who have twice defeated MLS teams this year -- look for a hat trick when they play host to FC Dallas. The MLS side is looking to reach the Open Cup final for the second time in three years; the Sounders have never reached this far since the start of the "professional era."
OPEN CUP HISTORY:
This is the second time the teams have met in the U.S. Open Cup, the first coming back in the inaugural season of MLS in 1996. That year, at the Cotton Bowl, the then-Dallas Burn defeated the Seattle Sounders 3-2 in the quarterfinals. Joey Leonetti put the Sounders in the lead, but goals from Lawrence Lozzano (58), Ted Eck (70) and Gerell Elliott (79) all but put the game away, before a stoppage-time penalty kick from David Hoggan provided the final scoreline. ... In 2001, Dallas was surprisingly eliminated by the Sounders' reserve team, Seattle Sounders Select (PDL; fourth tier).
SEATTLE SOUNDERS
IN THE OPEN CUP:
This is the farthest the Seattle Sounders have advanced in the competition since MLS has been involved. In 1995, playing in the then-A-League (now USL First Division), the Sounders reached the semifinals before losing to the El Paso Patriots. ... This is the first time since 2003 and just the second overall the Sounders have won at least two games in the event. That year, they defeated the Minnesota Thunder 1-0 in the third round and the San Jose Earthquakes 1-0 in the quarterfinals, before losing to the Los Angeles Galaxy 5-1 in the semifinals. ... That 2003 victory against San Jose was the only time in seven tries the Sounders defeated MLS competition in the tournament before this year. ... This is the 10th year since 1996 the Seattle Sounders have qualified for the tournament proper. The only years they have missed were 1998 and 2004.
2007 OPEN CUP:
The Sounders defeated an MLS team for the second time running in the quarterfinals, hammering the Colorado Rapids 5-0 at Qwest Field on Aug. 7. Taylor Graham and Zach Scott scored on set pieces two minutes apart midway through the first half, then Ugo Ihemelu saw a rebound hit off him into his own goal two minutes before halftime to make it 3-0. Four minutes after the break, matters got worse for the Rapids when Facundo Erpen was sent off with a second yellow card, and Josh Gardner (56) and Sebastian Le Toux (68) finished off the rout. ... Chivas USA became the fifth MLS team to be dumped out of the U.S. Open Cup when they lost 3-1 to the Sounders at Qwest Field in the third round. Laurent Merlin staked Chivas to a 16th-minute lead, but two goals from Le Toux and one from Roger Levesque sent the Sounders into the final eight. ... Seattle faced old foe Portland Timbers in the second round. Justin Thompson staked Portland to a 19th-minute lead, but Hugo Alcarez-Cuellar converted a penalty kick to pull the Sounders level just before halftime, then Jake Besagno scored the winner in the 70th minute. ... The Sounders began their Open Cup run with a 4-1 victory against amateur side Banat Arsenal of Phoenix. Nathan Knox gave the Sounders a ninth-minute lead, and after Maurice Hughes brought Banat level, Le Toux scored twice in four minutes (32, 36) to send the Sounders on their way. Greg Howes finished off the scoring just before halftime.
FORM GUIDE:
The Seattle Sounders come into the semifinal match sporting the second-best record in the USL First Division, with 48 points from 26 matches, two points behind the Portland Timbers but with a game in hand. Last Friday, the Sounders fell 2-1 to the Minnesota Thunder, a loss that ended a 15-match winning streak in USL play. Seattle's last prior defeat came on June 23, 1-0 to the Montreal Impact. Former MLS player Roger Levesque (San Jose) leads the Sounders with eight goals and three assists; Sebastian Le Toux has seven goals and two assists, while Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar has two goals to go with his eight assists.
FC DALLAS
2007 OPEN CUP:
FC Dallas reached the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup for the sixth time in club history after a tense 2-1 victory in extra time against the USL-1 Charleston Battery at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, S.C. on Sept. 7. A wonder goal from one-time MLS veteran Stephen Armstrong gave the home side a 17th-minute lead, but Clarence Goodson headed home a corner kick six minutes later to pull FCD level. Five minutes into the extra period, Arturo Alvarez cut in from the right and lashed home a shot inside the near post. ... Here's Steve Morrow's team: Ray Burse, Chris Gbandi, Clarence Goodson, Adrian Serioux, Drew Moor, Pablo Ricchetti, Marcelo Saragosa (Bobby Rhine 72), Arturo Alvarez (David Wagenfuhr 99), Juan Toja (Dominic Oduro 46), Dax McCarty (Aaron Pitchkolan 114), Abe Thompson. ... FC Dallas survived a penalty kick shootout for the second consecutive season in their opening match in the competition, playing to a 1-1 draw with the Atlanta Silverbacks over 120 minutes before advancing 4-3 over six rounds in a shootout. Ruiz scored in the 74th minute before Dan Antoniuk equalized for the USL First Division team four minutes later; three minutes later he was then sent off.
IN THE OPEN CUP:
FC Dallas have reached the U.S. Open Cup Final twice in club history, winning one. ... The only honor in Dallas club history came in 1997, when they claimed the U.S. title, defeating D.C. United on penalty kicks after a scoreless draw in Indianapolis. ... They reached the final in 2005 but came out on the short end of the result, falling 1-0 to the Los Angeles Galaxy at The Home Depot Center. ... They've reached the semifinals three other times - losing in 1996 to D.C. United, in 1998 to Chicago Fire and in 2002 to Los Angeles Galaxy. They've also reached the quarterfinals on five occasions, in 1999, 2000, 2004 and 2006 along with this year. ... Twice they were dumped out at the first hurdle by lower-level competition - in 2001 by the PDL Seattle Sounders Select and in 2003 by the Wilmington Hammerheads (PSL). ... Dallas has also been defeated once by second-tier competition along the way: in 1999, losing to the Rochester Raging Rhinos 2-1 in extra time in the quarterfinals. The Dallas club has defeated second-tier (A-League or USL First Division) 11 times in 12 all-time meetings in the U.S. Open Cup.
