Sounders Look for US Open Cup Three-Peat Tuesday

The Seattle Sounders host the Chicago Fire Tuesday evening at Seattle’s CenturyLink Field at 10:00 pm EDT in the final of the 2011 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, which will be broadcast on Fox Soccer Channel. In this history-making finale, the Sounders look to join the Cup elite by earning their third consecutive U.S. Open Cup title, while the Chicago Fire look to gain their record-tying fifth Cup title in club history. The Fire have already set the standard for Cup titles in the ‘modern’ MLS era, and another title would put them in the elite company of the fabled Bethlehem Steel (whose titles occurred between 1915 and 1926) and Maccabi Los Angeles (titles between 1973-1981) clubs, the only two teams that have won five Cup trophies.

The Sounders will make history if they prevail Tuesday, as only three other sides in Cup history (that dates back to 1914 when known as the National Challenge Cup) have won the Cup in three consecutive seasons — the New York Greek Americans (1967-1969), St. Louis-based Stix, Baer & Fuller/Central Breweries side (1933-1935) and the Fall River (MA) Marksmen (1930-1932).

The Seattle soccer community has breathed new life into the Cup tournament, with last year’s final in the Emerald City played before over 31,000  enthusiastic fans. Sounders supporters have every right to think that their club will make history Tuesday, something which both players and German-born coach Sigi Schmid are very aware of. In an article last week by Grant Wahl in Sports Illustrated, Schmid noted that, concerning the Sounders, ”We talk about history all the time, about being the first to do something. When we got to the Vancouver game, we talked about it being the first Cascadia Cup. Being the first MLS team to win two Open Cups in a row was important. If we can win three in a row, that’s even more important. We want to make history so that when you’re old and walk in with your cane to the Seattle Sounders Hall of Fame you can show your grandkids, that’s me in the picture with our third consecutive championship.”

Schmid and the Sounders are enjoying a memorable season. They have accrued 57 points with a 16-6-9 record, second only to the Los Angeles Galaxy’s 64 points among the 18 MLS teams in 2011, and have the chance to surpass the Galaxy for the MLS Supporters Shield, although with only three league games left such an accomplishment is a longshot. Seattle are also a plus 18 in goal differential, again second best in MLS behind the Galaxy.

Besides being in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final, Seattle have also clinched advancement in the 2011-2012 CONCACAF Champions League tournament, leading Group D (which includes last season’s champion Rayados of Monterrey) with a 3-1-1 mark with only one group match remaining. The Sounders are the only one of the five MLS sides involved in the tournament to have clinched advancement with a game left.  Seattle have featured a balance attack against their CONCACAF rivals, as Michael Fucito, Freddy Montero, Osvaldo Alonso and Alvaro Fernandez each have scored twice in the tournament, while Fucito and Montero have both scored twice in US Open Cup action this year.

The Sounders had the advantage of playing all their 2011 Open Cup matches at their Tukwila, Washington facility, but they faced some strong opposition on the ‘road’ to the finals.  In their first Open Cup match, Seattle downed the Kitsap Pumas 2-1 (the Pumas went on to capture the PDL championship in August).  In the next round, Seattle defeated the hot LA Galaxy 3-1, and knocked off 2010 MLS Cup runners up FC Dallas 1-0. Seattle look primed to raise the Dewars trophy again and gain the $100,000 prize that goes with it.

But first they’ll have to defeat a resurgent Chicago Fire side with their own Open Cup history. The Fire are only ranked seventh in the MLS Eastern Conference with a disappointing 7-8-16 record, but have been playing well lately. The Fire have been on a hot  streak, defeating Chivas USA, the New England Revolution and Real Salt Lake before drawing 1-1 Saturday against the Houston Dynamo and have won five of their last seven MLS contests.

Although the Fire no longer boast the on-field leadership of iconic attackers Brian McBride and Cuauhtémoc Blanco, the club looks to be transitioning in a positive manner that gives fans hope for next season.  The Fire downed the Colorado Rapids, the San Jose Earthquakes, Rochester Rhinos and  NY Red Bulls on their path to the Open Cup semifinals, where they beat the the upstart USL PRO Richmond Kickers 2-1 to take their place in Tuesday’s final. Orr Barouch and Dominic Oduro have led the Fire through the Cup rounds with two goals each.

Although Seattle will have home-field advantage and a huge crowd supporting them, don’t count out the Fire on Tuesday night. Since 1998, the Fire are 28-8-3 in Open Cup play and have won four of the five Cup finals they’ve been involved with.

Technical Director Frank Klopas took on the coaching duties after the May 30 dismissal of Carlos de los Cobos, and the team has responded. Klopas’ direction from the sidelines has resulted in nine wins, ten draws and only four losses in all competitions (excluding the friendly losses to Manchester United and Chivas de Guadalajara). Klopas knows what it takes to win — besides being a US international that played in the 1994 World Cup and the 1995 Copa America (where he scored for the U.S. national team against Argentina and Mexico), Klopas ws part of four Greek championship teams with AEK Athens, the 1984 NASL champion Chicago Sting and also won a MLS Cup and was on one of the four previous Open Cup championship Chicago Fire sides. Winning the Cup Tuesday night would be a major achievement for the club that is still in the MLS playoff hunt.

With the Open Cup pedigree of the Fire and Sounders, this game should be a classic. And with the enthusiasm of the Seattle fans and the Windy City denizens making the trip to support their Men in Red,  the atmosphere should be electric, and “must-see” TV for all fans of the American game.  Whatever the final result, history will be made Tuesday night.