The Seattle Sounders are traveling to take on the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday in the Round of 16 in the 2017 U.S. Open Cup. Here is everything you need to know about the match:
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. PT at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, Calif.
WHERE TO WATCH: The game will stream live on SoundersFC.com.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The game will be broadcast on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM.
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.
2017 OPEN CUP RESULTS: The Sounders defeated the Portland Timbers 2-1 at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila, Wash., in the fourth round, while the Earthquakes blanked the NASL’s San Francisco Deltas 2-0.
ALL-TIME OPEN CUP HISTORY: Since the Sounders entered Major League Soccer in 2009, they are 2-0 all time against the Earthquakes in the Open Cup. Seattle won 1-0 at San Jose in the quarterfinals of the 2012 Open Cup before knocking off the Earthquakes again in 2014 in the Round of 16 in penalty kicks after drawing 1-1 in regulation at Starfire.
PREVIOUS MEETING: The Sounders and Earthquakes already met once this season in MLS play in a 1-1 draw in San Jose on April 8. Midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro gave Seattle the lead in the 84th minute off a golazo free kick, but a 90th-minute equalizer from Chris Wondolowski split the points.
INTERNATIONAL DUTIES: Sounders forward Jordan Morris and midfielder Cristian Roldan are each away with the United States national team ahead of the upcoming 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
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, one which Seattle utilized against Portland in the previous round.
QUEST FOR FIVE: The Sounders are in search of 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.
KINNEAR OUT: The Earthquakes announced on Sunday that they have parted ways with head coach Dominic Kinnear and assistant John Spencer following a 2-1 win over Real Salt Lake. Kinnear spent three years at the helm in San Jose and will be replaced by former San Jose defender and technical director Chris Leitch.
NEW DP: San Jose announced the signing of new Designated Player Valeri “Vako” Qazaishvili on June 22. Vako, 24, is a member of the Georgian national team and spent the last six seasons with Vitesse in the Netherlands’ Eredivisie.
