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Sounders FC News & Notes

May 20, 2013 - Major League Soccer (MLS) - Seattle Sounders FC News Release


Sounders FC Visits LA Galaxy Sunday on ESPN2

Riding a league-best three-game winning streak, Sounders FC will visit two-time defending MLS Cup Champion LA Galaxy on Sunday night in a nationally televised match on ESPN2. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. PT at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

Sunday's match will be televised live on ESPN2 with Adrian Healey, Taylor Twellman and Alexi Lalas calling the action. The match can also be heard on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM with Ross Fletcher and Kasey Keller on the call.

Sounders FC (4-3-3, 15 points) is the hottest team in MLS, winning its past three matches and extending its unbeaten run to six straight games (4-0-2). Seattle posted back-to-back four-goal games in home wins over San Jose and league-leading FC Dallas, marking the first time in club history that the team has scored four goals in consecutive matches.

Forward Eddie Johnson earned MLS Player of the Week honors following his two-goal performance last Saturday, and strike partners Lamar Neagle and Obafemi Martins added goals in two straight games.

Seattle currently sits sixth in the West, one point behind fifth-place Colorado with at least one game in hand on every conference opponent.

The scene now shifts to Southern California where Sounders FC will face the LA Galaxy for the first of three meetings this season. The game will be a rematch of the 2012 Western Conference Championship that saw the Galaxy advance past Seattle, 4-2 on aggregate. Sounders FC won both home matches last season by a combined score of 6-0, but dropped the lone visit to the HDC, 1-nil.

The LA Galaxy (5-4-2, 17 points) are fourth in the West but have lost three of its past five, including a late 1-0 loss at New York last Sunday. Mike Magee's six goals ranks second in MLS, and both Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan have returned to the Galaxy lineup.

Following Sunday's match, Sounders FC will play a midweek U.S. Open Cup game against the winner of Tuesday's Tampa Bay Rowdies-VSI Tampa Bay match. Seattle would either visit the Rowdies or host VSI next Wednesday.

The Sounders U-23 team will face the Charlotte Eagles of the USL-Pro on Tuesday evening in North Carolina. The team won its first-ever Open Cup match last week behind four goals from Player of the Round David Geno.

Sounders FC will return to The Home Depot Center for its second straight regular-season match when they visit Chivas USA on June 1. The two sides will also play each other in MLS Reserve League action on June 2.

Seattle's next home match is June 8 versus the Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the second Cascadia Cup contest of the season. The seating for the match will be expanded to include the upper bowl at CenturyLink Field, and is the first game of the 4-match ticket package, which also includes home matches versus the Portland Timbers on August 25, Real Salt Lake on September 13 and the Los Angeles Galaxy on October 27.

Sounders FC 4-Match ticket packages are available by phone at 1-877-MLS-GOAL or online at www.SoundersFC.com . Single-match tickets to Sounders FC home matches are available through SoundersFC.com, all Ticketmaster Outlets, the CenturyLink Field Box Office or by calling 800-745-3000.

Sounders FC Competition Schedule (all times Pacific; subject to change)

Sunday, May 26, 8:00 p.m. - Sounders FC at LA Galaxy

Wednesday, May 29, TBD - U.S. Open Cup: Sounders FC vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies/VSI Tampa Bay

Saturday, June 1, 7:30 p.m. - Sounders FC at Chivas USA

Sunday, June 2, 11 a.m. - MLS Reserve League: Sounders FC at Chivas USA

Saturday, June 8, 7:30 p.m. - Sounders FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Saturday, June 22, 6:30 p.m. - Sounders FC at Real Salt Lake

Wednesday, July 3, 7:00 p.m. - Sounders FC vs. DC United

Point Taken: Seattle Back in the Hunt

Seattle's recent run of form has catapulted the club back into the Western Conference playoff picture. After spending the first nine and a half weeks of the season last in the West, Sounders FC now sits sixth, one point behind fifth-place Colorado Rapids. The 1.5 points per game puts Seattle fifth in the conference and tied-ninth overall. Having played the fewest games in MLS, Sounders FC still has two to four games in hand on the top six teams in MLS.

Points Per Game Standings - Western Conference

Team PPG Record (points)

FC Dallas 2.00 7-2-3 (24 points)

Portland Timbers 1.58 4-1-7 (19 points)

LA Galaxy 1.55 5-4-2 (17 points)

Real Salt Lake 1.54 6-5-2 (20 points)

Seattle Sounders FC 1.50 4-3-3 (15 points)

On a Run: Unbeaten Streak Nearing Club Record

Sounders FC has been among the league's hottest teams over the past two months. With Saturday's win over FC Dallas, Seattle extended its unbeaten streak to six games (4-0-2) and has won three straight league matches for the first time in over one year. The three-game winning streak is currently best in MLS, and the six-game unbeaten run is tied with New York (5-0-1) for the second-best active streak, four short of Portland's 10-match streak (4-0-6). Only two teams (Portland and Dallas) have had longer unbeaten streaks this season, and it's the ninth time in club history that Seattle has gone undefeated in six or more consecutive matches.

Longest Unbeaten Streaks in Club History

Date GP Record

May 28-July 16, 2011 9 6-0-3

July 11-Aug. 28, 2010 7 5-0-2

April 13-current 6 4-0-2

June 30-Aug. 5, 2012 6 3-0-3

April 7-May 9, 2012 6 5-0-1

March 25-April 30, 2011 6 3-0-3

Sept. 9-Oct. 15, 2010 6 5-0-1

June 13-July 25, 2009 6 3-0-3

April 25-May 30, 2009 6 1-0-5

Longest Winning Streaks in Club History (single season)

Date GP

April 14-May 9, 2012 5

Sept. 18-Oct. 15, 2010 5

July 15-August 8, 2010 4

May 8-current 3

Sept. 17-Oct. 1, 2011 3

Oct. 3-Oct. 24, 2009 3

March 19-April 4, 2009 3

Four Scores: Back-to-Back Four-Goal Games

For the first time in club history, Sounders FC scored four goals in consecutive matches. The eight-goal output over a two-game span matches the club record set last season when Seattle scored twice versus Vancouver (August 18) followed by six goals at Chivas USA (August 25). The team record over a three-game period is 10 goals (August 27-Sept. 17, 2011), which Seattle could match on Sunday with two tallies versus the LA Galaxy. Over the past two weeks, Seattle has converted eight of their 17 shots on goal for a scoring rate of 47-percent. Sounders FC has now scored at least one goal five straight matches, including three multi-goal games.

Four-plus Goals in Team History

Date Result Scoring Summary

May 18, 2013 W, 4-2 vs. Dallas Johnson (16, 62), Neagle (30), Martins (83)

May 11, 2013 W, 4-0 vs. San Jose Neagle (28, 54), Rosales (46+), Martins (93+)

Aug. 25, 2012 W, 6-2 at Chivas USA Evans (10), Montero (27, 34, 67), Ochoa (80), Own Goal (91+)

Aug. 5, 2012 W, 4-0 vs. LA Galaxy Johnson (6), Montero (52), Caskey (61), Rose (88)

Aug. 27, 2011 W, 6-2 vs. Columbus Neagle (4, 21, 70), Rosales (16), Fucito (40), Own Goal (74)

July 16, 2011 W, 4-3 vs. Colorado Fernandez (7), Levesque (48), Montero (82), Rosales (84)

June 23, 2011 W, 4-2 vs. New York Friberg (11), Alonso (12), Levesque (67, 78)

Sept. 18, 2010 W, 4-0 at Columbus Nkufo (4, 39, 75), Sturgis (42)

Most Goals over Three-Game Span

Goals Date Record

10 Aug. 27-Sept. 17, 2011 2-1-0

9 May 8-May 18, 2013 3-0-0

9 Aug. 11-Aug. 25, 2012 2-1-0

9 Aug. 25-Sept. 8, 2012 2-0-1

8 Seven Times N/A

Looking Forward: Seattle Strikers Keep Scoring

The recent scoring outburst can be largely attributed to Seattle's three forwards: Eddie Johnson, Obafemi Martins and Lamar Neagle. The trio of strikers have accounted for 10 of Seattle's 14 goals this season, and Johnson leads the team with four tallies while Neagle and Martins are second with three goals. The goals have come in a variety of ways - seven right-footed, two left-footed and one header - and across a range of times - six goals in the first half and four in the second. Seattle's three forwards have scored more goals than three teams.

Eddie Johnson

Just days after Jurgen Klinsmann called in Eddie Johnson for three upcoming World Cup Qualifiers, the U.S. striker earned MLS Player of the Week honors for the third time in his Seattle career. Johnson's two-goal effort was the ninth multi-goal game of his MLS career, and first since September 8, 2012. He leads the team with four league goals and five goals across all competitions, and is now 24th on the all-time scoring list with 59 career MLS goals. Johnson surpassed Steve Zakuani on Seattle's all-time scoring list with 18 goals - the second-most in club history. He is also the fastest to score 18 goals for Sounders FC, doing so in just 35 games, shattering Fredy Montero's mark (43 games). Sounders FC is now 9-2-4 when Johnson scores, and the team hasn't lost in the last 10 matches when he has scored.

Lamar Neagle

Lamar Neagle is quickly becoming one of Seattle's most consistent goal scorers. With three goals in 448 minutes, Neagle ranks 10th in MLS with 0.60 goals per 90 minutes. He now has 10 career goals, and last week marked the first time he scored in back-to-back games. All 10 of his career goals were scored in wins.

Obafemi Martins

Obafemi Martins is lethal in the box, scoring insurance goals in consecutive games to seal the victory for Sounders FC. Seattle's Nigerian striker leads MLS with 1.32 goals per 90 minutes, and his 50-percent scoring rate ranks second. Martins' three goals in his first 205 minutes ranks second in club history, 39 minutes behind Fredy Montero's record-setting pace. Martins and Montero are the only Sounders FC players to register three goals in their first five matches.

Quick Response: How the Game was Won

The Sounders FC faithful endured a rollercoaster of emotions during Saturday's win. After Eddie Johnson and Lamar Neagle staked the Rave Green to a 2-nil halftime lead, Dallas' Michel pulled his club level by the hour mark. Despite conceding the leveler, Seattle responded within 23 seconds of the restart with Johnson's game-winner.

Seattle has a habit of responding quickly. In the 2-2 draw at Philadelphia on May 4, Mauro Rosales leveled the match just 13 minutes after the Union took the lead. In 2012, Sounders FC scored nine goals within 15 minutes of an opponent goal, including seven goals within 10 minutes and four goals within five minutes. Of those nine goals, four were equalizers

Timeline of Saturday's Game-winner

60:08 - Michel scores Olimpico to level match at 2-2

60:48 - Seattle restarts match with kickoff

61:11 - Eddie Johnson scores game-winner

Holding it Down: Carrasco and Joseph in the Middle

When Osvaldo Alonso left the game with a groin injury in the 31st minute, head coach Sigi Schmid had the luxury to call upon four-time MLS Best XI midfielder Shalrie Joseph. In his 60 minutes of action, Joseph completed 45 of 53 passes and had four interceptions, three clearances, and 11 recoveries. His partner in the middle, Servando Carrasco, was equally impressive, completing 40 of 48 passes with five tackles won, three interceptions, and eight recoveries. Carrasco has now made his fourth straight start for the first time in his professional career, helping Sounders FC to a 3-0-1 record with an 11-4 goal advantage. During that stretch, Carrasco has completed 76.6% of his passes (131 of 171) with 14 tackles won, 11 interceptions, nine clearances and 26 recoveries.

No Loss: Playing from a Winning Position

Sounders FC is at its best when playing with a lead, as evidenced by the team's league-record 37 games (29-0-8) unbeaten streak when scoring first. Throughout the first 10 matches of the league campaign, Sounders FC has trailed for just 182 minutes, meaning the team has played from in front or level for 718 minutes. Seattle's three losses ranks fourth-fewest in MLS behind Portland (one), Dallas (two) and Montreal (two).

Sunday on ESPN2

Sunday's match against the LA Galaxy will mark two firsts for Sounders FC this season. The match is the team's first Sunday game of the season, and five more are on Seattle's schedule. Overall, Seattle is 6-6-5 in regular-season games on Sunday, but have not yet won a Sunday road match (0-6-3). The match will also mark the team's first ESPN game of the season, and seventh including CONCACAF Champions League and Desert Diamond Cup. Sounders FC will play 13 regular-season matches on national television this season, including eight of the final nine games.

On ESPN Network

GP Record (GF/GA)Home Record Road Record (GF/GA)

17 7-5-5 (29/19) 6-2-3 (22/9) 1-3-2 (7/10)

On Sunday

GP Record (GF/GA)Home Record Road Record (GF/GA)

17 6-6-5 (26/23) 6-0-2 (19/4) 0-6-3 (7/19)

Busy Week Ahead: Three Games in Seven Days

Seattle is facing three games in seven days next week, beginning Sunday night in Los Angeles. Following the Galaxy match, Seattle will play a midweek U.S. Open Cup game either in Tukwila, Wash., or Tampa, Fla, before returning to Southern California to take on Chivas on Saturday, June 1. Sounders FC recently underwent three games in an eight-day stretch, securing seven of the possible nine points and outscoring its opponents seven to two. In league play, Sounders FC has played three games in eight or fewer days 10 times, going 14-7-8 with a plus-11 goal differential.

Los Angeles Series Notes

The LA Galaxy lead the all-time series at 4-3-2, but the two clubs are even in goals scored at 10-10. Seattle went 2-1-0 against the Galaxy in 2012, including 2-0 and 4-0 home wins before falling, 1-0, in the regular-season finale on the road. Los Angeles defeated Seattle, 4-2, in the 2012 Western Conference Championship as Sounders FC could not overcome a 3-nil first leg loss. Juninho leads all active players with two goals in the series, while Landon Donovan leads the Galaxy with four assists and Mauro Rosales leads Seattle with three assists.

About LA

The Galaxy (5-4-2, 17 points) sit fourth in the Western Conference, seven points behind league-leading FC Dallas. Their plus-seven goal differential leads the league, but LA earned a result just once (1-3-0) in the month of May. The Galaxy have gone 3-1-1 at home this season and have allowed just two goals in five games, but lost in their last home match, 1-0, to the Houston Dynamo on May 5. Coach Bruce Arena's club currently ranks in the league's top 10 in goals (17/T-4th), assists (17/T-5th), shots (151/10th), shots on goal (52/9th) and corner kicks (79/2nd). The two-time defending MLS Cup Champions lead MLS with 245 points (70-34-35) since the beginning of the 2009 season and are one of three teams (Seattle and Salt Lake) to qualify for the playoffs the past four seasons.

Galaxy Notables

The Galaxy have been led this season by Mike Magee, who is tied for second in MLS with six goals but has been held scoreless since April 27. Irish forward Robbie Keane has been one of the most dangerous attackers in MLS since entering the league late in the 2011 season. The 32-year-old has two goals and three assists this season after notching 16 goals and nine assists in 2012. Landon Donovan, who ranks in the top five all-time with 126 goals (3rd) and 111 assists (4th), has two goals and three assists since making his 2013 debut on March 30. The American international recently scored a goal and had two assists in a 4-1 win over Philadelphia on May 15. Omar Gonzalez, the 2011 MLS Defender of the Year, anchors a back line that has allowed just 10 goals this season (tied-third in MLS). The 24-year-old has played every minute of his 10 starts and recorded an assist in the season opener. Newcomer Carlo Cudicini starts in goal and is tied-fifth with a 1.00 goals against average with three shutouts.

SEA/LA Connections

Several Seattle and Los Angeles players attended UCLA together. David Estrada (2006-09) and Andy Rose (2008-11) played with the Galaxy's Brian Perk (2006-09), Brian Rowe (2007-11) and Michael Stephens (2006-09) at UCLA. Perk also played in the USL-PDL for the Seattle Wolves in 2009. Servando Carrasco (San Diego), Estrada (Salinas), Brad Evans (UC Irvine), Patrick Ianni (Lodi) and Sammy Ochoa (Riverside) have ties to Southern California. Marc Burch was selected in the second round (24th overall) of the 2006 MLS SuperDraft by the Galaxy. He made three appearances before joining Columbus in July. Burch and AJ DeLaGarza won the NCAA College Cup with Maryland in 2005.

Coaches Connections

Sounders FC Head Coach Sigi Schmid began his MLS coaching career with Los Angeles in 1999, serving as head coach of the Galaxy for six seasons (1999-2004). Schmid won four major competitions, including the 2002 MLS Cup, and he was voted MLS Coach of the Year in his first season. Assistant coach Ezra Hendrickson played for Schmid's 2002 MLS Cup champion Galaxy team. Schmid also spent two decades coaching at UCLA, where he won three College Cups.

The Galaxy's Bruce Arena served as coach for the University of Puget Sound in 1976 and previously played for the Tacoma Tides of the American Soccer League. As U.S. Men's national Team coach he returned to Seattle to coach four games between 2002-05. Schmid (176 wins) and Arena (149) are the top two all-time leaders in regular-season wins.

Open Cup Update: Sounders FC Await Opponent, U-23s Play Tuesday

Sounders FC will begin its run at a fourth Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championship on May 29 with a third-round match against the winner of the Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL) at VSI Tampa Bay (USL-PRO) match.

Sounders FC would either visit the Tampa Bay Rowdies at 4:30 p.m. PT at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, Fla., or host VSI Tampa Bay at 7 p.m. PT at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila, Wash.

The Tampa Bay Rowdies visit VSI Tampa Bay on Tuesday, May 21 at 4 p.m. PT at Plant City Stadium in Plant City, Fla. The Rowdies received a first-round bye while VSI ousted the Orlando City U23s in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw on May 14.

The Sounders U-23 team is making its first-ever appearance in the U.S. Open Cup and won its opening match last Tuesday over Doxa Italia, 5-0. The Sounders U-23s will now visit the Charlotte Eagles of USL-Pro at the Queens University of Charlotte Sports Complex on Tuesday.

The Sounders U23's clinched a berth in the 100th edition of the knockout tournament by winning the 2012 PDL Northwest Division championship, Western Conference championship, and advancing to the PDL National Final Four.

The fourth round of the tournament is scheduled for June 12.

Geno Earns Player of the Round

Seattle Sounders U-23 forward David Geno of East Tennessee State University earned Player of the Round honors for the first round of the 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. His four-goal performance last Tuesday was the first by a player from an amateur level team in the Modern Professional Era (1995-present).

Academy Abroad: Morris and Markey Join Youth National Teams

Sounders FC Academy players Jordan Morris and Jalen Markey will join U.S. youth national teams for upcoming international tournaments in France and Portugal, respectively.

Jordan Morris

Jordan Morris, an 18-year-old forward for the Sounders FC Academy U-18 team, will join the U.S. U-20 team for the 2013 Toulon Tournament from May 28-June 8 in Toulon, France. Morris is one of three current registered Academy players on the roster.

The 2012 Gatorade Washington State Player of the Year and Stanford University commit, Morris earned his first call-up on April 22 for training camp in Carson, Calif. With two games remaining in the 2012-13 USSDA Academy Season, Morris ranks second in the country with 24 goals scored to go along with 13 assists.

The tournament is the USA's final game preparation for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which runs June 21-July 13 in Turkey. The 41st edition of the Toulon Tournament features 10 countries placed in two five-team groups. The USA is in Group A with Colombia, Congo DR, South Korea and host France. Group B includes Belgium, Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria and Portugal.

The U.S. opens the tournament against France on Tuesday, May 28, at Stade Léo-Lagrange in Toulon. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. local (1:30 p.m. ET). The group stage features four games, after which the group winners face each other in the championship match and the group runners-up meet in the third-place game. Both matches take place on Saturday, June 8.

The USA's U-20 World Cup games will be broadcast on ESPN Networks. Fans can also follow the action on ussoccer.com's Match Tracker and on Twitter @ussoccer_ynt .

Jalen Markey

Jalen Markey, an 18-year-old defender for the Sounders FC Academy U-18 team, will join the Under-18 U.S. Men's National Team on a 10-day trip to Portugal that will feature three matches in the 19th Annual International Juniors Tournament. The U.S. will face Czech Republic on Tuesday May 21, Portugal on Thursday May 23 and Hungary on Saturday May 25.

U-18 Men's National Team head coach Javier Perez has called in a 20-player roster to make the trip to Portugal. This is the first time the U-18s will convene since another 10-day trip that featured three matches in France and Romania, on March 15-25. Of the 20 players called in for the trip 17 have Development Academy ties and 10 were on the roster for the trip in March.

Throw-ins

Dylan Remick turned 22 on May 19. Shalrie Joseph will celebrate his 35th birthday on May 24...The referee for Sunday's match is Baldomero Toledo with assistants Ian Anderson and Baboucarr Jallow, and fourth official Alejandro Mariscal...Eddie Johnson is the only Sounders FC player will multiple yellow cards (three)... Microsoft Corp. and Major League Soccer announced a multiyear agreement to work together to bring MLS fans the best and fastest soccer content through the power of Windows 8. The improved app for Windows 8 will feature exclusive content and this season's schedule, standings, highlights, play-by-play, roster lineups, game stats, goals, cards and substitutions. In addition, with the Windows 8 live tiles, fans will be able to customize their experiences to focus on their favorite club news. Throughout the course of the agreement, Windows 8 and MLS will continue to innovate to create cutting-edge digital experiences for soccer fans. Fans can also look forward to trying the in-stadium Microsoft Surface tablet at more than 40 games throughout the season.


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