Coming off a chunk of their schedule that saw them play nine matches in 31 days, it was hardly surprising to show up at Seattle Sounders training camp on Thursday and find that they weren't doing soccer activities. I was shocked to see them playing dodgeball though.

I only got there in time to catch the final, but I was pretty impressed with what I saw. There were players donning war paint and all of them seemed to be taking it seriously enough to be arguing over infractions.

Team Black: Mike Seamon, Bryan Meredith, Alex Caskey, Tom Dutra (wearing his white uniform from his adult-league team), Michael Tetteh, Brad Evans and Chris Henderson.

Team Green: Sammy Ochoa, Mauro Rosales, Roger Levesque, Alvaro Fernandez, Marc Burch and Leo Gonzalez.

I'm not entirely up on the rules, by Sigi Schmid said they were based on the movie "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story." Team Green ended up as champions.

"It was a lot of fun," David Estrada said. "I was kinda bummed not to have training to be honest. Dodgeball is a neat sport. I think you saw soccer players playing dodgeball and how they feel the ref is always against them. You saw guys pointing at the ref and arguing with the ref. It was pretty fun."

This has been a crazy year for the U.S. Open Cup. Eight MLS teams have already lost to lower-division teams.

The Seattle Sounders weren't going out like that.

After a somewhat contentious first 40-odd minutes in which the Sounders wasted their chances and gave up a few too many of their own to, an Andy Rose rocket relieved much of the pressure. His goal in the 44th minute sent the Sounders into halftime with a 1-0 lead and it was just a matter of time until they broke the game open. Osvaldo Alonso and Alex Caskey added single tallies and Sammy Ochoa scored his first two competitive goals of the season as the Sounders cruised to a 5-1 victory over the Atlanta Silverbacks.

It wasn't necessarily a complete performance, but it was exactly what you'd expect from a three-time defending U.S. Open Cup champion who's facing a team that's winless in their league.

The Sounders will now try to do the same thing to Cal FC, who will be Tuesday's fourth-round opponent.

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Even with seven MLS teams being beaten on Tuesday, Cal FC's 1-0 upset of the Portland Timbers in overtime of their third round U.S. Open Cup match on Wednesday still qualifies as a massive shocker. The team managed by former star and current TV commentator Eric Wynalda, not only became the first U.S. Adult Soccer Association team to beat an MLS opponent, but they were the first to even score a goal.

That goal came off the foot of one time Real Salt Lake reserve Artur Aghasyan in the 97th minute, who was put through one-on-one on a nice through ball from Danny Barrera. Aghasyan was then able to chip Troy Perkins.

While Cal FC was able to put away pretty much their only real chance, the Timbers were wasting theirs. The Timbers fired off 37 shots and forced Cal FC goalkeeper Derby Carrillo into 15 saves, including seven in the overtime period.

The Timbers' best chance came when they were awarded a penalty in the 80th minute when a Cal FC defender was called for a hand ball. But Timbers Designated Player Kris Boyd, who has more than 175 goals in his professional career, sent his shot well over the crossbar.

Cal FC will now advance to play the three-time defending champion Seattle Sounders in the fourth round on Tuesday.

Sounders 5, Atlanta Silverbacks 1: The Sounders scored four second-half goals, two of them by Sammy Ochoa, to turn a close game into a rout. The first half was reasonably competitive and was scoreless until Andy Rose rocketed a shot into the back of the net from about 20 yards out in the 44th minute.

With the Silverbacks forced to look for an equalizer in the second half, the game opened up tremendously. Osvaldo Alonso doubled the Sounders' lead in the 46th minute and, after the Silverbacks cut it to 2-1 on a Reinaldo Navia goal, the game quickly got out of hand. Alex Caskey answered Navia just a minute later and Ochoa in the 62nd and 66th minutes to seal the result.

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Over the past three seasons, Sigi Schmid has masterfully maneuvered the Seattle Sounders lineup. Many times, he's rolled out a lineup that has made more than a few of us want to rip out our hair. But more times than not, it's worked out in his favor.

His willingness to go more than 20-deep on his roster is part of why the Sounders have been able to do so well in multiple competitions. It's why guys like David Estrada are now becoming regular contributors, why someone like Zach Scott has worked his way into a defined role as a defensive stopper, why a guy like Roger Levesque is still on the roster despite no clear position to play.

Tonight is a particularly tricky situation. Unlike in 2009-10, the Sounders' lower-division opponent is not an obvious rival. Unlike last year, they are not a semi-pro team. The Atlanta Silverbacks are a team about whom the Sounders know very little, but who have some legitimate talent.

I think it would be a mistake to force out a full first-choice lineup. Mauro Rosales is still nursing an injury and would be better off rested. Brad Evans could probably use some time off, as well. Maybe Bryan Meredith could use a mental break.

But using this is a trumped up reserve game would also be a mistake. Let Christian Sivebaek, Cordell Cato and Andrew Duran show how much progress they've made in Friday's game against the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Here's who I want to see play tonight:

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Just in time to catch onto all the U.S. Open Cup madness we have our episode that is almost entirely devoted to that very subject. Once we dispense with the formalities of talking about the week that was, which honestly was not all that fun anyway, we go headlong into this little tournament the Seattle Sounders have won three years running.

The show is jam-packed with guests, too, as we welcome local boy Ciaran O'Brien (@ciaranobrien7), who gives us the scoop on the Atlanta Silverbacks, Wednesday's opponent. We also bring in Chris Martz (@thechrismartz), a blogger who knows Atlanta soccer well, to discuss the implications of the Silverbacks selling their game to the Sounders. Just to round it out, we go to theCup.US's Josh Hakala (@joshhakala) for the national view of the tournament.

Of course, no episode of Nos Audietis would be complete if we didn't answer plenty of your questions. We asked as many of your questions as time reasonably allowed. If you are still wondering how to ask questions on the show, be sure to follow us on Twitter (@nosaudietis), "like" us on Facebook or shoot us an email (nosaudietis(at)gmail(dot)com).

Download | Duration: 01:19:04 | iTunes Audio | Audio RSS

Intro and Outro Music: "For Those About To Rock" by AC/DC

Music Beds: Dano

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Juan Agudelo scored his first goal in a Chivas USA uniform, but it was only good enough to salvage a point. David Estrada followed up Agudelo's goal with one of his own, as the Seattle Sounders and Chivas USA played to a 1-1 draw on Saturday at Home Depot Center.

The two goals came just four minutes apart, with Agudelo giving Chivas the initial lead in the 57th minute. The forward, who was recently cut from the United States, was able to get between his defender and the goal and beat Sounders goalkeeper Bryan Meredith to James Riley's well-placed cross.

The Sounders were able to equalize almost immediately, though. Alex Caskey, who had just come into the game moments earlier, took a pass from Fredy Montero and whipped in a cross toward the Chivas USA goal. David Estrada was able to beat his mark to the ball and got just enough of his foot on it to sneak it past goalkeeper Dan Kennedy.

By salvaging a point, the Sounders ran their road unbeaten streak to 10 games (7-0-3), dating back to last year. They now sit at 24 points in third place in the West. Chivas USA now has 14 points, five points behind No. 5 Vancouver.

Maybe the Columbus Crew aren't quite as awful as we all thought. Fresh off beating the Seattle Sounders on Wednesday, they used goals from Eddie Gaven and Emilio Renteria to beat the Chicago Fire 2-1 on Saturday. Gaven also assisted on Renteria's goal.

The Crew have now won two straight and have a five-match unbeaten streak to a tie for fourth place in the Eastern Conference with 18 points. The Fire, who were able to claw their way back into the match after Austin Berry scored in the 72nd minute, have now lost 2 of 3.

Gaven did most of the heaving lifting for the Crew. He opened the scoring in the 8th minute, taking a pass from Shaun Francis near the top of the penalty area and beating Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson to the near post. In the 43rd minute, he set up Renteria, who fought off Berry to control the ball at the near post and easily beat Johnson.

The self-proclaimed "worst team in the world" finally found someone they could beat. Naturally, it was the Philadelphia Union. Toronto FC finally won their first game of the season, topping the Union 1-0 on Saturday at BMO Field. The win ended a MLS-record nine-game losing streak to open TFC's season.

Of course, it wasn't easy. TFC wasted numerous chances throughout the first and second halves before Danny Koevermans finally scored the match's lone goal in the 88th minute. The goal was hardly pretty, as Koevermans hit the ball in off his knee after Union third-string goalkeeper Chris Konopka left a rebound from Nick Soolsma's shot.

It was fitting that the winning goal was scored by Koevermans, who made the infamous "worst team in the world" comment following TFC's ninth straight league loss last week. Since then, TFC has beaten the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Canadian Championship to earn a spot in CONCACAF Champions League. But this one was arguably just as big.

Frustrations inside TFC had begun to bubble over and calls for head coach Aron Winter's head had become to get louder with each successive failure.

Now, the Union and Peter Nowak will probably be facing some of the same questions. The Union last won a match on April 21 and have just one point in their last five matches. At 2-7-2 on the season, only TFC currently has a worse record in MLS. Even worse, they were badly outplayed in this match and probably should consider themselves lucky they didn't lose by a more lopsided score.

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There were no big surprises as Jurgen Klinsmann announced the final 23-man roster for the United States' upcoming five-game stretch that will include three friendlies and the first two 2014 World Cup qualifying games. MLS players Juan Agudelo and Graham Zusi and Germany-based Danny Williams and Alfredo Morales failed to make the final roster.

"We have said from the beginning that these games are all about results, and we have chosen the 23 players who are in the best form right now and ready to get the job done," Klinsmann said in a statement. "These guys have put in a tremendous amount of hard work in the last 10 days, and they are hungry to get started with the matches. We want to thank the players who have gone back to their clubs for all of their effort here. They are knocking on the door and will be ready to go if needed."

The final roster includes five players from MLS, four players from the German Bundesliga, four from the Mexican Primera and three from the English Premier League.

This will be the team from which Klinsmann will select his 18-man gameday rosters for friendlies against Scotland (May 26), Brazil (May 30) and Canada (June 3), as well as World Cup qualifiers against Antigua and Barbuda (June 8) and Guatemala (June 12).

GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)

DEFENDERS (7): Carlos Bocanegra (Rangers), Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Oguchi Onyewu (Sporting Lisbon), Michael Parkhurst (Nordsjaelland)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Chievo Verona), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04), Jose Torres (Pachuca)

FORWARDS (6): Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar), Terrence Boyd (Borussia Dortmund), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Herculez Gomez (Santos), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)

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There might not be a more unpopular player in MLS than Steven Lenhart. The San Jose Earthquakes forward is Public Enemy No. 1 among many fans of other teams mainly because of his knack for getting under the skin of opposing players. That may be changing after he simply quoted the popular '80s movie "Goonies."

"Goonies never say die," Lenhart told reporters following Wednesday's comeback win over the LA Galaxy.

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In a season that seemed to be shaping up almost perfectly, the Seattle Sounders have suddenly made a habit of dropping points. They've now gone three straight without a win and while they are still in fine position, it's not nearly as good as it was a couple weeks ago.

The loss to the Columbus Crew is easily the most frustrating of the bunch. It wasn't for lack of chances or lack of effort. This was not an example of the Sounders "running out of ideas" or being out-managed. This was a simple example of a team just failing to finish the job.

If Alvaro Fernandez hits that header the way he does 90 percent of the time, it's a different game. If Andy Gruenebaum doesn't come up with a massive reflex save while diving to his left on Fredy Montero's shot, it's a different game. If Montero doesn't hit a 1 v. 1 chance right at the goalkeeper ... well, you get the idea. Justifiably lost in an otherwise frustrating game was a nice bounce back game from David Estrada, who easily could have picked up assists on each of those aforementioned chances.

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Just ahead of the planned opening of Saputo Stadium, the Montreal Impact will now have a Designated Players to introduce along with it as the signing of Italian star Marco Di Vaio was made official on Thursday. Di Vaio will be eligible to start playing for the Impact on June 27, when the summer transfer window opens.

"We know he will bring a great element of attacking presence to our team," Impact head coach Jesse Marsch said in a team release. "His nose for attacking plays and ability to score goals will make us a better team. We all look forward to him joining the group."

Di Vaio, 35, was one of the more prolific strikers during his Serie A career, which featured 142 goals in 342 games played for some of the league's top clubs. His most recent stint was with Bologna and he is coming off a 10-goal season.

For more on the signing, be sure to check out Impact blog Mount Royal Soccer.

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Tired of hearing about the Portland Timbers-Seattle Sounders rivalry? Well, there's a pretty good chance you'll be hearing a lot more about it in the coming weeks. Assuming both teams can advanced past their third-round U.S. Open Cup opponents, the Cascadia Cup rivals will meet in the fourth round.

That would mark the fourth time the two teams have played one another in the Open Cup since 2007, with the Sounders winning the previous three times. The last two of those meetings were after the Sounders had moved up to MLS and the Timbers were still in the second division. Like those two meetings, this one is scheduled to be played at Portland's Jeld-Wen Field.

Among the other potentially intriguing fourth-round matches is a revival of the SuperClasico at Home Depot Center. The Galaxy would have to beat the Carolina Railhawks, while Chivas would need to take care of the Ventura County Fusion. The Galaxy played Chivas in the 2005 Open Cup and won 5-2 over the then-expansion team.

2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Schedule
FOURTH ROUND - Tuesday, June 5
New England Revolution (MLS) at New York Red Bulls (MLS): Red Bull Arena; Harrison, N.J.; 7 p.m. ET

OR

New England Revolution (MLS) at Charleston Battery (USL PRO): Blackbaud Stadium; Charleston, S.C.; 7 p.m. ET

OR

New York Red Bulls (MLS)/Charleston Battery (USL PRO) Winner at Harrisburg City Islanders (USL PRO): Hershey Park Stadium; Hershey, Pa.; 7:30 p.m. ET

-

Philadelphia Union (MLS)/Rochester Rhinos (USL PRO) Winner at D.C. United (MLS): Maryland SoccerPlex; Boyds, Md.; 7:30 p.m. ET

OR

Philadelphia Union (MLS)/Rochester Rhinos (USL PRO) Winner at Richmond Kickers (USL PRO): Richmond City Stadium; Richmond, Va.; 7 p.m. ET

-

Columbus Crew (MLS)/Dayton Dutch Lions (USL PRO) Winner at Chicago Fire (MLS): Toyota Park; Bridgeview, Ill.; 7:30 p.m. CT

OR

Columbus Crew (MLS)/Dayton Dutch Lions (USL PRO) Winner at Michigan Bucks (PDL): Ultimate Soccer Arena; Pontiac, Mich.; 7:30 p.m. ET

-

Colorado Rapids (MLS)/Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL) Winner at Sporting Kansas City (MLS): LIVESTRONG Sporting Park; Kansas City, Kan.; 7:30 p.m. CT

OR

Colorado Rapids (MLS)/Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL) Winner at Orlando City Soccer Club (USL PRO): Citrus Bowl; Orlando, Fla.; 7:30 p.m. ET

-

Houston Dynamo (MLS) at FC Dallas (MLS): FC Dallas Stadium; Frisco, Texas; 7:30 p.m. CT

OR

FC Dallas (MLS)/Charlotte Eagles (USL PRO) Winner at San Antonio Scorpions (NASL): Heroes Stadium; San Antonio, Texas; 7:30 p.m. CT

OR

Charlotte Eagles (USL PRO) at Houston Dynamo (MLS): BBVA Compass Stadium; Houston, Texas; 7:30 p.m. CT

-

Real Salt Lake (MLS)/Minnesota Stars FC (NASL) Winner at San Jose Earthquakes (MLS): Cagan Stadium, Stanford University; Stanford, Calif.; 7:30 p.m. PT

OR

Fort Lauderdale Strikers (NASL) at Real Salt Lake (MLS): Rio Tinto Stadium; Sandy, Utah; 7 p.m. MT

OR

Fort Lauderdale Strikers (NASL) at Minnesota Stars FC (NASL): National Sports Center; Blaine, Minn.; 7:30 p.m. CT

-

Seattle Sounders FC (MLS)/Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL) Winner at Portland Timbers (MLS): JELD-WEN Field; Portland, Ore.; 7:30 p.m. PT

OR

Cal FC (USASA) at Seattle Sounders FC (MLS): Starfire Sports Complex; Tukwila, Wash.; 7:30 p.m. PT

OR

Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL) vs. Cal FC (USASA): Venue TBD; Time TBD

-

Chivas USA (MLS)/Ventura County Fusion (PDL) Winner at LA Galaxy (MLS): Home Depot Center; Carson, Calif.; 7:30 p.m. PT

OR

Chivas USA (MLS)/Ventura County Fusion (PDL) Winner at Carolina RailHawks (NASL): WakeMed Soccer Park; Cary, N.C.; 7:07 p.m. ET

There's still the pesky matter of the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers winning their third-round games, but the Cascadia Cup rivals are set to play one another in the U.S. Open Cup for the fourth time since 2007 assuming they both advance. Also for a third time in four years, the Sounders would be paying a visit to Jeld-Wen Field. The Sounders have won all three times, although the 2010 game went to a penalty kick shootout.

In the unlikely scenario that Cal FC manages to beat the Timbers, the Sounders would host that game. Either way, the fourth-round game is scheduled to be played on Tuesday, June 5. The site for the highly unlikely scenario of a Silverbacks-Cal FC match is TBD.

Unlike the two previous U.S. Open Cup meetings between the rivals, both teams are now in MLS. (In the 2007 encounter, both were USL teams.)

This would mean the Sounders and Timbers will play at least four games against one another this season, with three of them being in Portland. The Sounders will also play at Portland on June 24 in MLS play and won't host the Timbers until Oct. 7.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. I know a lot of people had really hoped that this year's U.S. Open Cup was going to be different. No more bidding to host games before the semifinals. MLS teams being forced to travel to lower-division stadiums. You know, just like England's FA Cup...

As we now know, that's not really the case, after all. Although there is some semblance of a draw, teams are still allowed to make a private arrangement with their opponents. In the case of the Seattle Sounders, that's exactly what they did with the Atlanta Silverbacks. So, instead of traipsing across the country a day or two after coming back from Los Angeles for a game against Chivas USA, the Sounders will host the Silverbacks in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup.

To make that happen, the Sounders are basically cutting a check to the Silverbacks that will apparently help the NASL team fund a free game against the Carolina Railhawks as part of a previously unplanned Fan Appreciation Night, help them sign some players and bring a MLS team to town for a friendly.

"The decision associated with the venue change wasn’t easy, by any means," Silverbacks Chairman Boris Jerkunica said in a statement. "Seattle Sounders FC presented us with an offer that we simply couldn’t refuse, and in the end, it was a decision that was based on the balance between instant gratification and long-term improvement."

The Portland Timbers had announced they intended to do the same thing, although it turned out to be unnecessary. Shortly after the Sounders made their announcement, Real Salt Lake said they'd be doing it, too.

Turns out, the only real change from last year, at least for these early rounds, is that instead of paying off the USSF, MLS teams give that money to their lower-division opponents.

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Apparently the 2012 U.S. Open Cup wasn't quite as different as we were led to believe. Following Tuesday's second round, it was revealed that both the Seattle Sounders and Real Salt Lake had essentially paid their third round opponents to move their games.

In both cases, the MLS teams' opponents had won a coin-flip that gave them the right to host their game. Most observers were under the impression that settled the venue. But after the Portland Timbers announced on Monday that they had moved a potential third-round game against the Wilmington Hammerheads, that apparently set the wheels in motion for the other changes.

As it now stands, the LA Galaxy and Colorado Rapids are the only two MLS teams that have to make lengthy road trips for their third round games. The Galaxy will have to cross the country to play the NASL's Carolina Railhawks, who may well draw 10,000 people to WakeMed Soccer Park. The Rapids head to Florida to play the NASL's Tampa Bay Rowdies.

US OPEN CUP 3RD ROUND

Tuesday, May 29
7 pm ET: D.C. United at Richmond Kickers (USL PRO) -- Richmond City Stadium; Richmond, Va.
7 pm ET: NE Revolution at Harrisburg City Islanders (USL PRO) -- Skyline Sports Complex; Harrisburg, Pa.
7 pm ET: LA Galaxy at Carolina RailHawks (NASL) -- WakeMed Soccer Park; Cary, N.C.
7:30 pm ET: Chicago Fire at Michigan Bucks (PDL) -- Ultimate Soccer; Pontiac, Mich.
7:30 pm ET: Colorado Rapids at Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL) -- Al Lang Stadium; St. Petersburg, Fla.
7:30 pm ET: Dayton Dutch Lions (USL PRO) at Columbus Crew -- Columbus Crew Stadium; Columbus, Ohio
7:30 pm ET: New York Red Bulls at Charleston Battery (USL PRO) -- Blackbaud Stadium; Charleston, S.C.
7:30 pm ET: Rochester Rhinos (USL PRO) at Philadelphia Union -- PPL Park; Chester, Pa.
8:30 pm ET: Charlotte Eagles (USL PRO) at FC Dallas -- FC Dallas Stadium; Frisco, Texas
8:30 pm ET: Houston Dynamo at San Antonio Scorpions (NASL) -- Heroes Stadium; San Antonio, Texas
8:30 pm ET: Orlando City (USL PRO) at Sporting KC -- LIVESTRONG Sporting Park; Kansas City, Kan.
9 pm ET: Minnesota Stars FC (NASL) at Real Salt Lake -- Rio Tinto Stadium; Sandy, Utah
10 pm ET: Chivas USA at Ventura County Fusion (PDL) -- Ventura College; Ventura, Calif.
10:30 pm ET: Ft. Lauderdale Strikers (NASL) at SJ Earthquakes -- Cagan Stadium; Stanford, Calif.

Wednesday, May 30
10 pm ET: Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL) at Seattle Sounders -- Starfire Sports Complex; Tukwila, Wash.
10:30 pm ET: Cal FC (USASA) at Portland Timbers -- JELD-WEN Field; Portland, Ore.

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After much speculation, it has now been announced that the Seattle Sounders will host the NASL's Atlanta Silverbacks in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup. The Silverbacks had won the right to host the match in a coin-flip, but apparently agreed to sell those rights to the Sounders after beating the NPSL's Georgia Revolution 1-0 in the second round.

The fact that hosting rights were even for sale was not even widely known until the Portland Timbers announced that they had bought the rights to host their potential match against the Wilmington Hammerheads. As it turned out, that announcement may have been a bit unnecessary, as the Hammerheads lost their second-round match.

The Sounders will start their quest for a record fourth-straight Open Cup at 7 p.m. on May 30 at Starfire Sports Complex where the Sounders have never lost a U.S. Open Cup match. Ticket information will be released on Wednesday.

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