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Sounders Complete Exhibition Weekend Sweep Beating Hispanic All-Stars 4-2

March 30, 2008 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Seattle Sounders News Release


(BOTHELL, WA) -- On Saturday, Sebastian LeToux jumped right back into his scoring groove with the Seattle Sounders.

On Sunday, it was Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar's turn.

Alcaraz-Cuellar, scored one goal and set up two others as Seattle completed a sweep of its weekend exhibition games, defeating the Hispanic All-Stars for the Comcast Cup at Pop Keeney Stadium in Bothell, 4-2.

Last season, his first with the Sounders after leaving the Portland Timbers, Alcaraz-Cueller delivered four goals and nine assists in 27 games.

LeToux did not play against the All-Stars after a two-goal, one-assist performance in Saturday's 4-0 shutout of Gonzaga University.

Jamie Watson, Zach Scott and Jason Casio scored the other goals on Sunday for the Sounders, who are now 2-1-0 in exhibition play.

Seattle heads back to training camp this week before another back-to-back exhibition weekend. The Sounders take on a pair of local NCAA Division II powers, meeting Seattle Pacific University on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Lake Stevens High School, then facing Seattle University at 6 p.m. next Sunday at Goddard Stadium on the campus of Mariner High School in Mukilteo.

The first half against the All-Stars was evenly played and moved quickly up and down the field. The Sounders had a 2-1 lead at halftime, then broke it open with two goals during a five-minute span midway through the second half.

Seattle took a 1-0 lead on its only goal of the day in which Alcaraz-Cuellar did not play a role. On a breakaway downfield, Colin Rigby fired a long, hard through ball toward the penalty area. Watson and Hispanic All-Stars goalkeeper Edgardo Gonzales pursued it from opposite ends. The ball got past Gonazlez, leaving Watson a wide-open net to tuck it into midway through the eighth minute.

But the Sounders' lead didn't even last a full minute. On the ensuing kickoff, the ball was worked toward the Seattle end, and Julio Reyes wound up with in just inside the top corner of the penalty area on the left-wing side. He let fly with a shot that sailed past Sounders goalkeeper Ben Dragavon into the back right corner for a 1-1 tie.

Alcaraz-Cuellar helped put Seattle back in front for good at the 24:11 mark. He floated a free kick from 30 yards away on the right side toward the far post, where Zach Scot was waiting to head it into the left side of the net.

The Sounders had a chance to make it 3-1 just before the whistle for halftime. A hand ball in the box gave Craig Tomlinson a penalty kick, but Gonzalez dove to his right to make the save. Watson had a shot at the loose ball on the rebound, but Gonzalez blocked that one, as well, to end the first half.

Late in the 58th minute, it was another Alcaraz-Cuellar free kick, another header, and another goal. This time, it was Jason Casio on the finishing end for a 3-1 advantage. Then, not quite five minutes later, Alcaraz-Cueller got a pass at the top of the box to the left of the arc and drilled it into the lower left corner, making it 4-1.

The All-Stars closed to 4-2 with 5 ½ minutes to play when Dragavon came out to play a 30-yard shot by Jose Chavez. But Dragavon slipped on the slick turf, and Chavez' shot went over him and bounced into the open net.

The Sounders outshot the Hispanic All-Stars, 21-12, including 10-5 during the second half.

Seattle, coming off its fourth league championship, opens USL First Division play on April 19 at Charleston. The first three games of the regular season are on the road (at Charleston, April 26 at Portland, and May 2 at Atlanta) before the Sounders play their home opener on May 10 against Portland at Qwest Field.

That will be Seattle's only game at Qwest this season before the rest of the home schedule shifts to Starfire.

Information on season tickets, other ticket packages and individual game tickets is available by contacting the Sounders at (206) 622-3415, or by going online to www.seattlesounders.net.

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