The US Open Cup Final was a magical night for Sporting Kansas City, and a painfully disappointing result for the Seattle Sounders, but for everything Wednesday night’s final meant, a bigger goal awaits on the horizon for both teams.
Sporting KC celebrated well into the night after delivering the club’s first trophy since 2004, and winning a final provides invaluable experience and confidence for a young team looking to take the next step in its progression after falling a step short in last year’s bid for an MLS Cup berth.
Now, with an Open Cup trophy already in hand, Sporting KC should benefit from the victory with the sort of confidence that titles can instill. Peter Vermes’ side always had the talent to compete with the best teams in MLS, but inexperience in big games was a question mark when it came to considering their MLS Cup aspirations.
That question has been erased, and now it will be up to Sporting KC to show that its impressive run to the Open Cup title, a run that included wins against three MLS teams, was the result of the maturation of a championship team.
For the Seattle Sounders, Wednesday’s loss hurt, not just because of the failed attempt at making history by winning four straight Open Cup titles, but because of a feeling that they were cheated in the process. Referee Ricardo Salazar’s decision to negate a Michael Gspurning penalty kick save because he was off his line helped Sporting Kansas City eventually win the shootout, and when images eventually revealed that KC goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen also crept off his line during Seattle spot kicks, the sense of injustice among Sounders faithful hit full swing.
Regardless of the reason, Seattle has lost the crown it wore for three years and you have to wonder whether there might not be a silver lining in that defeat. The bitter taste of Wednesday’s defeat will surely serve as motivation for a Sounders team that has yet to enjoy any actual playoff success since joining MLS in 2009. Yes, it is easy to forget that, despite those three Open Cup titles, Seattle has yet to win a playoff series.
The irony about Seattle’s defeat is that this Sounders team is arguably the strongest the club has had in MLS. The loss of Kasey Keller was a meaningful one, but Gspurning has looked every bit like a viable replacement—when he has been able to stay healthy that is. Throw in Eddie Johnson’s emergence as a consistent goal-scoring threat and the arrival of Designated Player Christian Tiffert to boost the midfield, and the Sounders have the makings of a team that can not only finally snap that playoff drought, but even make an MLS Cup run.
In order for that to happen, the Sounders will need to move past Wednesday’s loss and focus on the difficult task of balancing playoff aspirations with their participation in the CONCACAF Champions League. They have dealt with that the past two years, but have never been able to find success on dual fronts. Perhaps the sting of tasting Open Cup defeat will provide the necessary motivation and impetus for Sigi Schmid’s side to bring a different looking trophy to a trophy case already stacked with Open Cups.
Considering how good both Sporting Kansas City and Seattle are capable of being, and how tough both looked in Wednesday’s final, we might not want to ignore the possibility that we could see these teams meet again in December’s MLS Cup. Both teams have tough competition in their conferences, and there is plenty of soccer to be played, but Wednesday’s US Open Cup final just might have been what both teams needed to propel them as they both shift their focus to a different trophy.
Here is a look at this weekend’s Top Five Matches to Watch:
1- SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES VS. SEATTLE SOUNDERS
Two of the top teams in the Western Conference square off in San Jose as the Earthquakes look to revamp their lead atop the West. A week off should give San Jose a serious edge over a tired Seattle side coming off an emotional penalty kick loss in the US Open Cup Final.
Eddie Johnson has been in outstanding form for the Sounders, but you wonder how that penalty kick miss in the Open Cup will affect him. For San Jose, Chris Wondolowski has hit a bit of a goal-scoring slump but he should be able to find the net against a tired Seattle defense.
2- VANCOUVER WHITECAPS VS. REAL SALT LAKE
If the Whitecaps have any aspirations of locking up one of the precious top three playoff spots in the West, they need to win at home against an RSL side that had a rough week last week. A disappointing loss to Colorado showed a tired a listless Real Salt Lake side, but a week off might help Jason Kreis’ team recapture their energy.
Kenny Miller should be ready to show off his goal-scoring prowess now that he has had some time to settle in with his new team, but how well he does will be determined largely by whether Jamison Olave is able to play. Without him, RSL has struggled to stop teams this year.
3- HOUSTON DYNAMO vs. NEW YORK RED BULLS
The Dynamo thoroughly outplayed the Red Bulls a week ago in Houston, but New York is a much different team at Red Bull Arena and have yet to lose there this season. When the teams meet for the second time in a row on Friday, we should be in for a very different match.
Having Dax McCarty back should help the Red Bulls, but a key for them will be whether right back Brandon Barklage and Rafa Marquez can return to the fold. Without them, New York could struggle to deal with Macoumba Kandji as well as Dynamo midfielders Oscar Boniek Garcia and Brad Davis. Look for Thierry Henry to step up his game and deliver his usual high-level effort at home.
4- SPORTING KANSAS CITY VS. D.C. UNITED
After winning the US Open Cup Final in penalty kicks, you wonder just how much Sporting KC will have left in the tank when they take on a DC United side that will look to take advantage of the fatigue factor.
Much like Sporting KC, the DC United offense just hasn’t produced as most would expect it to recently. Dwayne DeRosario hasn’t really clicked as of late, but this is usually the time of year when he starts to heat up. If Roger Espinoza is unable to play because of his shoulder injury, DeRosario could cause problems in what should be a defensive battle.
5- CHIVAS USA VS. LA GALAXY
The LA rivals square off in a game that will have as much intrigue as any installment of the series in recent memory. The arrival of Shalrie Joseph to Chivas USA helps make the Goats a legitimate playoff threat and a win against the Galaxy would put Chivas right on the doorstep of the top five in the West.
The Galaxy will be looking to shake off last week’s embarrassing 4-0 loss to Seattle and their history of success against Chivas suggests we could definitely see a bounce back game. Omar Gonzalez has to be expected to struggle at times as he returns from his torn ACL, but LA will need him to be strong against a Chivas side that should have Juan Agudelo back. Expect this one to have plenty of fireworks.
