Seattle Sounders Defeat Columbus Crew 2-1 In U.S. Open Cup

A brace from Sanna Nyassi propelled the Seattle Sounders to victory over the Columbus Crew. The 2-1 win earned the Sounders their second consecutive U.S. Open Cup in front of 31,311 joyous fans.

Seattle Substitution: Alvaro Fernandez On, Sanna Nyassi Off

Sanna Nyassi bagged a brace tonight, but after seeing a yellow card, Sigi Schmid pulls him off in favor of the Uruguayan international.

Seattle Substitution: Alvaro Fernandez On, Sanna Nyassi Off

Sanna Nyassi bagged a brace tonight, but after seeing a yellow card, Sigi Schmid pulls him off in favor of the Uruguayan international.

GOALFLASH: Sounders 2-1 Columbus

That was a fun one! Fredy Montero sent a beautiful cross to Steve Zakuani, who added his own gorgeous header to the mix. Zak’s header bounced off the crossbar and landed at the feet of Sanna Nyassi, who took advantage of the fact that Gruenebaum was still scrambling on his hands and knees and hit it into the net.

Keep your heads in it, Seattle.

GOALFLASH: Sounders 1-1 Colombus

And a defensive error puts the Sounders back into the Open Cup. The Columbus keeper punched the ball straight to the feet of Nathan Sturgis, who passed to Sanna Nyassi. Andy Gruenebaum was still off his line, and so Nyassi was able to easily put the ball into the lower left corner of the net.

Game.
On.

Goalflash: Columbus 1-0

The Crew caught Seattle off-guard and with two precise touches from his teammates, Kevin Burns puts the ball in the back of the net.

This comes just on the heels of James Riley receiving a yellow card. The Sounders are chasing the game a bit—not something they want to be doing at home while defending the cup.

U.S. Open Cup: Seattle Sounders Set To Defend Title Against Columbus Crew

The Seattle Sounders, defenders of the U.S. Open Cup, will face Columbus Crew tonight at Qwest Field in front of nearly 30,000 screaming, chanting, cheering fans.

While the Crew are the current holders of the Supporters Shield--meaning they had the best overall record in Major League Soccer last season--Columbus has also lost five of their last ten league matches, and their overloaded schedule is seeming to take its toll on the squad. Seattle, on the other hand, has recorded only one loss in the past twelve matches, while one of their wins includes a 4-0 rout over Columbus.

That's not to say Sounders supporters should be overconfident about winning the trophy. The Crew are likely looking to avenge that humiliating defeat, as well as trying to win back a trophy they haven't held since 2002. Still, the Sounders go into this with a few important factors on their side. First, the squad is healthy, meaning the players we've seen on the pitch since Seattle's great run of form began are likely the ones we will see again tonight. Second, the Sounders are playing in front of their home crowd, an element they all seem to include when asked what they love about this team. Third, Seattle wants this. While the Crew may be saying they want a trophy in their cabinet, so many others have dismissed the idea of the cup. Not so in Seattle, where the competition is on everyone's mind, almost from the day the Sounders entered the tournament. Small fries? Not here.

Just a few quick details: If the score is tied at the end of ninety minutes, two fifteen minute halves will be played. If there is still no winner, the match will be decided via penalty shootout. Oh, and only five international players can be named in each teams squad, meaning the Sounders will have to decide which of Fredy Montero, Blaise Nkufo, Steve Zakuani, Sanna Nyassi, Leo Gonzalez, Alvaro Fernandez, and Miguel Montaño will sit this out. It's fairly evident that Montaño won't make the cut. It's also obvious that this is an antiquated tradition that needs to be axed (in my most humble opinion).

Want to catch up on everything Open Cup? Sounder At Heart has you covered:

Game Thread

Match Day Reference Card

Match Preview

Significance Of The Cup

12 Hours Until The Match

Why This Match Means So Much

SCARVES UP!