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Sounders Face The Whitecaps In Regular Season Finale At Starfire

September 18, 2008 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Seattle Sounders News Release


(Seattle, Wa)- The Seattle Sounders (10-9-10) face the rival Vancouver Whitecaps (14-7-8) in the 2008 USL-1 regular season finale on Saturday, September 20. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. PT.

In what is potentially the final meeting in the storied rivalry, playoff positioning is on the line for Seattle as they can finish as high as third in the league table with a win, or as low as sixth with a loss or tie.

Seattle guaranteed itself at least a sixth seed at Starfire last Saturday with a 1-1 draw versus the Atlanta Silverbacks. Seattle's goal came in the 38th minute when Kenji Treschuk broke through the Silverbacks backline and sent a low cross to Sebastien Le Toux, who delivered a strike past Felipe Quintero-Monsivais. Treschuk's play earned him USL-1 Team of the Week honors, his second selection of the year.

It's feasible for the Sounders to finish third, but with tie-breaker rules they'll need a win to do so. Tie-breakers are determined by, in order of importance: 1. Head-to-head record based on total points in league games; 2. Total wins in league games; 3. Goal difference in league games. Seattle is currently tied with the Charleston Battery for fifth with 40 points. The Battery wraps up their season Friday against Carolina. The Montreal Impact and Rochester Rhinos are just one point ahead with 41. Montreal has two left (Minnesota, Puerto Rico), and Rochester finished their regular season Wednesday with in a 1-0 loss to Miami. All three teams hold the tie-breaker over Seattle, so the Sounders must end with more total points to improve their standing.

But with all the possible scenarios in the air, the Sounders aren't as concerned with the standings as much as they are putting together a quality performance heading into the playoffs.

"The importance of the game for us is not where we end up in the standings six or three, four, or five, we need to play well for our own confidence," Coach Schmetzer said. "We didn't have a good performance against Montreal, we were so-so against Atlanta, so it has to be a good performance so we can get some momentum heading into the playoffs."

The two teams last met on August 20 at Starfire. Despite a combined 33 shots, neither team could find the scoring touch and ended in a 0-0 draw. On May 23, the Sounders shut-out the Whitecaps in the Sounders last-ever USL-1 regular season visit to Vancouver. Two goals inside the first seven minutes by Josh Gardner and Sebastien Le Toux gave Seattle a 2-0 victory.

Last season, the two clubs split, with Vancouver defeating the Sounders 3-1 at Qwest Field on May 12, and Seattle winning 1-0 on July 12 at Swangard Stadium.

PLAYOFF OUTLOOK

Berth 1 - Vancouver Whitecaps clinched playoff berth August 29.

Berth 2 - Puerto Rico Islanders clinched playoff berth August 29.

Berth 3 - The Rochester Rhinos clinched a playoff berth September 8.

Berth 4 - The Montreal Impact clinched a playoff berth September 10.

Berth 5 - The Charleston Battery clinched a playoff berth September 11.

Berth 6 - The Seattle Sounders clinched a playoff berth September 13.

Berth 7 - To be determined

* Regular Season Commissioner's Cup winner receives bye to Semifinals

RANKINGS REMAINING GAMES

1. Puerto Rico (52 points) Atlanta, @Montreal

2. Vancouver Whitecaps (50) @Seattle

3. Montreal Impact (41) @Minnesota, Puerto Rico

3. Rochester Rhinos (41)

5. Charleston Battery (40) Carolina

5. Seattle Sounders (40) Vancouver

7. Minnesota Thunder (36) Montreal

8. Atlanta Silverbacks (33) @Puerto Rico, @Miami

9. Portland Timbers (31) @Carolina

9. Carolina RailHawks (31) @Charleston, Portland

9. Miami FC Blues (31) Atlanta

Playing for the Commissioner's Cup are the Puerto Rico Islanders (52 points, games against Atlanta and Montreal) and Vancouver Whitecaps (50, at Seattle). Vancouver needs a win against Seattle on Saturday and two losses from Puerto Rico in their last two games to earn a first round playoff bye and automatic entry into the semifinals.

CASCADIA CUP

The Cascadia Cup will be on the line Saturday in a tiebreaker game for the northwest derby, now in its fifth year. Vancouver won the competition in 2004 and 2005 with Seattle hoisting the cup in 2006 and 2007. With one game remaining, the Sounders will have to beat Vancouver to win the cup for the third consecutive year as Vancouver is two points ahead (10) of them in the cup standings.

POSTER GIVEAWAY Saturday's match against the Whitecaps is Team Poster night at Starfire. Fans in attendance will receive a complimentary team poster at the main entrance as they enter the stadium. After the game, Sounders players will be available to sign posters on the main field at Starfire.

BUDWEISER BEER GARDEN The Budweiser beer garden will once again be open Saturday starting at 4:00 pm.

ARRIVE EARLY FOR SEASON'S FINAL GAME!

Don't miss your chance to see the Sounders USL-1 regular season finale and Cascadia Cup deciding match this Saturday at Starfire against the Vancouver Whitecaps! Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com. SEATING AT STARFIRE IS LIMITED AND ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS; ARRIVE EARLY AS LARGER CROWDS ARE EXPECTED FOR THESE HISTORIC MATCHES.



USL First Division Stories from September 18, 2008


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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