So today I decided to dig into the matchup history between Seattle Sounders and Sacramento Republic FC. You know how it is, sometimes you get curious about these lower-league clashes. Wanted to see how the big MLS team fared against the USL challengers over the years.
Where I started
First thing I did? Grabbed my laptop, opened a fresh doc, and hit up the usual sports stats sites. Wasn’t even sure how many times they’d played before, figured maybe a handful. Started punching in both team names together, hoping stuff would pop up.
Here’s the messy part though:
- Found loads of pages for each team separately, which was zero help. Seriously, finding direct head-to-head stuff felt like looking for a specific needle in a needle factory.
- The U.S. Open Cup info is kinda all over the place? Records for early rounds especially. Had to check multiple sources just to confirm the same basic facts.
- Kept getting distracted by other Sounders games against different USL teams. Sacramento kept getting mixed up with like, Tacoma Defiance or Phoenix Rising in the search results. Frustrating!
After way more clicking and tab-switching than I expected, I finally nailed down the basics. Turns out they’ve only officially faced each other twice. Both times in the U.S. Open Cup, weirdly enough. Once in 2022, and then again earlier in 2024. Crazy, right? Feels like they should’ve crossed paths more, but nope.
What actually happened in those games
Okay, got the years locked in. Needed details now. Scores, scorers, the drama!
The 2022 clash:
Sacramento pulled off a massive upset! They beat Seattle 2-1 in Sacramento. Felt bad for the Sounders that day. Remember thinking at the time how wild cups can be.
The 2024 rematch:
This one just happened weeks ago. Seattle played at home this time, and man, they weren’t messing around. Wiped the floor with Sacramento Republic FC. 6 goals to 1. Ouch. Completely different energy.
Putting it all together
Once I had the hard numbers, I tried making sense of the stats:
- Total Meetings: 2
- Seattle Wins: 1
- Sacramento Wins: 1
- Goals For Seattle: 7
- Goals For Sacramento: 3
The record is perfectly split! 1-1 across the board, though Seattle has a clear lead in total goals.
Felt pretty good figuring this all out. Honestly thought it’d be quicker, but the Open Cup records threw me for a loop. Always is tougher digging up consistent details for cup games compared to regular league play. Surprised how decisive each home win was – total blowout one way, then the other.
And yeah, kinda cool how a big team like Seattle can get shocked by a determined underdog, then come back swinging so hard next time. That’s sports.
