2003 Aug 5

US Open Cup, 4th Round:
Seattle Sounders 1  - 0  San Jose Earthquakes
Husky Soccer Field, Seattle, WA

Goals:
41' SEA - Smith (Gregor)

Seattle: Rich Cullen; Danny Jackson, Ryan Edwards, Zach Scott, Scott Jenkins; Jason Farrell, Viet Nguyen (Darren Sawatzky 74'), Andrew Gregor, Alex Bengard (Sean-Michael Callahan 78'); Marco Velez (Chad Brown 86'), Kyle Smith (Kevin Sakuda 63'). Substitutes not used: Preston Burpo, Ben Somoza, Herculez Gomez.

San Jose: Pat Onstad; Eddie Robinson, Jeff Agoos, Craig Waibel (Richard Mulrooney 63'), Todd Dunivant; Brian Mullan, Ronnie Ekelund (Jamil Walker 76'), Ramiro Corrales, Ian Russell (Chris Roner 80'); Manny Lagos (Landon Donovan 57'), Brian Ching. Substitutes not used: Jon Conway, Dwayne DeRosario, Troy Dayak.

Additional match reports: Seattle Times, Seattle P-I, King County Journal, Tacoma News Tribune, Earthquakes.

Match report by Ron Stickney:

This time the Seattle Sounders pulled off the upset, beating the San Jose Earthquakes 1-0 on a Kyle Smith goal and some stellar saves by goalkeeper Rich Cullen. The Sounders had advanced to this round over the Minnesota Thunder in the same way, a lone Smith goal and a Cullen shutout. The Sounders advance to the quarterfinals of the US Open Cup and are expected to host the winner of a 4th round match between the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Fresno Fuego. This match was played on Seattle's best grass pitch, 70 x 114 yard Husky Soccer Field.

The Earthquakes started all three ex-Sounders on their roster: Craig Waibel, Ian Russell and Brian Ching.

First Half

Seattle were quickest out of the starting gate. In the opening minute Alex Bengard from just inside his own half curled a ball over the defense to the middle, where Marco Velez got to it a full step ahead of Eddie Robinson, but Velez rushed his shot with goalkeeper Pat Onstad coming out and the shot sailed harmlessly 2 yards over the bar. Two minutes later Bengard took a good shot up the middle from 22 yards that deflected off a defenders foot, but Onstad wasn't fooled and made the save at the right post.

San Jose's first chance was a 30-yard free kick up the middle in the 4th minute, taken by Jeff Agoos and sent right into the wall. Their first good shot came in the 15th from a corner kick play when Waibel flicked on a cross to the far post, where Ching leaped to head it down at the near post, and Cullen made his first good save, blocking the ball away.

A minute later Agoos was unhappy when the assistant referee flagged him for handling a pass sent up for Velez, giving the Sounders a 24-yard free kick a few yards right of the arc. The previous year Andrew Gregor scored the first goal against San Jose by curling a free kick directly in from about the same spot, but this time he curled it into the wall.

Midway in the half Waibel's cross from the right set up Brian Mullan for a powerful diving header from 15 yards that missed the near post by a yard. Manny Lagos' fast-paced cross/shot from the left rolled 2 yards wide of the far post out of everyone's reach. Waibel wound up and took a 30-yard shot that went well wide, skimming the heads of the Pod, Seattle's supporters group, and the response seemed automatic, "How wide ... do you want the goal?"

In the 31st the Quakes' Ramiro Corrales had two chances from 30 yards on the left when he received the ball from a clearance. His first shot was deflected out for a corner, but the second was on goal, forcing Cullen to save well at the bar. Ronnie Ekelund had a 30-yard shot from Agoos' corner kick, but he wasted it well over the bar. The Quakes' best chance yet came when Corrales trapped a poorly cleared corner kick and sent a through ball into the area, springing Lagos for a shot from 12 with only Cullen to beat, and Cullen dove quickly to intercept the shot aimed at the far post.

41' Smith (Gregor). It had been 20 minutes since a Seattle shot and Cullen started a successful attack with a long throw. Gregor got the ball when a Quakes defender couldn't clear it well with his head. Gregor held off an opponent, then from the top of the arc served a nice diagonal pass to the right, paced perfectly for Smith, who put a low shot past the rushing Onstad and in off the base of the far post. 1-0 Seattle, and it would be Seattle's last shot of the match.

Halftime: Seattle 1 - 0 San Jose

The start of the second half brought a rain squall through, Seattle's first measurable precipitation in about 6 weeks. The Sounders wouldn't take a shot in the half, but they wouldn't yield a goal either.

A minute in, from Todd Dunivant's long free kick, Ching headed a looper nicely over Cullen, catching him off his line, but the ball went too far, an inch over the bar. A Ching cross from the left was shot hard on goal by a sliding Mullan, and Cullen collapsed quickly for a fine save. Lagos slid into Russell's cross from the left and poked it goalward past a late-arriving Cullen, but the ball slowly bounced a half yard wide of the empty net.

In the 57th Landon Donovan came on for Lagos and in his first minute carried the ball half the length of the pitch, chipping a slightly deflected shot that just cleared the top far corner. From the resultant corner kick, Donovan blasted a 20-yard shot a yard over the bar.

In the 63rd a wind-assisted cross/shot from the right touch line forced Cullen to save at the bar. Ching skied to head a long Mullan cross from the right, sending the shot a half yard over.

Corrales in the 79th cracked a hard shot from 30 through the crowd, but Cullen made it there for a good save. An attempted clearance by a Sounders defender went right to Ching at the top of the arc, and he fired hard and low, and Cullen made another quick collapse and managed to keep rebound within reach.

In the 86th Robinson fired a 40-yard rocket up the middle but was 2 yards wide. Agoos at 88' was 2 yards high with a 35-yard free kick.

The 4th official signaled 4 minutes of added time and Cullen was tested three more times. He came out wide to punch a cross off Jamil Walker's head for a throw-in. Cullen leaped high at the 6-yard line to grab a ball aimed at Ching's head, and the ball was held as Cullen hit the deck hard after the charge from Ching. A 25-yard shot by Ching up the middle was caught by Cullen, and the whistle sounded then.

Final: Seattle 1 - 0 San Jose

Statistics:
        Seattle  San Jose
Shots:      4       22
Saves:      9        1
Corners:    0       11
Fouls:     17       18
Offsides:   2        3

Misconduct:
19' SJ - Russell cautioned, probably for persistent infringement, when his 5th foul knocked Gregor over from behind.
25' SEA - Gregor cautioned for knocking down Russell from behind after the ball was sent.
33' SEA - Jenkins cautioned for a hard challenge, sliding and kicking Mullan's legs hard from behind at the touch line.
69' SJ - Ekelund cautioned for chopping an opponent down from behind at the halfway line.
70' SEA - Edwards cautioned for taking down Donovan after the ball was gone.
82' SEA - Sakuda cautioned for a hard foul on Donovan 40 yards from his goal.
89' SEA - Cullen cautioned unnecessarily for delay for respotting the ball for a goal kick after Donovan had first spotted it.
90' SJ - Donovan cautioned for kicking Farrell in the ankle inside the center circle.

Referees: David Simon; Mohammed Zarrabi-Kashani, Jeff Hosking; Calin Znamirovschi

Attendance: 2,510 (sellout)