Seattle Sounders Move Advance To Open Cup Quarterfinals

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Seattle Sounders headed South to face Pacific coast rival the Portland Timbers in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Seattle forced two early goals. Portland fought back, but it wasn’t enough as the Sounders earned the 2-1 victory.

A record crowd of 16,382, the biggest crowd and first sell out in Timbers USL history, filled PGE Park with flags, streamers, screams and passion. There was also the guy with the chainsaw.

Seattle became the fourth MLS team to advance in Open Cup play, joining D.C. United, Houston Dynamo and Kansas City Wizards. Seattle will host Kansas City in the quarterfinal round Tuesday, July 7 at 10:00 p.m. ET at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wa.  

First Half

Just 48 seconds into the match, the Seattle Sounders made some noise. Midfielder Sanna Nyassi crossed a near-perfect ball into the box. Roger Levesque headed it into the goal for a 1-0 lead.

“The early goal killed us,” Portland goalkeeper Steve Cronin said. “We tried to battle our way back and then they got their second one.”

Seattle made it 2-0 at the 26-minute mark. A Nate Jaqua passed the ball to Stephen King.  He lifted a high shot past Timbers goalkeeper Cronin and into the net.  

“Nate hit the ball,” King said. “I was right behind him. It popped to me and I was able to hit it in. We knew it was going to be a battle. I was just trying to be in the right place.”  

Nyassi appeared bound and determined to score, with four shots in the first half including two on goal. Sounders defender Jhon Kennedy Hurtado sent a shot toward goal in the 30th minute. Portland defender David Hayes blocked the shot. Before Seattle could add a third, Portland snuck one in the net.

Hayes sent the ball to Mandjou Keita who knocked a short ball between Sounders goalkeeper Kasey Keller’s outstretched arms and the right post, for the Timbers first goal of the night.

“When they scored their second goal we lost composure and discipline,” Timbers head coach Gavin Wilkinson said. “The goal before halftime helped us, but we still had to create something more.”

Second Half

Both teams came out firing again in the second half. It looked as if Seattle would get on the board in the 52nd minute. Jaqua fired a long blast into the net. But the play was whistled offside.

Things began to get heated after the attempt. Nyassi and Portland’s Tony McManus were shown yellow cards in the 59th and 61st minutes. In the 66th minute, Seattle lost their first casualty. A rough tackle on Sebastien Le Toux ended in him leaving the pitch. Fredy Montero replaced him.

In the 74th minute a Sounders push almost ended in an own goal for Portland. Goalkeeper Steve Cronin smothered the attempt.

Portland took five shots in the second half, compared to three for Seattle. Mandjou Keita, George Josten and Cameron Knowles all had quality opportunities, but couldn’t find the net. Keller finished the match with two saves, while Cronin earned three.

“We needed to start fighting back,” Cronin said. “We got a great goal going into halftime. But after that we couldn’t get on the end of it. We created fair chances. But they managed the game well.”

Seattle stopped Portland’s 12-game unbeaten streak. The Timbers are eliminated from Open Cup play, but are still sitting in third in USL First Division action with a 7-1-5 record.

“The Timbers played well,” Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid said. “They did what we expected them to. They were unlucky in a couple situations, but we were unlucky in others. I was happy with how we got up early and the result.”

The Sounders return to MLS play July 11th when they host Houston Dynamo at 1:00 p.m.


Kathryn L. Knapp, Goal.com

For more on Major League Soccer and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, go to Goal.com's MLS page.