SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC v. LOS ANGELES FC - US OPEN CUP SEMI-FINAL - STARFIRE, FORT DENT WAY, TUKWILA, WASHINGTON

Greetings to my brothers and sisters in Green. It’s a return to the cinema for the Green Fam. What are we viewing midweek? Nightmare on Figueroa Street IV. The film title is made-up, but the suspense is quite real. Prepare for cup football in the metropolis of Tukwila, Washington. Level of football action anticipated: Maximum. Level of information available to independent journalists: None. St. Brigid preserve us all.

Retraction: I promise a low-sodium retraction this time. I had written that the US Open Cup Semi-Final was going to be on Tuesday 27 August. I did that because I was working off of a schedule I had made in May. The United States FA, in their infinite wisdom, changed the date of the fixture on 9 August, a day after the Sounders had defeated LA Galaxy in Leagues Cup. The United States FA posted a press release, but it must’ve been only to their own website and to the communications departments of American MLS member clubs.

So shit got changed, only the FA and MLS Club’s communications departments knew, and there was, for most of us, no knowledge that a change had been made. The schedule is then digitally changed, and it would be pretty easy to miss it. I had written that Schmetzer shouldn’t have selected first-choice for Minnesota United because the turn-around would be two days. That became untrue as of 9 August, but I hadn’t got meself up to speed. I withdraw that criticism, although the spirit behind it was true enough, regarding prioritising league results over USOC results. I could make excuses, but I’m not going to. The hard-learnt lesson here is don’t try to plan too far ahead in matters relating to football. Apologies to my faithful readers. I will work harder and more vigilantly to avoid errors.

What: US Open Cup Semi-Final, Seattle Sounders FC v. Los Angeles FC.

Where: Starfire, Fort Dent Way, Tukwila, Washington.

When: 7:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, Wednesday 28 August 2024 CE.

At Stake: Win through to the Final of the US Open Cup or get buzz-sawed, again, by perennial free-spenders and constant irritants, Los Angeles FC. There are only two ways this goes. Win or lose. 1 or 0. Success or failure. A continuation, or an ending. I hope that’s considered when it’s time for the Gaffer and his coaches to select the team.

Where to Watch: Apple TV.

Where to Listen: KJR 950 AM, confirmed, and presumably, but unconfirmed, El Rey 1360 AM.

Support is vital. This is the furthest we’ve advanced in US Open Cup since Brian Schmetzer has become manager - in the modern era (lolololololol). I’ve essayed a thorough evaluation of what the likelihood is of our winning a domestic trophy this season. The conclusion was: The US Open Cup presents the best chance of us actually winning something this season. This may change, and our Boys in Green might hit a scorching patch of form and absolutely devastate not only our Cascadia rivals, but also Columbus, Colorado, and San Jose, and become the side that no one wants to face in MLS Cup. We’re not there yet, so we’ll have to see. What is real in this moment is we are about to play in the US Open Cup Semi-Final, and weave ourselves into the 110-year history of the most prestigious domestic football tournament in the United States. In the words of elite hip-hop artists De La Soul: “Stakes Is High”.

It’s cup football in the 69,000 sea– I mean the 4,500 seater Starfire ground. It’s cup football in The Evergreen. Fasten that seat-belt, keep your sick hame, and conserve your vocal cords, it’s the US Open Cup Semi-Final under the Wednesday night lights of Starfire. SOUNDERS FOR THE CUP!!!

Before kick-off, please join me in the auld toast: “TO THE SEATTLE SOUNDERS FOOTBALL CLUB…AND VICTORY!!!”

An exchange from Tuesday afternoon’s press conference:

Journalist: “Is Georgi [Minoungou] going to be available?”

Brian Schmetzer: “Maybe. It’s a strong maybe.”

This demonstrates that whether one has press access to the Sounders FC or not, you essentially walk away with the same amount of information from a Brian Schmetzer press conference. Not much.

The Good News

Everyone is healthy save for Rodrigues and Baker, who themselves are closing in on full fitness.

We have a very talented team, and with the right tactics, some patience, and what would have to be a nearly mistake-free performance, we have an excellent shot at sending these down, setting up a depressing and long flight back to The Southland for LAFC.

We haven’t lost at Starfire this season with a record of 2-0-0. This stat is, of course, meaningless for a number of reasons, but it is also an undeniable fact.

If you’ve done the maths, it doesn’t look good for us. If you look at everything outside the maths, you realise that maths rarely decide a cup Semi-Final. UP THE SOUNDERS FC!!!

LAFC have an away record of 7-2-10 in all competitions. That’s as vulnerable as they get. It’ll have to do. Conversely, Sounders FC have a home record of 11-5-4 in all competitions.

The Bad News

LAFC have just lost a cup final. With their pride bruised up a bit, they’ll be extra-fierce about wanting to prove their quality in the big time matches.

In all competitions, LAFC average over two goals per match (2.24 goals/match). We average about one and a half (1.56 goals/match). In all competitions, LAFC have a goal difference of +38. In all competitions, we have a goal difference of +11. Our defence is elite, conceding 1.24 goals/match. LAFC’s defence concedes 1.12 goals/match. They spent money to improve their first-team. We didn’t. They have a goal-scorer in Gabonese striker Denis Bouanga (16 league goals) who has a good chance to win the MLS Golden Boot. Our best goal scorer, Jordan Morris, has hit 10 league goals.

Sounders supporters won’t like to hear this, but LAFC are better than we are. We’ve been defeated all three times we have faced them this season by an aggregate score of 8:1. They have better players, often from bigger clubs. Their club invested more money in players. They are arguably better managed. That doesn’t mean they can’t be beaten. It just means that it will take some doing and they will severely punish mistakes by their opponents.

Why is this match not at Royal Brougham Park? The club and the league piss and moan about not enough revenue, and then schedule a massive Semi-Final in a 4,500 seat stadium. No disrespect to Starfire, as there have been a long history of memorable results there, but make it make sense.

I know we have Portland in the league at Morrison Street on Sat after a two-day turn. I get it, I really do. But this is more important. Far more important. I hope our Manager and coaching staff have also come to this realisation. Besides, our youngers can handle the Treecutters and…[derisive sniff] Timber Joey.

The Side I Would Select

It’s a cup Semi-Final. You have to play your very best players. I’d put Cristian as a #6, Vargas as the right-forward, and let Joao Paulo play as the #8. If Pedro is truly back to full fitness, we need him in the team, not on the bench. We’ve lost all three matches against LAFC this season; makes sense to try at least something different.

GK     Frei

LB     Nouhou

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Gomez Andrade

RB     Alex

LDM    Joao Paulo

RDM   Cristian

LF     De la Vega

CAM   Rusnak

RF     Vargas

CF     Morris

The Side I Think The Gaffer Will Select

I would be willing to guarantee that Schmetzer will be thinking ahead to Portland on Sat, with that two-day turn-around from the USOC Semi-Final midweek. In situations where there’s a short turn, Schmetzer invariably prioritises league results over US Open Cup results. I can guarantee he wants to win both matches — Schmetzer hates to lose — but because of LAFC’s quality we need to play our absolute best players and they have to have mistake-free performances if we’re to have any chance. Of course then there’s the Pacific Northwest Derby against Portland at the Morrison Street ground on Sat, and with players logging minutes against both the Loons and LAFC, who will be in the team on Sat? My guess is that the Gaffer will play the best team available, and then have the lot go again on short rest come Saturday.

GK     Frei

LB     Nouhou

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Gomez Andrade

RB     Alex

LDM    Joao Paulo

RDM    Vargas

LF     Rothrock

CAM   Rusnak

RF     Cristian

CF     Morris

Intangibles

Referee assignment: Unknown. Injury Status: Guess work at best.

General notes on personnel

LAFC transfers IN:

Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur) free

Dellavalle - reserves

Campos (Santos Laguna) €4.6M

Angel (Atletico Nacional) free

Martinez (Monagas SC) €3.2M

Atuesta (Palmeiras) loan

Chanot (AC Ajaccio) free

Kamara (Chicago Fire) free

Muller - reserves

Giroud (AC Milan) free

Musto - reserves

Hasal (Vancouver Whitecaps FC) free

O’Brien (Nottingham Forest) loan

LAFC transfers OUT:

Chiellini - retired

Crisostomo (Tampa Bay Rowdies) free

Gaines - released

Jakupovic - released

Leone (Monterrey) free

Maldonado (Motagua) end of loan

McCarthy (Los Angeles Galaxy) free

Rosales - released

Torres (Tapatio) free

Traore (Phoenix Rising) free

Acosta (Chicago Fire) free

Crepeau (Portland Timbers) free

Palacios (Corinthians) free

Vela - released

Gonzalez (Sporting Gijon) loan

Krastev (Lommel SK) end of loan

Biuk (Real Valladolid) €4M

Fall (FC Barcelona) €2M

Angel (Phoenix Rising) loan

Gonzalez (FC Famalicao) loan

Ginella - released

Romero (Columbus Crew) €45,000

Comparison against common opponents

RSL 2:0 SEA

SEA 1:1 RSL

RSL 3:0 LAFC
LAFC 1:1 RSL

(against RSL: SEA 0-1-1 -2, LAFC 0-1-1 -3) edge SEA

SKC 2:1 SEA

LAFC 0:0 SKC

(against SKC: SEA 0-0-1 -1, LAFC 0-1-0 0) edge LAFC

SEA 2:0 MIN

SEA 2:0 MIN LC

MIN 2:3 SEA

MIN 2:0 LAFC

LAFC 2:0 MIN

(against MIN: SEA 3-0-0 +5, LAFC 1-0-1 0) edge SEA

SEA 1:1 COL

COL 3:2 LAFC
LAFC 3:0 COL

LAFC 4:0 COL LC

(against COL: SEA 0-1-0 0, LAFC 2-0-1 +6) edge LAFC

LAG 1:0 SEA
SEA 0:0 LAG

SEA 3:1 LAG LC

LAFC 2:1 LAG

LAG 1:2 LAFC

(against LAG: SEA 1-1-1 +1, LAFC 2-0-0 +2) edge LAFC

POR 1:2 SEA

POR 2:2 LAFC

LAFC 3:2 POR

(against POR: SEA 1-0-0 +1, LAFC 1-1-0 +1) edge LAFC

SJ 3:2 SEA

SJ 3:1 LAFC

LAFC 6:2 SJ

LAFC 4:1 SJ LC

(against SJ: SEA 0-0-1 -1, LAFC 2-0-1 +5) edge LAFC

SEA 0:2 VAN

SEA 1:1 VAN

LAFC 3:0 VAN

LAFC 2:2 (2:4) VAN LC

(against VAN: SEA 0-1-1 -2, LAFC 1-1-0 +3) edge LAFC

STL 1:2 SEA

SEA 2:0 STL

STL 0:2 LAFC

(against STL: SEA 2-0-0 +3, LAFC 1-0-0 +2) edge SEA

DAL 0:0 SEA

SEA 3:2 DAL

LAFC 1:0 DAL

(against DAL: 1-1-0 +1, LAFC 1-0-0 +1) edge SEA

SEA 0:0 ATX

ATX 0:1 SEA

ATX 1:1 LAFC

LAFC 2:0 ATX LC

(against ATX: SEA 1-1-0 +1, LAFC 1-1-0 +2) edge LAFC

Know Thine Enemy

LAFC as they lined up against Columbus in their 3:1 defeat in the Leagues Cup final at Hunt Way on 25 August.

GOALKEEPER

Hugo Lloris, 37

France (145/0)

Notable Clubs: Nice (72/0), Lyon (146/0), Tottenham Hotspur (361/0), Los Angeles FC (24/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1.2M

Notes: Developed by Cedac Cimiez and Nice. Won Coup de France and Trophee des Champions with Lyon. Won the FIFA World Cup and UEFA Nations League with France. Named Ligue 1 Goalkeeper of the Year three times. Named to Ligue 1 Team of the Year three times.

DEFENCE

Ryan Hollingshead, 33

United States

Notable Clubs: FC Dallas (193/18), Los Angeles FC (84/11)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1.2M

Notes: Played his university football for UCLA (81/16). Won an MLS League Championship and US Open Cup double with Dallas in 2016. Won MLS league and MLS Cup double in 2022 with LAFC.

Aaron Long, 31

United States (35/3)

Notable Clubs: Sacramento Republic (2/0), New York RB (139/12), Los Angeles FC (42/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2.5M

Notes: Played his university football for UC Riverside (71/13). Won an MLS League Championship with NYRB. Named USL Defender of the Year in 2016. Named MLS Defender of the Year and MLS Best XI in 2018. Named to CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI in 2019. Named to CONCACAF Champions League Best XI 2023.

Maxime Chanot, 34

Luxembourg (71/4)

Notable Clubs: Beerschot (9/0), Kortrijk (82/5), New York City FC (165/5), Ajaccio (21/0), Los Angeles FC (15/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €400,000

Notes: Developed by Nancy and Reims. Won an MLS Cup and a Campeones Cup with New York City FC.

Jesus Murillo, 30

Colombia

Notable Clubs: Deportivo Pasto (19/0), Patriotas Boyaca (92/1), Independiente Medellin (90/4), Los Angeles FC (107/2)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2.5M

Notes: Developed by Independiente Medellin. Won a Copa Colombia with Independiente. Named to CONCACAF Champions League Team of the Tournament 2020. Won MLS league and MLS Cup double in 2022.

Sergi Palencia, 28

Catalonia

Notable Clubs: Bordeaux (25/0), Saint Etienne (6/0), Leganes (71/0), Los Angeles FC (41/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2M

Notes: Developed by CF Badalona and FC Barcelona. No known honours.

MIDFIELD

Eduard Atuesta, 27

Colombia (2/0)

Notable Clubs: Independiente Medellin (29/0), Los Angeles FC (118/9), Palmeiras (26/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2M

Notes: Produced by Independiente Medellin. Won a league championship with LAFC in 2019. Named to MLS Best XI in 2019. Won a league championship with Independiente Medellin in 2016. Won Recopa Sudamericana, two Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A, and a Supercopa do Brasil with Palmeiras.

Ilie Sanchez, 33

Catalonia

Notable Clubs: 1860 Munich (24/1), Elche (27/1), Sporting Kansas City (144/7), Los Angeles FC (90/2)

Estimated Transfer Value: €600,000

Notes: Developed by Martinenc, FC Barcelona, Poble Sec, Catalonia, Collblanc, and Cornella. Won a US Open Cup with Kansas City in 2017. Won an MLS Cup and MLS League double with LAFC in 2022.

FORWARD

Denis Bouanga, 29

Gabon (40/10)

Notable Clubs: Lorient (38/10), Strasbourg (18/5), Tours (36/16), Nimes (35/8), Saint-Etienne (97/26), Los Angeles FC (62/37)

Estimated Transfer Value: €10M

Notes: Developed by SO Maine and Le Mans. Won MLS league and MLS Cup double in 2022 with LAFC. Won CONCACAF Champions League Golden Boot (7 goals) 2023. Named to CONCACAF Champions League Best XI 2023. Won 2023 MLS Golden Boot (20 goals). Named to MLS Best XI 2023.

Olivier Giroud, 37

France (137/57)

Notable Clubs: Grenoble (23/2), Tours (61/30), Montpellier (73/33), Arsenal (180/73), Chelsea (75/17), AC Milan (97/39), Los Angeles FC (0/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €3M

Notes: Developed by Froges and Grenoble. Won a French title with Montpellier. Won three FA Cups and three FA Community Shields with Arsenal. Won an FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, and UEFA Europa League with Chelsea. Won an Italian league title with AC Milan. Won a FIFA World Cup and a UEFA Nations League with France. Named to UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year 2011-12. Shared a Ligue 1 Golden Boot scoring 21 goals for Montpellier in 2011-12. Named UNFP Ligue 2 Player of the Year 2009-10. Won the Ligue 2 Golden Boot scoring 21 goals for Tours in 2009-10. Named to UNFP Ligue 2 Team of the Year. Shared the Bronze Boot with five other players, scoring three goals at the UEFA Euro 2016. Won the FIFA Puskas Award 2017. Shared the Bronze Boot for FIFA World Cup 2022 scoring four goals for France. Won the Golden Boot for the UEFA Europa League scoring 11 goals for Chelsea in 2018-19. Named to UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season 2018-19.

Mateusz Bogusz, 22

Poland

Notable Clubs: Ruch Chorzow (32/5), Leeds United (1/0), Los Angeles FC (52/16)

Estimated Transfer Value: €4M

Notes: Developed by Gwiazda Ruda Slaska, and Ruch Chorzov. Won a EFL Championship with Leeds. Has played for Poland (44/7) at youth levels.

Familiar Faces

Former Sounders FC Coach Ante Razov is a Coach with LAFC.

LAFC and United States defender Aaron Long played for Sounders FC reserves (27/1) in 2015.

Squads

Sounders FC from:

Frei, Thomas, Castro, Bell, Gomez Andrade, Hawkins, Nathan, Nouhou, Ragen, Alex, Atencio, Baker-Whiting, De la Vega, Joao Paulo, Kitahara, Leyva, Rusnak, Vargas, Morris, Cristian, Leo Chu, Minoungou, Musovski, Rothrock, Ruidiaz, Teves.

LAFC from:

Lloris, Ochoa, Hasal, Long, Hollingshead, Segura, Duenas, Murillo, Campos, Palencia, Chanot, Sanchez, Atuesta, Tillman, O’Brien, Bogusz, Olivera, Musto, Martinez, Giroud, Kamara, Ordaz, Bouanga, Gonzalez, Angel.

Injury List

(As listed on mlssoccer.com on 19 July, modified by looking up LAFC’s available players for their most recent match and the almost zero information made available at the Sounders FC press conference. That was the most recent information I could find.)

Sounders FC -

OUT: Rodrigues (hamstring), Baker (wrist).

MATCHDAY DECISION: none.

LAFC -

OUT: Dellavalle (knee).

MATCHDAY DECISION: none.

Discipline

(best guess)

Note: I was unable to find a digital copy of the competition standards for US Open Cup. Therefore there was no information regarding the disciplinary format for the tournament. The international standard is, to the best of my understanding, for cup tournaments, is that if you get a second booking over different matches, you must serve a one-match ban in the next round. So, I’m going by that, and if the United States FA has different rules, please e-mail them and tell them how stupid that is– I mean report your concerns at https://www.ussoccer.com/contact-us.

Sounders FC: No players suspended.

LAFC: No players suspended. Atuesta, Sanchez, Palencia, and Campos are out next match if booked.

Fun Fact

Sounders FC Reserves preserved a 1:1 draw against San Jose Earthquakes Reserves at the Coleman Avenue ground on 25 August. Chris Aquino scored for the Sounders FC Reserves. In the team for Sounders FC Reserves: Helleren, Kossa-Rienzi, Lopez, Hawkins, Sousa, Brunell, Kitahara, Teves, Aquino, Gomez, De Rosario. Substitutes: Fahling, Bowen, Tsukanome, O’Malley, Miglietti. Substitutes not used: Shour, Brun. Tough break on conceding that equaliser, lads. A point for now, better to come.

Sounders FC Reserves are currently in 10th place in the MLS Next Pro league table (which incidentally, I couldn’t get to display on three different web browsers - so bravo MLS Next Pro, always top shelf yeh?), on 36 points, 10 points adrift of leaders FC Dallas Reserves.