SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC RESERVES v. WASHINGTON ATHLETIC FC - US OPEN CUP 1ST ROUND - STARFIRE SPORTS, FORT DENT PARK, TUKWILA, WASHINGTON

Greetings to my brothers and sisters in Green. With the Sounders FC senior squad a no show, that makes the Sounders FC Reserves the senior squad. At least for the duration of US Open Cup fixtures. What a sad accounting it is that clubs in our country can’t figure out how to show proper respect for this tournament. That said, I expect the lads will do just fine.

What: US Open Cup first round tie, Seattle Sounders FC Reserves v. Washington Athletic FC.

Where: Starfire Sports, Fort Dent Park, Tukwila, Washington.

When: 7 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, Thursday 20 March 2025 CE.

At Stake: Cup football. To advance you either have to win outright, or in case of a draw, on a penalty kick tie-breaker. This tournament is 110 years-old, and the prize, in addition to $600,000, is the second-oldest sporting trophy in North America with only ice hockey’s Stanley Cup being older.

Where to Watch: The MLS Next Pro website says the match will be available on YouTube. I clicked the link and it looked good. livesoccertv.com agrees.

Where to Listen: I could not find any information about local radio coverage of this fixture.

I know, right? You’re saying to yourself “Therrell’s gone mental. He’s writing pre-match reports for the Reserves, and continues to not call them Tacoma Defiance, because diluting the club’s brand is fucking stupid.”

Well, I was left no choice as MLS has ‘decided’ that clubs in CONCACAF Champions Cup aren’t going to participate in the US Open Cup. Also something, something, something, where you finished in the league determines whether you play in the US Open Cup. It’s all nonsense of course. MLS wants to avoid this tournament because they have zero fucks to give about football traditions in this country, with the only thing truly mattering to them is the almighty Dollar. In the words of the immortal Ron White: “You can’t fix stupid”.

So with the senior squad likely 100% absent on this one, except for maybe a squad player or two in need of match sharpness, perhaps Castro, Hawkins, Baker, Burney, Kim, and/or Sousa, it’s unlikely, but not impossible, we’ll see any first-choice players in the team or on the bench.

At any rate, the situation as currently configured asks the question: “Should I support the lads as if they were the senior team?”. The answer is an emphatic “Fuck sake’s yes!”. Is Starfire more difficult to access than Royal Brougham Park. Yes, it is. Also, it’s quite sad that such a storied tournament is played in such a small ground. Don’t let that hold you back though.

End of the day, this match features a side representing a fancy pants men’s club in Seattle, who stocked up on ex-Sounders, Ballard FC, and UW players who will be highly motivated to stick it to the club that let them go.

I mean, you couldn’t script this better. I highly recommend that you attend and make a deafening level of noise. Link up with the ultras that support the Reserves, although I think it would be just desserts to sing and chant the Sounders FC chants though. They snoozed they lose, yeh? That leaves more quality football for the rest of us though. So that’s a good job.

It’s US Open Cup football, under the lights at Starfire. The stakes can be no higher in domestic football. Gather up your mates and get ye down to Tukwila. Car pool, hitch-hike, whatever you gotta do. If you can’t get there, then sit ye down in front of your computer or mobile device and follow along on YouTube. Our psychic energy is the lads’ fuel. In cup football, there is no second chance. GO ON YOU SOUNDERS!!! GET IN!!!

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

Of immense value to everyone…except bloody MLS.

The Good News

Our reserves are quite good. There are a bunch of new faces, 12 by my accounting, in the squad. Some of them are from clubs like Tormenta, Vissel Kobe, Standard Liege, Queens Park Rangers, and Chivas. Robles is a returnee, and there is ample representation from Ballard FC as well.

This promises to be almost a Sounders FC Reserves v. Sounders FC Reserves Alumni match. Surely that’s plenty of sauce for the goose.

I’d keep an eye on Antino Lopez and Jacob Castro, assuming they’re in the team, because they’re awfully good . Also Tsukanome and Carli were good for a goal each against San Jose Earthquakes Reserves Friday last.

The Bad News

Why must our youngers shoulder the burden in this competition? The answers, of course, are greed and the disaffection for tradition that comes with it.

Osaze De Rosario (3 goals/2matches this season in the league), and Snyder Brunell will be unavailable for selection. They will be playing with Guyana and and the Yanks U-18s. As both players are standouts in the Reserves, it’s a next man up situation.

In writing this article, I have done more promotion for the US Open Cup than the aggregate promotional efforts by both MLS and the United States FA for the last ten years. A sad accounting.

The United States FA set the fixture for a Thursday night. Bravo. What a fucking stupid idea. Everyone’s got work the next day. I’m pretty certain MLS wants this tournament to die or become strictly for amateurs, with shitty article Don Garber leading the charge. Garber is both the Commissioner of MLS and on the board of the United States FA, which is a clear conflict of interests. Super fun. Corruption in America? Nawwwww, go on! [sarcasm]

Also, under the category of shitty and awful: When you go to the Sounders FC Reserves schedule on their web-page, the default is that it only shows the fixtures for MLS Next Pro, which should rightfully be called the MLS Reserves League. You have to deliberately set the pull-down menu to ‘all competitions’ in order to even see the US Open Cup tie. Pathetic. In response, we should pack the ground ’til it’s standing room only.

Only a glaikit-faced 20-something marketing hack would think it was a good idea to have the three Seattle professional football teams have different brands. In a sane universe, it would be Seattle Sounders FC, Seattle Sounders FC Reserves, and Seattle Sounders FC Women, and then we’re done! Counterpoint: The universe, such as it is today, is far from sane.

Perhaps on Friday night, I shouldn’t write a pre-match report for the Sounders v. Houston match and then say “It wasn’t enough prize money for me to be bothered”………………………………………………………………………………………Who am I kidding? Of course I’m going to write that article.

The Side I Would Select

I’d combine as many Sounders FC squad players as possible, rounding out the team with our young stars in the Reserves.

GK     Thomas

LB     Sousa

LCH    Lopez

RCH    Hawkins

RB     Baker

LDM    Robles

RDM    Kingston

LF     Gomez

CAM   Leyva

RF     Khoury

CF     Tsukanome

The Side I Think The Gaffer Will Select

I doubt Herve Diese will be given access to any of the senior squad, who have a match against Houston in the league on Sat, to play against Washington AFC, which seems to largely be a collection of ex-UW players, ex-Sounders Reserves, Ballard FC players, the occasional overseas lower-division ringer, rounded out by rich dilettantes who can kick a football. Even without members of the Sounders FC squad, there is still plenty of talent. If Diese can’t get access to senior squad players, I’d imagine he’d select the lot that done over San Jose Earthquakes Reserves 3:1 on Friday last.

GK     Helleren

LB     Katsaros

LCH    Sandnes

RCH    Yamada

RB     Gaffney

LDM    Robles

RDM    Kingston

LF     Gomez

CAM    Pedder

RF     Khoury

CF     Tsukanome

Intangibles

Youth + Pro Environment v. Experience and seasoned ex-pro and ex-amateur players.

Who comes out on top? There is no frame of reference as I believe this is the first meeting between the clubs. Sauce for the goose: Seyi Adekoya is their striker. He used to play in the reserves and made two appearances for the Sounders FC in the league in addition to two or three others that played for the Sounders Reserves, Sounders Academy, or both. They will be incredibly motivated to show Sounders FC that they made a mistake moving on from them.

Officiating.

I’ve no idea who will be in the middle of the park with the watch and the whistle. He’d better be good though. If he isn’t, that could massively tip the scales one way or the other. Hopefully not on a Red Card Wedding type of scale.

The Starfire Effect.

Although the main ground only seats 3,500, Sounders FC have had many triumphs there over the years. Will ECS show out, or only the regular fans and ultras of the Reserve side? It is a difficult place for visitors to try and get a result.

Will there be reinforcements from the senior squad?

How generous with the Gaffer be with talent? Is it even within the rules to send senior players down to play in just the cup tie?

General notes on personnel

Sounders FC Reserves transfers IN:

Robles (Hailstorm FC) free

Joon-mo Kang (Ansan Greeners) free

Kingston (Ballard FC) free

Gaffney (Ballard FC) free

Khoury (Tormenta FC) undisclosed

Yamada (Vissel Kobe) loan

Diaw (Standard Liege) free

Baer (Asheville City) free

Pedder (Queens Park Rangers) free

Shour - academy

Hassan - academy

Hererra (Guadalajara) end of loan

Sounders FC Reserves transfers OUT:

Bowen (Huntsville City FC) free

Miglietti (Huntsville City FC) free

Daroma (El Paso Locomotive FC) free

Karalkovas - released

Fahling - released

Pedro Rodrigues - released

Bettache (FC Tulsa) undisclosed

Aguilar (Lanus) end of loan

O’Malley (MLS Pool) end of loan

Aquino (FC Juarez) undisclosed

Comparison against common opponents

n/a

Know Thine Enemy

Wasn’t able to find any records or match reports of Washington AFC matches. That does make it difficult to know thine enemy. Here’s what I could piece together from what records exist for some of their squad.

GOALKEEPER

Salif Kerawala, 27

United States

Notable Clubs: Seattle Sounders FC (0/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: not listed

Notes: Developed by Eastside FC and Seattle Sounders FC. Played his university football for Washington (34/0). Played for Sounders FC Reserves (2/0).

DEFENCE

Khai Brisco, 24

United States

Notable Clubs: Seattle Sounders FC (0/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: not listed

Notes: Currently plays indoors for Tacoma Stars. Developed by Seattle Sounders FC Academy. Played his university football for Highline (NWAC) (2/0) and Washington (62/0). Played for Sounders FC Reserves (19/0), and Ballard FC (25/1).

Kasey French, 28

United States

Notable Clubs: Seattle Sounders FC (0/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: not listed.

Notes: Developed by Seattle Sounders FC. Played his university football for Washington (31/1). Played for Sounders FC Reserves (6/0).

MIDFIELD

Ryan DeGroot, 28

United States

Notable Clubs: Seattle Sounders FC (0/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: not listed

Notes: Played his university football for Washington (stats unavailable). Played for Sounders FC Reserves (1/0).

FORWARD

Ibrahima Drame, 23*

Senegal (2/0)

Notable Clubs: Diambars FC (stats unavailable), Austria Wien (3/0), Dila Gori (35/4)

Estimated Transfer Value: €250,000

Notes: Played for Senegal at youth levels (8/0).

*Note: There is a player named Ibrahima Drame in the WAFCs squad. I’m unable to confirm if it’s the Ibrahima Drame listed above. The fact he has a transfer fee that’s so high, and the fact he has no seeming connection to Seattle nor Washington state makes me doubt it’s the same guy. Why would he be piddling about in amateur football in America?

Seyi Adekoya, 29

United States

Notable Clubs: Sounders FC (2/0), Vendsyssel FF (22/3), Balzan (4/1), Phoenix Rising (4/0), OKC Energy (12/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: not listed

Notes: Developed by Crossfire Premier and Seattle Sounders FC. Played his university football for UCLA (55/20). Played for Sounders FC Reserves (13/1).

Familiar Faces

See above.

Squads

Sounders FC Reserves from:

Castro, Helleren, Shour, Diaw, Lopez, Yamada, Sandnes, Carli, Katsaros, Alvarez, Kang, Robles, Gaffney, Kingston, Baer, Emert, Gomez, Pedder, Tsukanome, Khoury, Veillard, Herrera, Hassan.

Possible additions from the senior squad: Frei, Thomas, Castro, Baker, Bell, Burney, Hawkins, Kim, Kossa-Rienzi, Ragen, Alex, Sousa, Joao Paulo, Leyva, Cristian, Rusnak, Ferreira, Minoungou, Musovski, Rothrock.

Washington Athletic FC from:

Kerawala, Adekoya, Brisco, Soto, Kosaka, Mendes, French, Drame, Hauswirth, Roth, Lee, Blair, DeGroot, Menzies, Lagos, Graesser, Davis-Bower, Conrad.

Injury List

No idea. I could not find anything for injuries for any of this lot.

Discipline

As it’s the first round, there haven’t been any bookings assessed yet.

Fun Fact

In the absence of the Sounders FC senior squad, I consider the Sounders FC Reserves the senior squad in the context of this cup tie. Please support them accordingly.