RENTON — The Sounders will host USL Championship side Louisville City FC in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 32.
U.S. Soccer held a draw Thursday to determine the matchup that will be played May 8 at 7:30 p.m. at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila. Tickets will be available to purchase Tuesday.
Seattle lost 2-1 to LouCity in a preseason scrimmage last year. Raul Ruidiaz wasn’t available due to injury, but Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer was able to utilize his other first-choice players in the final tuneup match.
“They’re one of the top teams in the USL league and they’re looking to have a run in that tournament, we know that,” Sounders defender Alex Roldan said.
LouCity, a two-time league champion, is off to a club-best 4-1 start this year. They advanced by defeating USL League One side Greenville Triumph SC in the third round of the Open Cup.
The Sounders and seven other MLS clubs received a bye to the Round of 32. Seattle is a four-time Open Cup winner, last lifting the trophy in 2014.
The single-elimination tournament is the oldest for soccer in the nation and believed to be the third-oldest in the world, only pausing in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
USSF improved the financial structure of the tournament after a contentious exchange with MLS executives last winter. The winner will earn $300,000 in prize money and a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup (formerly Champions League). The runner-up receives $100,000, while the team that advances the furthest from each lower division will earn a $25,000 cash prize.
All matches can be streamed live on usopencup.com, uslsoccer.com, and MLSSoccer.com.
“It’s a tournament that we’re taking seriously,” Roldan said. “We know there’s a berth into Champions League, so it’s a direct route to get into that tournament that we want to get back into. We won that [2022] and want to be back in those worldwide tournaments. If this is our best opportunity, we’re going to try to take advantage of it.”
The Sounders (1-3-3) host Cascadia rival Vancouver (4-2-1) on Saturday at Lumen Field. The Whitecaps are second in Western Conference standings.
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