The Seattle Sounders secured a wild 5-4 victory over San Diego Loyal SC on Wednesday night at Starfire Sports Stadium behind goals from Fredy Montero (2), Ethan Dobbelaere, Paul Rothrock and Reed Baker-Whiting in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup.
San Diego put the pressure on early in the third minute when Charlie Adams got a hold of the ball in the Sounders defensive half, shot the ball on target, but was denied after Stefan Cleveland read the ball perfectly to make the stop.
The pressure from the away side quickly diminished in the 15th minute when a scrum in the box led to a one-time finish from Montero to put the Sounders up 1-0.
Montero continued to play a role in the attack in the 26th minute, sending a through ball to Léo Chú on the left side of the pitch for him to cross it over the goalkeeper’s head and into the feet of Dobbelaere, who crashed the back post and doubled Seattle’s lead.
The remaining 19 minutes included plenty of other dangerous opportunities for the Sounders with crosses from Dobbelaere, Baker-Whiting and Chú, finishing the half in dominant form.
San Diego Loyal managed to get on the scoreboard in the second half after a hand-ball in the box in the 53rd minute resulted in a penalty kick for the opposing side.
Then, it was Rothrock who tallied another for the Rave Green in the 55th minute after making a diagonal run down the left side of the field. The Seattle native cut the past his defender and hit a low-driven shot into the near post to increase the score 3-1.
San Diego responded in the 73rd minute when Joe Corona added a second goal for his team off a free kick just outside the box. Then in stoppage time, the California team managed to tie the match with just a minute to spare off a shot from distance from Kyle Adams, bringing the match to extra time.
Baker-Whiting came up clutch in the 101st minute to put the Rave Green up 4-3 with an absolute rocket into the top corner from distance.
San Diego tied it once again in the 115th minute with a corner kick redirected toward goal off the head of Jackson Kasanzu.
Montero capped off an unforgettable evening with a game-winning goal in the closing seconds of stoppage time, confidently dispatching his penalty kick and sending Seattle through to the next round of the U.S. Open Cup.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Open Cup Legend
Montero recorded a brace on Wednesday night, securing the win for the Rave Green. He’s recorded 10 total U.S. Open Cup goals for the Sounders, making him the all-time leading scorer in the competition in club history.
The Kids Step Up
Dobbelaere recorded his first goal for the Sounders First Team while Sota Kitahara made his first career start with the team. Rothrock was also a standout performer, making his debut with the First Team and scoring his first professional goal with the Rave Green.
Defiance Standouts
Four Tacoma Defiance players were eligible for Wednesday’s match via short-term agreements. Cody Baker put in a standout 120-minute shift at left back, while Rothrock, Travian Sousa and Hal Uderitz were substitutes for the Rave Green.
