SEATTLE SOUNDERS v COLORADO RAPIDS
Tue., Aug. 7, Qwest Field, Seattle, Wash., 7 p.m. PT
Coming off a home defeat of Chivas USA in the third round, the Seattle Sounders play host to another MLS side when they take on the Colorado Rapids in the quarterfinals in another game to be played at the home of the Seattle Seahawks. The teams faced each other in the competition in 1999, with Colorado winning on their way to their only appearance in the U.S. Open Cup Final.
OPEN CUP HISTORY: This is the second time the teams have met in the U.S. Open Cup, the first coming in 1999. A goal from Matt McKeon in the 26th minute started the Rapids on their path to the Open Cup Final, after they defeated Tampa Bay Mutiny and Charleston Battery along the way, before falling to the Rochester Raging Rhinos in the final.
SEATTLE SOUNDERS
IN THE OPEN CUP: 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. ... 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 have defeated MLS competition in the tournament.
2007 OPEN CUP: 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, Sebastian 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 ... 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. ... 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.
FORM GUIDE: The Seattle Sounders come into the quarterfinal match sporting the best record in the USL First Division, with 38 points from 21 matches, level atop the 12-team league with the Portland Timbers. The Sounders haven't lost in seven league games, their last reversal coming 1-0 at home to the Montréal Impact on June 23. ... Sebastian Le Toux and former MLS player Roger Levesque (San Jose) lead the Sounders with six goals each; Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar has two goals to go with his five assists.
COLORADO RAPIDS
2007 OPEN CUP: The Rapids began their play in the actual Open Cup competition with a 3-1 victory against the California Victory (USL1) at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in the third round. Jose Cancela put the Rapids ahead in the 22nd minute, knocking home a free kick, then he set up Herculez Gomez for the second in the 50th minute. After the Victory pulled a goal back through Juan Epitie in the 79th minute, Omar Cummings' goal 10 minutes later sealed the match. ... The Rapids advanced to the U.S. Open Cup tournament proper with a 2-1 victory against Real Salt Lake in their second-round play-in game in Commerce City. Jacob Peterson continued to be Real's nemesis in Open Cup games, scoring two goals, including the game-winner in stoppage time. A year ago, Peterson scored the lone goal in Colorado's fourth-round Open Cup win against Real. ... As the fourth-place finisher in the Western Conference a year ago, the Rapids came in at the second round of play-in games; the four non-qualifiers for the playoffs began a round earlier.
IN THE OPEN CUP: The 1999 U.S. Open Cup Finalists haven't had much success over the recent past, losing their first match in the competition in four of the last seven years, and not getting past the quarterfinals since their final appearance. ... Three times in that stretch the losses came to second-tier competition. In 2000, Colorado lost to the Richmond Kickers 3-0, in 2001 to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds 2-0, then in 2005 sufffered a 4-1 defeat by the USL First Division Minnesota Thunder. In 2004, they were thrashed 3-0 by the Dallas Burn in the fourth round. ... In 1999, the Rapids faced A-League competition in three of their four ties, but fell in the final 2-0 to the Rochester Raging Rhinos. They knocked off the Seattle Sounders in the third round and the Charleston Battery in the semifinals, defeating the Tampa Bay Mutiny in between. ... Each of the first five years the Rapids were in the competition they were defeated by lower-division competition, losing twice to Rochester (1996 semifinal, 1999 final), to Richmond and Pittsburgh, and in 1997, to the D3 Pro League Chicago Stingers in the third round.
WHAT'S NEXT: If the Colorado Rapids are victorious, they will be on the road again for the semifinals, traveling to face the winner of the Charleston Battery-FC Dallas match. The Seattle Sounders will be host of the winner of the Battery-FCD tie should they win.
