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U.S. Open Cup Final: D.C. United vs. Seattle Sounders (Match Night Commentary)

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Greetings from the nation's capital. It's been what seems like months of build up to this evening. Barbs have been traded between each club, helping to spawn one of the biggest marketing campaigns for an Open Cup final.

More than a month after the U.S. Open Cup semifinals concluded, the Dewar Cup will finally be awarded tonight. Can D.C. nab their 13th trophy? Or will Seattle put an exclamation point on what has been a tremendous debut season in MLS with their first trophy?

Kickoff is set for Wednesday at RFK Stadium (7:30pm EST, Fox Soccer Channel). I'll be providing some in-game commentary so please feel free to follow along here, and share your thoughts and opinions below.

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FULL TIME– Celebrations continue, but that'll be it from me tonight. Thanks for following along, and remember to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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FULL TIME– Sounders over paying tribute to the traveling fans on hand to see this. Perhaps 60 or 70 in attendance across from the press box. United still on the field as well to grab their second place medals.

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FULL TIME– A deserved win for Seattle who managed to capitalize on their chances. United can't be happy with Wicks, who deserved his red card for stomping on Montero. Seattle is celebrating in the middle of the pitch.

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FULL TIME– Seattle 2, D.C. United 1. What a first season for the Sounders, as they grab silverware at their first opportunity.

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95th Minute– Kocic forward and D.C.'s net is open. Moreno goes for goal? This is almost over.

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94th Minute– Everyone forward for D.C., but just a minute remains.

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92nd Minute– Seattle just trying to clear as United presses. Ljungberg skies an attempt on goal.

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90th Minute– Is an equalizer possible? Moreno with yet another short corner.

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89th Minute– Injury time approaches, Seattle content to hack it clear. Five minutes of injury time.

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88th Minute– GOAL. Simms gets one back. A free kick deflects to the midfielder who scores. Ianni kept Simms onside.

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87th Minute– No one helped Jakovic on that one after Le Toux shrugged him off. That should be that tonight.

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86th Minute– GOAL Seattle. Roger Levesque left wide open. Le Toux beats Jakovic and taps it to a wide open Levesque. Looks like Seattle wins trophies.

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85th Minute– Quaranta will need something spectacular to score from there.

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83rd Minute– Not much going for D.C. Seattle content to smother anything, as a weak volley is wide of the mark.

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82nd Minute– He'll come in for Olsen. Eight minutes left plus stoppage.

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81st Minute– Can United get anything going on attack? Rodney Wallace is coming in for their last sub.

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80th Minute– A chip from Moreno is dealt with easily by Keller. United hasn't really tested Keller much tonight.

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78th Minute– Vagenas with a yellow card for a tug down of Ben Olsen. Chippy here, with the Open Cup in sight for Seattle.

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78th Minute– Sounders keep five or six players back on the attack. Just 12 minutes to go.

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77th Minute– Brad Evans on his way in for Montero. Earns a chorus of boos from the United fans.

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75th Minute– Zakuani has come off for Levesque.

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74th Minute– United still on the attack, winning a corner.

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72nd Minute– Burch skies a free kick won by Emilio.

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71st Minute– Back underway as D.C. is down to 10 men and down a goal. Montero is back in the game.

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69th Minute– All to do for D.C. now. Kocic is going to come in for Gomez.

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67th Minute– It looks like Wicks stomped on Montero after the play and could be in trouble. Sent off.

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67th Minute– GOAL Seattle. Freddie Ljungberg gets behind the defense, Wicks gets a hand on the ball but Montero scores on the follow up.

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65th Minute– Quaranta leads the counter but not enough on his through ball. Too much dilly dallying by United.

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60th Minute– Pontius taken down in the box, shouts again for a penalty. D.C. spending too much time on the ball in the box.

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59th Minute– Simms skies it over after a shout for handball is turned down. Would've been a harsh call.

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55th Minute– 17,329 in attendance tonight. The marketing pays some dividends. Now about that trophy…

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55th Minute– Gomez skies another chance, left alone at the top of the box.

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53rd Minute– Jakovic with another clearance. The central defender and Wicks have been United's best players.

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51st Minute– In six minutes Quaranta has already created more than Fred has.

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50th Minute– Three D.C. players try for the dummy only for none of them to get on the end of it.

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48th Minute– Ljungberg wins a corner by banging a cross off Simms. It misses everyone, and Quaranta leads the counter attack before he's hauled down by Leonardo Gonzalez who earns a yellow.

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46th Minute– Burch over a free kick after Riley fouls Pontius, misses everyone.

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45th Minute– The Sounders get the game back underway

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HALFTIME- Fred, who has been far from his best, comes off for Quaranta.

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HALFTIME- It's been a relatively even match. D.C. has had more of the ball while Seattle has had three dangerous chances Wicks has turned aside. United hasn't been able to turn their possession into anything dangerous, something that has dogged them all year.

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45th Minute-
Half comes to a close with no stoppage time.

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44th Minute- Montero with a free header, saved by Wicks once again.

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43rd Minute- Zakuani needs to work on that left foot. He's much faster than Namoff but the more experience defender knows how to shut him down.

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39th Minute- Seattle's defense backs of Gomez but he fires wide of the net.

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37th Minute- The battle between Montero and Jakovic is a fierce one. Sloppy turnovers marring the game now.

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34th Minute– Leonardo Gonzalez sends in a dangerous cross but Montero heads over the bar. Continues the trend of D.C. holding the ball but Seattle looking more likely to score.

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32nd Minute– Olsen jukes out Vagenas and forces a save from Keller. Corner to D.C.

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30th Minute– United hanging onto the ball but can't get anything going against the Seattle defense.

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28th Minute– Jakovic makes a last ditch effort on Zakuani to deny the speedy winger after he's in on goal again.

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27th Minute– Zakuani with a bit of a wayward spot. D.C. is giving him space but he isn't doing anything with it.

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25th Minute– Gomez sends in the free kick over the bar. Needs to be better.

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24th Minute– Ianni gets turned by Emilio and gets a yellow card for a jersey pull.

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22nd Minute– Montero is down in the box after taking a knock.

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19th Minute– Fred with a ghastly turnover in midfield. Le Toux finds Ljungberg but Wicks comes to the rescue again.

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18th Minute– Gomez misses the bottom corner on the free kick after much deliberation.

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16th Minute– Vagenas fouls Christian Gomez who looks gassed after a box-to-box run. Free kick in a dangerous spot.

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15th Minute– Namoff is light years behind Zakuani in speed. That's a matchup to keep an eye on.

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14th Minute– Seattle has carelessly turned it over a few times already and aren't looking crisp.

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12th Minute– Seattle doing well to test Jakovic in the 3-5-2. Olsen with a speculative effort towards Keller that is easily dealt with.

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10th Minute– Wicks with a save that he probably knew little about. Zakuani behind the defense, crosses for Montero, who hits it straight to the keeper.

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9th Minute– Montero tests Wicks from long range but misses by a few feet.

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8th Minute– The small crowd Seattle here is pushing United's supporters to stay fired up. The result is a great atmosphere.

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6th Minute– Seattle testing the United backline with long balls towards Montero, who is marked well by Jakovic.

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4th Minute– Pontius just misses. Collects a long ball but shoots wide.

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4th Minute– Montero draws a free kick in a dangerous position, Ljungberg to take.

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3rd Minute– D.C. bossing possession, as Seattle content to lump it forward. The first goal in this game will be HUGE.

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1st Minute– Smoke bombs off in the Barra while Sounders fans toss green streamers.

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1st Minute– The fans are fired up for this one as D.C. gets things underway. Let's see if the players can match it.

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PRE-GAME– Seattle fans sang along to the national anthem. And were way off the actual singer.

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PRE-GAME– Starters coming out.

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PRE-GAME– Substitutes on their way out.

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PRE-GAME– Crowd is still trickling in, but it's not looking strong at the moment.

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PRE-GAME– Looks like they're bringing out the trophy for a pre-game presentation.

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PRE-GAME– Players heading off the pitch after warmups. Supporters trading barbs. Decent Seattle crowd (maybe 30?) so far. Reports that over 100 made the trip.

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PRE-GAME– Here is how the Sounders look (more or less)

————-Le Toux———–Montero———-

Zakuani——————————–Ljungberg

————-Alonso——-Vagenas—————-

Gonzalez——Ianni——-Wahl———–Riley

———————Keller——————–

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PRE-GAME– Here is the D.C. lineup:

————-Emilio———–Moreno————-

Fred—————Gomez—————–Pontius

———-Simms———Olsen—————–

Burch———-Jakovic———-Namoff———

———————Wicks————–

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PRE-GAME– D.C. defender Julius James, who was used in the previous league match against the Fire won't be available because he is cup tied, having played for Houston in the Open Cup already. Seattle has defensive problems of their own, as Tyrone Marshall and Taylor Graham will miss out due to injury and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado is unavailable because of suspension.

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PRE-GAME– Just a note that the internet in the RFK press box is at times dodgy so if no updates appear, that's why.

Comments

  1. @KBD

    You’re actually going to try and taunt us by using a fake URL?!?!? It was DC’s FO that bought http://www.wewintrophies.com.

    Then, they drew a bigger crowd then ever for a Open Cup final, which was still pathetic size compared to our average attendance

    Then, they lost AT HOME.

    I said it once, I’ll say it again. . .

    H.
    U.
    B.
    R.
    I.
    S.

    We were out both central defenders and still deserved to win the match. Consider the gauntlet thrown.

    Seattle Sounders FC are coming for you!

    Reply
  2. “As for Seattle fans being arrogant… we win trophies.”

    You won *trophy.* You deserved it, but you still won *trophy* (singular). If we don’t rid ourselves of our coach and add some speed to the slowest team on earth you just might catch up with the trophies, though, lol. Props to the DCU supporters tonight – you guys sounded great. It’s been a tough season!

    Reply
  3. I realize that the Open Cup is a USSF Tournament (as opposed to an MLS Tournament) and that the League does not have a governing role in the Cup, but is there any chance that Wicks will face an MLS suspension or other punishment for his actions? Should MLS have the standing to punish such an incident?

    Reply
  4. yaaa Sounders! Montero is awesome! i predicted hed score 2 but 1 will do! i dont know why so many hate on him, hes always in the right place at the right time. Id sure like to see a replay of this game if anyone knows when

    oh and Wicks *tsk tsk* i still like DC a lot, wicks does not deface that. just from reading SBIs commentary – thank u very much btw Ives – it looks like they asked too much of Wicks and he boiled over. that feeling of making a fantastic save… and then ur D lets u down – thats a horrible feeling. but dont step on my Montero!

    goooo Sounders! go monteroooo

    Reply
  5. 1. Congrats to the Sounders on a well-deserved win.

    2. Stupid and wrong and horrible behavior by Wicks. Irrelevant if Montero wasn’t hurt–you simply don’t commit that kind of act unless you’re out of control physically and mentally–and that makes you a danger on the field. Because this is not an MLS match but a USSF one, MLS can’t step in and suspend Wicks for further games.

    3. It was a real joy to see two teams take this game seriously and two sets of fans and two organizations treat the USOC as if it matters. This was not a classic game or something either team will use as a video of well-played soccer or brilliant technique or execution. But this is exactly what MLS and US soccer needs a lot more of: two teams, organizations and sets of fans that care about the result.

    Reply
  6. “The beautiful game… Futbol… Calcio… Football… Soccer… Or as they call it in DC DIVEBALL!”

    What a classless performance! The ref gave them every chance and they couldn’t set up a decent shot on goal. The deflection goal was a fluke (just like Wicks saves).

    WICKS SHOULD BE BANNED FOR THE SEASON!

    Reply
  7. It was a good game. I like that DC didn’t back down and their goal was very nicely executed–I dream of Seattle being able to put together a set piece like that…

    Fans are getting a little carried away by the off the field stuff. But–we just won our first trophy. I’m through the f’in roof!

    Reply
  8. See what I mean KBD? Now according to Jim B, a previously impartial observer, we’re all “insufferable dousches”, after tfc fans of course. It seriously cracks me up. Well Jim B, you can join ACES I suppose and hate us all for being Seattle fans. Like I said, every team has annoying posters, Seattle and TFC just have more because they have a larger fan base. That isn’t a rub on any other group out there, its just a numbers thing. Too many people get so butt hurt about Seattle fans getting stoked that their team just won the US Open Cup.

    Reply
  9. DC Fans- Thank you for a good game. With the exception of your douche of a goalkeeper, you played a straight up game that was entertaining to watch. 17,000 was a good crowd, glad you took it as seriously as we did.

    Sounders Fans- First season, first trophy! Now lets get in the playoffs and go for two!

    Reply
  10. United were just not good enough tonight – plain and simple. Full credit to Seattle for doing what was necessary to win. It’s been the story of United’s season thus far; they just don’t seem to have the fore or killer instinct needed to win games. The talent (albeit getting older by the day) is there but the desire and fight seem to be lacking. I’m very disappointed and don’t expect much of this team, even if they manage to make the playoffs. I think a channge in leadership and some changes in the squad may spur DC on to better things. After all the hypoe and all the talk, United couldn’t get the job done and we had to watch Seattle celebrate a final win on our turf. That’s inexcusable.

    Reply
  11. It was awesome. So awesome. Especially after all the smack DC fans were talking before the game. You can’t say Seattle doesn’t win trophies now. 2-1 baby.

    Reply
  12. good lord!!! somehow seattle fans have overtaken tfc fans as the most insufferable douches in the league. i was an impartial fan for this game, but now, thanks to their continued annoying newbie behavior on countless websites, ssfc fans are now the most annoying fans in the world. This is not an honor by the way assholes!

    Reply
  13. KBD, I get where you’re coming from, as others have stated, DC played very well in the match (with the exception of Wicks), and it was nice to see DC supporters hating on the Sounders post-game. Most Seattle fans are pretty classy when it comes to posting. There are some posters out there (like most teams) that are ridiculous. The problem is, is there are quite a few seattle fans out there, so the just by the numbers thats going to happen. But I don’t think bringing up the the DC FO website isn’t that low, I’m never a fan of people ranting about certain cities or certain fans, but a goodhearted jibe about a marketing idea isn’t too bad in my book. No one has started any anti-DC fan clubs as of yet, so count yourselves lucky there. The reason I visit this site as often as I do is the posters are generally value-adding. Anyways, It was a great match though and I’ll be looking forward to 10 days from now.

    Reply
  14. Congrats to the Sounders and their fans on winning a trophy your first year in MLS.

    It was a great atmosphere in the stadium, and I’m looking forward to a good rivalry with Seattle in the years to come from our beloved red and black.

    Reply
  15. What do we say at this point? Ryan Zimmerman and David Gregory couldn’t get more than 17k people to go to the stadium, and they couldn’t get you a result. Neither could discounts or promotions.

    As for Seattle fans being arrogant… we win trophies.

    Reply
  16. DC, thank you for a great match. With the exception of Wick’s stomp, which every DC fan I’ve seen has decried, you played a class match. Its wonderful to see a team conrinue to compete and take their lumps gracefully. Your fouls were professional and class, your passing crisp, and yor suPporters wonderful. From one supporter of football in the US to all others, I salute you. The show put on and the gamesmanship was wonderful. Here’s to a long-lasting and competitive but class rivalry.

    Reply
  17. SeattleStan, I get your side, but wouldn’t it just show how classy you guys are if you didn’t shove our FO’s mistakes in our faces? I have already congratulated you and attempted to hide my disappointment, but you guys still feel the need to rub it in our faces rather than accept my congrats.

    And I would argue that most Seattle fans talk smack to everyone about everything more than any other fans in the league do about anything. Seriously. Some of your peers are just insufferable, lol.

    Reply
  18. so i guess since Sounders is in their first MLS season, this gives the Union the advantage on the 2010 cup…

    the UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNION!

    Reply

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