With the Kitsap Pumas 3-1 victory over the Real Colorado Foxes on Tuesday night, the Seattle Sounders now know who their opponent in the third round of the US Open Cup will be, and they'll have to face them on a single day's rest; the Sounders will face the Pumas on Tuesday, June 28th. What's more the Sounders will already be on short rest for Sunday's game against the New England Revolution after facing the New York Red Bulls on Thursday night, meaning Seattle will be faced with three games in six days.
Luckily for the Sounders, they aren't likely to have to diverge much from their initial lineup strategy. The Kitsap Pumas are a USL Premier Development League side, meaning Seattle would most likely be going into this matchup with every intention of starting a mostly reserve team no matter the circumstances. There's quite a gulf between your average PDL team and your average MLS reserve team, and the Sounders reserves are most certainly not an average MLS reserve team. With a record of 6-0-0 and a +8 goal differential on the year, Seattle's reserve squad would be a less than easy task for many MLS teams, let alone a team several rungs down the pyramid.
Still, the lack of time between games is less than ideal, especially seeing as how several of the reserve team's key players have been playing bigger roles for the senior squad. It's tough to see the Pumas having much of an answer for a player like Mike Fucito or Miguel Montano from a skill/athleticism standpoint and it's equally tough to see their attacking creating a great deal against the likes of Zach Scott, Leo Gonzalez and Taylor Graham. But still, three games in six days is less than ideal. And it certainly makes a third round matchup against a PDL team a whole lot more nerve-wracking than it should be.