Sounders FC vs. PSA Elite
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup 4th Round
Wednesday, 7 pm PT; Starfire Sports Stadium; Tukwila, Wash.
Webstream: SoundersFC.com
Who is PSA Elite: The USASA club is based in Irvine, Calif., and is comprised mostly of current college players and players who recently completed their eligibility but have not yet moved to the professional ranks, along with other ex-professionals.
How they got there: PSA Elite started the tournament with a first-round shootout victory over another California-based amateur team in LA Misioneros FC. It advanced through the second round via forfeit after its scheduled opponent, San Diego Flash, couldn't find a suitable field. In the third round, PSA Elite played to a scoreless draw against USL-Pro's LA Galaxy II, advancing again on a shootout. That sets up a fourth-round match with Sounders FC, who entered in this round along with the rest of the 16 American-based MLS teams.
Player to watch: Goalkeeper Earl Edwards was named U.S. Open Cup Player of the Round after shutting out LA Galaxy II in the third round. A former U.S. U-20 and U-17 player, Edwards has played three seasons at UCLA and has one year of eligibility remaining, posting a 1.18 goals against average in 37 matches for the Bruins.
Notes: Sounders FC is 13-0-0 at Starfire in the U.S. Open Cup … With three weeks between MLS matches, Sounders FC will be well-rested heading into the fourth-round Open Cup matchup. … Sounders FC features six players with USL/A-League experience and several others that have played in the PDL, so they have been on the other end of David-Goliath matches in the Open Cup before. … PSA Elite forward Michael Salazar has four appearances for the Belize National Team, including two starts and a substitute appearance in the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He started against Costa Rica and Cuba and came off the bench against the U.S.
