Seattle books Open Cup final place with semifinal romp over Chicago
TUKWILA, Wash. (AP)
Struggling for playing time and scoring, Andy Rose showed he can deliver now that he's healthy again.
Rose and Kenny Cooper each scored two goals and the Seattle Sounders routed the Chicago Fire 6-0 in their U.S. Open Cup semifinal Wednesday night.
Major League Soccer-leading Seattle will face the Philadelphia Union on Sept. 16 in the final in Chester, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia advanced on the road Tuesday night, beating FC Dallas on penalty kicks.
Seattle reached the final for the fifth time since joining MLS in 2009. The Sounders won three straight Open Cups from 2009-11, and lost at Kansas City on penalty kicks in 2012.
''It's something that we take seriously,'' Sounders coach Sigi Schmid said of the annual tournament. ''We won our first Open Cup on the road in D.C. We'll be ready for it. This is what we want to do: If you enter it, try to win it.''
Chad Barrett opened the scoring in the sixth minute, and Rose made it 2-0 in the 33rd when he headed Marco Pappa's corner kick high into the upper left corner past goalkeeper Sean Johnson. Near the end of the 58th minute, Rose made it 3-0 when he headed in a target ball from Pappa.
Rose has played just five MLS games totaling 101 minutes this season. He had knee surgery in June and has also dealt with a hamstring injury.
''It's nice to come back and contribute to a big win,'' Rose said. ''In training, I've felt great, and felt really good the last two or three weeks. I knew if I kept doing that, the chance would come. To take advantage of it was great.''
The Sounders added three goals in a 4 1/2-minute span, with Obafemi Martins connecting in the 79th, and Cooper in the 82nd and 84th. Cooper also assisted on the goals by Barrett and Martins.
''Sometimes, when it rains, it pours,'' Schmid said of the scoring outburst. ''Getting the early goal got us off to a really good start. I thought bringing in some guys with fresh legs - Cooper, Barrett, and Andy Rose - and having some fresh centerbacks really helped us at the end of the day. We were a little quicker and a little sharper, which is what we needed to achieve.''
Seattle got a full 90 minutes from defender DeAndre Yedlin, whose transfer to Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League was finalized earlier Wednesday. Yedlin will remain with the Sounders through the end of the regular season and playoffs.
