MLS Seattle Sounders FC

Seattle Sounders FC Comes Back for 2-1 Win, Eliminates Dallas

Published on October 25, 2009 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Seattle Sounders FC News Release


SEATTLE- Brad Evans scored the game winning goal in the 84th minute as the Seattle Sounders FC capped the regular season with a 2-1 comeback win over FC Dallas on Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field on Saturday night.

The victory assured Seattle (12-7-11) of at least third place in the MLS Western Conference. The loss snapped a four-game win streak and eliminated Dallas (11-13-6) from playoff contention.

It was the first win at home since July and earned Sounders FC 47 points. The LA Galaxy (48 points) clinched the West by beating San Jose, 2-0. The outcome of Sunday's game between Houston and Chivas USA will determine the final seeding in the West semifinals. Sigi Schmid earned his 125th career win, lifting him to the MLS career lead over Bob Bradley. Freddie Ljungberg assisted on two goals for the second consecutive game. He found Evans running to the near post for the finish past FC Dallas goalkeeper Dario Sala. Seattle had pulled level at 1-1 in the 61st minute. Nate Jaqua scored his second goal in as many games from a double assist when Fredy Montero found the end of a Ljungberg cross and re-directed the ball into the goal box for Jaqua's equalizer. FC Dallas opened the scoring in the 15th minute when midfielder Atiba Harris found space at the top of the box to rip a shot into the left side netting past goalkeeper Kasey Keller. The Sounders FC is the first expansion team to qualify for playoffs in 11 years and third altogether alongside Chicago and Miami of 1998. Tonight's attendance of 33,108 set a Sounders FC all-time single match attendance record for league play and a MLS record for highest average attendance per game at 30,943. MLS Cup playoff pairings will be determined following the completion of regular season play on Sunday but Seattle will host a Western Conference semifinal series match that will occur October 29th through November 1st at Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field.

Seattle Sounders Head Coach Sigi Schmid

Opening Statement:

"It was just tremendous to score goals at home again. It's been awhile since we've scored goals at home so it was great to hear the crowd erupt and allow them to let out all their passion and yell their lungs free. Overall it marks the regular season, no matter what happens tomorrow we're going to end up in the top-four in terms of points for our first season and when you look at a whole league of 15 teams and you look at an expansion team and you say you're going to finish in the top four in points, I think that's a pretty dang good accomplishment. It's a tribute to the players and the team because they've had the character and the spirit all year and today coming back from a goal down shows that again."

On whether a loss or draw would have felt like a wrong ending with this game being about the fans:

"We talked about that. We started the season on a really good note and we wanted to finish the season on a really good note. So at the beginning of the season we were able to put away a team early and run away with it. Today we had to show that we can come back a little bit. It puts fitting book ends to the regular season but we've still got more to go."

"A lot of times this season, for a new team every one of these experiences is important so being able to go into Kansas City and play away from home, go up, go down, then come back and win builds a little bit of character. Being able to come home, take in a goal where we probably had a little more of the game in the first half than they had, and still be down 1-0 it takes the air out of you a little bit but we showed character to come back and that's another learning experience. You're able to rely on those and you're able to remember those as you think about and you go into the playoffs. When those situations occur there, you know that you can accomplish then. You can come from behind on the road, you know you can come from behind at home and you feel confident that you're confident that you're going to get the goals when you need them."

On whether fans should be concerned about who they'll get in the playoffs?

"No, for me the only important thing is that we're in the playoffs. I never concern myself with who we're going to play. Once I know you we're going to play obviously we'll prepare for them tactically, but it's never where I'll say I'd rather play this team or that team because I learned a long time ago - I did that once and sure enough we played the team I didn't want to play and got knocked off in the first round of the playoffs. I learned that a long time ago at UCLA and haven't done it since."

On style of play in the playoffs:

"Teams certainly have played very defensive against us at times here and we knew this game was going to be a little more open because of the result that they needed. It's the playoffs and the first game of the playoffs and right now we're not sure if we're home or away in that game. The first game of the playoffs is usually of a tighter affair because it's like the first half and no team wants to give away too much. So we'll have to see how that works. If we're home in that first game we'll have to press the issue a little bit and if we're on the road then maybe we'll be looking to counter attack, it all depends on how it works out at the end."

On ending on a winning note:

"It feels great and it's definitely a big plus that it happened. I'm not a guy who says, hey, was it definitely needed if we hadn't gotten the result today, would it have shattered people, no. Everything for us is like a speed bump on the road, nothings going to be detour in terms what we're trying to achieve and getting to the goal of trying to win MLS Cup. Being able to score some goals at home was really refreshing for our team, I think they feel good about that, doing it in this particular game, coming from behind, all those are real positives that we can build on."

On being honored as the winningest MLS coach:

"It means I've been around a long time and I'm old. I said to someone earlier in the week, when I got into coaching originally back at UCLA, I'm going to do it but I've got to be successful or else I'll go back to being an accountant. It worked out, I was successful and we won a championship. When I got into the MLS, it was like I didn't want to be a .500 coach in this league, I wanted to be one of the better coaches in this league. If I was going to be a .500 coach, after a couple years I probably would have gone back to college. That's my drive and hopefully that drive conveys itself to the players. There's been a lot of good coaches in this league and to have won more games than any of them fills me with a lot of humbleness and also a lot of honor and pride to know that I was able to accomplish that. As I said, my favorite record is most wins in the playoffs and that's the one I want to build on."

Reflection on the season and fan reaction:

"It's been beyond anyone's wildest dreams. I think everybody talked it might be like this, it could be like this, we think it's going to be good and it's going to be received. But you guys have been here all season as well. It's beyond anyone's wildest dreams. The fans continuing to come out game after game, the support that we've gotten from the city, the love that they've showered upon our team and the organization, and hopefully what we've returned to them as well. We just want to have this continue. I don't want to wake up, if this is a dream I want to stay asleep."

On season's high points and low points:

"The low point was definitely the loss in San Jose, the 4-0 loss in San Jose. I don't like losing games like that. That was just a game where everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. High points have been many. The ability to come back in Chicago, make that 1-1, what I always call those are defining moments that start to build the character of your team. It really started with the opening game, winning 3-0 at home was a huge high point. Going out on our first road game and winning at Toronto, the second best attended team in the league. The comeback in Chicago was something that I'll remember was a big high point. Going into Houston and coming out with a draw in a very difficult place to play was another high point, another character building thing for our team. This isn't even a league game but going into Portland, and winning in Portland was a very emotional game. Winning the Open Cup as well. Winning in Kansas City as well to wrap it up. And then the game tonight. All of those have been character building things where we've done it different ways. It's been great."

Nate Jaqua - Sounders FC Forward On scoring a goal . . . "It was a great ball by Freddie [Ljungberg] on the cross and I just ran in the box, right place at the right time. But Freddie [Ljungberg] played a great ball back across." On going into the playoffs . . . "I think we are comfortable with whoever we play. We are playing well. It was good to get that win. Going into the playoffs, I think we have a lot of confidence right now. I think we are ready for it. Whoever it is, we will prepare for them." On breaking home scoreless streak . . . "It was definitely good to get on the board here at home. We were confident. We knew that, regardless of this outcome, we were still playing well and creating chances. We just weren't touching the back of the net but eventually that is going to happen."

Freddie Ljungberg - Sounders FC Midfielder On his two assists . . . "On the first one, I think I got it from [Steve] Zakuani and I kept it a little bit so that he [FC Dallas defender] would come up towards me and then I just chipped back on the back post where I know a player should come. [Fredy] Montero came there and he found [Nate] Jaqua for the open net. The second one, they say that that defender is one of the quickest in the league, so when I was taking him on I knew it was him. At the same time, I was still in great form so I crossed it in and Brad [Evans] was there to hit it in. I think we could've scored some other goals maybe as well. But it was a great game." On playing for MLS expansion team . . . "We are a new franchise and when you look at the history normally they get blasted every game and fans don't really enjoy it that much because they lose all the time. I think we changed that history and we are doing well. We won the [U.S. Open] Cup in Washington D.C. Now we will just go on. That's the good thing about this team. We are not really celebrating here today. We are taking it easy and we want to win the big thing." On next season . . . "We will see what happens. A bunch of fans have been on me and want me to stay for longer. That is of course very flattering."

Kasey Keller - Sounders FC Goalkeeper On tonight's match . . . "Now we can concentrate on the playoffs and we will know tomorrow who we play. We don't fear anybody. We are very confident against whoever we play. It's just so nice to get that monkey off of our back, the home goal drought and results. I'm just very proud of the way we kept battling. We felt confident after halftime and we said that we can win this thing. And we did exactly that."

Schellas Hyndman- FC Dallas Head Coach

On his emotions after losing the lead in tonight's game... "It is a difficult environment; Seattle has done a great job here. The fans are very supportive and very knowledgeable. We played in an environment that the field turf was wet and pretty good, aggressive team. You put all that together and it was a difficult night. We had a one-nil lead till about the 61 minute and gave up the goal. The second goal was similar circumstance."

On playing well to finish the season... "We had a rough start, but we ended up playing as well as anyone in the league at the end. This was one of those games were we never really had a chance to get our rhythm into the game. The is our own fault and we have to get it right for the future."

On Jeff Cunningham possibly winning the Golden Boot Award... "He had a fantastic season, my hats off to Jeff. He came on and scored a lot of big goals for us in this run we have had. It is unfortunate; I don't even know that he got a shot off tonight. He was marked pretty well, tremendous accomplishment if he does end up with the award."

On having control of the game being up 1-0... "No, no, I knew it was a game that was going to change any moment. A game like this change so quickly with a player slipping through, cross, injury, or a referee decision. The Sounders crossed a lot of ball through towards [Nate] Jaqua and we were a little afraid of that happening. It was strange that [Fredy] Montero ended up knocking it across. I thought throughout the game that it was going to be difficult to hold that one-nil lead."

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Major League Soccer Stories from October 25, 2009


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