MLS Morning Espresso 10/6: USOC Edition

Last night’s action featured the mother of all competitions in American soccer – the U.S. Open Cup Final. The Cup, which has crowned the best soccer clubs in the country since 1914, has been one of the great constants in American sports.

And yesterday evening, a record-breaking crowd of 31,311 at Qwest Field, witnessed history, as the Seattle Sounders became the first repeat champions since New York Pancyprian Freedoms – you remember them – won it back-to-back in 1982 and 1983.

Kevin Burns gave Columbus an early 1-0 lead when a slotted one through in the 24th. The lead held until the 38th when Sanna Nyassi turned an fired a laser past Andy Gruenebaum to level it. Nyassi struck again in the 66th minute when he collected a Blaise Nkufo rebound off the bar and banged it in to give the Sounders their second U.S. Open Cup Championship in two years.