Sibling Rivalry

Linda Scott will watch the Sounders US Open Cup match with the Kitsap Pumas in a way that she has never watched a match before as her two sons square off at Starfire.

“Don’t hurt your brother!”

That’s the typical refrain from any mother of two boys.  For Linda Scott, it means something more altogether on Tuesday night when her sons Zach and Daniel will meet in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup at 7 pm at Starfire.

Zach Scott and the Sounders FC will take to defending the trophy they’ve won in each of the last two years against Daniel Scott and the Kitsap Pumas of the Premier Development League in the third round of the tournament and their mother Linda will be in the stands, nervously watching her two youngest children go to battle.

It will be the first time she will see the brothers face each other in competitive soccer, but it’s far from the first time they’ve competed against each other.

“They were definitely competitive, but it was a lot harder because of the age difference,” said Linda of her sons Zach, 30, and Daniel, 25.  “They can play a video game and they’re competing.  Surfing, they’ll push each other off the board.  It’s always underlying.”

That competitive nature has earned both players opportunities to play professional soccer despite growing up on the small island of Maui.

They both played collegiate ball at Gonzaga  in Spokane before embarking on their pro careers in the Puget Sound.  Zach played for the Seattle Sounders in the USL from 2001-2008 before signing with the MLS club in 2009, where he has been a boon to the defensive corps ever since.  Daniel played for the Tacoma Tide (2008) and Seattle Wolves (2009) before landing with the Pumas last year.

“I am so proud of both of them.  Neither one of them get a whole lot of attention.  They were so isolated growing up on Maui.  They would go to Oahu and play with some of the bigger teams,” Linda said.  “Just to get into a D1 school and be playing pro makes me so proud of both of them.”

That pride will have her fly from her home in Long Beach, California, to Seattle on Tuesday, where she will drive straight from the airport to the stadium for the match. 

While at Starfire, she is torn about how she will watch the match.  It has been suggested to her to safety pin together a Pumas jersey and a Sounders jersey to show support for her sons. 

Once the game starts, she is grateful that they play as far away from each other as possible, with both playing defender roles.  However, there is a scenario that has her concerned.

“It’s good that they are both defensive players, but I’m so worried about corner kicks,” she said.  “That could be really messy.”

After the match, she will return to California, where she will attend the Sounders FC’s match with the LA Galaxy on July 4, as well as the Reserve League match on July 5.  Later in July, she will return to Seattle when the Pumas face Port Vale of the English League Two on July 19 in a friendly and the Sounders host Manchester United on July 20.

While she will enjoy those matches, nothing will compare to her feelings about the US Open Cup match on Tuesday.

“I’m really proud of both of them and so looking forward to this game.”