2011 U.S. Open Cup final

2011 U.S. Open Cup Final
Several players are standing together with three trophies on the ground in front of them.
Sounders FC players with the 2009, 2010 and 2011 U.S. Open Cup trophies after winning the 2011 final
Event2011 U.S. Open Cup
Seattle Sounders FC Chicago Fire
MLS MLS
2 0
DateOctober 4, 2011
VenueCenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington
Man of the MatchOsvaldo Alonso[1][2]
RefereeAlex Prus (South Carolina)
Attendance35,615[3]
Weather60 degrees; cool, crisp, light drizzle[3]
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The 2011 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final was a soccer match between the Seattle Sounders FC and the Chicago Fire, played on October 4, 2011, at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington. The match was the culmination of the 2011 U.S. Open Cup, a tournament open to amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer). This was the 98th edition of the U.S. Open Cup, the oldest ongoing competition in American soccer. The Seattle Sounders FC won by defeating the Chicago Fire 2–0 with goals scored by Fredy Montero and Osvaldo Alonso. The attendance was 36,615, breaking the record for the final set the previous year when Seattle also won and hosted. Seattle became the first team since 1968 to win three consecutive U.S. Open Cup championships and the fourth team ever to do so in the 98-year history of the tournament.

Sounders FC automatically qualified for the third round of the U.S. Open Cup tournament by finishing among the top six in the 2010 Major League Soccer season. The Fire did not automatically qualify, and had to play through two qualification rounds before entering the official tournament. Prior to the final, Chicago and Seattle had met twice in 2011, with Seattle winning one game and the other ending in a draw.

The final was televised live on Fox Soccer. This was the second consecutive year the tournament final was played at CenturyLink Field. As the winner of the tournament, Seattle earned a berth in the 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League and received a $100,000 cash prize. Chicago received a $50,000 prize as the runner-up. Following the final, criticism was raised regarding Seattle winning hosting rights for each round they played. In response, U.S. Soccer announced changes to the rules for determining the host of tournament matches.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference MVP1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference MVP2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b "Seattle Sounders Win Third Consecutive Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in Front of Record Crowd". U.S. Soccer. October 5, 2011. Archived from the original on January 21, 2012. Retrieved October 8, 2011.