Seattle Sounders FC kicks off the summer schedule this week with two games across two competitions, separated by over 2,700 miles. The busy week begins on Tuesday night as Sounders FC continues its U.S. Open Cup campaign with a fifth round match against the San Jose Earthquakes. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. PT at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila, Wash.

A limited number of tickets for Tuesday’s game are available at www.SoundersFC.com/tickets. The match will be broadcast via live video stream on www.SoundersFC.com with Ross Fletcher on the call. Spanish radio is available on ESPN Deportes 1490 AM with Rene Aleman and Noe Menendez.

The week concludes with a cross-country trip to the nation’s capital as the league-leading Sounders FC face second-place D.C. United. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. PT at RFK Stadium.

Saturday’s match will be televised locally on JOEtv (KZJO, channel 22/cable 10) and regionally on ROOT Sports with Fletcher and Taylor Graham on the call, and can be heard on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM. Spanish radio is available on ESPN Deportes 1490 AM.

With a resounding 5-nil win over USASA opponent PSA Elite in the fourth round last Wednesday, Sounders FC continues its run at a record fourth Open Cup championship on Tuesday. Three-time winners from 2009-11 and runners-up in 2012, Seattle looks to tie the Chicago Fire’s MLS record of four championships.

The fifth round meeting with San Jose will be a rematch of the 2012 quarterfinal, when Sounders FC ousted the Quakes, 1-0, at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco. The two sides met previously this year in MLS action as Seattle downed San Jose, 1-0, at CenturyLink Field on May 17.

The winner of Tuesday’s match will advance to the quarterfinal round to face the winner of Portland-Kansas City. Should Sounders FC advance, it would host the match on July 9 at 7:30 p.m. PT at Starfire Stadium.

Seattle then returns to regular season play following a three-week break for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Sitting atop the Supporters’ Shield standings and boasting the league’s most potent attack, Sounders FC will look to extend its four-game (3-0-1) unbeaten streak against D.C. United. With a 4-2-2 advantage in the all-time series, Seattle enters Saturday’s match with a three-game (2-0-1) unbeaten streak against United, who last took all three points in May 2011.

D.C. United (7-4-4, 25 points) sits second in the race for the Supporters’ Shield, seven points behind Sounders FC. United has gone unbeaten in its past three (2-0-1) outings, and holds a league-best 5-1-3 record at home this season, with the lone loss coming in the season opener on March 8.

With a seven-point lead over its competition, Sounders FC is guaranteed to retain the top spot in MLS through the weekend. Seattle has held first place for a club record eight straight weeks, first securing the placement on April 26.

Sounders FC will be without U.S. National Team players Clint Dempsey and DeAndre Yedlin as well as forward Obafemi Martins, who will serve a one-game suspension after receiving a red card at Chicago on June 7.

Following Saturday’s match, Sounders FC will play back-to-back Cascadia Cup matches, beginning July 5 at Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Seattle will then host the Portland Timbers in the first home rivalry match of the season on July 13 as CenturyLink Field will be opened to full capacity. The full stadium will remain open for the July 19 friendly against Tottenham Hotspur.

Tickets for Sounders FC home matches, including the Tottenham Hotspur friendly, are available now at www.SoundersFC.com and 1-877-MLS-GOAL. The 5-Match ticket package is also available now with expanded seating to include the upper bowl at CenturyLink Field.

Competition Schedule (All times Pacific; subject to change)

June 24, 7:30 p.m. – Sounders FC vs. San Jose Earthquakes, Starfire Stadium

June 28, 4:00 p.m. – Sounders FC at D.C. United, RFK Stadium

July 5, 7:00 p.m. – Sounders FC at Vancouver Whitecaps FC, BC Place

July 13, 7:00 p.m. – Sounders FC vs. Portland Timbers, CenturyLink Field

July 19, 1:00 p.m. – Sounders FC vs. Tottenham Hotspur, CenturyLink Field

July 28, 7:00 p.m. – Sounders FC vs. LA Galaxy, CenturyLink Field

Date Change: Sounders FC to Host LA Galaxy on July 28

Seattle Sounders FC announced today that the team’s July 26 match against the LA Galaxy has been moved to Monday, July 28. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field and will be televised nationally on ESPN2. The match was moved in order to accommodate city-wide events and the national television schedule. All tickets and parking passes issued for the original date will be honored.

Open Cup Preview: Seattle host San Jose

Sounders FC enters the 2014 tournament in search of its fourth Open Cup championship, which would match the Chicago Fire for most titles won by an MLS club. In 2011, Seattle became the first MLS club to win three consecutive titles, marking just the fourth three-peat winner in the 100-year history of the tournament. Seattle returned to the final in 2012, but fell in a penalty kick shootout at Sporting Kansas City. In the 2013 edition, Sounders FC was ousted in its opening match, 1-0 at the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

In search of its first Open Cup championship in club history, San Jose looks to return to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2012. The club has reached the quarterfinals in seven of its 10 all-time Open Cup campaigns, but is yet to reach a final. It’s best-ever finish was in 2004 when the Quakes reached the semifinals. In last year’s tournament, San Jose fell in its opening match, a 1-0 defeat to the Charleston Battery in the third round.

Tournament Update: 12 MLS Clubs Still Alive

The 2014 U.S. Open Cup has already produced a handful of upsets as four MLS sides fell to lower division opponents in the fourth round. The fifth round of the tournament is comprised of 12 MLS clubs, three teams from the North American Soccer League (NASL) and one USL Pro side (Rochester Rhinos). Four of the eight fifth round matchups feature two MLS teams, including Seattle-San Jose, Chicago-Columbus, Houston-Dallas and Kansas City-Portland. The remaining four matchups are: Philadelphia-New York Cosmos (NASL), New England-Rochester Rhinos (USL Pro), Los Angeles-Carolina RailHawks (NASL) and Colorado-Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL).

How They Got Here

Tuesday marks the second match of the tournament for both sides after the 16 U.S.-based MLS clubs entered the competition in the fourth round. Sounders FC cruised to a 5-0 win over PSA Elite of the U.S. Adult Soccer Association last Wednesday at Starfire Stadium. Kenny Cooper scored twice and Brad Evans, Sean Okoli and Zach Scott each added tallies while Marcus Hahnemann posted a shutout on the defensive side. San Jose ousted Sacramento Republic FC (USL Pro), 2-1, on June 11 at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco. Khari Stephenson opened the scoring and former Sounders FC midfielder Cordell Cato scored the game-winner as San Jose’s lineup featured several starters, including Clarence Goodson and Steven Lenhart.

And the Winner Is…

The winner of the Seattle-San Jose match will host the winner of the Portland-Kansas City match. Should Sounders FC advance, it would host either the Portland Timbers or Sporting Kansas City on July 9. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. PT at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila, Wash. Should San Jose advance, the Earthquakes would host Portland on July 8 or Kansas City on a to be determined date. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. PT at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

Perfect at Starfire

Sounders FC continued its hot streak at Starfire Stadium with last week’s 5-nil win over PSA Elite, marking the third time in the last four Open Cup matches at Starfire that Seattle has scored five goals. Seattle has posted an all-time record of 13-0-0 at Starfire in Open cup play, outscoring opponents 38-7 with six shutouts. Against MLS opponents, the club is 9-0-0 at Starfire, posting four shutouts and a 21-5 goal advantage.

Open Cup Flashback

Sounders FC has faced the San Jose Earthquakes once before in the U.S. Open Cup when the two sides met in the quarterfinals on June 26, 2012 at Kezar Stadium. Cordell Cato scored the lone goal for Seattle in the 19th minute, slotting a shot from a difficult angle inside the far post to put Sounders FC into the semifinals with a 1-nil victory. It marked the only Sounders FC goal for Cato.

Sounders FC Lineup: Weber; Evans, Scott, Ianni, Gonzalez; Cato (Burch, 82), Carrasco, Rose, Fernandez (Hurtado, 89); Ochoa (Johnson, 75), Levesque.

Sounders FC during Cup Play

Sounders FC has historically performed well in league action while participating in U.S. Open Cup play. The team has posted an all-time record of 23-10-19 in MLS games played during an Open Cup run, including a record of 5-6-7 in MLS games immediately following an Open Cup match. Following last year’s defeat to the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the third round, Sounders FC downed Chivas USA, 2-0, in its next regular-season game. Despite the schedule congestion, Sounders FC has earned points in 12 of 18 MLS games immediately following a Cup match.

The top form during Cup play began in 2009 after the team’s first-ever play-in match as Sounders FC went on a five-game unbeaten run, ultimately losing just once over the next dozen league contests (3-1-8). In both 2010 and 2011, Sounders FC earned eight MLS victories while participating in the Open Cup, securing over half (27) the season point total during Cup play in 2010.

Year MLS Record during Cup Play MLS Record Immediately following Cup Match 2009 4-4-10 2-0-3 2010 8-2-3 1-2-1 2011 8-2-2 1-2-1 2012 3-2-4 0-2-2 2013 0-0-0 1-0-0 Totals: 23-10-19 5-6-7

About San Jose

The Earthquakes are 4-5-4 in MLS play this season, including 1-4-1 on the road, and sit eighth in the Western Conference standings. The team has struggled offensively with 15 goals scored in 13 games, including just four goals in six games on the road. San Jose will be without leading-scorer Chris Wondolowski (five goals), who is away with the U.S. National Team at the World Cup in Brazil. Sounders FC hosted San Jose on May 17 at CenturyLink Field, winning 1-0 behind Obafemi Martins’ impressive strike.

Sounders FC Top Team in MLS

Sounders FC continues MLS action as the Supporters’ Shield leaders, holding a seven point lead over D.C. United and Real Salt Lake. Seattle is the lone MLS team to average over two points per game, and its 2.13 average is even with the LA Galaxy’s pace during their record-setting 68-point season in 1998. Sounders FC continues to lead the league in scoring with 32 goals (2.13 goals per game), just behind the record pace of the 1998 seasons of the LA Galaxy (2.66) and D.C. United (2.31). Seattle’s 10 wins are three more than any other MLS side, and the team is currently the top road team in MLS with 14 points (4-1-2), including a draw and win in the past two road contests.

Back from Break

Sounders FC has had success following a 10-day or longer break from MLS play, and will look to continue that trend with 21 days between a 3-2 win at Chicago and Saturday’s road bout with D.C. United. Overall, the club is 7-5-4 with at least 10 days between league games with an even (23/23) goal differential. In 2009, the team had its best record at 3-0-1 (plus-three goal advantage). Last season, Seattle went 1-1-3 with 10 days in between games, including a 2-0 win vs. D.C. United on July 3. Of Seattle’s 16 all-time 10-day MLS breaks, only six have not included a U.S. Open Cup or CONCACAF Champions League game. The 2014 FIFA World Cup break is Seattle’s first 10-day span without a game this season.

Record with at least 10 days rest between MLS matches

Year Record Goal Differential 2009 3-0-1 +3 (7/4) 2010 1-1-0 -1 (3/4) 2011 0-2-0 -1 (3/4) 2012 2-1-0 -1 (5/6) 2013 1-1-3 0 (5/5) Totals: 7-5-4 0 (23/23)

Summer Fun

Sounders FC turns up the heat in the summer, earning 148 points (43-20-19) all-time from July through the end of the season. Since 2009, only the LA Galaxy has earned more points after July 1 with 151 points. Sounders FC won 10 games in that time frame in 2010 and 2011, as well as nine last season, including a five-match winning streak from August 25-September 21.

Record from July 1 through end of regular season

Year Points Record 2009 22 6-4-4 2010 33 10-3-3 2011 32 10-3-2 2012 30 8-3-6 2013 31 9-7-4 Totals: 148 43-20-19

D.C. United Series Notes

Sounders FC leads the all-time MLS series with D.C. United, going 4-2-2 overall and 2-1-1 at RFK Stadium. Seattle has scored in seven of the eight meetings, including five multi-goal games. Sounders FC has held D.C. United scoreless in the past 308 minutes of action in the series, including three shutouts, dating back to May 4, 2011. In Seattle’s last visit to RFK Stadium on April 7, 2012, the two sides played to the only scoreless draw in the series. Sounders FC also won the 2009 U.S. Open Cup championship at RFK Stadium, a 2-1 win on September 2, 2009.

About D.C. United

D.C. United currently sits second in the Supporters’ Shield standings, averaging 1.67 points per game. After beginning the season with consecutive losses, United has six wins in the past 13 outings, including just two losses. The team has held strong at home this season, leading MLS with 18 points at home. D.C. has not lost at RFK Stadium since the season opener on March 8, and battled to a scoreless draw with the Columbus Crew in the last home match on June 7. United’s last MLS match was a 4-2 win at Montreal on June 11, and the team fell in the fourth round of the Open Cup on June 17, a 1-nil defeat to the Rochester Rhinos (USL Pro).

United Notables

The new-look D.C. United attack is led by Fabian Espindola, who has a team-high seven goals and a career-high eight assists. Recent addition Chris Rolfe has scored three goals with three assists this season, and Nick DeLeon has contributed one goal and three assists in his third MLS season. Defenders Cristian Fernandez (1,342) and Bobby Boswell (1,335) lead the team in minutes played, and are the only players to start all 15 matches. Bill Hamid has started 11 of 15 games, making 36 saves while allowing 1.18 goals per game. Backup goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra, who started the team’s last MLS match, has started four games, allowing three goals.

SEA-DC Connections

Three former Sounders FC currently don the D.C. United kit. Forward Eddie Johnson, who scored 21 goals over two seasons (2012-13) with Seattle, joined United in the offseason. Johnson has scored one goal with one assist in 12 appearances this season. Defender Jeff Parke has started all 13 appearances for D.C. this season. Parke made 78 appearances over three seasons (2010-12) with Sounders FC, earing team Defender of the Year honors in 2011 and 2012. Alex Caskey was traded to D.C. United on March 4 for a 2016 SuperDraft pick after making 30 appearances over two seasons (2012-13) with Seattle. Caskey has started one of seven appearances for United this season.

Dempsey Scores, Yedlin Subs

Clint Dempsey scored his second goal of the 2014 FIFA World Cup last Sunday against Portugal and teammate DeAndre Yedlin made his tournament debut as a second half substitute. With the match level at 1-1, Yedlin streaked up the right flank and sent a low cross into the box. After bouncing through a crowd, Graham Zusi collected the ball and sent it to Dempsey for the go-ahead goal. The 2-1 lead held until the final moment of the match when Portugal scored a late equalizer.

The goal marked the second of the tournament for Dempsey, and fourth career World Cup tally. His 39 goals rank second all-time for the United States and his 107 caps rank ninth. Yedlin’s appearance marked his fifth international cap as he became the first-ever MLS Homegrown Player to see World Cup action for the United States.

Group play concludes on Thursday against Germany. The United States will advance to the knockout round with a win or draw, and a loss would force the United States to win the tiebreaker against Ghana or Portugal.

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