SEATTLE — The Seattle Sounders had so many chances Tuesday night, it could have been viewed one of two ways. Either Seattle was going to finally break through and get a goal, or it was going to regret all those missed opportunities.
In the end, the Sounders went with Door No. 1.
Fredy Montero followed up a save by Chicago Fire keeper Sean Johnson in the 78th minute with a goal and Osvaldo Alonso sealed it with an extra-time finish as Seattle defeated the Chicago Fire 2-0 to claim its third-straight U.S. Open Cup title.
The Sounders become just the fourth team to win
three-straight Cup titles, joining the New York Greek Americans (1967-69), the St. Louis Central Breweries (1933-35) and the Fall River Marksmen/New Bedford Whalers (1930-32). The Cup, open to American teams from amateur up through MLS, has been a soccer competition for 98 years.
“To win three in a row is something very special, very unique, it hasn’t been done in a long time,” Sounders coach Sigi Schmid said. “Every time we enter a competition, we want to win it. We’ll enter it next year and we’ll want to win it again next year as well.”
A crowd of 35,615, the largest to ever view a U.S. Open Cup match (breaking Seattle’s own record set last year), watched tensely as chance after chance was either saved by Johnson or nearly missed by Seattle. On the other end, Sounders keeper Kasey Keller did his part to keep the match scoreless.
The Sounders outshot Chicago 24-6, including 17-1 in the second half. Twice the Sounders hit the post, once late in the first half by Montero and again early in the second by Mike Fucito.
But finally, a corner kick by Erik Friberg found the head of Jeff Parke, and the defender sent a sharp low header that Johnson dove to tap away. Montero collected the loose ball and booted it into an open net, causing the crowd to erupt with both relief and joy.
Montero, who now has a goal in three-consecutive matches, said the team never stopped believing that eventually a goal would come.
“Our expectations were always high and were very positive,” said Montero, who has a goal or assist in eight of his past night matches. “We were going to keep trying until that first goal arrived.”
The Sounders continued to push forward and Chicago really had little opportunity to equalize. The most dangerous chance came in the 90th minute when Keller, who had four saves, tapped a Dominic Oduro shot up in the air and snagged it with his other hand, but Oduro already had been called offside.
Alonso clinched the title in added time when he beat three defenders down the middle and calmly finished to cap an outstanding all-around game for the player many consider the Sounders’ most valuable.
Keller said the victory was as much about the commitment of the Seattle ownership group as it is about the effort of the players. The past two years, the Sounders ownership group has outbid every other team to host the Cup final.
“I don’t think we can really take away from the fact that our ownership group is willing to outbid to give us home draws,” Keller said. “You can’t look at this only as the team. It’s a total club effort to have a day like this.”
En route to its three titles in the knockout tournament, Seattle has gone 13-0-1, including 11-0 at home.
But it hasn’t been easy. The Sounders won an overtime match in the semifinals against Houston in 2009 thanks to an 89th-minute goal that sent the match into extra time. Last year, Seattle defeated the Portland Timbers on penalty kicks in the third round.
“You need a break or two along the way, but that’s what you’re looking for,” Schmid said. “A good team will take that break and be able to use it.”
The Open Cup title was the first of four Seattle is currently competing for. The Sounders are also in the running for the MLS Supporters Shield (best regular-season record in the MLS), the MLS Cup and the CONCACAF Champions League, for which they’ve already advanced to the knockout stage that begins next year. With Tuesday’s victory, Seattle also has qualified for next year’s CONCACAF Champions League tourney.
Now the Sounders, who have lost just twice in their past 16 matches, turn their attention toward finishing the MLS regular season strong and making a run deep into the playoffs. Seattle sits in second place in the West with three league games to play, starting with Saturday’s home match against the Philadelphia Union.
“The main feeling is that this team knows we’re not finished,” Keller said. “I think that’s the best mentality to have. We still have a few wins to get and then make a nice long run in the playoffs.”
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