ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – (club release) Georgi Hristov scored the lone goal as Seattle Sounders FC fell to the Tampa Bay Rowdies, 1-0, in the third round of the 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. It marks the first Open Cup loss in franchise history for Seattle (17-1-2) after advancing to the final the previous four years, winning three straight titles from 2009-11.
In the 75th minute, Hristov tapped in a rebound after Marcus Hahnemann made a diving save on a Luke Mulholland shot deep inside the box. It was the third goal of the tournament for Hristov in just two games after scoring a brace in a 2-1 win over VSI Tampa in the second round.
It was just the third time Sounders FC has allowed the first goal in an Open Cup match, and in both games the Rave Green came back to win 2-1 (7/21/09 vs. HOU and 10/5/10 vs. CLB).
Sounders FC nearly equalized late when they were awarded a penalty kick in the 84th minute after a Jordan Gafa hand ball in the box. Obafemi Martins’ ensuing penalty attempt was saved by Tampa Bay keeper Diego Restrepo.
Gafa was issued a red card on the play and the Rowdies played the game’s final minutes with 10 men.
Mario Martinez provided some dangerous offensive play for Seattle in the first half. After drawing a foul at the top of the box in the 23rdminute, the Honduran bounced the free kick just wide of the far post. Four minutes later, he first-timed a ball from David Estrada on the right side of the box that sailed just wide.
In the 59th minute, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado headed ball on frame after it was headed around the box after a corner kick. In the 63rd, the Colombian cleared away a dangerous ball from Rafael Cox deep in the box.
Seattle rookie defender Dylan Remick made his Sounders FC debut with the start at right back tonight. The Brown-product was Seattle’s second-round pick in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft.
Sounders FC returns to action Saturday with a road matchup with Chivas USA. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. PT at the Home Depot Center.
Photos by SoundersFC.com
Scoring Summary:
TB – Georgi Hristov 75′
Seattle Sounders FC – Marcus Hahnemann, Dylan Remick (Obafemi Martins 80), Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Zach Scott, Marc Burch, Mario Martinez, Servando Carrasco, Andy Rose, Alex Caskey (Sammy Ochoa 68), David Estrada, Lamar Neagle.
Substitutes Not Used: Michael Gspurning, DeAndre Yedlin, Shalrie Joseph, Eriq Zavaleta.
TOTAL SHOTS: 14 (Martinez 5); SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (Neagle 2); FOULS: 10; OFFSIDE: 3; CORNER KICKS: 9; SAVES: 2.
Tampa Bay Rowdies – Diego Restrepo, Jordan Gafa, Daniel Scott, Takuya Yamada, Andres Arango, Luke Mulholland, Shane Hill, Keith Savage, Raphael Cox, Devin Del Do (Mike Ambersley 64) Georgi Hristov.
Substitutes Not Used: Andrew Fontein, Kyle Clinton, Jay Needham, Thurstan Johnson, Evans Frimpong, Amani Walker.
TOTAL SHOTS: 10 (3 players, 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 3 (Hill 2); FOULS: 6; OFFSIDE: 3; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 5.
Misconduct Summary:
SEA – Alex Caskey (caution) 52′
TB – Jordan Gafa (ejection) 85′
SEA – Mario Martinez (caution) 90′
Referee: Cedric Adams
Referee’s Assistants: Michael Miscannon, Matthew Miscannon
4th Official: Christina Unkel
Attendance: 4,124
Time of Game: 1:54
Weather: Partly cloudy and 78 degrees
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