Seattle Sounders Away Preview

May 11, 2007 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Seattle Sounders News Release


Vancouver Whitecaps FC men will aim to build on last weekend's road trip when they make the short trip to Seattle Sounders on Saturday.

Bob Lilley's side extended their unbeaten streak, which goes back to last season, to 13 games after claiming a draw and a victory from their visits to Rochester and Minnesota.

The Whitecaps returned to the scene of last season's USL-1 championship triumph in Rochester's PAETEC Park last Friday, and despite taking an early lead through Joey Gjertsen, Scott Palguta earned the Raging Rhinos a 1-1 result in their home opener. Lilley's side then moved west for a Sunday encounter with the struggling Minnesota Thunder, and despite the Thunder's Freddy Juarez cancelling out Jay Alberts' opening strike, a late headed goal by centre back Steve Klein earned the Whitecaps their first away win of the season with a 2-1 success.

It leaves the Whitecaps in a tie for first place in the USL-1 standings with Atlanta Silverbacks before their second meeting with the Sounders at Qwest Field. Vancouver have already had a close look at their Washington State neighbours, as an Eddy Sebrango strike gave the Whitecaps a 1-0 win over Seattle in last month's season opener at Swangard Stadium.

Lilley was pleased with last weekend's road trip, but he knows Saturday's game will be a major challenge. "We always feel we can go out and get a result every time we play," he told whitecapsfc.com. "We've been solid through the first four games of the season, but Seattle is a big game. They have added some players to their squad since the last time we played them, so it will be a huge test for us."

The April 21 defeat was the first of three away games for Brian Schmetzer's Sounders, who followed their trip to Vancouver with a 3-2 loss at Miami FC and a goalless draw at Puerto Rico Islanders. Despite the slow start, last Saturday's home opener brought better fortunes for Seattle, as they defeated Pacific Northwest rivals Portland Timbers 1-0 in front of a crowd of over 8,000 fans.

The coming weekend will be a challenging one for the Sounders, as they make a return trip to Portland to face the Timbers on Friday evening before hosting the Whitecaps on Saturday night.

Vancouver and Seattle will have another two more opportunities to lock horns before the regular season ends. The Whitecaps will make a second visit to Qwest Field on July 12 before hosting the Sounders again on July 27.

You can watch Saturday's game between the Whitecaps and Seattle live on USLlive.com or you can listen live on the TEAM 1040 radio and team1040.ca.



USL First Division Stories from May 11, 2007


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