The Seattle Sounders will take on the Portland Timbers in the fourth round of the 2017 U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday. Here is everything you need to know about the match:
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. PT at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash. Gates open at 6:00PM and limited tickets are still available HERE.
WHERE TO WATCH: The game will be live streamed on SoundersFC.com
WHERE TO LISTEN: The game will air on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM and in Spanish on El Rey 1360AM.
WHAT IS THE OPEN CUP?: The 2017 tournament is the 104th edition of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Currently organized by U.S. Soccer, the Open Cup is the longest-running national soccer competition in the U.S. The single-elimination tournament is contested separately from MLS play, with teams from every level of American soccer eligible to compete. The fourth round consists of 32 teams from MLS, USL, NASL and amateur side Christos FC.
2017 OPEN CUP RESULTS: This is the first match for each team.
ALL-TIME OPEN CUP HISTORY: Since the Sounders entered Major League Soccer in 2009, they are 3-1 all time against the Timbers in the Open Cup. Seattle won the first three meetings before falling in the two teams’ most recent meeting in 2015.
INTERNATIONAL DUTY: Sounders forward Jordan Morris will likely be available on Tuesday, but after two international games for World Cup Qualifying and subsequent travel, it seems unlikely that he will start. Roman Torres (Panama) and Joevin Jones (Trinidad and Tobago) each have WCQ games on Tuesday and will be unavailable. Forward Clint Dempsey also returns from U.S. camp, but he is unavailable due to suspension. Timbers and U.S. midfielder Darlington Nagbe will likely also not factor on Tuesday, nor will midfielder David Guzman, who is away with Costa Rica. Head coach Caleb Porter said on Saturday that he plans to play a reserve squad.
SHORT-TERM CONTRACTS: The Sounders will likely sign multiple S2 players to four-day first-team contracts to be eligible to play on Tuesday. This is a fairly common practice, as the team did the same with former S2 and current first team midfielder Zach Mathers last year.
QUEST FOR FIVE: The Sounders head into Tuesday in search for their fifth Open Cup title. Seattle won three consecutive USOC titles from 2009-11 before winning No. 4 in 2014. The Sounders fell 4-2 to the LA Galaxy in last year’s quarterfinal.
CENTER BACK INJURIES: The Timbers lost both starting center backs in their 2-0 win over FC Dallas on Saturday. Liam Ridgewell exited in the 26th minute with an apparent quad injury while Roy Miller left in the 60th following a first-half collision with Maxi Urruti.
ADI BRACE: Timbers forward Fanendo Adi scored twice on Saturday for the first time since April 29, snapping a five-match scoreless streak. He has eight goals in 14 games this year.
