Seattle to Face Winner of Tampa Bay Rowdies-VSI Tampa Bay
RENTON, WASH. - Seattle Sounders FC will begin its run at a fourth Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championship on May 29 with a third-round match against the winner of the Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL) at VSI Tampa Bay (USL-PRO) match.
Sounders FC would either visit the Tampa Bay Rowdies at 4:30 p.m. PT at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, Fla., or host VSI Tampa Bay at 7 p.m. PT at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila, Wash.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies visit VSI Tampa Bay on Tuesday, May 21 at 4 p.m. PT at Plant City Stadium in Plant City, Fla. The Rowdies received a first-round bye while VSI ousted the Orlando City U23s in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw on May 14.
Sounders FC will attempt to win its fourth championship in five years after reaching the final the past four seasons. In 2011, Seattle became the first club in 42 years and fourth altogether to win the Open Cup three consecutive years.
Sounders FC defeated D.C. United in the 2009 final, the Columbus Crew in the 2010 final, and the Chicago Fire in the 2011 final before a record crowd of 35,615 on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field. Seattle fell in a penalty shootout to Sporting Kansas City in the 2012 final following a 1-1 draw.
The 100th edition of the U.S. Open Cup includes a 68-team field, which represents the largest pool in the modern era (1995-present). All Division I, II and III professional clubs participated in the tournament proper. The Division I field includes all 16 U.S.-based MLS teams.
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the U.S. Soccer Federation's National Championship, is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. It is the oldest annual team tournament in U.S. sports history and among the oldest soccer tournaments of its type in the world
The fourth round is scheduled for June 12, the quarterfinals for June 26, the semifinals for August 7 or 21, and the final for October 1 or 2.
