How did you enjoy the US Open Cup Final? You did watch, right?
If you skipped it, shame on you; not because of any imagined obligation to support American soccer's one open knockout tournament, but because you missed a damn good soccer game. Seattle outlasted Columbus last night in front of 30,000+ engaged and raucous fans at Qwest Field, and almost every moment of the match was befitting of a Cup Final contest.
Set aside any notion that Seattle's showing in the stands or passion in their play on the field (which, to be fair, was not unique; last year's final was ugly but full of passion) will mark the dawn of a new age for the US Open Cup. One game played on that stage won't change much, and it's unlikely FSC garnered anything but a super-nerd rating for a game off-the-radar for most casual soccer fans. Sticking it out to the end did mean an AM bedtime for those of us on the East Coast.
Simply on its merits as a soccer match, last night's Final was quality entertainment. I dare say there's a very real chance that the lowly US Open Final will be the best championship game between two MLS teams played this year; that's not to say the MLS Cup Final can't be better, just that the Crew and Sounders set a high standard. In fact, for the completely objective among us, and surely among Crew and Sounders fans, we might do well with a Toronto rematch in a month's time. There's something about these two teams, with their coaching connections and meshing of styles, that made for good soccer. Seattle was the better team and deserved to win, but Columbus came within inches of equalizing; Warzycha waited too long to introduce his substitutes, and perhaps outcome might have been different had Robbie Rogers been healthy enough to start (or hit his second half shot inches lower).
Watching the presentation of the medals and trophy following the game, and seeing the exuberance of the Sounders players as they celebrated in front of their fans, just reinforces my belief that this title should, and does to a point, mean something on its own and regardless of the ancillary prizes attached to it. Rumors that the winner would not receive a Champions League spot turned out to be false, but even had they not, I don't suspect the game would have been any different; Columbus went out intent on winning a title, Seattle gave everything they had to repeat. Pride was the key ingredient here, not the prospect of playing in Central America and Mexico come next summer. The question "What incentive is there for winning the Cup?" misses the point.
Any competition is only as valuable as we, the collective we of players, coaches, and fans, decide it is. Prestige is an intangible concept; there's nothing specific US Soccer, MLS, the teams involved, or anyone else can do to give the Open Cup the gravity some of us believe it deserves if people aren't willing to buy in. As a soccer nation, we simply have to decide that the title means something and that we want our teams to care. While that's unlikely to happen any time soon, last night's final at least gives us hope. Whining about the Open Cup won't fix the tournament, but a repeat of what happened at Qwest Field (in atmosphere and intensity) might slowly mend it.
That's not to say there aren't ways to make it better. I'll leave the suggestions to the more respected Davis.
Congrats to the Sounders on their repeat title. They certainly deserved it, and it seems a just reward for a fan base who always cared about winning the Cup.
