LAFC faces the Seattle Sounders in the 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Semifinals on Wednesday at Starfire Sports Complex (Tukwila, Wash.). Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT (Apple TV). The winner will face four-time champion Sporting Kansas City after Sporting beat Indy Eleven 2-0 on Tuesday. If LAFC wins, the championship match will be played at BMO Stadium on Sept. 25.
A win would put LAFC back in another final this season after falling 3-1 to the Columbus Crew in the Leagues Cup last Sunday.
LAFC advanced to the semifinals of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup for the first time since 2018 with a 3-1 victory over USL Championship side New Mexico United in the quarterfinals on July 10 at BMO Stadium.
The Black and Gold are unbeaten in their last nine matches against the Sounders (7-0-2), including three wins this season, most recently in the Leagues Cup, although this time the match will be played at the tiny Starfire Stadium in Tukwila, a venue that seats only 5,000. LAFC beat the Sounders 3-0 in Seattle on July 20 in a league match and then beat them 3-0 in the Leagues Cup on Aug. 17 in a quarterfinal also at Lumen Field.
“It’s electric, having the fans right next to you,” Seattle forward Jordan Morris said of the stadium in Tukwila. “It’s a big game, we’ve had problems with them.”
Morris said the field is very small but you have to find a way to win.
“We need to score a goal, we haven’t scored a goal against this team in a long time,” Morris added.
The game will take place in a stadium known for its close-to-the-field fans. Since the Sounders began playing U.S. Open Cup matches there in 2005 while still in the USL, they have a record of 25 wins and only three losses.
“I would like us to play better than the other team, I don’t want the field to be part of the story,” said Seattle coach Brian Schmetzer, who said LAFC will be coming back hurt from the loss to the Crew.
