NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



Seattle Sounders FC

Sounders FC News & Notes

March 15, 2010 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Seattle Sounders FC News Release


Sounders FC Wraps Up Preseason in Colorado

In its final preseason match, the Seattle Sounders FC heads to Colorado for the Rapids' Charity Shield match on Friday, March 19. Kickoff is 6 p.m. PT at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Proceeds from the match will be donated to UNICEF (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund) to aid relief efforts in Haiti.

Seattle, now 3-2-1 in preseason play, will be facing the Rapids for the fifth time, matching the most meetings with any club in the brief existence of Sounders FC. The sides met twice in MLS, once in a U.S. Open Cup play-in and in a preseason friendly last year. Seattle was 2-0-1 in the competitive meetings. It has played Houston five times to date.

Sounders FC opens the regular season on March 25, hosting Philadelphia Union in the MLS First Kick 2010. The game will be televised live on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m.

Upcoming Training Schedule, March 16-24 (times are local & subject to change):

Tuesday, March 16 -Training on Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field, 10 a.m.

Wednesday, March 17 - Training on Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field, 10 a.m.

Thursday, March 18 - Training at Starfire, 9 a.m.

Saturday, March 20 - No Training

Sunday, March 21 - No Training

Monday, March 22 -Training at Starfire, 10 a.m.

Tuesday, March 23 - Training on Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field, 10 a.m.

Wednesday, March 24 - Training at Starfire, 10 a.m.

Upcoming Competition Schedule (All times Pacific)

Friday, March 19, 6 p.m. - at Colorado Rapids, Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, Colo.

Thursday, March 25, 6:30 p.m. - Philadelphia Union, Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field, Seattle

Saturday, April 3, 7:30 p.m. - New York Red Bulls, Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field, Seattle

Saturday, April 10, 6 p.m. - at Real Salt Lake, Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy, Utah

Community Shield Raises $82,000 for Charities

With a crowd of 18,606, the Community Shield match raised over $82,000 for the four Sounders FC charity partners. That amount will be split between the Boys and Girls Clubs of Washington State, Seattle SCORES, Soccer Saves and Washington Youth Soccer.

Kickoff Luncheon Tickets Available

Limited seating is available for the Sounders FC's inaugural Kickoff Luncheon to be held at Qwest Field on Tuesday, March 23, from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM. Guests will sit side-by-side and interact with Sounders FC players, coaches, owners and executives.

Fans attending the lunch will also have the opportunity to attend a Sounders FC training session.Tables of 10 include eight guests, plus two Sounders FC personnel (player, coach, owner or executive). Each table costs $800.

To purchase a table please contact Cris Bacharach at crisb@soundersfc.com or call 425.203.8302.

Proceeds from the luncheon ticket sales and silent auction will benefit the Sounders FC four community partners: Boys & Girls Clubs of Washington State, Seattle SCORES, Soccer Saves and Washington Youth Soccer.

Nkufo Returns, Twente Pulls Ahead

Blaise Nkufo returned to action for FC Twente Enschede last Friday in a 3-1 win over ADO Den Haag. Twente, winner of five in a row, has extended its lead in the Dutch Eredivisie to five points over four-time defending champion PSV Eindhoven.

Twente is seeking its first national title since 1926. It hosts PSV on Saturday in Enschede. On March 24, Twente faces Feyenoord Rotterdam in a Dutch Cup semifinal.

Nkufo, who missed two league matches with a strained hamstring, signed with Sounders FC on March 4 and will join Seattle after completing his commitments to Twente and the Swiss national team.

Limited Number of Season Tickets Available

A limited number of season tickets remain available for 2010. Sales have surpassed 31,500 and season tickets will be capped at 32,000. Stadium capacity was increased to approximately 35,500 for all league matches this season. Single game tickets are on sale, however only scattered singles are available for the first eight home matches.

Portland Preseason Recap

In the inaugural Community Shield match, Sounders FC dominated in possession and scoring chances but came up empty-handed in a 1-0 loss to the Portland Timbers last Thursday night on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field.

The lone goal of the match came just before halftime as the timbers counterattacked down the left. Ryan Pore drove toward the near post, then squared the ball into the crease for O.J. Obatola to convert in the 44th minute.

The goal ended the defensive scoreless streak at 337 minutes. Seattle has been held scoreless in its last two outings.

Sounders FC finished with a 15-6 advantage in shots (6-1 on goal) and 7-1 in corner kicks.

Sounders FC forward Steve Zakuani nearly found the net on a Brad Evans cross in the 15th minute. In the 78th minute, Evans raced past Timbers defense and hit a cross to the middle of the box where it eluded the outstretched foot of Fredy Montero.

Seattle's last gasp in added time was a snap Montero header that was saved by Portland's Steve Cronin. Tyson Wahl and Evans combined to create the chance.

Colorado Comes Home

Colorado spent a recent portion of its preseason training and playing in London, edging the Arsenal FC reserves, 1-0, and dropping a 2-0 result to San Jose, which was also in England. The Rapids open MLS play by visiting Chivas USA on March 26. Colorado in 2009 was 10-10-10, finishing tied for 8th in points with Real Salt Lake; just short of a playoff birth.

Registration Open for Camps

A total of 56 weekly sessions are offered for the 2010 Sounders FC Camps Program, with sites in Alaska and Idaho as well as Washington. There are also Spring Break Camps scheduled for the weeks of March 29 through April 2 and April 5 through April 9. For a complete list of camp dates , sites and further information, go to SoundersFC.com.

Levesque Nets Twice for Reserves

Roger Levesque scored twice in the first 22 minutes as the Sounders FC eased to a 4-0 result against Seattle University in a reserve team match last Friday. Levesque connected on a pair of headers, the first coming in the 7th minute off a cross from Nathan Sturgis.

Michael Fucito scored in the 18th minute before Leveque made it 3-0 on an assist from Sanna Nyassi. The lone second-half goal came on a 25-yard strike from Patrick Ianni in the 52nd minute. James Riley assisted.

Throw-Ins

Kasey Keller will be featured in a live online chat with The Seattle Times on Tuesday, March 16, beginning at 1 p.m. PT...The next reserve team match is March 26 against Oregon State at the Starfire Sports Complex.

Preseason Training List

The following players are currently training with Sounders FC: Goalkeepers (4): Terry Boss, Derby Carillo*; Chris Eylander, Kasey Keller; Defenders (10): Taylor Graham, Leo Gonzalez, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Patrick Ianni, Tyrone Marshall, Jeff Parke*, James Riley, Zach Scott, Tyson Wahl, Jamel Wallace#; Midfielders (10): Osvaldo Alonso, David Estrada#, Brad Evans, Stephen King, Freddie Ljungberg, Sanna Nyassi, Lamar Neagle*, Kevin Souter*, Nathan Sturgis, Peter Vagenas; Forwards (6): Michael Fucito*, Nate Jaqua, Roger Levesque, Ellis McLoughlin*, Fredy Montero, Steve Zakuani.

#SuperDraft selection

*invitee

Check out the Seattle Sounders FC Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Major League Soccer message board...

Major League Soccer Stories from March 15, 2010


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.

OurSports Central