Sounders' big noise ousts Rapids in Cup

5-0 loss in Seattle ends Colorado run in quarterfinals

Mark Moschetti, Special To The Rocky

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

SEATTLE - In just an instant - and a few more inches - the Colorado Rapids might have had the lead and had control of Tuesday night's U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal game against the Seattle Sounders.

Instead, the Open Cup is closed to the Rapids once again. As was the net.

Not quite three minutes after seeing a for-sure goal cleared out of an open goal mouth by Sounders defender and former Colorado draftee Danny Jackson, the Rapids started a spiral down into a three-goal hole from which they never escaped.

The final result was a 5-0 victory for USL First Division member Seattle in front of 6,619 fans at Qwest Field as the Rapids exited in the quarterfinals for the second straight year.

Having had trouble all season finishing their chances (shut out four times in their past five Major League Soccer matches), the Rapids thought they had scored midway through the 20th minute when a crossing ball from the right wing found forward Connor Casey just inside the 6-yard box.

Sounders goalkeeper Chris Eylander came out to play the ball, leaving the net wide open. Casey lofted it over him, watching it sail toward the wide-open far post. But just before the ball could tuck under the crossbar and drop into the net, Jackson came flying in to get position and clear it out.

Then, instead of being ahead, Colorado found itself behind 2:52 later when defender Taylor Graham ran onto a corner kick by Josh Gardner and headed it cleanly into the back left corner past goalkeeper Zach Thornton.

It became 2-0 just 90 seconds later at the start of the 25th minute on another Sounders set piece.

This one was a free kick by Leighton O'Brien about 30 yards up on the left wing. And again, it was a defender, this time Zach Scott, who ran onto the ball and headed it in.

An own-goal swelled the Sounders' lead to 3-0 midway through the 41st minute, as the initial shot by Roger Levesque, which was saved by Thornton, bounced in off the back of defender Ugo Ihemelu.

Another chance that could have given the Rapids some momentum heading into halftime again went unfinished.

In the first few seconds of stoppage time, Herculez Gomez ripped a shot from the left of the 6-yard box that might have curled inside the post.

Instead, Eylander reacted at the last possible moment and slapped it away, leading to a corner kick from which nothing came.

Second-half goals by Josh Gardner and Sebastian LeToux swelled the final margin.

Both of those came after the Rapids were reduced to 10 players as defender Facundo Erpen received his second yellow card at the start of the 49th minute.

Since advancing to the Open Cup final in 1999, when they lost 2-0 to Rochester, the Rapids are just 4-8 in the tournament, with four of the losses to current or former USL 1/A-League teams.

Sounders 5, Rapids 0

First half - 1, S, Taylor Graham, from Josh Gardner, 23rd minute; 2, S, Zach Scott, from Leighton O'Brien, 25th; 3, S, Own Goal, 41st.

Second half - 4, S, Gardner, from Sebastian LeToux, 56th; 5, S, LeToux, unassisted, 68th.

Shots - Colo 7, Sea 7. Saves - Colo (Zach Thornton) 3, Sea (Chis Eylander) 3. Corner kicks - Colo 1, Sea 7. A - 6,619.