Tuesday night's U.S. Open Cup semifinals have set up a dream final between the three-time defending Seattle Sounders and a strong Sporting Kansas City side that will be hosting the final on Aug. 8th at Livestrong Sporting Park.
Sporting KC looked great defensively in shutting down the Philadelphia Union, while the Sounders attack looked very effective in routing Chivas USA by a 4-1 margin.
With a month to go before the final, both teams will have plenty of time to work out the kinks and either hit their stride heading into the final, or hit a rut.
For Sporting KC, playing a final at Livestrong Sporting Park should provide an incredible atmosphere for Kansas City to try and win trophy. For Seattle, the trip to the Midwest will provide the perfect tough test for a Sounders team looking to make history with a fourth straight U.S. Open Cup trophy.
With all that in mind, who do you see winning on August 8th at Livestrong Sporting Park? Cast your vote after the jump:
Who did you pick? See the Sounders winning a fourth straight U.S. Open Cup? Think Sporting KC can halt Seattle's Open Cup dominance with the help of the home-field advantage?
Share your thoughts below.
JRP.. you’re high. Talk to Dallas and Chicago about their decisions to move to the burbs
Taking the USOC seriously means teams need to have a deeper roster. Seattle fielded 3 second string midfielders against Chivas- Cato, Caskey, and Rose. Those players get quality minutes and prove they are ready to be MLS starters. Same was true with Neagle, Fucito, Scott, and Ianni last year. I’m glad the Sounders take it seriously.
Go sounders!A great team plays for every game
have you ever heard of a treble.
If your team is good they will try to win every game
if not than they should quit soccer.
I went to my first game at CLink over spring break (I’m from Colorado) and it is actually a beautiful stadium with an amazing atmosphere. SEts up very well for soccer as it turns out
Agree with Lassidawg. There’s no where else to put a stadium that’s in the downtown area. If they want to build one, it would have to be at least 20 minutes outside of town, maybe further or else all the whiney Seattlites would shoot it down.
As far as it being a football stadium and not a soccer stadium – you have a halfway valid point. It could be nicer for soccer in some respects, but it’s actually a pretty damn good venue for soccer (it was actually designed with soccer in mind). I’m not sure what makes a “soccer stadium” like Livestrong Park a better atmosphere than the CLink, so perhaps you can enlighten me. Although perhaps such a comparison would require somebody whose been to both, and I confess I have not.
Here is guessing(hoping) there are 500 to 1k, Sounder fans in attendence.
If it was on a weekend I would consider going
He is from Portland where nothing is manufactured, except the Seattle based sponser on their shirt.
Compared to Portland they do manufacture one thing—wins
CAL FC, Hollywood United
First the stadium is fine, the turf is fine as long as it isn’t kept too long like the last version. I would keep it for no other reason than the older DPs from other teams don’t want to play on it.
Second if you saw all the dumb arguments against a great proposal for an NBA/NHL arena you would know there is no chance.
If the Stadium was out in the burbs I would say we need something different, but the location and the attendence more than makes up the difference.
Of the past 10 teams to play in the MLS finals how many have played in the final of Open Cup the same year? Look it up people. The good teams qualify for Concacaf anyway. They don’t care about Open Cup.
So true. If only Seattle played in a soccer stadium. But they don’t. They play in a football stadium. I won’t even bother to bring up the grass. Your fans are awesome. Your stadium blows. If Seattle really loved the game as much as they say, they would build the nation’s premier soccer venue and be the envy of all clubs in the MLS. Apparently the owners only care about is money. And financially speaking, playing in a football stadiums will make them more money.
Backhanded compliment much? How is the atmosphere manufactured? Most people I know don’t like the band and streamers because it conflicts with the atmosphere generated…
Oh well. Come on Se4ttle!
In two hours 8,000 tickets were sold. Sounders fans really are dense. Can’t let their egos allow others a share of the fun.
:sigh: you read too much into my post. I said that a Seattle win could help put it over the edge to beginning that process. i.e., could begin getting looked at for better marketing and sponsorship, could get a few more MLS sides taking it more seriously. i.e., its the type of thing that could begin to create some positive momentum. We’re still at least a decade away from the US Open Cup being considered even comparable to the MLS Cup, but having a single MLS team dominate the tournament can only help things get better.
Pretty sure it will be sold out. Kansas City loves big games.
Well said acj, but don’t disturb Rory with the facts. He rather ignore them.
I’d love for the Sounders to win, but it’s way to early to even make a prediction. A lot can happen between now and then with injuries and Olympic duty. I do find the “MLS teams don’t care about this” to be rather tired. Sounds like something people say once their team has been knocked out and usually comes from folks who don’t like Seattle. Because you think MLS teams don’t care doesn’t change the significance of the tournament, a CCL spot is up for grabs, that’s pretty huge.
Prediction! After SKC beats SEA 2-1 in the US Open Cup Final, a lonely tumbleweed rolls through the LIVESTRONG Park.
JJ, I would hate to see your girlfriend.
This competition is not “going over the edge.” As I stated before, too many people don’t care at all about this tournament. USSF for one. 80% of MLS clubs for another. The lower division clubs love it and a few MLS clubs will make a run at it but until it is not seen as something that will potentially harm a club’s MLS success (ex: more schedule changes, larger rosters, etc.) and this tournament is actually marketed, it will remain a semi-joke regardless of who wins or how many times they have done it. I understand that some fans love the idea of it and really, it could be awesome, but the reality is that it is not much of a tournament. Good for Seattle and KC and one of them will win a CCL spot so that’s great. But to suggest that a Seattle win is what will propel the tournament to the status of major European cup competitions is just some of the ridiculousness that makes people annoyed with Seattle fans’ posts. Get a grip on reality. The environment you have created in Seattle is fantastic even if it is a little manufactured compared to some other environments. But do you really think you are the catalyst for what you suggest? C’mon.
It should be a great match…two quality teams playing in a great environment. Hopefully the Sounders do it!
Better be. Ives, can you use your deep and powerful connections to at least get this on Fox Soccer (if not ESPN)? Also, can Martin Tyler commentate?
Schedule leading up to the Match probably favors KC.
KC at NE on 08/04
Sea hosting LAG 6pm on 08/05.
Add in home field KC should be favored, but I think it could go either way.
Either way for now we can say
Because Sigi threatened to sit on them.
In 2009 Played at Portland, hosted KC, at DC
2010 at Portland, hosted LAG, Chivas Columbus
2011 hosted ATL, CAL FC, At SJ, hosted Chivas
Don’t be jealous because the Sounders take this tournament seriously. Glad to see other MLS teams and fan bases are stepping up to take it more seriously
You’re jumping the gun. Hope you jinxed your team.
Se4ttle, because I am a Sounders fan and…..
I would love to annoy the whinning posters posting about Sounder’s fan.
Does ANYONE, not just blog posters on soccer sites, ANYONE, whine as much as them ?
no.
Hey Ives – will this game be televised? I sure hope it is. Watching on the internet is just not the same. Would love to see the game on NBC Sports.
Go SKC!! Should be a great game – Love this tourney. Getting better every year.
Will this game be on TV? Fox Soccer Channel?
I’ve been hoping for something to raise the profile of the US Open Cup both for marketing (better TV deals and coverage, sponsorship, etc.) and competitive (taking it seriously, etc.) purposes.
Seattle Sounders FC, with a three-peat and going for four in a row, could be the very thing to put the competition over the edge. I would love to see the US Open Cup be viewed similarly, among US soccer fans, tv, and sponsors, as the major European domestic cup competitions.
On the marketing side, the run of trophies makes for good press. On the competitive side, everyone else will eventually just get tired of watching Seattle lift the trophy and will take it more seriously.
This is a good thing.
20,000 fans will bring a soccer stadium to a level never seen before in the US? Come on, now. If we’re talking about a boatload of crazy fans who create a great atmosphere, Seattle’s got you beat easily. And if you’re talking about 20,000 fans going nuts, then Portland’s got you beat.
I would like to see how the poll turns out if all responses by Seattle and SKC fans are removed. I’d bet on 80% in favor of SKC.
When Sporting gets in to the CCL I can see ownership finding a few more players so that they really are in a position to win that as well (not that the players we have are bad now, but you can always look to improve). One thing about OnGoal, they are not going to be happy just getting there, they will want to win!
Oh BTW Sporting will win the cup, 20,000 fans will pack Livestrong and bring it to a level never seen before in the US.
If Honduras does not make it out of the group state he “might” be back for the game. Last group game is 8/1. So I am sure if they are out Roger will try and get back.
Verbatim hater talking points
Few people really ever care about this tournament.
Espinoza will be out as well, right? On Olympic duty? With those two out, SKC’s chances decrease dramatically.
USOC officials will announce on August 1 that the game is being moved to Seattle because, well, just because.
You’re using the word “beautiful” quite loosely.
I’m hoping for a Sporting win, because I’d like to see how they’d perform in the Champions League. While no US teams are really setting the world ablaze in that competition, I’ve been a bit disappointed by Seattle’s play in it. I know they made the quarters last year, only to play dead for Santos. I guess I just expect a better level of play from them in the Champions League, so I’d like to see what SKC does with the opportunity.
They beat DC away the first year then Columbus at home in 2010 when Columbus was one of the top teams in the league (50pts second in the east)
This year they beat San Jose (top team in the west) away and will have to play KC (top team in the east) away. Yeah they played most of their games at home in those first three year, but that’s absolutely not the case this year.
I love it how nobody cares about this tourney now
SPORTING FTW!
I will say this, it will be a very tough game for SKC although they are at home for one big reason:
Aurelien Collin will miss the final due to yellow card accumulation.
That hurts the most for me because when his centre back partner Matt Besler sat out three weeks due to an emergency appendectomy, SKC was falling apart at the back.
They will need to be at their usual best somehow without Collin to get that Cup, but I am confident SKC’s depth will find a way to bring it home.
*both
50/50 with both teams very evenly matched. Boy have been great yet inconsistent this year. It really depends on the form of both teams and injuries come game time. I give the slightest of edge to SKC to win 2-1 only because of homefield advantage. And I think the pressure of winning 4 in a row will make he Sounders crack.
Seattle is playing beautiful soccer the last few matches. Get Gspurning back in goal and he can organize better to avoid those momentary lapses that have been ending in goals. I don’t see Seattle losing this. KC will have to play their best game.
That’s because they usually play the big game at home, or against inferior competition that lucked their way to the final (was it Chicago last year and DC United another year… I can’t remember who they beat the other time but i don’t remember them playing a top team in the final).
This is the match up I was expecting from moment MLS teams entered the tournament. Vegas probably doesn’t take bets on the USOC, but they should.
I’m going to SKC because they’ll be at home, and I generally loathe Seattle.
I went with Seattle for the obvious reason. Until someone beats them in this tournament they are going to be the favorite. SKC will be hard to beat at home but for some reason Seattle always plays really well in this tournament.
SKC, because I would love to see the whiny Flounders lose.