Seattle Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid believes US Soccer does not want his team to win a fourth-straight Open Cup.
The Sounders have saluted in the last three US Open Cup competitions but have been given a tough draw for the quarter-finals if they advance past the fourth round as they will have to travel to either San Jose Earthquakes or Minnesota.
Schmid feels like there should be a bit more transparency when the draw is done and is of the belief that US Soccer are against his club.
"It seems to land on the right side for (Sporting) KC and for DC United, whose president of one club and coach of the other (club) have been on the executive committee of US Soccer, surprisingly.
"Being very frank, I think US Soccer is trying to make it difficult for us to win an Open Cup. It's almost like sometimes I get the feeling like they'd rather not see us win it again, for whatever reasons. Maybe they think it dilutes the value of the Cup or they're getting pressure from others that think Seattle can only win it because they're playing at home.""Obviously the coin is not favorable to us," he told the Seattle Times.