Sounders win U.S. Open Cup match against Louisville City FC in dramatic finish

TUKWILA — It’s rare, but Andrew Thomas had to take control of the match. The Sounders keeper waved off teammate Sota Kitahara to line up for a penalty kick. He smashed it home to clinch a U.S. Open Cup win Wednesday.

The Sounders defeated Louisville City FC 5-4 in penalties after a 2-2 draw in 120 minutes of play at Starfire Sports Complex.

“I wanted to finish it off myself,” Thomas said. “It’s my first one. It feels fantastic. It was a little bit more stressful than it probably should’ve been. I could’ve [saved] a couple of those [penalty shots]. I need to go back and have a look at them because it shouldn’t have gone that many rounds. But it feels great.”

Seattle will host USL Championship side Phoenix Rising FC next in the Round of 16. The second-division team got a game-winner from midfielder Giulio Doratiotto in the 111^th minute to defeat North Carolina FC 2-1 on Wednesday.

Dates and times for the match will be announced by U.S. Soccer on Thursday. Phoenix, which won the 2023 USL Championship title, will make its first Round of 16 appearance in franchise history.

There are six MLS teams remaining in the single-elimination tournament. The Houston Dynamo and Real Salt Lake lost their Round of 32 matches. The Dynamo won the Open Cup title last year.

Sounders midfielder Danny Leyva provided the assist on what the Sounders thought would be the insurance goal. He stood over the ball to take a free kick in the 62^nd minute. The other field players lined up at the top of the penalty box, and on Leyva’s signal, rushed toward goal. Leyva plucked forward Danny Musovski out, and the veteran used a header to put the Sounders up 2-0.

“We wanted to set the tone from the first minute and make it hard for Louisville to play,” Leyva said. “It was always going to be a physical game. They play direct with five in the back. That made it difficult for us to play out a little bit … but we always try to focus on our game and try to impose ourselves. It’s a good result and we can build on this.”

Alex Roldan conceded a penalty in the 67^th minute for an accidental handball in the box. LouCity defender Sean Totsch slotted the shot past Thomas to give the second-division team hope.

Forward Jorge Gonzales gave his side a chance. He kept taking swipes at the ball in a crowded box, his second powering a left-footed shot past Thomas for the equalizer in the 89^th minute.

The sides used all of their substitutes, and after an extra 30 minutes, were still knotted at two goals apiece. Louisville won the coin flip for the penalty kicks, picking the eastern goal and to go first.

“The lineup that we had at the end, there were a lot of debutantes,” Thomas said. “The handful of guys that have MLS experience — even though it’s only five games or so for me — I felt like I needed to be a bit more of a calming presence.”

The match was like a Sounders Academy showcase. Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer, whose team tied the LA Galaxy in an MLS match Sunday, used the midweek match to rotate seven academy alums into the starting lineup. LouCity started keeper Danny Faundez and forward Ray Serrano, who are academy alums.

Leyva won a ball in LouCity’s half and played it to Dylan Teves to facilitate the first goal. Teves pushed forward, sending a pass to Georgi Minoungou on the right wing. The latter timed a cross that landed precisely at the foot of forward Paul Rothrock, who swung it home in the 41^st minute.

Rothrock, a Seattleite, also scored in the club’s 5-4 Open Cup win against the San Diego Loyal last year.

Roldan served as captain. He joined midfielder Josh Atencio as the mainstay starters to feature Wednesday, while winger Leo Chu was the most experienced player on the bench.

“I could go through the entire squad,” Thomas said in raving about every teammate’s contributions. “Hearts were on the line, there was a block in the end in the 118th minute and you could see the [guys] celebrating, clapping each other up. I was just proud of everyone.”

Schmetzer rested the bulk of his first-choice starters for Sunday’s derby against the Portland Timbers (2-5-4). The Sounders (2-5-4) are 11^th in the MLS Western Conference standings — a notch above the Timbers based on goal differential.