TUKWILA, Wash. — Sammy Ochoa scored a pair of second-half goals at Starfire Sports Complex to lead the Seattle Sounders to a 5-1 win over the NASL’s Atlanta Silverbacks in the third round of the US Open Cup on Wednesday.
The Sounders got four second-half goals to turn what was a close game into an absolute rout.
The avalanche started in the 48th minute when Cordell Cato fed Osvaldo Alonso with a perfectly weighted through ball. Alonso was one-on-one with goalkeeper Joe Nasco and easily beat him to the far post to give the Sounders a 2-0 lead, doubling the advantage Andy Rose had given the home team late in the first half.
Although Reinaldo Navia was able to pull one back in the 53rd minute on a well-taken shot from about 18 yards out while he was falling down, the Sounders got the two-goal cushion back just a minute later. Alex Caskey was able to create some space for himself with a couple step-overs and then beat Nasco to the near post. Ochoa followed that up with his brace.
Rose’s 44th minute strike allowed the Sounders to head into the locker room with a 1-0 lead. Rose took a settled ball from Jeff Parke and hit a half-volley from about 20 yards past a diving Nasco.
Up until then, the half had been filled with frustration for Seattle, who outshot the Silverbacks 10-5 and forced Nasco into four saves. The Sounders were able to consistently apply pressure from the wings, pushing forward with some speedy play by Cato up the right side and more controlled play from Alex Caskey down the left.
The Sounders’ best chance, though, came on more of a blown play. Nasco had come way outside the penalty area to play a ball and collided with his defender. Alonso picked up the ball just behind midfield and sent a shot toward goal. Nasco was able to scramble back and got a hand on the ball just as he entered the penalty area.
The Silverbacks were not without their own chances, mostly created by some sloppy clearances from the Sounders backline. Although Bryan Meredith made only one save, the Silverbacks had several-half chances on balls that went through the penalty area without a defender getting a foot on them.
Scoring Summary:
SEA - Andy Rose (Marc Burch) 44'
SEA - Osvaldo Alonso (Cordell Cato) 46'
ATL - Reinaldo Navia (Shane Moroney) 53'
SEA - Alex Caskey 54'
SEA - Sammy Ochoa (Osvaldo Alonso) 62'
SEA - Sammy Ochoa 66'
Misconduct Summary:
ATL - Reinaldo Navia (caution) 60'
SEA - Marc Burch (caution) 60'
ATL - Jordan Davis (caution) 88'
Lineups:
Seattle Sounders FC: Bryan Meredith, Zach Scott, Jeff Parke, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Marc Burch, Cordell Cato, Osvaldo Alonso (Servando Carrasco 72), Andy Rose, Alex Caskey, Sammy Ochoa (Roger Levesque 70), Eddie Johnson (David Estrada 46).
Substitutes Not Used: Andrew Weber, Brad Evans, Fredy Montero, Christian Sivebaek.
Atlanta Silverbacks: Joe Nasco, Shane Moroney, Martyn Lancaster, Jose Burciaga Jr., Rafael Cox, Tony McManus (Jordan Davis 84), Ciaran O'Brien, Danilo Turcois, Borfor Carr (David Santamaria 72), Matt Horth, Reinaldo Navia.
Substitutes Not Used: Daniel Illyes, Lucas Paulini, Willie Hunt, Nico Colaluca, Lindemar Ferreira.
