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Sounders FC News & Notes

March 5, 2013 - Major League Soccer (MLS) - Seattle Sounders FC News Release


CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinals Start Wednesday

Following Saturday's season opener in Seattle, Sounders FC travels to Monterrey, Mexico, to take on Tigres UANL in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series tomorrow night. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. PT from Estadio Universitario.

Tomorrow's match at Tigres will be broadcast nationally on FOX Soccer. SoundersFC.com will host a live blog with updates available through Twitter (@livesounders).

The quarterfinal series will conclude next Tuesday, March 12, on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field. Kickoff for the return leg is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT and will be televised live on FOX Soccer.

Single-match tickets are available through www.SoundersFC.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, CenturyLink Field Box Office or by calling 800-745-3000.

The series will be Seattle's second trip to the quarterfinals after falling to Santos Laguna last March. Sounders FC is one of three teams representing MLS, along with the LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo.

The winner of the Seattle-Tigres series will face the Santos-Houston victor. The Semifinal Round begins in April with the Final concluding on May 1. The winner of the tournament will advance to the FIFA Club World Cup, to be held next December in Morocco.

Sounders FC will look to advance past the Quarterfinal Round for the first time in club history while Tigres, Mexico's top team this season, are participating in their first Champions League tournament.

The Rave Green began its fifth MLS campaign last Saturday in front of a record opening day crowd, yet the short-handed Seattle side fell to the Montreal Impact, 1-0, marking just the second opening day loss for the club.

With a Week 2 bye, Seattle will return to league action on March 16 when the Portland Timbers visit CenturyLink Field for the first match of the 2013 Cascadia Cup. It will be the first of two visits to the Emerald City for the Timbers, who are the current Cascadia Cup-holders.

Sounders FC has five matches remaining on a congested March schedule, which will wrap-up with back-to-back road games at Real Salt Lake and San Jose at the end of the month.

How They Got Here

Seattle and Tigres took very different paths to the Quarterfinal Round as Sounders FC played consistently through all four Group Stage matches while Tigres used two big home victories to push through to the next stage. Seattle finished group play as one of three unbeaten teams, securing the third overall seed. The team started off the Group Stage with back-to-back 3-1 wins over Caledonia of Trinidad followed by two victories over Honduras' Marathon, winning 3-2 away and 3-1 at home. Sounders FC finished with a plus-seven goal differential and four of the five goals conceded came from the penalty spot. Tigres began the Group Stage with a 4-nil home win over Real Esteli of Nicaragua and finished with a 5-0 home win over Costa Rica's Alajeulense. Between the two wins, Tigres drew both road matches, 2-2 at Alajuelense and 1-1 at Real Esteli.

All-Time CCL Results

Sounders FC has qualified for the past three editions of the CONCACAF Champions League. In the team's first-ever tournament in 2010/11, Sounders FC advanced out of the preliminary round but were knocked out in the Group Stage, going 2-5-1 overall. The following year, Seattle ousted Panama's San Francisco in overtime of the Preliminary Round and advanced to the Quarterfinal Round for the first time, finishing the 2011/12 tournament 5-4-1. With four Group Stage wins this year, Sounders FC is 11-9-2 all-time in Champions League play.

Champions League Quick Facts

* Sounders FC has played 22 Champions League games - the most of any U.S. club since 2010.

* The club's all-time record in the tournament is 11-9-2 with a plus-three goal differential (35/32).

* Seattle's all-time Champions League scoring leader is Fredy Montero with six goals. Sammy Ochoa leads all current Sounders FC players with four goals and Brad Evans is second with three.

* Andy Rose leads all current Sounders FC players with three assists. Both of Osvaldo Alonso's assists were game-winners.

* Seattle's all-time goals against average in CCL play is 1.45 while averaging 1.59 goals per game.

Quarterfinal Matchups

The 2012/13 CONCACAF Champions League began with a 24-team Group Stage last August. Nine teams from North America, three Caribbean clubs and a dozen teams from Central America qualified for the tournament. The eight group winners advanced to the Quarterfinals and are ranked 1-8 based on their standings from the Group Stage. The pairings are as follows:

1. Monterrey (MEX) vs. 8. Xelaju (GUA) 2. Santos Laguna (MEX) vs. 7. Houston Dynamo (USA) 3. Seattle Sounders FC (USA) vs. 6. Tigres UANL (MEX) 4. LA Galaxy (USA) vs. 5. Herediano (CR)

Quarterfinal Round Standings

Team Record (points) GD (GF/GA)

1. Monterrey 4-0-0 (12 pts.) +15 (15/0)

2. Santos Laguna 4-0-0 (12 pts.) +12 (13/1)

3. Seattle Sounders FC 4-0-0 (12 pts.) +7 (12/5)

4. LA Galaxy 3-0-1 (10 pts.) +8 (12/4)

5. Herediano 3-0-1 (10 pts.) +3 (4/1)

6. Tigres UANL 2-0-2 (8 pts.) +9 (12/3)

7. Houston Dynamo 2-0-2 (8 pts.) +6 (9/3)

8. Xelaju 2-1-1 (7 pts.) +1 (7/6)

Format Notes

The quarterfinal round is structured in a two-leg, aggregate goal series. The second leg will be played at the higher seed's home stadium. The winner of the series is determined by most total goals over the two matches. If the score is tied at the end of regulation of the second leg, away goals will be used as the tie breaker. Therefore, unless the score of the second leg is exactly the reverse of the first leg, a winner will be named in regulation. If, considering away goals, the score is still tied the teams will play an overtime period followed by penalty shootout, if necessary.

Red cards or two yellow cards in the same game result in a one-game suspension. Any player who accumulates two single yellow cards in two different matches will be suspended for the following game. Yellow cards reset at the beginning of the Quarterfinal Round and for the Final.

Sounders vs. Mexican Opposition

Wednesday's match will be the seventh time Sounders FC has taken on a team from the Mexican first division. Seattle has played two-time defending champions Monterrey four times and last year's runners-up Santos Laguna twice, going 2-4-0. Sounders FC has also played three friendlies (2-0-1) against Mexican opposition.

All-Time Results

Date Opponent Result Scoring Summary

8/25/10 vs. Monterrey L, 2-0 CFM: Cardozo (41), de Nigris (58)

9/22/10 at Monterrey L, 3-2 SEA: Fucito (44), Own Goal (27);

CFM: Nigris (74), Suazo (75), Perez (78)

8/23/11 at Monterrey W, 1-0 SEA: Fernandez (38)

10/18/11 vs. Monterrey L, 2-1 SEA: Montero (42);

CFM: Carreno (3), Delgado (61)

3/7/12 vs. Santos Laguna W, 2-1 SEA: Estrada (12), Evans (63);

SAN: Gomez (61)

3/14/12 at Santos Laguna L, 6-1 SEA: Fernandez (37)

SAN: Suarez (8, 76), Peralta (10),

Gomez (46, 68), Ochoa (81)

Versus Mexican Opposition

Games Played - 6

Record - 2-4-0 (7GS/14GA)

Home - 1-2-0 (3GS/5GA)

Road - 1-2-0 (4GS/9GA)

About Tigres

Club: Tigres UANL (MEX)

Founded: 1960

City: San Nicolas de los Garza, Nuevo Leon

Stadium: Estadio Universitario

Manager: Ricardo Ferretti

Qualification method: 2011 Mexican Apertura champion

Previous CONCACAF Champions League appearances: None

Honors: Mexican Primera Division champions - 3 (1977-78, 1981-82, 2011 A); Copa Mexico - 2 (1975-76, 1995-95); Interliga - 2 (2005, 2006)

Official website: http://www.tigres.com.mx

The 2011 Mexican Apertura champion is making its first appearance in the CONCACAF Champions League after beating Santos Laguna to win the Mexican Apertura title, the club's first championship in 29 years and third in its history. Tigres is led by Argentine captain Lucas Lobos, Mexican international Carlos Salcido as well as Brazilians Juninho and Edno. Forward Taufic Guarch, who was a standout for Mexico at the U-20 World Cup in Colombia last summer, arrives on loan from Estudiantes Tecos, joining Alonso Zamora from Atlas, Henry David Lopez from Brazil's EC Noroeste and Dieter Vargas from San Luis. The club is coached by Brazilian Ricardo Ferretti, who is in his third stint with Tigres, having previously coached the club from 2000-03 and again in the 2006 season when he led it to the InterLiga title and qualifying the club for the Copa Libertadores. However he was let go when Tigres failed to qualify for the Clausura playoffs. He made his triumphant return, though, in 2010, guiding Tigres to the Apertura title. Tigres plays at 42,000-seat Estadio Universitario, nicknamed El Volcan (The Volcano), a venue that has hosted several matches of the 1986 World Cup as well as the 2011 U-17 World Cup.

Pushing Forward

Mauro Rosales has proven his versatility to head coach Sigi Schmid, playing at nearly every position in midfield as well as forward. Saturday night marked the first time since the beginning of the 2012 season that Seattle lost with Rosales playing up top. Rosales started at forward four times last season as the team went 2-0-2, scoring two goals in all four matches. The Argentine playmaker also assumed the role several times in 2011 when forward Fredy Montero was out with an injury.

Youth Movement

Sounders FC waited until season five to sign its first Homegrown Player, and evidenced by Saturday night, the wait was well worth it. Right back DeAndre Yedlin has paid immediate dividends, filling in admirably on Seattle's backline in the season opener. Yedlin's impressive performance was highlighted by two second-half plays involving Designated Player Marco Di Vaio, first clearing his shot off the goal line and later poking the ball away from the Italian international with a hard tackle just inside the penalty box.

Yedlin is the second-youngest player to start for Sounders FC at 19 years, 7 months and 21 days old. Miguel Montano became the youngest player to start for the club on July 11, 2010 when he was just 19 years and 16 days old.

Academy Sizzles in SoCal

Sounders FC Academy traveled down to Southern California this weekend and went unbeaten (3-0-1) against non-divisional opponents Nomads SC and San Diego Surf. The Rave Green did not allow a goal all weekend, outscoring opponents 10-0. U18 striker Jordan Morris scored two goals and two assists, bringing his season totals to 16 and nine, respectively. The lone draw of the trip came in a game that saw the U16's play the majority of the game with 10 men.

The Academy squads return to action on March 16-17 for their first home matches of 2013, taking on Southwest Division opponents Pateadores and Strikers FC. All four games will be held at Starfire Sports Complex.

Sounders FC U18 (USSDA) (9-3-5, 32 points)

Sounders FC at Nomads SC (March 2) - W, 4-0

Jordan Morris and David Olsen each scored two goals as the U18's rolled over Nomads SC, 4-0. Connor Adkisson kept the clean sheet as the team's two leading goal scorers (Morris 16, Olsen 7) provided the offense.

Sounders FC Goals (Assists): Jordan Morris, David Olsen (Mark Matula), David Olsen (Jordan Morris), Jordan Morris (Duncan McCormick)

Sounders FC at San Diego Surf (March 3) - W, 2-0

Connor Adkisson recorded his second straight shutout as the U18's won their third straight and extended their unbeaten streak to five games (4-0-1). After Duncan McCormick put the Rave Green up with a ninth minute penalty kick, Adkisson preserved the lead with a crucial stop on a Surf penalty kick in the 16th. Henry Wingo doubled the lead at the end of the first half on a ball from Jordan Morris.

Sounders FC Goals (Assists): Duncan McCormick, Henry Wingo (Jordan Morris)

Sounders FC U16 (USSDA) (9-2-6, 33 points)

Sounders FC at Nomads SC (March 2) - W, 4-0

Fischer Gallinger scored a goal and an assist as the U16's matched the U18's performance with a 4-0 win over Nomads SC. Gallinger assisted on Sean Bowman's early goal, then made it 2-0 at the end of the first half when he finished a 35-yard free kick into the top right corner of the net. Vic Mansaray and Jose Ramos added second half scores for Sounders FC.

Sounders FC Goals (Assists): Sean Bowman (Fischer Gallinger), Fischer Gallinger, Vic Mansaray, Jose Ramos

Sounders FC at San Diego Surf (March 3) - D, 0-0

Despite going down a man in the first half, Sounders FC U16 held on for a 0-0 draw against the San Diego Surf. The draw extends the U16's unbeaten streak to seven games (4-0-3).

Sounders FC Goals (Assists): None

Throw-ins

Sounders FC will debut its new 2013 Secondary Kit, Cascade Shale, on Wednesday with goalkeepers wearing all white. Tigres will wear gold with blue...The referee crew for Wednesday's match is from El Salvador, led by Elmer Bonilla with assistants Douglas Bermudez and Hector Recinos. The fourth official is Ruben Medrano...Sounders FC opened the 2012 competitive season one year ago on Thursday, beating Santos Laguna, 2-1 at CenturyLink Field...Defender Djimi Traore turned 33 last Friday. Traore will wear No. 19. Shalrie Joseph has chosen No. 21 and Dylam Remick will wear No. 33.


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