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FULLTIME: Fredy Montero converted a 123rd minute penalty to give the Sounders a hard-fought 5-4 victory over San Diego Loyal in the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday. The Sounders had jumped out to leads of 2-0, 3-1 and 4-3 but Loyal refused to go away. But the final blow came just before the final whistle when Travian Sousa was taken down in the box.

It was Montero’s 10th career Open Cup goal, tied for the most during the MLS era of the tournament.

SOUNDERS 4, LOYAL 3: Reed Baker-Whiting scored his first-team goal, lacing a left-footed shot from about 20 yards to give the Sounders a lead in overtime.

SOUNDERS 3, LOYAL 3: Just as time was running out, Kyle Adams latched onto a loose ball from nearly 30 yards out to score an equalizer in the 93rd minute to send it to overtime.

SOUNDERS 3, LOYAL 2: Joe Corona conjured some old magic to score on a free kick from about 26 yards out.

SOUNDERS 3, LOYAL 1: Paul Rothrock made a nice move to get himself free in the penalty area and then beat the goalkeeper to the near post to score in his first-team debut.

SOUNDERS 2, LOYAL 1: After a very questionable penalty, Loyal made it 2-1 when Joe Corona converted from the spot.

SOUNDERS 2, LOYAL 0: Ethan Dobbelaere scored his first first-team goal, taking advantage of a mishandled cross.

SOUNDERS 1, LOYAL 0: Fredy Montero picked up a loose ball to score his ninth all-time U.S. Open Cup goal.

LINEUPS: As expected, the Sounders are going with a lineup heavy on reserves and youth. The one regular starter in the lineup is Léo Chú and the only other veterans are Fredy Montero and Xavier Arreaga. Cody Baker’s inclusion was probably the biggest surprise, as the Tacoma Defiance right back will start at left back in his first-team debut.

Once the kings of the U.S. Open Cup, the Seattle Sounders have fallen on somewhat hard times. The last time they won an Open Cup match was way back in 2017, and this is the first time in the entire history of the organization that they’ve gone four straight Open Cup games without a win. The last time they even went three straight without a win was from 2003-06.

Not entirely coincidentally, the Sounders also haven’t played a lower-league opponent at home since 2016, when they beat the Kitsap Pumas, 2-0. Going all the way back to their Open Cup debut in 1995, the Sounders are 10-0-0 at home against non-MLS opponents.

The USL Championship’s San Diego Loyal should pose a solid challenge, however. San Diego is second in the Western Conference and their roster is loaded with veteran professionals. The average age of their roster is 27.0 years old and they have eight players with at least some first-division experience.

Notes

• The Sounders have an all-time record of 38-17-7 (4-3 in PKs) in the Open Cup. That includes a 23-6-5 (3-2 PKs) record during their MLS era. They are 19-1-2 all-time in the Open Cup at Starfire Sports Stadium.
• The Sounders have won the Open Cup four times, tied with the Chicago Fire and Sporting KC for the most of any team during the MLS era. Now defunct Maccabee Los Angeles and Bethlehem Steel have the all-time record with five titles apiece.
• This is just the second time San Diego has entered the Open Cup; they have a 2-1-0 all-time record, which includes a 2-0 win over San Diego Albion in the previous round this year.
• Defiance players Cody Baker, Paul Rothrock, Travian Sousa and Hal Uderitz all signed short-term contracts and will be available for this match.

Absences: Injury, international duty and suspension

Seattle

QUESTIONABLE: Cristian Roldan (concussion protocol); Josh Atencio (R adductor strain); Nouhou (sickness)

OUT: Jacob Castro (L adductor strain); Raúl Ruidíaz (R hamstring strain)

San Diego

TBA

Officials

Referee: Christian Campo Hernandez; Assistants: Baboucarr Jallow, Cephas Quartson; Fourth Official: Adorae Monroy

How to Watch

Match date/kickoff time: Wednesday, April 26, 7 PM PT

Venue: Starfire Stadium, Tukwila, Wash.

Streaming: B/R App, B/R Football YouTube (Sean Saint Jacques & Chris Nurse)

Local Spanish Radio: El Rey 1360 AM (Rodriguez, Maqueda, Tapia)

Is this game available to stream for free? Y

Lineups

Highlights will be posted as the match progresses.

This is Seattle Sounders vs. San Diego Loyal; watch with us

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