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The goal was the eventual game winner as Sounders FC became the first team in the professional era to win the USOC three consecutive years as Seattle defeated the Chicago Fire on Tuesday night, 2-0 in front of 35,615 at CenturyLink Field. Osvaldo Alonso added the insurance goal in the 5th minute of added time to ice the cake for Sigi Schmid’s club. The last team to win three consecutive clubs was the New York Greek Americans from 1967-69.

Sounders FC are now 13-0-1 in Open Cup play since their inception in 2009.  It is coach Sigi Schmid’s fourth Open Cup title. For Chicago, the loss snaps a four-game unbeaten streak across all competitions and prevents the Fire from becoming just the third club to ever win the Cup five times. Unbeaten in four games and winners in 10 of the last 13 in all competitions, Sounders FC are now 4-0-3 against Chicago. Seattle fans had set the previous record crowd with 31,311 for last year’s final, a 2-1 win over Columbus.

Scoring Summary:

SEA — Fredy Montero (Jeff Parke) 78
SEA — Osvaldo Alonso (unassisted) 96+

Chicago Fire — Sean Johnson, Gonzalo Segares, Cory Gibbs, Josip Mikulic (Jalil Anibaba 61), Dan Gargan (Sebastian Grazzini 85), Marco Pappa, Pavel Pardo, Logan Pause, Daniel Paladini (Diego Chaves 80), Dominic Oduro, Patrick Nyarko.

Substitutes Not Used: Orr Barouch, Baggio Husidic, Michael Videira, Jon Conway.

TOTAL SHOTS: 6 (Marco Pappa 5); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Marco Pappa 3); FOULS: 18 (Patrick Nyarko 4); OFFSIDES: 3 (Patrick Nyarko 2); CORNER KICKS: 6 (Daniel Paladini 3); SAVES: 6 (Sean Johnson 6)

Seattle Sounders — Kasey Keller, James Riley, Jeff Parke, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Leo Gonzalez, Alvaro Fernandez (Erik Friberg 46), Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans, Lamar Neagle, Mike Fucito (Roger Levesque 89), Fredy Montero.

Substitutes Not Used: Nate Jaqua, Sammy Ochoa, Zach Scott, Tyson Wahl, Josh Ford.

TOTAL SHOTS: 24 (Mike Fucito 7); SHOTS ON GOAL: 8 (Erik Friberg 2, Jeff Parke 2); FOULS: 12 (Mike Fucito 4); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 10 (Lamar Neagle 5); SAVES: 4 (Kasey Keller 4)

Misconduct Summary:
CHI — Patrick Nyarko (caution; Reckless Tackle) 26
CHI — Daniel Paladini (caution; Tactical Foul) 37
CHI — Jalil Anibaba (caution; Unsporting Behavior) 90
SEA — Osvaldo Alonso (caution; Unsporting Behavior) 90

Referee: Alex Prus
Referee’s Assistants:-Steven Taylor; Eric Boria
4th Official: Josh Wilkens
Attendance: 35,615
Time of Game: 1:54
Weather: Rain-and-58-degrees

All Statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial

POSTGAME QUOTES: Sounders FC vs. Chicago Fire – October 4, 2011
Sigi Schmid – Sounders FC Head Coach
(Opening comments…) “Obviously we’re very pleased to win three [U.S. Open Cup championships] in a row. It was a hard fought game. I thought Chicago played very well. Their players were giving everything they had and committed themselves totally to the game. We were a little unlucky with a couple off the post – Fredy Montero’s in the first half, [Mike] Fucito’s in the second. I thought we were more dangerous on chances. I think we pretty much, for the most part, limited them on chances, although they had some good possession in midfield. I just can’t say enough about the guys over there. To win three in a row is something very special and very unique. It hasn’t been done in a long time. Like we said, every time we enter a competition we want to win it, so we’ll enter it next year and we’ll want to win it next year as well.”

(On how hard it is to win the tournament three years in a row…) “It’s tough, it’s tough. You need a little bit of luck. You need some breaks to go your way along the way. We had some games when you look at the string of games and the series of games and you look at the penalty kicks in Portland the one year and you look at the overtime goal that we got the one year up here at Starfire [Sports Stadium]. So you need a break or two along the way but that’s what you’re looking for and then a good team can take that break and be able to use it.”

(On if it is assumed that the prize to winning the U.S. Open Cup is entry into the Champions League play-in next year…) “Yeah, it’s entry into the play-in, but we’d like to do a little more than just play-in. So that means we’ll have to do a little more in the MLS playoffs this year.”

(On if he changed anything at halftime…) “No. All we talked about at halftime is that we felt that they were holding a high line, so that we felt we could get in behind their defense. We could look to play a little more direct at times. At times I thought we were a little too direct, but we felt that we wanted [Mike] Fucito and even Lamar [Neagle] – because they both have good pace – to check and go a little bit more and to try and get them play in behind the defense, so that was important to us. The other thing we talked about was simply not to get countered on because they’re a team when we had a corner or a free kick they tried to come out very quickly and tried to counter on us. But tactically we had to bring on Erik Friberg for Alvaro Fernandez because he had a slight concussion – that’s what the doctor told us, so we had to pull him off at halftime. That changes us a little bit too because then we wanted [Brad] Evans and Friberg to interchange a little bit more. Erik plays it more as a midfielder than a winger, so that allowed Lamar to push on a little bit more as well.”

(On defending Chicago’s attack…) “Well, I think we did a lot of little things. We talked about making sure that their defenders, and primarily Pavel Pardo didn’t have a chance to lift his head and hit those long balls in behind. I thought [Brad] Evans did a really good job. Sometimes we were stretched in midfield, but I thought he [Evans] did a really good job of stepping up to Pavel. I think when you look at the 90 minutes it was a rare occasion that he was able to hit a ball behind our defense, he was able to go back and square. With Fredy [Montero] and [Mike] Fucito we wanted the same from them and I thought they did a great job of that. And then we said if there’s no pressure let’s make sure we drop off and I thought [Jeff] Parke and [Jhon Kennedy] Hurtado of getting that head start as they defended. They didn’t wait for the ball to get hit, they saw that, ‘Hey, there’s no pressure,’ so they started running and advancing the pass. So I thought we limited the space behind us. I think maybe only three occasions in the whole 90 minutes where they were looking like they were dangerous getting behind us.”

(On how they have been so successful playing in multiple competitions with lots of travel…) “Well, it’s tremendous. Our depth has been good all year and different guys have stepped up and contributed at different times. That’s just a reflection of our team. We have a lot of stars on this team, but the star of the team is the team. They know that, ‘OK, today it’s Fredy’s turn to score and the next day it’s going to be Flaco’s [Alvaro Fernandez] turn to score, and the next day it’s going to be Lamar Neagle’s turn to score, and different people…and Kasey [Keller] chips in a save here and there and everything works out.’ But I think our depth and being able to balance so many competitions is a tribute to what the club has been able to build up over three years and the improvement of players in that three year period of time.”

(On if there is a psychology involved that is different than a normal week in preparing for a Cup final…) “I mean the players, the players bring that in their makeup and in their constitution. So you talk about it and you realize the importance of the game and as we’ve gone through these series of games we’ve tried to talk about games in three or four game blocks and say, ‘This is an important game. This is what this game does.’ Maybe New England [Revolution] are not so important in our minds at that point because we have an important game here, so we’ve tried to balance all that. But at the end of the day, I can stand on my head in the locker room and spin around on a top. What’s going to motivate them is themselves inside. They get out and they motivate themselves and they get it done. There’s a lot of special people that they know who support them and I think the biggest motivation of all for me at the end of that game, as all the players are gathered on the field, is just looking up at the stands and seeing everybody still there waiting for us to get presented the trophy. Everybody else waited, except for that one little Chicago corner. But I think that’s a reflection of what we play for every day and what gets us motivated every day. The fans are superb.”

Jeff Parke – Sounders FC Defender
(On his almost-goal that Montero eventually scored…) “Any way it goes in. It’s be nice to score, but Fredy got it and knocked it in.”

(On if they thought it wasn’t their night after two shots hitting the post…) “I didn’t want to believe it. I was thinking that a little bit, but then I was like, ‘We’re gonna knock one in and open this game up.’”

(On if he and the team prefers the south end of the field…) “I guess I can see the ball a little better in that corner.”

(On how the defense neutralized Chicago’s speed up front…) “We just gave them a little space and talked a lot. It goes to our midfield, they got after their midfield and didn’t let them pick their head up too long and took those guys out. Hats off to our midfield, they did really well, and the back line did well, as well.”

(On what was the key to the game…) “It was the pressure. The pressure definitely never quit on them. We didn’t make it easy for them, and it showed because they didn’t play too many balls over the top and when they did, we were there.”

(On how hard it is to play so many knock-out games…) “It’s tough, but you get used to it. Some of the guys get a bit more mature, they get used to the level of the play. We’ve got plenty of guys that do so good and have been in these big moments before.”

Brad Evans – Sounders FC Midfielder
(On the play of the midfielders…) “They looked for the long ball first and foremost, so we talked about before the game, ‘Let’s make their backs play as much as possible, especially [Dan] Gargan,’ so I think we did a good job of that. I think we stepped up. [Pavel] Pardo wasn’t really involved until the middle of the second half-early in the second half. We did a good job, but a player like that is going to find his way into the game somehow. Other than that I thought we did a pretty good job in midfield.”

(On neutralizing Chicago’s better players…) “We talk about that every game. You look at a [Landon] Donovan or a [David] Beckham, whatever it is, you try to make them play square or backwards as much as possible. So tonight, we knew that their two forwards were going to look for the ball behind, so we closed the service. It’s kind of a little bit of math, I guess. I thought we did a good job.”

(On the emotional aspect of winning this game…) “I think the most important thing is that we’re all in this together, regardless. At some point, everybody has played a part in this tournament or this season. We’ve got a deep team, and like I said, everybody’s played part. It’s a testament to our team and these guys, and it’s great to win for guys that can’t be involved.”

(On celebrating in front of the home crowd…) “It’s insane. Once they started getting into it in the second half, I knew we were going to get a goal for sure. Once we get one, we get two. They were insane tonight, so it was awesome.”

(On the togetherness of this team…) “It pays dividends. Hopefully this pays dividends down the line. We can get the Supporter’s Shield with that other result tonight, so we’ll celebrate this for a couple days, but we have a big game Saturday. If we can get three points there and catch some ground again, we put ourselves in a good position to possibly get the Supporter’s Shield and carry this to the MLS Cup.”

(On if the game got a little rough in the second half…) “When you’re down 1-0, you try to do anything you can to scrape a goal somehow. You expect it, it’s part of the game, but it’s great to see everybody fired up.”

(On winning after such a long trip…) “In a game like this, you throw travel out the window. You don’t even think about it. It doesn’t play a part. I don’t think anybody was thinking we had tired legs or anything.”

(On Osvaldo Alonso’s goal…) “It was ridiculous. I thought for sure he was going to shoot, then he took another touch…unbelievable. Couldn’t have happened to a better player, better person. It’s fitting.”

Kasey Keller – Sounders FC Goalkeeper
(On winning a championship…) “To be able to win a cup, at any time, is a tremendous feeling. To win a league, unfortunately I haven’t been able to win a league yet, hopefully we still have a chance at that. Whenever you get a chance to lift a trophy, you know it’s a special occasion. We were so disappointed that first year, that we weren’t able to host the final–we thought we deserved it, we thought our fans deserved it–but we had a great travel support to D.C. and we were able to win there. Then last year, can we get back here and be able to host the event and win it in front of our fans, which we were able to do, break all kinds of records for MLS Open Cup. Then to think, can we do this a third time and host it once again?”

(On playing the game at home…) “I don’t think you can take away from the fact our ownership group is willing to out-bid to get us home draws. The tremendous atmosphere we have at Starfire for games is a huge advantage to us. You can’t look only at the team, it’s a total club effort to have days like this. Big thanks to them. Then what do our fans do? They come down here and break their own record from last year, but what makes it even more special, is something from day one–it’s one thing to have a great crowd…but to be able to back it up and be successful for that crowd is something that I’m so proud of in these last three years that we’ve been able to accomplish.”

(On the differences from last year…) “There was a little bit different feeling last year. We left it kind of late. I think we had such a huge relief after qualifying for the playoffs, we kind of let down a little bit. You say, ‘How is that possible?’ Sometimes you have that subconscious that’s like, ‘We made it. Okay.’ The goal this year was different. We’ve been up there all year…We knew we were going to make the playoffs… We’re ready this year to go as far as we possibly can, and that’s a cool mentality that we’ve had.”

Fredy Montero – Sounders FC Forward
(On not being able to score until late in the game…) “Our expectations were always high and they were very positive. We kept trying and trying again until that first goal arrived, and were going to keep trying and trying again until that first goal arrived.”

(On the atmosphere…) “As our coach said, we have the opportunity to make history. We were able to do it not just for our families, but also our fans, and now we have to keep looking forward to the next cups and wins that we have ahead.”

Frank Klopas – Chicago Fire Coach
(General thoughts…) “First I want to congratulate Seattle for winning a third U.S. Open Cup, so congratulations to them. The game, obviously, didn’t turn out how we wanted it to, still very proud of the effort our guys put in. We knew that it was going to be a difficult match, for sure. It’s not an easy place to come and play. I thought the first half we had moments where we had some rhythm into the game, but never got anything going through the midfield or with our front-runners. I think the second half, we talked about that and tried to get the midfield involved more, develop some rhythm in the play, get our front-runners with their movement to work a little better together. We gave up the set-piece goal, then we tried to push the game and obviously at that point it was late and we were pushing forward and they scored a second goal. I’m proud of the effort from our group, obviously disappointed because we put a lot into the game. We just have to focus on the next game coming up in the league against Dallas at home.”

(On why they weren’t able to get any rhythm…) “I think they did a very good job defensively, for sure…I don’t know if our movement off the ball wasn’t great, I don’t know if they threw us off a little bit, I don’t want to use excuses. I just think we never got rhythm. We had a little bit of a momentum change in the first half then it just seemed that we didn’t get that back and our front-runners didn’t seem to work well off each other.”

(On Seattle having the home-field advantage…) “What can I tell you? That’s the way they do it, maybe if they find a better solution when it’s a neutral site, I couldn’t tell you. It was an opportunity. I know that we did everything we could to get it. It would have been great to play at home, but regardless it’s a final, and things that aren’t in my control I can’t worry about that.”

(On what he can take from the game…) “I liked the effort of the group. I know we felt good coming into the game. We were in a rhythm, we were playing well. Every game is going to be different. I liked the attitude of the guys going in. I know they competed hard and they left everything on the field, but we still have to keep working now for the guys to be gelling more on the field. In situations like this, I can find better solutions to get more involved in the game. There’s always going to be positives.”

Logan Pause – Chicago Fire Midfielder
(On the game…) “It’s disappointing. We came here to win. We were under the gun all night. They’re a great team, one of the best in the league. It was a great atmosphere and home field advantage. The better team won tonight unfortunately.”
(On what the team’s overall issue was tonight…) “We struggled to get things going offensively and struggled to create chances. You end up defending for a good portion of the game, which is what it felt like we were doing. They hit the post a couple of times and we dodged a few bullets. On the set piece, we know they’re dangerous. They got a knock down tap in and from then on we had to push the game. Then they got the second assurance goal at the end.”
(On what the team needs to do in its final MLS games in its push to make the playoffs…) “We need remember what the last five or six games have looked like, and the results that we’ve gotten, and try to carry that momentum. As a group, we’re not happy with the result. We wanted to win and hoist that trophy, but at the end of the day, we now have to refocus. We know we have a couple of teams to catch so we have to take care of our business and need wins at this stage.”

Sean Johnson – Chicago Fire Goalkeeper
(On the game…) “First off, caps off to the Sounders for playing a great game. We came into the game knowing it would be a battle. We fought hard the first 45 and kept it close. In the second half, they had a bit of fortune on their side. They got open on the set piece and (Fredy) Montero was able to finish it off. To cap it off, the last goal by (Osvaldo) Alonso out there was world class. I’m proud of my team for the effort we put forth. It’s never easy coming out of a game, especially a championship, with a loss, having worked so hard to get here. We have to look forward now. We have three games left in our season so we have to finish our season strong and try to push for the playoffs.”

(On if the pressure was increasing as the second half went on…) “The longer it went scoreless, given the circumstances, the better for us. Pressure, I didn’t really feel pressure in the game to be honest. There was about a 15-minute period where Seattle really pressed and I think at the end of that period they got their goal. There are no words to explain going down off a set piece and then trying to push forward to get a goal. We left ourselves open, but you have to take the chance – it’s a championship game. It was a hard-fought game and I’m proud of our team, proud of our effort. We’ll try to look forward now.”

(On the team struggling to find its rhythm in the first half…) “We did seem a bit disconnected going from defense to midfield then midfield up top. We were able to get out of the half 0-0 and that’s the most important thing. When you’re not playing like you want to you try to do the best you can and just work hard to get out of the situation. I thought we came out in the second half and played a lot better. They were just fortunate to go up a goal and then we were pressing, pressing. They were able to finish the game off with the late goal.”

(On what was missing tonight…) “To be honest, it was just one of those nights. Everybody fought hard. You’d have loved to get up and score early on team like this, especially away. We were confident going into the second half. I thought we played a bit better and picked it up a bit. All I can say is, on the night, we played hard and just came up a little short.”

The win moves Seattle one win closer to their third consecutive USOC Trophy.

The Championship will be held at CenturyLink Field against the Chicago Fire on October 4th.

Seattle Sounders FC used a first-half strike from Fredy Montero and a fine defensive effort to defeat FC Dallas, 1-0, in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinal match on Tuesday night in front of 4,593 fans at Starfire Sports Stadium in Tukwila, Wash.

Seattle moves on to play in the Open Cup final on October 4 where they will meet the Chicago Fire, who topped the USL-Pro Richmond Kickers, 2-1, earlier Tuesday night. The final will be played on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field for the second year in a row. The two-time defending Open Cup champion Sounders FC are bidding to become the first team in 42 years to win the title three consecutive years. First kick is 7 p.m. PT.

Sounders FC improves to 12-0-1 in Open Cup play, a record which includes play-in matches. At home, the Rave Green have gone 10-0-0 and outscored visitors 21-6 in the tournament.

FC Dallas falls to 8-3-2 in their last 14 matches in all competitions, with two of three those losses coming to Seattle. Seattle now leads the all-time series 3-1-3.

The streaking Sounders FC have won five in a row in all competitions, outscoring foes 13-3.

The game’s only goal came in the 40th minute. Montero trapped down a ball at the top of the box and proceeded to shake off his defender with a right-footed fake. Montero then cut back and curled a left-footed shot from 16 yards past Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman and into the left corner.

The goal was Montero’s second of Open Cup play in 2011 and his eighth altogether. Montero also scored in the quarterfinal win over the L.A. Galaxy on July 13.

Seattle goalkeeper Kasey Keller earned the shutout in what was his first action of the 2011 tournament. FC Dallas recorded 14 shots on the night, but managed just a single shot on goal – a credit to the Rave Green’s defensive effort.

The Hoops’ best chance came in the 49th minute, when midfielder Marvin Chavez blew past Sounders FC defender Zach Scott and into the box and clanged a hard shot off the left goal post.

Sounders FC recorded 13 shots with four of those coming on goal.

In the third minute, Montero jumped in and dispossessed the ball from Dallas’ Daniel Hernandez and passed it off to Mauro Rosales, who led Montero into the box up the right side. Montero sailed a cross into the box for Brad Evans, but Evans’ header landed right into the arms of Dallas’ Hartman.

Just two minutes before Montero’s game-winner, in what was nearly the play of the night in the 38th minute, Rosales and Pat Noonan played a ball up the right side and Noonan crossed it into the box for Montero, who brought the ball down and attempted an over-the-shoulder shot that missed just wide for a goal kick.

A bye over Labor Day weekend will leave Sounders FC idle until resuming MLS action at home against Real Salt Lake on September 10. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. PT and KING 5 will televise it live.

FC Dallas vs. Seattle Sounders

August 30, 2011 — Starfire Sports Stadium

Goals by Period

1

2

Tot

FC Dallas

0

0

0

Seattle Sounders

1

0

1

Scoring Summary:

SEA — Fredy Montero (Alvaro Fernandez) 40

FC Dallas– Kevin Hartman, Jair Benitez (Jack Stewart 89), Jeremy Hall, Ugo Ihemelu, Andrew Jacobson, Daniel Hernandez, Daniel Cruz (George John 46), Marvin Chavez, Brek Shea, Ricardo Villar (Jackson 64), Maicon Santos.

Substitutes Not Used: Victor Ulloa, Bobby Warshaw, Andrew Wiedeman, Chris Seitz.

TOTAL SHOTS: 14 (Marvin Chavez 6); SHOTS ON GOAL: 1 (Maicon Santos 1); FOULS: 14 (5 tied with 2); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 4 (Daniel Hernandez 2, Ricardo Villar 2); SAVES: 3 (Kevin Hartman 3)

Seattle Sounders — Kasey Keller, Zach Scott, Jeff Parke, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Leo Gonzalez, Mauro Rosales, Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans, Alvaro Fernandez (Lamar Neagle 84), Fredy Montero (James Riley 89), Pat Noonan (Mike Fucito 66).

Substitutes Not Used: Erik Friberg, Nate Jaqua, Tyson Wahl, Josh Ford.

TOTAL SHOTS: 13 (3 tied with 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Brad Evans 2); FOULS: 16 (Leo Gonzalez 4); OFFSIDES: 2 (Fredy Montero 1, Pat Noonan 1); CORNER KICKS: 4 (Mauro Rosales 4); SAVES: 1 (Kasey Keller 1)

Misconduct Summary:

DAL — Daniel Cruz (caution; Reckless Foul) 12

DAL — Daniel Hernandez (caution; Dissent) 22

SEA — Leo Gonzalez (caution; Tactical Foul) 35

SEA — Brad Evans (caution; Reckless Tackle) 58

DAL — Ricardo Villar (caution; Reckless Tackle) 63

DAL — Maicon Santos (caution; Dissent) 63

DAL — Daniel Hernandez (ejection; Abusive Language) 94+

Referee: Hilario Grajeda

Referee’s Assistants:-Mike Rottersman; Paul Scott

4th Official: Jeff Hosking

Attendance: 4,593

Time of Game: 1:53

Weather: Partly Cloudy-and-68-degrees

All Statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficialTop of Form

Bottom of Form

POSTGAME QUOTES: Sounders FC vs. FC Dallas

Sigi Schmid – Sounders FC Head Coach

(On the win and going to the U.S. Open Cup Final…) “Obviously we scored a good goal. It was a great goal by Freddy Montero. I thought in the first half we were the better team-we had more chances. In the second half they were more aggressive, they played forward a little quicker, played with a little bit of desperation that we didn’t always handle well and didn’t really counter as well as we needed to take advantage of that. In the end we’re happy with the 1-0 win. We’re happy to get to our third final.”

(On Fredy Montero’s goal…) “It’s been a while since he scored. I thought he was a little unlucky because he almost got on the end of another one. Obviously the bicycle kick was one that he just barely missed, so he could have three tonight with a little bit better luck.”

(On what winning a third U.S. Open Cup would mean to the team…) “It means a lot. We always want to put trophies in there and to be a team to three-peat is something we’ve got to be proud of because these games are one and done. It’s not like we had a bad game, let’s come back next week and regroup. So, I’m very proud of what our team has done.”

(On the last two week stretch…) “It’s been great because, like I said, we’ve won games different ways. We’ve won games by scoring goals. We’ve won a game by playing a man down and scoring goals, and we’ve won games by being able to defend with a lot of resolve and win 1-0. Winning in Mexico at Monterrey was certainly a great highlight, as well.”

(On the level of competition in the U.S. Open Cup…) “I think teams are more into the competition now because they know it brings with it an opportunity to play in the Champions League. Last year, everybody saw the notoriety that Salt Lake got from getting as far as they did in the Champions league, so everyone wants to grab a piece of that. I think the Champions League competition has increased as well in terms of its visibility in our region. As a result of that this tournament has taken on a bigger weight, as well.”

(On Chicago, their opponent in the U.S. Open Cup Final…) “I’m not going to worry about that for a while. Obviously we had a couple of close games with them. They’re a team that seems to be on a good run now [...] It’s taken Frank Klopas a while to change his team around a little bit and get it working the way he wanted it to work. They’re going to be a dangerous team-they’ve got good speed, they’ve got some talented players.”

(On if he would have rather seen Richmond…) “I don’t care. I never worry about who we’re going to play, just that we get there.”

(On the good defensive play of Zach Scott and Leo Gonzalez…) “I thought in the first half, especially so. I though Zach did a good job on Brek [Shea] and won some headers there which was really important. As a result you saw in the first half Brek switched over the other wing pretty early on. I thought Leo, as well, did a good job. Second half it wasn’t as composed as I would have liked but sometimes games just take on a personality like that.”

Kasey Keller – Sounders FC Goalkeeper

(On the match…) “Yeah, I feel great. We did everything we could to try and throw it away at the end, but somehow we survived. We should have been up three-nil and we almost paid the price by not taking advantage of the chances that we got. But saying that, somehow we hung on and got the win. Another great crowd here at Starfire. We keep that undefeated streak here alive and get back to play another (Open Cup) final, which is tremendous. Great play and now we can go see a huge crowd for another Open Cup.”

(On playing the final at CenturyLink Field…) “It’ll be a big crowd, I’m sure. We’re so happy, obviously. The organization has this facility to be able to bid so we get these good home games, which makes a big, big difference for us. Thanks to them and now hopefully we can reward everybody with our third (Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup victory) in a row.”

(On what went wrong in the second half…) “It’s more than that, it’s not just our defense letting down. We let them come at us. We let them. We didn’t step up and put pressure on them when we should have. We relaxed and we dropped back into flat positions and we just didn’t compete how we could have. And it’s a shame because we had played so well for about 70 minutes and then the last 20 minutes we just stopped playing. We had some interesting calls, but in the end the result is what’s important. Maybe a year and a half ago, maybe two years ago, we might have let this game slip. But right now we’re in good form, we’re getting those breaks when we need them – they crushed one off the post — and you need that to get into the finals. We had that going for us today.”

Fredy Montero – Sounders FC Forward

(On returning to the Finals for the third-straight year…) “It’s definitely very motivating and we’re all very happy. Thanking God also, because it’s not every team that can experience something like that three times in a row.”

(On his bicycle kick that missed and his subsequent game-winning goal…) “I keep working. Luckily the second one from the distant position got in and gave us a spot in the final.”

(On whether he felt anxious to score a goal, after a few scoreless outings…) “Not really. One cannot predict when that will happen. The good thing is that the team is working united, all deserving those situations. We know that when something like that happens, it’s not the end.”

Alvaro Fernandez – Sounders FC Midfielder

(On Fredy Montero’s goal…) “It was a good play in the midfield. I managed to catch the ball and noticed Fredy (Montero) get position and I passed the ball. He got a very good finish on the ball and it was a great goal.”

Schellas Hyndman – FC Dallas Head Coach

(On the difference makers in the game…) “Montero’s goal was a great goal. We had quite a few chances in the first half. We were, I think, a little bit intimidated by the whole event. I think a lot of things weren’t going our way and I think we just kind of got wrapped up. But it was a great goal by Montero.”

(On what factors were not going FC Dallas’ way…) “I think we were losing a lot of possession. We weren’t getting a lot of scoring opportunities. It seemed like a lot of calls were going against us. There was a lot of play going both ways, and I just didn’t think we put enough pressure on them.”

(On whether fatigue played a factor…) “I don’t think our guys really had a problem with fitness, so I would hate to think that fatigue was an issue.”

(On his halftime changes and how that changed the game…) “We went into a 4-4-2. We felt like the game wasn’t in the midfield; it was a bit chippy in the midfield, so what we wanted to do was get Marvin Chavez more into the attack. I thought he really livened up and created a lot of problems for [Zach] Scott. He hit the post when he went in one-on-one, and then he had a great chance to finish it there at the end of the game on pretty much an open goal. I thought that going into the 4-4-2 helped us get a little bit more balanced attack, which I think kept Seattle back a little bit more.”

(On Breck Shea leaving for the National Team…) “He’s going to be gone during the time that we’re going to be taking a break. We have Tigres coming in on Saturday and then we play the following Saturday. My understanding is that Breck will meet us in New England when we arrive there.”

(Continued…) “It’s an opportunity well-deserved. He’s playing extremely well. I think he’s one of the best left-sided midfielders in the country. Today, it just wasn’t a real easy day to get your foot on the ball.”

(On what he told his team…) “I talked to the team and my thing was ‘You know what, sometimes the ball just doesn’t bounce right for you.’ We had some scoring chances that we didn’t convert on. I’m thinking the three games that we played against Seattle were all 1-0 games. This was a difficult game. It was a bit of a smaller field and a little bit more intimidating. [Century Link] Field, you’ve got 10 times more fans, but they’re a bit more removed from you.”

(On whether the crowd was a factor, and his thoughts on the way the Open Cup is currently organized…) “I think the crowd is a great motivator. For me, this is one of the best events – the Lamar Hunt Open Cup – but I’d really like to see it into a structure where it’s not a bid system. A bid system is where one team will buy the games because they’re bidding higher. I think 20 years ago, the college game was the same thing. It could go to the higher seeds, instead of a bid system where you’re spending money, or it could be pre-determined. I think that brings out all the fairness to the event.”

(On how his team feels after tonight…) “This is not the way we wanted to end the Open Cup, but we also are excited about having a week and a half off.”

Kevin Hartman – FC Dallas Goalkeeper

(On the difference maker tonight and his team’s performance overall…) “One goal. I don’t know. I thought the first half, we certainly had some issues, in terms of our defensive shape and competing for second balls. I thought some of the changes we made at halftime certainly put us in a position to tie up the game. I know Marvin hit the post once. There was a play toward the end of the game when somebody had a shot from maybe four or five yards out that was blocked and then Marvin had a follow-up. I think when we didn’t see either one of those go in we kind of felt like it might not be our night. You’ve got to give credit to Seattle. They play really well on the turf, and they compete. It’s not necessarily conducive to the type of game that we like to play. But we’re a team that doesn’t like to give up. We’re a team that continues to compete. I thought even through the 93rd minute, we were really putting them under pressure. I think that we’re a team that really has ambitions and wants to win championships and unfortunately tonight we just weren’t able to get the result.

(On what it means to the team to lose the Open Cup semifinal…) “We haven’t had an opportunity to train in about two months. We’ve been playing a game every three days. I think that was the 16th game we’ve played in two months, so we’re playing a game every two or three days. The extra 45 minutes in Toronto where they took away our goal and we had to start over again was another bit of adversity that we had to overcome. But I think that we keep things in perspective and hopefully the fans do as well. I think that we’re in really good shape in terms of the Champions League right now. Certainly we would love to be in the championship game of the U.S. Open Cup, but we’re in pretty good shape within league and now that we’ll have an opportunity to kind of adjust and get Jeremy kind of situated in the right back spot. Zach [Loyd] might be coming back. And then you have George John, who’s somebody who obviously had a weird week and get him slotted back in there, push [Andrew Jacobson] in the midfield so that we have so many guys who are competing for the second balls, which was obviously an issue in the first half.”

Nate Jaqua put the Sounders up 1-0 in the 4th minute against LA. (Chris Coulter photo)

Goals by Nate Jaqua, Fredy Montero, and Lamar Neagle bolstered a Sounders Attack on Wednesday night that defeated the LA Galaxy 3-1 in the Quarterfinals of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

Jaqua, the 2010 Player of the USOC struck early putting a left-footed shot past LA goalkeeper Josh Saunders. The strike was Jaqua’s 8th career USOC goal.

After Montero’s goal put Seattle up 2-0, LA cut the lead in half just before halftime.

Local Boy Neagle but the icing on the cake in the 74th when a deft pass from Alvaro Fernandez found Neagle in the box for the shot inside the 6-yard box.

With the win Seattle advances to the US Open Cup Semifinals against FC Dallas. The match will be held at Starfire on either August 30th or 31st.

The Rave Green next face the Colorado Rapids on Saturday at 1p in MLS League Action.

QUOTE BELOW THE STATS

Scoring Summary:
SEA — Nate Jaqua (Pat Noonan) 4
SEA — Fredy Montero (Nate Jaqua) 25
LA — Adam Cristman (Chris Birchall) 40
SEA — Lamar Neagle (Alvaro Fernandez) 74

LA Galaxy– Josh Saunders, Bryan Jordan, A.J. DeLaGarza, Gregg Berhalter, Todd Dunivant, Chris Birchall, Michael Stephens, Juninho (Jovan Kirovski 78), Landon Donovan (Hector Jimenez 75), Paolo Cardozo (Miguel Lopez 64), Adam Cristman.

Substitutes Not Used: Juan Pablo Angel, Kyle Davies, Brian Perk.

TOTAL SHOTS: 13 (Chris Birchall 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 7 (Juninho 2); FOULS: 10 (Gregg Berhalter 4); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 7 (Landon Donovan 6); SAVES: 8 (Josh Saunders 8.)

Seattle Sounders — Terry Boss, Zach Scott, Jeff Parke, Patrick Ianni, Leo Gonzalez, Pat Noonan (Erik Friberg 64), Osvaldo Alonso, Alvaro Fernandez, Lamar Neagle, Nate Jaqua (Roger Levesque 71), Fredy Montero (Mike Fucito 79).

Substitutes Not Used: Servando Carrasco, James Riley, Mauro Rosales, Kasey Keller.

TOTAL SHOTS: 23 (Lamar Neagle 6); SHOTS ON GOAL: 11 (Lamar Neagle 3); FOULS: 17 (Fredy Montero 4); OFFSIDES: 3 (Mike Fucito 2); CORNER KICKS: 3 (Pat Noonan 2); SAVES: 5 (Terry Boss 5)

Misconduct Summary:
SEA — Osvaldo Alonso (caution; Tactical Foul) 22
SEA — Fredy Montero (caution; Unsporting Behavior) 54
SEA — Jeff Parke (caution; Tactical Foul) 55
LA — Paolo Cardozo (caution; Reckless Tackle) 59
SEA — Mike Fucito (caution; Delaying a Restart) 90

Referee: Kevin Stott
Referee’s Assistants:-Corey Rockwell; Mike Kampmeinert
4th Official: Levi Rippy
Attendance: 4,322
Time of Game: 1:52
Weather: Partly Cloudy-and-71-degrees

POSTGAME QUOTES: Sounders FC vs. L.A. Galaxy
Sigi Schmid – Sounders FC Head Coach
(On the play of Nate Jaqua) “We’re going to have to name him ‘Mr. Open Cup’ pretty soon. He was unlucky – the header he had early went off the post. Then he finally got a goal and I think he’d like to have a couple of the other chances back. He could have finished with three or four goals tonight, for sure. But it was good to see him get a goal. I think it was very important for him, as well as our team, obviously in tonight’s game, but I’m very happy that Nate got a goal tonight.”

(On being one step closer to being three-time U.S. Open Cup champions) “We always take it seriously. We’ve got Dallas in the next round and we’re at home, so that’s a good thing for us. Our guys really respond to the fans and the intimate atmosphere here, I think it’s tremendous and it gives the fans a chance to see it up close and personal. But we’ve got a tough semifinal game. Dallas is a good team. Our goal is always whatever we enter, we’re going to try to win.”

(On L.A.’s lineup) “I thought both teams put out a mixed lineup, but I thought they put out a mixed lineup. They had some guys with injuries that they weren’t going to take chances on and we certainly took some players out of the lineup and tried to rest some people as well. So it was good. We’re not going to apologize. They’re not going to apologize. Both teams came here to compete. I think there’s only really been one team that said we’re not going to compete in the Open Cup, and that happened last night. But outside of that I think every team has come in to compete and try to play well and put their best team on the field that makes sense based upon the rhythm of games you play.”

(On Lamar Neagle’s performance) “Lamar has done well. There’s times where he drifts out of the game a little bit, but he always comes up with a big play or two. The third goal was certainly a very important play for us, a sealing goal. He had an assist on a goal when we played the Galaxy reserve team, so I’m sure he wouldn’t mind playing the Galaxy a few more times and getting on the field. But Lamar has done well. He’s still a young player, he made a lot of growth last year by going to Charleston. And he’s been back and continued to make that growth. As we give him minutes he responds to them.”

(On Terry Boss) “Terry did well. I thought he made a couple of good saves, a couple of big saves early in the first half as well, that kept us in the game, like you said. But I was really pleased with Terry’s confidence. He was composed. You could tell he was in control of his goal box, which is very important for a goalkeeper to be. He wasn’t rattled and he comes up with a big save. So I was very pleased with what he did tonight.”

Nate Jaqua – Sounders FC Forward
(On the match) “I was able to get that first one early and I had a couple of other ones I would have liked to put away, but that’s how it goes sometimes. The bottom line is that we got the win and we’re moving on to the next round.”

(On how exciting it is to have made it this far in the U.S. Open Cup with the Seattle Sounders FC in each of his seasons with the team) “Yeah, it’s great. We’ve got a good opportunity now. I think we have the game here at home again. It’s fun playing here. I love it. I love the fans that come out. I’m looking forward to it.”

(On how much today’s match can help to build confidence going forward) “I think we have a lot of confidence going forward. I think that’s why we’re playing well right now. It’s just something if you can keep using that momentum going forward. For myself, it was nice to get a goal. Usually when you get that one (goal), then (more) start to follow. I had a couple of other chances I would have liked to put away, but that’s how it goes sometimes. But I’ll use that as good momentum for myself and we’re moving forward.”

(On if it means more that the L.A. Galaxy brought out some of their first string talent this match) “I think around this stage guys start realizing that if you win a couple of games then you’re in the final. And everybody wants to be in the final, so why not? It’s a great opportunity. They had a good team, a good squad out there. They put the pressure on us that first half, especially after they got that first goal and it was 2-1 at halftime. But we were able to come back in the second half, fought hard, and Lamar (Neagle) got a great third goal and we were able to put it away.”

Lamar Neagle – Sounders FC Midfielder
(On his goal) “Flaco (Alvaro Fernandez) played a great ball, I ran across the back line to kind of keep an eye on a guy. He played a great ball and I just got a flick on it and it went in the side netting.”

(On how important it is to get this win) “It’s important just to keep our momentum going. No matter what were playing – reserve game, regular season, or Open Cup – we want to win. We definitely have the squad to do it. We definitely have the depth on the team to perform and every single person is playing.”

(On the Galaxy) “They’re definitely ones to take it seriously, too. It’s Open Cup, everybody in the U.S. is playing in it. We’re the defending champs and we want to keep it going, so we’re definitely not going to take it lightly.”

(On playing at Starfire) “It’s crazy. We have more fans here than some teams do at regular season games. It’s an amazing atmosphere and it’s great for the game.”

(On Seattle Sounders FC still being undefeated in U.S. Open Cup competition) “Yeah, you can see how seriously the Sounders take it. We’re doing the same thing this year. We want to come out and we want to win it again.”

Terry Boss – Sounders FC Goalkeeper
(On the match) “I think the guys did a good job. We came out and everyone was real sharp. From the opening kickoff I think it was evident to everybody how bad we wanted to win and how important this U.S. Open Cup is not only to us, but the city and to the organization.”

(On facing several set pieces today) “It was one of those things that was like, we wish we didn’t have to face as many as we did, but we ended up doing a good job. Guys did a good job battling in there and we took care of them. I think we were really fortunate not to give up a goal on set pieces with as many as we took, but it was definitely nice to get out of there without giving one up.”

(On if it is good to see other teams starting to take the Open Cup seriously) “Yeah, I think L.A.’s team was great, their roster. You could tell it was important to them, too. I think this tournament does mean a lot to a lot of teams and there is a momentum around the league in how valuable it is throughout their organizations as well. So I think that ups the ante a little bit and makes this win a little bit more sweet.”

(On the Seattle defense) “I think our whole team did a great job, but especially the back line–Jeff Parke and Patrick Inane and Zach Scott–and Leo (Gonzalez) is such a good one-on-one defender, he did a great job for us. We didn’t break down that many times, so it was nice to walk away giving up only one goal.”

(On the play of Pat Noonan) “Pat’s a great player. He has such a great soccer IQ. You can just see that when he has the ball people are running and he’s finding people. He’s definitely one of those players that needs to be accounted for at all times. And the way he delivers the ball he makes players around him so much better. It was definitely nice to see him on the field and be so effective for 60 minutes.”

Adam Cristman – L.A. Galaxy Forward
(On scoring a goal for the LA Galaxy…) “Obviously the chance to start…It was an okay performance by myself. Getting the goals, that’s my job as a forward, to score. So that’s a positive. But at the end of the day, we didn’t so enough to win and we had other chances we could have put away. So it’s disappointing.”

(On being eliminated from the US Open Cup…) “It’s disappointing. We were all the way to the round of 16 our first game, and this was the quarterfinal. It’s the only type of tournament where you can win a championship and it’s only four games. It allows you to focus on it. I think we could have done better tonight and so it’s disappointing. We feel like we could have done well in this tournament. We didn’t have it tonight and that’s the result. We’ll move on and focus on the rest of our games and tournaments for the rest of the year.”

Landon Donovan – L.A. Galaxy Midfielder
(On playing at Starfire…) “I guess kind of a typical early round Open Cup game. It was a good atmosphere, it was a good environment. The turf actually played okay. And [the Sounders] were good tonight. They deserved to win.”

(On the loss…) “We were a little naïve. I think we tried to play a little bit too much early. We made a few mistakes and they made us pay. They had a few other good chances too. We got back in the game and had some chances at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half to even the game. We didn’t and then we make an error and that’s pretty much the game.”

(On the early pressure from Sounders FC…) “We knew that was coming. We didn’t do a good enough job of relieving the pressure. We gave away too many balls in the bad parts of the field and they took advantage of it and that was pretty much the game. The first 20 minutes really decided the game.”

Bruce Arena – L.A. Galaxy Head Coach
(On his overall impression of the game…) “I thought Seattle’s start of the game was excellent, our reaction was poor and we were dominated in the first 25 minutes of the game. We got our feet under ourselves in the last 15 minutes of the first half. I thought we ended the half playing well. Two-one, given what we saw in the early going, was a pretty good position to be in. We came out in the second half and did all right, then obviously the third goal broke our backs but I thought if you take away the first 25 minutes-which might be a pretty stupid statement-it got better. Obviously at 3-1 we dug ourselves a hole. That’s the way it is. ”

(On Starfire Sports Stadium…) “The field and all of that is tough, but you know, both teams play on it. It’s fine. It’s all part of it. What are you going to do? We didn’t react real well to it technically or tactically and the better team won the game.”

Nate Jaqua scored two goals against LA in the 2010 USOC Quarterfinals (Chris Coulter Photo)

It’s a quick 3-day rest period, but the Sounders return to action on Wednesday night in the Quarterfinals of the US Open Cup taking on the LA Galaxy at Starfire.

Seattle has advanced to the Quarterfinals by defeating the PDL’s Kitsap Pumas, 2-1 thanks to two goals from Mike Fucito. The Galaxy, who lead MLS in points, played the Los Angeles Blues and found themselves down 0-1 in the 75th minute, but came back to defeat the USL Pro side, 2-1.

The Sounders are looking to advance to the Semifinals against FC Dallas- which would be hosted by Seattle, but a club that has given Rave Green fits in MLS play, stands in the way. LA & Seattle have faced off twice in 2011 already including a 0-1 First Kick loss at Qwest and a scoreless draw in LA on the Fourth of July.

These two teams met last year in the USOC Quarterfinals as well; Last year, two second-half goals from Nate Jaqua sent Seattle into the Semifinals. That has been Seattle’s only victory over LA in the past 7 matches.

Although Sounders FC is looking to become the first 3-peat champions of the USOC in the Professional Era, LA has a solid history in the USOC. The Galaxy raised the Cup in  2001 and 2005 and made it to the finals in 2006 & ’06.

Kickoff is slated for 7p. A video stream should be available on SoundersFC.com.

Miguel Montaño celebrates a US Open Cup victory (Chris Coulter photo)

Mike Fucito scored twice as Seattle Sounders FC remained unbeaten in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament-related games in front of 3,811 fans at Starfire Sports Stadium.

With the victory, Sounders FC advance to the quarterfinals and will host the LA Galaxy who defeated the PDL LA Blues.

“I think they came in with a great deal of effort.  When you look around at other scores, Dallas won in the 95th minute, Columbus lost, I don’t know where LA is right now but all these games are like that,” said head coach Sigi Schmid. “I don’t want to take anything away from the Pumas’ efforts tonight.  They put in a great game, they had a good game plan, stayed compact in the back and they posed some problems for us.”

Report From the Club…

The Rave Green is now riding a four-match winning streak in all competitions and remains unbeaten in their last seven games (5-0-2). The two-time defending Open Cup champions are 10-0-1 all-time in the tournament and related qualifiers. Fucito’s game-winning goal came in the 62nd minute when Michael Seamon played him into the right side of the box. Using some quick footwork to maneuver around a Kitsap defender and away from goalkeeper Bryan Meredith, Fucito then blasted a right-footed shot past Meredith, giving Sounders FC a 2-0 lead that they would not relinquish. The Harvard graduate’s first goal came in the 39th minute when Seattle forward Nate Jaqua headed down a cross to Fucito in the box. Fucito sent a left-footed volley across Meredith and into the back of the net. Fucito left the contest in the 68th minute. He was replaced by Jeff Parke. The Pumas, unbeaten and atop the Northwest Division of the USL Premeri Development League, got on the scoreboard in the 71st minute after Seattle had just cleared a corner kick. Robert Christner the ball back into the box where Pumas midfielder Nikolas Besagno hit it past Seattle goalkeeper Terry Boss, cutting the lead in half. Sounders FC dominated the Pumas in total shots (25-7) and shots on goal (8-1). Impressive goalkeeping from Meredith kept the Pumas in the match late, as he recorded six saves. In the 75th minute, Sounders FC midfielder Miguel Montano got off a powerful strike from 24 yards out, but Meredith lunged to his right and made the stop. In the 82nd minute, Jaqua fired a hard shot at Meredith, who made an impressive stop diving to his right. Sounders FC will next return to MLS play as they visit the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. on July 4 for an opportunity to gain ground on the league-leading L.A. Galaxy. First kick is set for 7:30 p.m. PT and the match will be nationally televised on ESPN2.

Scoring Summary SEA — Mike Fucito (Nate Jaqua) 39 SEA — Mike Fucito (unassisted) 62 KIT — Nikolas Besagno (Robert Christner) 71 Kitsap Pumas– Bryan Meredith, Stephen Mohn, Taylor Hyde, Dan Scott, Mark Lee, Matt Friesen (David Gray 84), Nikolas Besagno, Elliott Fauske, Cameron Hepple (Tye Perdido 83), Robert Christner, Bryan Burke (Warlen Silva 69). Substitutes Not Used: Zac Lubin, Samuel Roca, Chris Andre, Kendell McFayden. TOTAL SHOTS: 7 (Nikolas Besagno 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 1 (Nikolas Besagno 1); FOULS: 8 (Dan Scott 3); OFFSIDES: 5 (Robert Christner 2, Bryan Burke 2); CORNER KICKS: 6 (Cameron Hepple 6); SAVES: 6 (Bryan Meredith 6) Seattle Sounders – Terry Boss, Zach Scott, Leo Gonzalez, Taylor Graham, Michael Tetteh, David Estrada (Pat Noonan 54), Osvaldo Alonso, Mike Seamon (Servando Carrasco 85), Miguel Montano, Mike Fucito (Jeff Parke 68), Nate Jaqua. Substitutes Not Used: Roger Levesque, Lamar Neagle, Tyson Wahl, Josh Ford. TOTAL SHOTS: 25 (Nate Jaqua 6); SHOTS ON GOAL: 8 (Nate Jaqua 3); FOULS: 4 (Nate Jaqua 2, Michael Tetteh 2); OFFSIDES: 3 (Miguel Montano 2); CORNER KICKS: 7 (Miguel Montano 4); SAVES: 0 Misconduct Summary KIT — Taylor Hyde (caution; Reckless Tackle) 43 KIT — Dan Scott (caution; Tactical Foul) 80 Referee: Tyler Ploeger Referee’s Assistants:-Mike Rottersman; Jeff Hosking 4th Official: William Niccolls Weather: Cloudy-and-63-degrees All Statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial POSTGAME QUOTES: Sounders FC vs. Kitsap Pumas – June 28, 2011 Sigi Schmid – Sounders FC Head Coach (On the match and the impressive play of the Kitsap Pumas) “That’s what the Open Cup is all about. That’s what’s given it the tradition that is has in England – whether you’re United or you’re playing Manchester United, you’re able to put in a good battle. Obviously they came in motivated and so forth. Probably right at the time in the game where we took the 2-0 lead, (I thought) maybe the game will tip (in our favor). Then they end up scoring a goal and we give them a shot of adrenaline and it keeps their energy going. I used to have this all the time when I coached UCLA, a Division I school, and we would play a Division II school. For that one game they would muster a great effort. Hats off to them (the Kitsap Pumas), and obviously Pete (Fewing) should be very proud of the effort they put in today.” (On finding a way to win tonight) “Yeah, we did that. We got a couple of good goals from Mike Fucito. I think the guys in the room would tell you it wasn’t their best game. You’re always looking for guys in games like this, looking to see who steps up and who shouts out their name to you as the coach. You know, hey, he’s the guy that you have to use the next time around. So that’s something you look for all the time. I thought (Pat) Noonan came in and I thought he had an impact. His passing helped open things up for us and allowed us to get that second goal. So we keep working and we get ready for L.A. (Galaxy) on Monday (July 4).” (On the closeness of the game tonight) “I think they came in with a great deal of effort. When you look around at the scores – I think Dallas won in the 95th minute on a goal, I think Columbus lost, I don’t know where L.A. is at, I heard it was 1-1. All these games are like that. It’s just the way it is. And do you say, ‘Well, maybe you’re not sharp?’ or ‘Are they extra sharp?’ I think it’s a little bit of a combination of both. But I don’t want to take anything away from the Kitsap Pumas’ effort. I thought they put in a great effort. They had a good game plan. They would compact the back and keep one high – that guy posed some problems for us early on, he made some runs, got in behind us at times, and made it difficult for us to play by holding nine guys back. So it was a good game plan, a good effort.” (On Kitsap goalkeeper Bryan Meredith, a fourth-round draft pick by Seattle this year) “I thought Bryan was solid. I thought he came up with some big saves right at the point when the game is 2-0. He allowed them to stay in the game because he came up with a couple of big saves. I think one was against Fucito, one against Montano, one against Jaqua. So he came up with some big saves, for sure.” (On Osvaldo Alonso in the lineup tonight) “Well, Ozzie didn’t play (against New England on Sunday), so we were only talking about playing him 45 minutes tonight. But it wasn’t a real taxing game…for a guy like Ozzie who is really fit. I just said to him, ‘Just sit in midfield. Don’t go running around like crazy. Just sit in there and keep us organized. Keep the ball flowing from one side to the other.’ And I thought Ozzie did that for us. So yeah, he expended energy, but probably didn’t expend as much energy as he does in a normal MLS game.” (On if tonight’s effort by Fucito can push him over the edge in MLS games) “Well, I think any time we play in the electricity kits we should look about playing him because it seems like in Champions League whenever we wore the yellow, he seemed to score goals. And I told him that tonight before the game, I said, ‘When we’re in the electricity you seem to score goals.’ And he got two goals tonight.” Terry Boss – Sounders FC Goalkeeper (On what he thought of the game…) “I thought we missed a lot of chances. Bryan Meredith played really well. I was happy to see him make some big saves and keep his team in the game. He’s a guy I care about a lot. We spend a lot of time together in preseason so it’s always nice to see one of your kind doing well, you know? Obviously, it would have been nice to have put the game out of hand earlier and not let them back in the game and make a game out of the last 30 minutes or so. We need to do a better job of finishing our chances and not fall asleep on the other end, I think. We gave them a fair amount of chances that were pretty dangerous and could have made the game drastically different had they capitalized on them.” (On the U.S. Open Cup tournament is the type where any team can make a game out of any match…) “Pete (Fewing) is a great coach and he had them extremely motivated, I’m sure. And this tournament is great. It’s a tournament you love playing in because you can win and they definitely had some momentum in there. At the end of the day, we just knew we had to win and playing on a smaller field like that makes for an action-packed game when a team wants to get the ball forward and run off of their big man. So it was definitely nice to get the win.” (On conflicting emotions with Meredith playing well, but Seattle not quite playing as well as it could have…) “I’m proud of him and he’s a good kid. I’m happy to see him do well but I want to win more than anything. At the end of the day, that only goes so far. You can be proud of him but yeah obviously I want to win. End of story.” Mike Fucito – Sounders FC Forward (On what a night like this, scoring two goals, means to him…) “I always like coming out and playing in this atmosphere, it’s so cool. They’re a pretty good team. We knew they were going to come out with a lot of energy and I thought it was a pretty good game. Good for other guys to get some time and show well. It was nice to finally score some goals.” (On if this is the type of performance that can get you rolling…) “Yeah, absolutely. These are not easy games and getting those two goals gives me a little bit of confidence going forward. And I knew once I got one, hopefully the rest would start coming. Hopefully now it translates to MLS games.” (On Kitsap giving Seattle a handful and if that’s what they expect from a team like that…) “Absolutely. Pete Fewing has those guys prepared and just the atmosphere – it plays well for the other team, too, because they get pumped up and they have some fans. The field plays a little smaller so they were able to pack it in a little bit but I thought in the second half we did a better job of opening them up and using the wide spaces.” (On if he’s happy with how Seattle played…) “I think we can always improve. I thought we should keep a clean sheet so we’re probably not happy about that. But I thought for the most part, we finished chances. We could have had a couple more at the end there. So it could have been four, five to one but obviously we’re happy with the win.” Peter Fewing – Kitsap Pumas Head Coach (On Bryan Meredith’s game…) “Bryan Meredith had a great game. I’m sure Sigi (Schmid) is saying, ‘Holy crap, we got to get Bryan Meredith more time with us than with the Pumas.’ But in the second half especially he was real good.” (On surviving the first 15 minutes…) “That was the goal – to find the rhythm of the game, the pace of the game, which we did. It’s too bad we gave up [the first goal]. I thought our marking was a little soft on that first goal. That was the frustrating part. And then to come back and get a goal, I don’t think we ever gave up. So I’m proud of the effort of the guys. I’m proud we showed we can play. That’s the thing that for our players, for them to be able to play and look like soccer players and come out here and not be intimidated by the pressure of the game or the atmosphere of the game but to come out and get the ball and roll it around, I thought our guys did really well. I’m proud of our guys tonight.” (On if the difference in the game…) “Well, I was pleased that we created all the chances that we created, you know what I mean. So I thought our quality was good in the attacking third when we settled down a bit. Yeah, they finished two chances, we finished one. Each team had a lot of chances. But I liked them. I would say we had four good ones in the first half and we had two or three…If Mark Lee continues to run, that’s a tap-in. So they put their two chances away and we only put one away but both teams had chances. And again, I like the fact that we tried to play them straight up. We adjusted our lineup and were smart about it. We did not sit back. We never sat back where it was – we had to get numbers behind the ball but when it went out, we tried to go out with numbers on the attack too.” Dan Scott – Kitsap Pumas Defender (On the game…) “You know I thought we weathered the storm the first 20 minutes of each half. I think once we found our rhythm, we had our opportunities definitely. It’s just a matter of putting it in the back of the net. Nick [Besagno] has a great one at the end, he had the first one in the first half. Bryan Burke had a couple. At the end of the day, you have to take care of your chances. But I thought overall we settled down and I thought we knocked the ball around nicely. It was definitely a battle defensively. [Mike] Fucito played a good game. But overall, we want to win. So it’s definitely unsatisfying when it comes down to it.” (On if he’s proud…) “I’m proud of the effort. Overall, I’m proud of the effort. I’m not proud of the result. But at the end of the day, you know, I thought we left it on the field and that’s all you can ask for.” (On if he thinks fans are surprised that Kitsap only lost by one…) “I hope they shouldn’t be. I think we’re a good team and I think it showed tonight that we can play – that we can play good soccer. I mean the level’s definitely a bit higher. But once, mentally, we got around in the game I thought we had our chances, like I said, but we just didn’t finish. But I mean, at the end of the day, I’m fairly proud of the effort we put forth on the field.” (On getting in a shoving match with his brother Zach Scott…) “You saw that? Zach’s a strong kid. He’s got old-man strength. So it’s one of those things where you have to work a little harder when you’re going against your older brother. But I thought he played well overall as well. He had a couple opportunities on corner kicks but at the end of the day, they’re an MLS team and they showed why they’re at that level.”

Having claimed 9 points in their last 3 MLS matches, the boys in Rave Green Electricity will face local PDL side Kitsap Pumas. The Pumas have made their way into the USOC’s Third Round with wins over the U23 POrtland Timbers, Chivas El Paso Patriots, and then Real Colorado Foxes in the 2nd Round.

**Twitter Contest: Win Tickets to the Match from GoSounders.com**

Seattle claimed direct entry to the Tournament’s Third Round by being in the top 6 at the conclusion of the 2010 MLS schedule.

PDL teams have defeated two MLS sides in the history of the US Open Cup. Chivas USA lost to Dallas Roma FC in penalties in 2006. And more locally the Seattle Sounders Select side (U23s) beat the previous iteration of FC Dallas (the Burn) 3-2 at Dallas.

Historically, MLS teams are have won 13 of 15 matches (1-1 in penalties) with a goal differential of 54-18 versus the PDL.

Kitsap currently leads the Northwest Division of the USL Premier Development League (PDL) with a record of 8-0-1. The Pumas have been idle since their 3-1 second-round win over Real Colorado Foxes on June 21 in Bremerton. Robert Christner scored two goals in that victory and another brace in a 3-2 away win over the Portland Timbers U23s to earn a berth in the Open Cup.

Matt Friesen (6 goals), Christner (4) and Nik Besagno (3) are the league scoring leaders while Bryan Meredith has four shutouts in goal. Meredith, a rookie from Monmouth University, was drafted in the fourth round of the 2011 MLS SuperDraft by Seattle and he continues to train with Sounders FC on a regular basis. Besagno, the top pick in the 2005 SuperDraft by Real Salt Lake, played on loan to the USL-1 Sounders in 2008. He and Tye Perdido have trained with Sounders FC in the past. Dan Scott, the Pumas captain, is the younger brother of Seattle defender Zach Scott.

Kickoff is slated for 7P. For those unable to make it to Starfire, SoundersFC.com will have a live stream of the match.

Kickoff is slated for 7p from Starfire.

Tickets go on sale at 10a on Wednesday (6/22).

Having finished in MLS’s top 6 in 2010, the Sounders gain automatic entry into the tournament’s Third Round.

The quarterfinals will be played on July 12 and the semifinals will be played on Aug. 30. All 2011 U.S. Open Cup matches are attempted to be scheduled to be played on Tuesdays. Culminating with the final on October 4th.

The 2011 champion will earn a $100,000 cash prize, while the runner-up will collect $50,000.

As a quick note, a three-peat for the USOC has only been achieved one other time- by the New York Greek-Americans who won in 1967, 68, & 69.

The Sounders will begin their quest for a 3-peat of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup at home in the Third Round of the tournament. Seattle will host the winner of the Kitsap Pumas vs Real Colorado Foxes 2nd round match which will be held on June 21st.

According to the USSF, if the Colorado side wins, the match would be on June 29th. If Kitsap advances, the date of that match is still TBD. Both Matches would kickoff at 7p from Starfire in Tukwila.

Having finished in MLS’s top 6 in 2010, the Sounders gain automatic entry into the tournament’s Third Round.

The quarterfinals will be played on July 12 and the semifinals will be played on Aug. 30. All 2011 U.S. Open Cup matches are attempted to be scheduled to be played on Tuesdays. Culminating with the final on October 4th.

The 2011 champion will earn a $100,000 cash prize, while the runner-up will collect $50,000.

As a quick note, a three-peat for the USOC has only been achieved one other time- by the New York Greek-Americans who won in 1967, 68, & 69.

The road to the US Open Cup is taking shape. As the Sounders look for their third consecutive USOC Championship, US Soccer announced the structure and schedule for the 98th Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

Having finished in MLS’s top 6 in 2010, the Sounders gain automatic entry into the tournament’s Third Round which be held on June 28th.

The quarterfinals will be played on July 12 and the semifinals will be played on Aug. 30. All 2011 U.S. Open Cup matches are scheduled to be played on Tuesdays. Culminating with the final on October 4th.

The 2011 champion will earn a $100,000 cash prize, while the runner-up will collect $50,000.

As a quick note, a three-peat for the USOC has only been achieved one other time- by the New York Greek-Americans who won in 1967, 68, & 69.

Chris Coulter and SoundersPhotos.com