An unusually svelte-looking Sounders part-owner Drew Carey and customarily bald goalkeeper Kasey Keller celebrate in Seattle after the Sounders’ U.S. Open Cup win (AP Photo).
The South Bay boy done good.
Sigi Schmid, who grew up in Torrance, guided Seattle to a second successive berth in the CONCACAF Champions League courtesy of this 2-1 come from behind U.S. Open Cup victory against the Columbus Crew Tuesday at Qwest Field. Sanna Nyassi scored both Seattle goals.
Things could have been different had Rolling Hills Estates’ Robbie Rogers – a protege of Schmid’s – hit the goal instead of the woodwork with five minutes left.
But Rogers missed and the typically loud 30,000-plus Seattle crowd basked in their richly deserved victory just a few minutes later.
And fun to watch.
Quotable:
“I’m extremely proud of our team,” said Schmid. “We talked about being able to win tonight and doing something special. We’re the first MLS team to repeat and the first to repeat in a long time. The guys really took it to heart and even though we went down 1-0, they showed a lot of character.”
Notable: The crowd of 31,311 smashed the U.S. Open Cup record of 21,583 – set way back in 1929.
In other soccer news:
*Central defender Yohance Marshall will miss Thursday’s Galaxy game in Philadelphia against the Union after being called up into the Trinidad & Tobago squad for friendlies Wednesday against Bermuda and Sunday against Jamaica. Marshall didn’t start against Chivas USA, giving way to the former Maryland pairing of Omar Gonzalez and AJ DeLaGarza, after starting the previous two games.
*Voting has opened for the LA Riot Squad Player of the Year award, pretty much the most prestigious Galaxy-related award out there.
