

June 11, 6:30 p.m. - 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifier: United States vs. Panama

July 3, 7 p.m. - Sounders FC vs. DC United

July 11, 5:30 & 8 p.m. PT - CONCACAF Gold Cup: Panama vs. Martinique & Mexico vs. Canada

July 20, 1 p.m. - Sounders FC vs. Colorado Rapids

July 28, 8 p.m. - Sounders FC vs. Chivas USA

August 3, 7:30 p.m. - Sounders FC vs. FC Dallas

August 25, 7 p.m. - Cascadia Cup: Sounders FC vs. Portland Timbers

Chivas Series Notes

Sounders FC is 4-2-4 all-time against Chivas USA and holds a 14-9 goal advantage. Since losing their first two meetings in the 2009 season, the Rave Green have gone unbeaten in their past eight (4-0-4) meetings with the Goats, including two wins and a draw in 2012. In their last meeting at The Home Depot Center on August 25 of last year, Seattle matched a team-record with six goals en route to a 6-2 win behind a hat trick from Fredy Montero and three assists from Mauro Rosales. In the last meeting on September 8, Eddie Johnson scored a brace-including an 89th minute game-winner-as Sounders FC came from behind to win, 2-1.

Check out the Seattle Sounders FC Statistics

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