Sounders: Another USOC Match, Another Win Against Portland
By Ben Renner
For the Sounders, beating Portland is always welcome. Seattle did it again in their US Open Cup match at Starfire last night 2-1.
Both the Sounders and the Timbers were missing several key players. Timbers coach and constant Seattle-hater Caleb Porter fielded a backup squad in the US Open Cup match at the Starfire Soccer Complex. Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer was without star forward Clint Dempsey, as well as Roman Torres, who scored a 90-minute equalizer for the Pamanian national team against Honduras. Joevin Jones was also missing from Seattle’s lineup due to international duty.
But the Sounders, who started a number of backup players as well, eked out a 2-1 win to advance in the US Open Cup yet again. The four-time USOC winners advanced again to the round of 16 with a third-minute goal by Aaron Kovar and a Zach Mathers added a second with a penalty kick after a hand ball in the 54th minute.
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Portland’s Augustine Williams equalized for the Timbers in the 38th minute. The hand ball in the second half turned out to be the dagger that sent the Sounders to the next round.
Kovar scored his first goal of the 2017 season after making his 2017 debut earlier this month. Up next for Seattle is the draw for the next round of the USOC, to be held tomorrow. The team will head to New York to take on New York City FC bright and early at 10 am on Saturday, June 17th.
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Jordan Morris, and Dempsey will presumably be available for Schmetzer and the Sounders against NYCFC. It remains to be seen if Torres and Jones will make the trip to New York. With the Sounders returning to MLS play, Seattle is currently sixth in the MLS Western Conference, New York sits in third in the Eastern Conference with 24 points.