The Seattle Sounders have a rich history of success in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, winning the tournament four times from 2009 to 2014.
Now, the club has the opportunity to secure a fifth title as the team begins 2024 Open Cup competition on Wednesday, April 8, taking on USL Championsip side Louisville City FC in the Round of 32.
Ahead of Wednesday night’s matchup, we’re taking a look back at the Sounders’ previous Open Cup titles.
Sept. 2, 2009 | Seattle Sounders vs. D.C. United
The Sounders’ 2-1 championship win over D.C. United was memorable in more ways than one. Not only was this the team's first-ever Open Cup title, it was also a victory against the defending champions. The Sounders had a dominant first half, with several chances coming from Steve Zakuani, Fredy Montero and Freddie Ljungberg. But it wasn’t until the 67th minute, when Montero got a hold of the ball in front of goal and rocketed it into the back of the net after D.C.'s goalkeeper Josh Wicks fumbled Zakuani’s initial shot. Then in the 86th minute, Sébastien Le Toux beat a D.C. defender down the right flank, played a driven cross to a wide-open Roger Levesque in the center of the six, and secured the Sounders’ second goal of the night. United’s Clyde Simms scored off a set piece in the 89th minute, but it wasn’t enough to surpass the Seattle Sounders.
Oct. 5, 2010 | Seattle Sounders vs. Columbus Crew
The Sounders won their second-consecutive Open Cup title after a hard fought 2-1 victory over Columbus Crew. Despite the Crew taking the lead early in the 25th minute, the Sounders found a way to climb back. Sanna Nyassi evened the scoreline for the Rave Green in the 38th minute after a mis-clearance from Columbus’ defense opened up space for the Sounders forward to place the ball over the top of goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum’s head and into the far left post of the goal. Nyassi continued to showcase his knack for goal in the 66th minute, tallying his second goal of the night in what was a follow up to Zakuani’s header that hit the crossbar. Nyassi’s brace along with the rest of the team’s collaborative performance carried the Seattle side to its second Open Cup championship victory in two years.
Oct. 4, 2011 | Seattle Sounders vs. Chicago Fire
The Sounders took home the Open Cup title for the third straight year in a row, shutting out the Chicago Fire in a 2-0 victory at CenturyLink Field (now Lumen Field). The first goal came from Montero in the 77th minute off a follow up shot from goalkeeper Sean Johnson’s diving effort during a corner kick scrum. A redirected header from Jeff Parke put Johnson out of position, ultimately giving Montero the space to tap the ball in. Ozzie Alonso closed out the match in dominant form, stretching the lead to two during stoppage time after weaving through multiple Fire players to end up passing the ball into a wide open net.
Sept. 16, 2014 | Seattle Sounders vs. Philadelphia Union
The Sounders defeated the Philadelphia Union 3-1 to capture their 4th U.S. Open Cup Trophy. It looked as though the Union were going to grab hold of the title after the first 45, but the Sounders were able to overcome the halftime deficit and eventually win during extra time. Chad Barrett came out swinging right away in the second half, tying up the score in the 47th minute off a redirected header from an initial save from Zac MacMath. Clint Dempsey put the Sounders up by one in the 101st minute after a combination play from Obafemi Martins opened up space for him to score a left-footed finish near post. Then, in the 114th minute, the match was the Sounders’ for the keeping when Martins beat a Philadelphia defender 1-v-1 and slipped the ball past MacMath and into the back of the net.
