Sounders FC News & Notes, August 3rd

First comes the Wednesday night friendly with FC Barcelona. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. PT on Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field. On Saturday night in Sandy, Utah, the Sounders FC (7-4-8 and 29 points) faces Real Salt Lake (6-8-5, 23 points), which has proven formidable at home.

After going unbeaten in nine MLS and U.S. Open Cup games, Seattle sustained its worst defeat, 4-0, in last Sunday's game at San Jose. The Sounders FC had been undefeated (3-0-3) in its previous six league outings.

This will be the third meeting with RSL. Seattle won the initial MLS encounter, 2-0, on March 28 at Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field. The Sounders FC defeated Real Salt Lake, 4-1, in a U.S. Open Cup first round play-in game on April 28 at the Starfire Sports Stadium in Tukwila, Washington.

Real Salt Lake is coming off a 1-0 loss at the Chicago Fire last week, and owns a home record of 5-1-3. Rio Tinto Stadium was the site of the MLS All-Star Game on July 29.

Barcelona will be playing the second game of its 2009 U.S. tour. Barca defeated the L.A. Galaxy, 2-1, at the Rose Bowl last Saturday night.

The Barcelona game will be nationally televised on ESPN2. John Paul Dellecamera and John Harkes will call the action. Locally the match will be heard on News Talk 97.3 KIRO FM with Kevin Calabro on play-by-play and Alan Hinton providing analysis.

Saturday's contest will be shown locally on KONG 6/16 and can be heard on 97.3 KIRO FM with Kevin Calabro and Greg Vanney calling the action. Both Wednesday and Saturday's game will be available on Ke Buena 1210 AM with Rene Aleman, Noe Menendez and Victor Hernandez calling the action.

To purchase tickets to future home games, call 1-877-MLS-GOAL, visit www.SoundersFC.com, any Ticketmaster outlet or the Qwest Field Box office.

Upcoming Competition Schedule (All times Pacific)

Wednesday, August 5, 7:30 p.m. - FC Barcelona; Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field

Saturday, August 8, 6 p.m. - at Real Salt Lake; Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy, Utah

Saturday, August 15, 8 p.m. - at L.A. Galaxy; Home Depot Center, Carson, Calif.

Thursday, August 20, 7 p.m. - New England Revolution; Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field

Sunday, August 23, 5:30 p.m. - at Houston Dynamo; Robertson Stadium, Houston, Texas

Upcoming Training Schedule, August 3-11 (subject to change):

Monday, August 3 - Training at Starfire Sports Complex, 10 a.m.

Tuesday, August 4 - Training on Starfire Sports Complex, 10 a.m.

Thursday, August 6 - Training at Starfire Sports Complex, 11 a.m.

Friday, August 7 - Training at Starfire Sports Complex, 10 a.m.

Sunday, August 9 - No Training

Monday, August 10 -Training at Starfire Sports Complex, 10 a.m.

Tuesday, August 11 -Training at Starfire Sports Complex, 10 a.m.

Wednesday, August 12 - No Training

On the Road Again

Seattle will be playing the second of three straight league road matches at Salt Lake City. Although the Sounders FC has earned at least a point in five of eight away games, it has not taken the full three since its inaugural trip, a 2-0 win at Toronto FC back on April 4. Seattle has scored just seven goals on the road. The road losses at Chivas USA (twice) and San Jose were both by shutout.

Seattle visits the L.A. Galaxy on August 15 before returning home to host the New England Revolution on August 20. Eight of the final 12 MLS games are on the road.

Table Tightens

With last week's loss, Seattle slid to fourth overall in the MLS points table, however the Sounders FC still remains second in the West. Houston went six points clear (35) with a win over D.C. United. The L.A. Galaxy (28) is right behind Seattle in third place, followed closely by Chivas USA and Colorado (each with 27 points).

Only six points separate the top four teams in the East. Eleven teams have accumulated 23 or more points to date. The top two teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs, along with the four teams with the next-highest point totals.

Barcelona Sell Out

A capacity crowd will greet the Sounders FC and FC Barcelona on August 5 on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field. The match will be Barca's second during its 2009 U.S. Tour. Barcelona won its tour opener, 2-1, over the L.A. Galaxy last Saturday night before a crowd of 93,137 in Pasadena's Rose Bowl. The tour concludes on August 8 against Mexico's Guadalajara in San Francisco.

In addition to winning the UEFA Champions League, Barca also claimed titles of both Spain's La Liga and the Copa del Rey. The club recently announced the signing of Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Inter Milan.

Sounders FC season ticket holders have received tickets to the Barcelona game as part of their 18-match package, which also includes Chelsea and the MLS Cup. Tickets will be available at www.SoundersFC.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000.

Arrive Early

Soccer fans attending the Sounders FC vs. FC Barcelona match on Wednesday are encouraged to plan ahead and arrive early. The Qwest Field gates will open at 5:30 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. kickoff.

The team recommends using regular Metro service, Sound Transit ST Express buses and the Light Rail. ST Express buses offer transportation from areas throughout Pierce, King and Snohomish counties with service every 30 minutes and stops within 3 blocks of Qwest Field.

Fans are encouraged to avoid South Royal Brougham Way unless they park in the Qwest Event Center Garage. Fans parking in the garage will have access by one lane only via South Royal Brougham Way and Fourth Avenue South.

Fans are invited to participate in the following match day activities:

March to the Match

Join Sound Wave, the Sounders FC Alliance and fans as they "March to the Match". The March will depart Occidental Park located in the heart of Pioneer Square at the intersection of Main Street and Occidental Avenue South. The "March to the Match" will depart the park at 6 p.m. and finish just outside the Northwest Gate, where fans can enter the stadium.

Soccer Celebration

Soccer Celebration activities are located at the Northwest Gate, continue inside the stadium at the North Plaza and throughout the Qwest Field Plaza. Activities include inflatable games, face painting, sign making, music and more. Soccer Celebration activities will begin at 5:30 p.m. and conclude after the match.

Ljungberg Set to Return

Following a mandatory one-game suspension, Freddie Ljungberg will be available at Real Salt Lake. Ljungberg became the sixth Sounders FC player to see red this season with an ejection versus Chicago. He carries four yellow cards into the RSL game. He has totaled four assists and a goal in his last seven games. Corner kicks by Ljungberg led to a Montero goal against Colorado and Patrick Ianni's winner versus the Dynamo. All four of Seattle's set-play goals this season have involved Ljungberg.

Jaqua Gets Real

Forward Nate Jaqua has scored six goals in his last six games against Real Salt Lake, including one of his two career hat tricks. Jaqua scored the first goal in Seattle's 2-0 victory over RSL back on March 28. While playing for Houston in 2007, he scored three times for the Dynamo in a 4-3 home win. Jaqua got the game-winner and did so again last season in another 4-3 victory and he also found the net against Salt Lake when playing for the L.A. Galaxy on June 17, 2007.

Jaqua has contributed either a goal or an assist in seven of the last 11 games. He has six goals to date. His best season total was eight with Chicago in 2006.

He finished June with three goals and one assist after scoring twice and earning an assist in the 3-0 victory over Colorado on June 28. Since then Jaqua has earned an assist in the cup road win at Portland, another on Montero's opener versus Houston, and the game-tying goal against Houston in the cup semis in the 89th minute.

Dam Breaks

Last week at San Jose, the Sounders FC defense allowed four goals for the first time after yielding only two in the previous four matches. Prior to falling 4-0, Seattle had allowed four goals in seven games, including both Open Cup and MLS.

Leo Gonzalez Arrives

Costa Rican midfielder/defender Leo Gonzalez joined the Sounders FC for training last week. Gonzalez had signed on July 2 but was called in by the Costa Rica National Team for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. He arrived in Seattle after obtaining his P-1 work permit and International Clearance. Gonzalez, 28, has been capped 59 times by Costa Rica, including three starts during the 2006 World Cup. He started and played the full 90 minutes of the Ticos' opening Gold Cup game against El Salvador on July 3. Mexico defeated Costa Rica in the semifinal game in Chicago on July 23.

Records Watch

The crowd of 65,289 for the Sounders FC-Chelsea FC friendly was the largest for the franchise and was the third-largest attendance for a soccer match played in Seattle.

The top 10 attendances are as follows:

66,830 August 9, 2006 Qwest Field Real Madrid v D.C. United (friendly)

66,722 July 22, 2003 Seahawks Stadium Manchester United v Celtic (friendly)

65,289 July 18, 2009 Qwest Field Sounders FC v Chelsea (friendly)

58,218 April 9, 1976 Kingdome Seattle v New York (friendly; Pele 2 goals)

56,416 April 16, 2008 Qwest Field Mexico v China (friendly)

56,256 August 25, 1977 Kingdome Seattle v Los Angeles (NASL playoffs)

49,606 August 9, 1980 Kingdome New York at Seattle (NASL)

47,052 May 31, 2008 Qwest Field Brazil v Canada (friendly)

43,651 January 29, 1994 Kingdome U.S. v Russia (friendly)

42,091 August 17, 1977 Kingdome Minnesota at Seattle (NASL playoffs)

America's Summer of Soccer

The Sounders FC-FC Barcelona match will be the tenth match held in the U.S. since July 1 to attract 50,000 or more fans.

93,137 August 1 Pasadena, Calif. L.A. Galaxy v Barcelona

82,252 July 19 Arlington, Texas Mexico v Haiti*

81,224 July 21 Pasadena, Calif. Chelsea v Inter Milan 79,156 July 26 East Rutherford, NJ USA v Mexico 71,203 July 24 Baltimore Chelsea v AC Milan 65,289 July 18 Seattle Sounders FC v Chelsea 57,229 July 26 Arlington, Texas Chelsea v Club America 55,173 July 23 Chicago Mexico v Costa Rica* 50,306 July 22 Atlanta Club America v AC Milan 47,713 July 9 Houston Mexico v Panama*

Gold Cup doubleheader

Chasing History

At 7-4-8 through the first 19 league games, Seattle is off to the best start for an MLS expansion franchise since the Chicago Fire (13-6-0) in 1998. Miami and Chicago are the only expansion teams to reach the playoffs, with the Fire winning both the MLS Cup and the U.S. Open Cup in its first season.

Real Salt Lake Update

Although coming off a 1-0 loss at Chicago last Saturday, Real Salt Lake is 2-0-2 in its last four games at home. The last match played at Rio Tinto Stadium was the MLS All-Stars versus England's Everton FC. RSL enters the game with a home record of 5-1-3 and a goal differential of 23-10.

At Chicago, forward Yura Movsisyan returned to the starting lineup but left at halftime with a strained right rotator cuff. Movsisyan has six goals this season and Robbie Findley leads RSL with seven.

Salt Lake will be without head coach Jason Kreis, who is serving a three-game suspension. Kreis received in a red card in the last home game, a 4-2 victory over FC Dallas. He was handed an additional two-game suspension levied by the MLS Disciplinary Committee.

Prior to the Fire loss, RSL had scored at least one goal in each of its previous eight games.

Another Nate Connection

One member of the Sounders FC roster, defender/midfielder Nathan Sturgis, spent the entire 2008 season and part of 2007 with Real Salt Lake. Sturgis appeared in eight matches, starting seven, for RSL over that span before being selected by Seattle in the expansion draft in November.

Back in 2004

During the summer of 2004 representatives of both the current Sounders FC and Real Salt Lake were involved for competing bids for Major League Soccer's 12th team. Salt Lake got the nod over several other cities, including the group which featured current Sounders FC general manager and owner Adrian Hanauer. RSL began play in 2005 and two years later, in 2007, Seattle and an ownership group consisting of majority owner Joe Roth, Hanauer, Paul Allen and Drew Carey was awarded the league's 15th franchise.

First Meeting Recaps

Sounders FC 2, Real Salt Lake 0 - March 28

In the second outing for Sounders FC, Nate Jaqua scored in the 17th minute and Fredy Montero sealed the three points in the 77th minute. Kasey Keller earned his second straight clean sheet and earned MLS Player of the Week in the process.

Keller opened the second half with a nice sliding save on a breakaway attempt by Salt Lake's Yura Movsisyan. The visitors out-shot Seattle 10-4 in the second half, but Sounders FC, which had been the first-half aggressor, finished with a 12-11 edge.

Freddie Ljungberg came on in the 61st minute to make his MLS debut.

Steve Zakuani set up Jaqua's goal. The left winger beat a defender on the dribble, then drove a ball into the path of Jaqua, who finished past Nick Rimando.

Seattle's Sebastien Le Toux got through against Rimando just after the hour mark but sent his shot just over the bar.

Sounders FC 4, Real Salt Lake 1 - April 26

Sebastien Le Toux scored two goals and assisted on two others in a 4-1 win over Real Salt Lake in a U.S. Open Play-In before a capacity crowd at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Washington.

Le Toux put Sounders FC ahead early, scoring from the penalty spot in the 24th minute and then assisting on a goal by Sanna Nyassi to make it 2-0 in the 26th minute.

Roger Levesque, who also assisted on Nyassi's goal, was pulled down in the box, resulting in Le Loux's penalty kick. Levesque assisted on Seattle's final three goals.

Will Johnson pulled Real Salt Lake a goal back in the 32nd minute, but Sounders FC pulled away with two quick strikes early in the second half.

Stephen King made one-touch finish off a square ball from Le Toux in the 53rd minute. Two minutes later, Levesque out-ran an RSL defender before crossing to Le Toux at the left post.

New Youth System Unveiled

Seattle Sounders FC and Washington Youth Soccer have partnered to enhance and expand the youth soccer development system in Washington State. The partnership between Seattle Sounders FC and Washington Youth Soccer on youth development programs will create a system that provides additional levels and avenues to elite play.

"With the launch of Sounders FC, a relationship was constructed between the new professional soccer team and Washington Youth Soccer, which has led to this advanced youth soccer development program," said Doug Andreassen, President Washington Youth Soccer.

The new system will unite the very best avenues to high level soccer through a Regional Training Center (RTC) model that will bring the top players in the state together once a week to train under elite coaches. The RTC system, launching in September 2009, will include 5 locations across the state and will incorporate the top youth clubs in Washington

State and upper age group Academy teams. The RTC program is designed to identity the very best players in Washington state across all leagues, affiliations and geographic locations. Therefore, the identification process will be open and comprehensive with the only criteria for invitation being based on player ability.

Bone Marrow Registry set for August 18

The Sounders FC is hosting a bone marrow drive in honor of Real Salt Lake midfielder Andy Williams' wife, Marcia Williams. Healthy male and female fans ages 18-60, all blood types, all nationalities and all ethnicities are invited to participate in the August 18 event. It involves a swab of the inside of the fan's cheek after registering in the database. The registry will be from 4-7 p.m. in the Qwest Field North Plaza. Sounders FC players will be on hand to thank fans for participating.

Marcia Williams has been diagnosed with leukemia and is receiving treatment in Seattle. Currently, 10,000 cancer patients need a bone marrow transplant, but only 3,000 will receive one.

Invincibles' Reunion

Wednesday's game will be a reunion of Seattle's Freddie Ljungberg and Barcelona's Thierry Henry, longtime teammates at Arsenal. Ljungberg played for the Gunners from 1998-2007 and Henry, the prolific French forward, played in London for those final eight seasons. Together, they helped Arsenal win two English Premier League titles and three FA Cups. The 2003-04 team went unbeaten in the EPL. Arsenal was runner-up to Barcelona in the 2006 UEFA Champions League final.

Montero Scores in Bunches

Forward Fredy Montero is second in MLS scoring with nine goals and six assists, and those goals have come in bunches. Montero's streak of scoring in five consecutive games had been the longest in the league this season. He earned March Player of the Month after scoring three times in the first two matches.

Evans Returns to the Fold

Midfielder Brad Evans returned to the lineup in San Jose after missing two MLS and three U.S. Open Cup games during a month-long call-in to the U.S. National Team. Evans earned his first three international caps during the Gold Cup, starting one and coming off the bench in two others.

Keller's Nearly Unbeatable

Seattle is 7-2-8 when goalkeeper Kasey Keller goes the entire 90 minutes, including 6-0-4 at home. Keller set an MLS record for consecutive scoreless minutes to start a season (457), and he is the only goalkeeper in league history to post three complete shutouts to start an MLS career.

Three Keys to Offense

Freddie Ljungberg, Fredy Montero and Nate Jaqua are the top three Sounders FC scorers and at least one of those players has scored or assisted on the team's last eight and 17 of the last 18 goals scored. Together, Montero (6), Jaqua (5) and Ljungberg (1) have scored 12 of the last 14.

Attendance Record

Sounders FC is the first franchise in MLS history to have 28,000 or more fans at 11 consecutive regular season or postseason home games. Each of the first 11 games on Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field has sold out. Seattle leads MLS with an 11-game average of 30,204. The MLS record for a season attendance average is 28,916, set by the L.A. Galaxy in 1996.

Crowds Swell

Due to the demand for Sounders FC tickets, stadium capacity has been expanded to 32,400 for the final seven MLS home games. Capacity was 27,700 for home dates between March 28 and June 17. The team utilized the full stadium capacity of 67,000 for Chelsea and will do the same for FC Barcelona. A record crowd of 65,289 watched the Chelsea friendly on July 18, the third largest attendance ever to watch soccer in Seattle. The highest attendance for a league game this season was the 32,526 that watched the June 28 Sounders FC win over Colorado.

Last Game Recap: Sounders FC 0, San Jose Earthquakes 4

Shea Salinas assisted on two goals as the San Jose Earthquakes dealt the Seattle Sounders FC its worst loss of the season, 4-0, on Sunday afternoon at Buck Shaw Stadium.

It was the first Seattle (7-4-8) defeat since June 6, ending a seven-game unbeaten run. The Sounders FC, playing the first of three consecutive MLS road matches, is now 0-3-2 away against Western Conference teams.

Seattle trailed nearly from the outset and played a man down for the final 67 minutes. The Sounders FC defense allowed four goals for the first time after yielding only two in the previous four matches.

After going ahead in the second minute on an own goal, San Jose (4-10-5) struck three times in the second half.

Following a feed from Salinas, Cornell Glen drilled a low, 18-yard shot into the left corner in the 54th minute to make it 2-0. Glen nearly got a second goal five minutes later. His header from a Darren Huckerby cross was batted away from the upper right corner by a leaping Kasey Keller.

Huckerby put it out of reach in the 77th minute, scoring from close range after the Seattle defense failed to clear his initial shot. Salinas had the key pass on a 84th minute counterattack, finding Chris Wondolowski for the fourth goal.

It was the second straight game the Sounders FC has been held scoreless. The closest chance came in the 76th minute when Osvaldo Alonso stripped a defender and hit the crossbar from the left wing.

The best opportunity in the first half came in the 27th minute. Earthquakes keeper Joe Cannon misplayed a ball at his feet and Sebastien Le Toux poked it toward goal before Cannon recovered and retrieved it.

Seattle fell behind in the first 90 seconds on an own goal. San Jose's Ryan Johnson crossed from the left corner and Alonso, running back toward his own net, deflected the ball past Keller.

A total of five cards were issued in the opening period, including a red to James Riley of Seattle following a foul on Huckerby in the 33rd minute. Patrick Ianni and Fredy Montero saw yellow while the Quakes were also cautioned twice.

It was Seattle's second red card in as many games and its seventh of the season. Riley will miss next Saturday's game at Real Salt Lake.

San Jose, which had gone winless in its last four games, finished with a 16-4 advantage in shots and forced Keller to make a season-high 10 saves.

The Sounders FC played without all-star midfielder Freddie Ljungberg who was serving a one-game suspension after receiving a red card last week against the Chicago Fire. Brad Evans made his return after spending a month with the U.S. National Team.

Soccer Beach Blast at Alki

The Sounders FC Soccer Beach Blast, presented by Super Supplements, will be held on Alki Beach on Sunday, August 23. Registration is $75 per team. Interested teams can register at www.soundersfc.com.

The 32-team, 3-on-3 soccer tournament will be played on sand at Alki Beach. Each team is allowed up to five players and all participants must be 18-years-old. Each team will play a minimum of two matches. Each match will consist of two seven-minute periods with a one-minute halftime break.

Fans can visit a Western Washington Super Supplements location to pick up a coupon good for $15.00 off their team's registration fee. All registration will occur online at www.soundersfc.com/beachsoccer.

Tournament space is limited to the first 32 teams who register. For more information and to register visit www.SoundersFC.com/beachsoccer.

All or Nothing

Seattle has now been blanked for two consecutive games. Prior to the shutout by Chicago and San Jose, Seattle has totaled 11 goals over five MLS games. Ten of those goals were scored at home.

Back Four Shuffle Continues

In the past 12 MLS games, due to injuries, suspensions, and the unexpected, Seattle has been forced to shuffle its back four each time. The central defense tandem of Tyrone Marshall and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, after starting and playing the entire 90 minutes of the first 11 games, has played together only twice in the eight games since. Each of the other absences was due to suspensions. Right back James Riley and left back Tyson Wahl have started each of the last nine matches. Patrick Ianni has filled in for Riley, Hurtado and Marshall. The back four will be shuffled again against Real Salt Lake due to the suspension of Riley.

Now Appearing

Sebastien Le Toux remains the only player to have appeared in each MLS match, starting 12. Le Toux has also played in each cup play-in and tournament game. Kasey Keller leads the team in minutes played (1559).

Leaders of the Pack

Kasey Keller is No. 3 among MLS goalkeepers with a GAA of 0.98. Keller is also tied for fourth in wins (7) and shutouts (6). Forward Fredy Montero is No. 2 in goals (9) and tied for fourth in assists (6), and shares the lead in game-winning goals (3). Montero is second in fouls suffered (42) and shots (55). Nate Jaqua is tied for 13th in goals (6) and fourth in assists (6). He is tied for third in fouls committed (35). Freddie Ljungberg is tied for first in game-winning assists (3).

Sounders FC ranks tied for seventh in scoring average (1.37) and third in goals allowed per game (1.05). Its 33 assists are second in the league. Seattle is the team with most fouls suffered (247) and tied for sixth in fouls committed (232). The 43 cautions are second in the league.

Nearing the Final Third

With the match at Real Salt Lake the Sounders FC will reach the two-thirds mark of the season. Of Seattle's 26 goals in the first 19 games, 17 have come in the first half and 21 in the first 60 minutes. Four have come from set pieces, all from corner kicks by Freddie Ljungberg. A goal has yet to be scored from either the penalty spot or free kick. Of the nine games in which Sounders FC has scored multiple goals, seven have been at home. The defense has not allowed more than one goal in 10 of 11 home games on Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field. Five of the six shutouts have been at home.

Soldiering On

Seattle is off to the second-best start in MLS expansion history, and has done so despite facing its fair share of adversity. Sounders FC has stayed above .500 despite finishing seven games shorthanded, going 0-3-4 in those contests. Resulting suspensions, injuries, national team call-ins and the unexpected have allowed Sigi Schmid to pick his starting lineup from his top players on only four occasions to date.

Score and Earn

When Sounders FC scores, points in the standings have followed, and when Seattle scores first, so much the better. It is 6-0-3 when striking first and 7-0-7 when scoring at least one goal. Each of Seattle's four losses has been by shutout.

Sigi's Final Countdown

With 120 victories, Sigi Schmid is four career wins shy of Bob Bradley's MLS record total of 124. Schmid is the career leader with 274 games coached, surpassing Bradley (272). New England's Steve Nicol is No. 2 among active coaches in wins (93) and No. 3 overall. Schmid is 4-2-1 against Real Salt Lake (3-2-1 with Columbus; 1-0-0 with Seattle) in the regular season.

On to the USOC Final: Next up D.C. United

Stephen King scored the game-winning goal in the fifth minute of overtime to give the Seattle Sounders FC a 2-1 comeback win over the Houston Dynamo in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinal match.

Seattle's Nate Jaqua sent the match into overtime with a goal in the 89th minute. Seattle finished with a 26-7 advantage in shots, including a second-half drive off the post by Zakuani, who led the team with five shots.

Houston had opened the scoring in the 32nd minute of the match with an unassisted goal from Ade Akinbiyi.

The Sounders FC played the final 10 minutes of overtime without defender Jhon Kennedy Hurtado who was issued his second yellow card. Hurtado must now miss the Cup Final.

Sounders FC defeated Real Salt Lake 4-1 and Colorado 1-0 at Starfire in USOC Play-ins, and then beat the USL-1 Portland Timbers 2-1 in the third round, and Kansas City Wizards 1-0 in the quarterfinal round.

The Sounders FC will now face defending champion D.C. United in the Cup Final on September 2 at 4:30 p.m. PT at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. The game will be televised on Fox Soccer Channel.

D.C. United defeated the Rochester Rhinos of USL-1, 2-1, in the other semifinal.

Getting to the Final

Seattle reached the Open Cup final by virtue of five consecutive knockout victories. It claimed one of eight MLS slots in the Open Cup with two play-in wins. Sebastien Le Toux scored two goals and assisted on scores by Sanna Nyassi and Stephen King in the 4-1 defeat of Real Salt Lake. Kevin Forrest's header from Roger Levesque and Nyassi assists fueled the 1-0 shutout of Colorado, with Kasey Keller posting the clean sheet.

Once in the tournament proper, Seattle earned a 2-1 road win at Portland of USL-1. Levesque and King connected on first-half goals. Le Toux's penalty was the difference in the quarterfinal result with Kansas City. Jaqua scored the equalizer in the 89th minute to send the semifinal to overtime, and King added the winner, his third in cup play.

Current Training Squad

The following players begin the week training in Seattle: Goalkeepers (4): Terry Boss, Ben Dragavon*, Chris Eylander, Kasey Keller; Defenders (10): Evan Brown, Taylor Graham, Leo Gonzalez, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Patrick Ianni, Tyrone Marshall, James Riley, Zach Scott, Nathan Sturgis, Tyson Wahl; Midfielders (9): Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans, Michael Fucito, Stephen King, Sebastien Le Toux, Freddie Ljungberg, Lamar Neagle, Sanna Nyassi, Peter Vagenas; Forwards (4): Nate Jaqua, Roger Levesque, Fredy Montero, Steve Zakuani.

• Discuss this story on the Major League Soccer message board...
• Digg this story
• Add to Del.icio.us

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.