

Fredy Montero of Seattle doing battle with Dejan Jakovic

The budding rivalry between Major League Soccer newcomer Seattle Sounders FC and long-time league power D.C. United ratcheted up considerably on Wednesday as Seattle won the U.S. Open Cup with a 2-1 victory at RFK Stadium in the nation’s capital.

Fredy Montero scored in the 67th minute on a rebound of a shot that changed the hard-fought game completely.

The play was a double whammy for D.C. United, as goalkeeper Josh Wicks — who had been outstanding prior to that moment — stomped on Montero as he was lying on the ground after the goal and drew a red-card ejection.

The play thus gave Seattle not only a 1-0 lead, but a man advantage for the match’s final 23 minutes.

Roger Levesque then hammered home the clinching goal in the 87th minute on a crossing pass from Sebastien Le Toux.

D.C. United scored in the 89th minute of play off a free kick just outside the penalty box that slid through Seattle’s defensive line and left goalkeeper Kasey Keller helpless to stop a wide-open shot.

But Seattle held on, with Keller making several key stops in the closing moments, to land the first trophy in the team’s MLS history.

It is something else to see an expansion team win silverware their first season in a league. The Sounders have some experienced help, no doubt – especially their captain, Kasey Keller, and Freddie Ljundberg.

And I think they have the most determined and committed fans in the MLS.

Congratulations!