Perhaps no organization has as storied and interesting of a connection to the U.S. Open Cup as the Seattle Sounders. Dating back to their days in the USL, Brian Schmetzer led the Sounders to consecutive semifinal appearances in 2007 and 2008.

That served as a fitting preview of their Open Cup performances in their early MLS years, as they won three straight from 2009-11 and then went to a fourth consecutive final. In 2014, they actually won a fourth title, which ties them for the most of any MLS team.

Although they’ve not won more titles since then, they have played some interesting games. Most notable was the Red Card Wedding in 2015, and more positively was last year’s run to the semifinals where they ultimately lost to LAFC.

Now, the Tacoma Defiance are picking up the torch. The Defiance are the last remaining MLS Next Pro team in the tournament after three straight wins and will become the first affiliate from that league to face an MLS opponent in an actual competition when they host the the Portland Timbers tonight at Starfire.

This will be the eighth time the Sounders and Timbers organizations have faced off in the Open Cup, but the first time one of their affiliates has faced a parent team. The Sounders organization holds a 5-2-0 advantage, which includes a 2-1-0 record at Starfire. This will be the Timbers’ first trip to Starfire since 2017. The Sounders’ organization has a record of 29-2-3 in the Open Cup at Starfire, dating back to 2005 when they first started playing games there.

The Defiance roster has been bolstered by players loaned from the first team in each of the previous rounds and they could get even more for this game. In previous rounds Jacob Castro, Cody Baker, Leo Burney, Stuart Hawkins, Travian Sousa and Andrew Thomas have featured. Among the players who could be included for this game are Reed Baker-Whiting, Georgi Minoungou and Jon Bell. Kalani Kossa-Rienzi, Kim Kee-Hee and Paul Rothrock are also eligible for loans but are less likely to take part as they regularly feature for the first team.

Even without those players, the Defiance have gotten off to an impressive start. They are 5-2-0 in MLS Next Pro play and 8-2-0 overall, while averaging more than 3.0 goals per game. Leading the way are Osaze De Rosario (nine goals and an assist in seven games) and Yu Tsukanome (seven goals and two assists in nine games).

The Timbers are expected to bring a group of veteran reserves, which could include players like Dario Zuparic, Zac McGraw, Omir Fernandez, Ariel Lassiter, Cristian Paredes, Zac Miller and former Sounders Homegrown player Trey Muse. Their organization has not won an Open Cup match since 2019, when they made a run to the semifinals.