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US Open Cup 2011: Seattle Sounders 3-1 LA Galaxy, Sounders Roll Over Subpar LA, Will Host FC Dallas In Semifinals

The Seattle Sounders were the superior side in almost every way in their 3-1 victory over the LA Galaxy on Wednesday night and will now host FC Dallas in a semifinal matchup on August 30th. The Galaxy looked a competitive side for the last five of the first five of the second, but aside from that the Sounders were rampant and unlucky to have scored just three.

Nate Jaqua got the scoring underway just four minutes in, making a well-timed run into the box and finishing a lovely sequence that went through first Fredy Montero and then Pat Noonan. The Sounders got on the board again in the 25th minute when AJ De La Garza's poor clearance was intercepted by Nate Jaqua who set up a cool finish from Fredy Montero, taking one touch into space and blasting past Galaxy keeper Josh Saunders. LA got one back just before the half with Adam Christman directing Chris Birchall's cross past Terry Boss to end a rampant spell that preceded the half, but despite coming out with attacking intent in the second half and testing Terry Boss early on in the second frame that would be it for the visitors.

The Sounders weren't quite done yet however, with Lamar Neagle sealing the victory with a slick finish to cap a beautiful individual effort by Alvaro Fernandez to set things up. It was at that point that the Galaxy seemed to concede, Landon Donovan being withdrawn immediately afterwards and Juninho following in short order. The Sounders threatened to add another on several occasions but in the end would be forced to settle for a 3-1 scoreline. To the Galaxy's credit they did start a strong side and went after the game with fervor, but they looked out of sync (particularly at the back) all night and looked very little like the best team in MLS.

Osvaldo Alonso, Pat Noonan, Nate Jaqua, Fredy Montero and Alvaro Fernandez all put in terrific shifts for Seattle, whose USOC unbeaten streak as an MLS team has now reached 11 games. This will also mark the Sounders fifth consecutive appearance in the semifinals dating back to the team's USL days.

US Open Cup 2011: Seattle Sounders 2-1 Los Angeles Galaxy, HT: Sounders Dominate Majority Of First Half But Late LA Surge Keeps Things Close

The Seattle Sounders head to the locker room unlucky not to be ahead by two or even three goals against the LA Galaxy after a first half which saw Seattle dominate every phase of the game. The Sounders pushed several chances just wide and LA keeper Josh Saunders made several excellent saves to keep the game in hand and a late spell of Galaxy control kept the score close as the teams head to the locker room.

The Sounders got on the board in the fourth minute with Fredy Montero finding Pat Noonan in space to feed Nate Jaqua's perfectly timed run and the big striker gave Saunders no chance as he finished coolly into the bottom right corner. The Sounders notched their second just twenty minutes later when Jaqua picked off a botched AJ De La Garza clearance and worked the ball to Montero who took a touch and fired past Saunders.

Seattle continued to dominate for most of the remainder of the first half, but the the last ten minutes of the frame were dominated by the Galaxy with Adam Christman providing the goal that had been coming for several minutes after latching onto Chris Birchall's cross and beating Terry Boss to get one back for LA.

Each side will likely feel the need to make adjustments at the half as the Galaxy seemingly figured out a way to deal with Seattle's gameplan late in the going and Bruce Arena will likely be less than enthralled with his team's performance for the majority of the half. The second is shaping up to be a highly competitive contest, meaning that we're quite likely to see a few first-team Sounders make an appearance before the night is out.

Seattle Sounders Vs. Los Angeles Galaxy: Lineups

Both Sigi Schmid and Bruce Arena opted for fairly strong sides in this game, and the bis surprise would have to be Landon Donovan starting in midfield for the LA Galaxy. A bit less of a surprise is the inclusion of Fredy Montero up top alongside Nate Jaqua for the Sounders.

Seattle's defense is fairly close to full-strength; though he's lost his regular starting spot to Tyson Wahl Leo Gonzalez is a roughly league average left back and with Jhon Kennedy Hurtado unavailable Seattle are starting what must be seen at the moment as their first choice centerback pairing. However, Zach Scott and Terry Boss being included is likely enough to keep most Sounders fans from feeling truly comfortable.

Seattle Sounders XI: Boss; Scott, Parke, Ianni, Gonzalez; Noonan, Alonso, Fernandez, Neagle; Jaqua, Montero

Seattle Sounders Reserves: Keller, Carrasco, Friberg, Fucito, Levesque, Riley, Rosales

LA Galaxy XI: Saunders; Dunivant, Berhalter, DeLaGarza, Jordan; Donovan, Juninho, Stephens, Birchall; Cristman, Cardozo

LA Galaxy Reserves: Perk, Angel, Davies, Lopez, Jiminez, Kirovski

Seattle Sounders Vs. LA Galaxy, US Open Cup Quarterfinals: Date With FC Dallas On The Line

Over the past few seasons the Seattle Sounders have unquestionably put more of an emphasis on the US Open Cup than the LA Galaxy, and under more normal circumstances it's likely that trend would continue. There's a bit of a wildcard this time around, however; while the Galaxy will be in action this weekend, it's not MLS play. Instead LA will play host to Real Madrid in a World Football Challenge match. The WFC fixture is slightly different than a regular friendly in that there is something (ostensibly) on the line, but it's difficult to imagine any of the involved parties are taking things too seriously. That leaves the question as to whether Galaxy coach Bruce Arena might run with a slightly stronger squad than he has been inclined to field in recent years. While it's difficult to imagine either of Landon Donovan or David Beckham starting the game it's not so far fetched to picture either making a cameo in the later going. Outside of those two, no XI the Galaxy put on the field would come as much of a surprise.

For their part, the Sounders should be fielding a similarly strong side and could likely do so using fewer first-team players thanks to their superior depth. A back line consisting of Michael Tetteh, Leo Gonzalez, Patrick Ianni and Zach Scott seems a reasonable expectation, though James Riley and/or Jeff Parke could easily start as well. Kasey Keller making his first USOC appearance of the season wouldn't be too much of a surprise. Depending on Sigi Schmid's plans for Saturday a striker pairing consisting of two of Nate Jaqua, Pat Noonan, Mike Fucito and Roger Levesque seems likely and should things remain close past the hour mark an appearance by Fredy Montero is well with reasonable expectation. If the Sounders are weak anywhere it will be in the midfield as players like Miguel Montano, David Estrada, and Mike Seamon have perhaps earned the chance to show Sigi Schmid that they deserve a longer look with the first team.

And even with circumstances being different this time around in terms of the immediate future for the Galaxy, that's certainly no proof that LA is any more inclined to look to their first-teamers. The Galaxy are focused on bringing home a Supporters Shield/MLS Cup double this season; Bruce Arena has as much as admitted to that being the case. With an aging core and a lot of season left to play, LA may very well be content to trust this one to the kids. The uncertainty surrounding this contest is what makes it such a nervy lead-up; you can prepare for what you know is coming, no matter how intimidating it might be. But without awareness of what you're going to be up against, the wait can be murderous.

The Sounders are going to be live-streaming this game on SoundersFC.Com. For more in-depth coverage of this match, head over to Sounder At Heart.