Portland Timbers face Sonoma County Sol in US Open Cup

By: Bob Kellett | June 15th, 2009

Two of the hottest teams in the world (hyperbole, but how many leagues actually play in June?) will square off in the second round of the US Open Cup on Tuesday. The Sonoma County Sol host the Portland Timbers at the infamous Ernie Nevers Field in Santa Rosa, California. The Sol, an amateur club that plays in the National Premier Soccer League, have not lost a game this season. Including US Open Cup qualifying matches, they are 12-0-2. They have outscored their opponents 46-13.

They face a Timbers team that has not lost since their season opener against the Vancouver Whitecaps on April 25. That is 11 straight games in all competitions without a defeat. The match will be the fourth in eight days for Portland, who advanced to the competition’s second round with a 3-0 victory last Tuesday against the Kitsap Pumas.

One of the fun things about the US Open Cup is that it provides fans with an opportunity to learn about teams playing in the lower divisions of American soccer. I’m sure by now you are all very familiar with the Sonoma County Sol, but I was not. After spending a bit of time poking around the interwebs I have learned the following:

The club is primarily made up of players from the Santa Rosa area, the majority of whom have played for Sonoma State University, a Division II school that won an NCAA National Championship in 2002.
Sonoma State University mascot is the seawolf. Seawolves and RailHawks are mortal enemies.
In their 5-2 victory over Tommy Poltl’s former club, Orange County Blue Stars, Shawn Percell scored a pair of goals for the Sol. Percell, who also serves as the team’s assistant manager, played three seasons for the Seattle Sounders back in the Darren Sawatzky era. I don’t remember Percell, but I don’t have to remember him to know that he is scum.
The only other player on the roster who appears to have played at the USL-1 level is Lee Sandwina, who was on the Charleston Battery’s roster for a season.
Defender Lee Summerscales earned 10 caps for the U-18 England National Team.
As part of their US Open Cup qualifying, the Sol tied Doxa-Italia 1-1. Apparently Doxa-Italia is part of the remnants of Hollywood United FC. We are all too familiar with Hollywood United FC.
Earlier this season the Sol crushed Salinas Samba 10-1. How classy can a team that scored 10 goals in a game really be? Answer: not classy at all.
Sol Philosophy: The Sol play a traditional 1-4-4-2 system. Grassroots style, but with an entertaining flair.
That entertaining flair is not evident on YouTube. Not a single highlight of the Sol can be found.
The median household income in Sonoma County in 2000 was $88,303. All of the players in Tuesday’s game earn less than the median household income.
Ernie Nevers Field is named after a former Duluth Eskimo. The pitch is plastic with American football lines.