Defending Champions Down Silverbacks in Cup

The Atlanta Silverbacks fell 5-1 to Seattle Sounders FC Wednesday night at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, WA, ending their 2012 U.S. Open Cup run in the third round.

It was always going to be a tall task for the Silverbacks, but the visitors kept up with the Sounders throughout the first half. Defender Shane Moroney had the best chance for the Silverbacks, putting an eight-yard shot over the crossbar following a feed from midfielder Borfor Carr in the 30th minute.

The Sounders enjoyed the majority of the possession in the opening half, and just a minute shy of halftime, they took the lead through midfielder Andy Rose. The Englishman's blast from the edge of the box found its way through traffic, beating Silverbacks goalkeeper Joe Nasco to make it 1-0.

Coming out of halftime, the Silverbacks were desperate to avoid an early goal from the Sounders, but midfielder Osvaldo Alonso had other thoughts in the 47th minute, guiding a low shot past the diving Nasco to double the home team's lead.

The Silverbacks had a quick answer though with Chilean forward Reinaldo Navia firing an impressive finish past a helpless Bryan Meredith in the 53rd minute. The 2-1 score figured to give the Silverbacks the confidence to put even more pressure on the host's back line, but Sounders midfielder Alex Caskey, an Atlanta native, immediately responded with a goal the following minute, restoring the two-goal lead.

In the 63rd minute, Sounders forward Sammy Ochoa put the game out of reach, blasting a shot off the hands of Nasco to give his team a 4-1 advantage. Ochoa was celebrating again in the 67th minute after converting a well-placed curving effort into the net to make it 5-1.

The Sounders, the three-time defending U.S. Open Cup champions, proved to be just too much for the visiting Silverbacks who made the cross-country trip to play in front of MLS's most passionate fan base.

The Silverbacks will try to get back on track in the league when they visit FC Edmonton on Sunday. Kickoff is at 2pm local time (4pm ET) at Clarke Stadium.