From the ashes of Sunday’s valorous defeat in the Leagues Cup Final comes the realization that another trophy match awaits LAFC less than a month from now. One that the Black & Gold can potentially host at BMO Stadium.
First, of course, LAFC must get past the Seattle Sounders in Wednesday night’s U.S. Open Cup Semifinal in Tukwila, Washington (7:30 p.m. PT kickoff; free on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV).
As the first team out of the hat in the Final Hosting Draw among the four clubs remaining in the 109-year-old competition, LAFC would earn home-field advantage in the Sept. 25 Final, pending a victory over the rival Sounders on their turf Wednesday night. (And it is turf. The surface at Starfire Sports Complex, a 4,500-seat stadium on the banks of the Green River just south of Seattle, is a synthetic one, like the surface at the Sounders’ home pitch, Lumen Field.)
WHAT’S AT STAKE
The LAFC-Sounders winner advances to the U.S. Open Cup Final on Sept. 25, against the winner of the other Semifinal between Sporting KC and Indy Eleven (of the USL Championship).
If LAFC beats Seattle it will host the U.S. Open Cup Final at BMO Stadium.
The U.S. Open Cup champion receives $300,000, a berth in Concacaf Champions Cup 2025 (LAFC has already qualified), and will have its name engraved on the Dewar Challenge Trophy – one of the oldest trophies in American team sports. Because LAFC has already qualified for CCC through its Leagues Cup run, Indy Eleven could become the first ever USL team to qualify for the international club competition if it can pull a cupset against Sporting KC and if the Black & Gold defeat Seattle.
MATCH INSIGHTS
In three games against Seattle this season across two competitions, LAFC is 3-0-0 and has outscored the Sounders 8-1, including two 3-0 victories at Lumen Field.
LAFC reached the Open Cup Semifinals by defeating New Mexico United, 3-1, on July 10, behind goals from Timmy Tillman, David Martínez, and Mateusz Bogusz.
This will be LAFC’s second away match in U.S. Open Cup 2024. LAFC defeated the Las Vegas Lights 3-1, at Cashman Field, on May 8.
LAFC has not lost to Seattle since falling 2-0 on May 16, 2021, at Lumen Field. LAFC is 7-0-2 in all competitions against the Sounders since then.
This is the sixth time LAFC has faced the Sounders in a knock-out, winner-take-all match. The Black & Gold is 3-2-0 in those games, having squared off against Seattle in the 2019 Western Conference Final, 2020 MLS IS BACK Tournament, 2020 Western Conference Playoffs Round One, 2023 Western Conference Semifinal, and the 2024 Leagues Cup Quarterfinal.
Tillman has scored or assisted on the opening goal in all three of LAFC’s U.S. Open Cup matches this year. He set up Kei Kamara’s opener against Las Vegas, and scored the opening goals himself against Loudoun United and New Mexico.
This will be the third time LAFC has played two straight road matches in 2024 - LAFC visited San Jose and Las Vegas back-to-back in May, as well as Orlando and Austin in June.
Since defeating New Mexico on July 10, LAFC has gone 6W-2L-2D in all competitions, scoring 24 goals and conceding 12.
LAFC has a record of 10W-3L-2D all-time in U.S. Open Cup play.
This is LAFC’s second appearance in the Semifinals of U.S. Open Cup. The team lost in penalties to Houston in the 2018 Semifinals.
LAFC will be wearing its popular, 1970s-inspired Archive Collection kit Wednesday night, for the first time since it debuted on July 17.
