MLS Seattle Sounders FC

Sounders FC News & Notes

Published on April 20, 2009 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Seattle Sounders FC News Release


Anxious to regain the form of its first three games, the Seattle Sounders FC (3-2-0) returns home to face the San Jose Earthquakes (1-2-2) in an MLS Western Conference test Saturday night on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. PT.

The match will be aired live on KING 5 and News Talk 97.3 KIRO FM. Glen Davis will call the action with analysis from Greg Vanney. Calling the game in Spanish on Univision Seattle will be Jaime Mendez with analysis from Hugo Alcaraz-Cueller, and on 1210 AM Ke Buena will be Rene Aleman, Noe Menendez and Victor Hernandez.

The Sounders FC are second in the Western Conference but have lost two in a row since opening the inaugural season with three consecutive wins. The Earthquakes (1-2-2) are tied with Houston for fifth in the Western Conference with five points.

The three victories for Sounders FC is the second-highest total in MLS this season, behind only Chivas USA (4-0-1), and the nine points equals that of MLS East leader Chicago.

Seattle will have the backing of a fourth consecutive capacity crowd and goalkeeper Kasey Keller is expected to be back in the net after serving a one-game suspension for his April 11 red card.

Seattle's schedule is congested with multiple games next week. Sounders FC hosts Real Salt Lake in a U.S. Open Cup play-in game on Tuesday, April 28, at 7:00 p.m. PT at the Starfire Sports Complex, followed by a Saturday, May 2, visit to Chicago for resumption of MLS play.

While the San Jose, L.A. Galaxy (May 10) and Columbus Crew (May 30) games are sold out, there are tickets on sale for all remaining home dates. To purchase, call 1-877-MLS-GOAL or visit www.SoundersFC.com.

Upcoming Competition Schedule (All times Pacific)

Saturday, April 25, 7:30 p.m. - San Jose Earthquakes; Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field

Tuesday, April 28, 7:00 p.m. - Real Salt Lake (U.S. Open Cup); Starfire Sports Complex

Saturday, May 2, 5:30 p.m. - at Chicago Fire; Toyota Park, Bridgeview, Ill.

Sunday, May 10, 12:00 p.m. - Los Angeles Galaxy; Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field

Upcoming Training Schedule, April 21-27 (subject to change):

Tuesday, April 21 - Reserves vs. Univ. of Washington at Starfire Sports Complex, 1:15 p.m.

Wednesday, April 22 - Training at Starfire Sports Complex, 10 a.m.

Thursday, April 23 - Training on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field, 10 a.m.

Friday, April 24 - Training at Starfire Sports Complex, 10 a.m.

Sunday, April 26 - Training at Starfire Sports Complex, 10 a.m.

Monday, April 27 - Training at Starfire Sports Complex, 10 a.m.

Gold Cup Tickets on Sale

The two-time defending champion USA will play a first-round match of the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup on Saturday, July 4, on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field. The U.S. will face Grenada at 6 p.m. PT in the second match of the Gold Cup double header. The first match will feature Haiti and Honduras at 4 p.m. PT. For ticket purchases and information visit www.Ticketmaster.com, www.GoldCup.org and www.CopaOro.org.

Chelsea On-Sale Date Set

Tickets for the Sounders FC-Chelsea match on July 18 will go on sale May 11 at 10 a.m. PT. To purchase, call 1-877-MLS-GOAL or visit www.SoundersFC.com.

Chasing History

Despite the recent losses, Seattle's start equals the best in MLS expansion history. Miami also began 3-2-0 in 1998. Of the other five expansion teams, only Chicago managed two wins in its first five outings. The Fire won its first two before dropping five in a row.

Previous Expansion Starts

Team 5 Games 6 Games 1st Season Notes

Chicago Fire (1998): 2-3-0 2-4-0 Won MLS Cup, U.S. Open Cup

Miami Fusion (1998): 3-2-0 3-3-0 1st round playoffs

Real Salt Lake (2005): 1-2-2 1-3-2 Finished 5th, West

CD Chivas USA (2005): 0-4-1 1-4-1 Finished 6th, West

Toronto FC (2007): 1-4-0 2-4-0 Finished 7th, East

San Jose Earthquakes (2008): 1-3-1 1-4-1 Finished 7th, West

Seattle Sounders FC (2009): 3-2-0

Attendance Record

With a crowd in excess of 28,000 for the match against Kansas City, Sounders FC became the first franchise in MLS history to have 28,000 or more fans to three straight regular season home games. In 2007, Houston Dynamo had more than 30,000 for their final regular season game (vs. Los Angeles) and first two home playoff games.

Six Sellouts and Counting

Seattle has played to capacity crowds in each of its first three matches on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field. Nearly 90,000 fans have watched the first three home Sounders FC games. A throng of 32,523 had watched the inaugural home match versus New York, 28,548 attended the win over Real Salt Lake and 28,746 saw the match against Kansas City. Games against San Jose (Apr. 25), L.A. Galaxy (May 10) and Columbus Crew (May 30) are sold out. Stadium capacity for the remaining MLS matches is listed as 27,700.

Rivals from Days Ago

Seattle and San Jose are two clubs who share the same nickname of their NASL predecessors. The Sounders and Earthquakes were, at times, bitter rivals from 1974-83. Now they represent the two youngest franchises in MLS. The Earthquakes became the league's 14th team in 2008 and Sounders FC joined this season.

Seattle and San Jose/Golden Bay met 24 times in NASL outdoor games from 1974-83, including the Sounders' final game at Spartan Stadium. FC Seattle and San Jose met another 10 times from 1985-88, most notably in the 1988 Western Soccer League final won by Seattle, 5-0, at Memorial Stadium.

As for the USL-1 Sounders, the only competitive meetings came in U.S. Open Cup play in 2002 and 2003 (there were an additional five exhibitions, including one in 2008). An SRO Interbay Stadium crowd of 1,275 saw the Quakes win 4-3 on an overtime goal in the 109th minute. Seattle won, 1-0, a year later at the University of Washington, with Zach Scott playing for the Sounders.

And We Meet Again

Sounders FC suffered their first loss of the preseason against the San Jose Earthquakes, 3-2, on February 13 at Alex G. Spanos Stadium on the campus of Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo. Both teams' regular season leading scorers to date, Seattle's Fredy Montero (3) and San Jose's Ryan Johnson (2), made their presence felt in the match. Montero scored twice for Seattle, but San Jose got two from Johnson, and a third from Quincy Amarikwa to drop the Sounders FC, 3-2.

Expansion Experience

James Riley, the starting right back for Seattle, was selected by San Jose in the 2007 expansion draft following three years in New England. Sounders FC took him from the Earthquakes in the 2008 expansion draft. Riley played in 24 games, starting 23, for San Jose, which finished with the most wins (8) and points (33) by a first-year team in this decade.

Homecoming for Weaver

San Jose features a former USL-1 Sounders player and Kent, Wash. native in forward Cam Weaver. A member of Seattle University's NCAA Division II championship team in 2004, Weaver went on to become the 2006 USL-1 Rookie of the Year after scoring 18 goals for Seattle. He was acquired by Norway's FK Haugesund, where he played from 2007-08. San Jose signed Weaver on Feb. 5. He scored the game-winning goal and added an assist in the Earthquakes' only win, 3-2 over Houston on March 28.

Other Sounders FC/Earthquakes Connections

Earthquakes assistant coach Ian Russell is a West Seattle native, and former USL-1 Sounder who graduated to MLS and helped form the nucleus of two championship teams in San Jose from 2001-03. The former University of Washington standout played a total of six seasons in the league before retiring. In 2008 he returned to the Bay Area as an assistant on Frank Yallop's staff. Russell played for the USL-1 Sounders in 1998 and '99. He has 131 appearances for the Earthquakes from 2000-05, ranking No. 5.

Sounders FC forward Nate Jaqua and Earthquakes midfielder Kelly Gray played together at the University of Portland from 2000-01. Ironically, Jaqua was traded by the L.A. Galaxy to the Houston Dynamo on July 2, 2007, in exchange for Gray and a 2nd round pick in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft.

Sounders FC forward Roger Levesque started his professional career with San Jose before he joined the Sounders in the USL after several loan stints. Levesque played a total of four MLS games for the Quakes (2003-05). He was selected by San Jose with the 23rd overall pick in the 2003 MLS SuperDraft.

Sounders FC goalkeeper Kasey Keller played briefly with San Jose midfielder Darren Huckerby at Millwall in 1996.

Earthquakes defender Chris Leitch played under Sounders FC Coach Sigi Schmid in 2006 for Columbus, starting 18 of 24 appearances.

Keller's Scoreless Streak Nearing Record

Goalkeeper Kasey Keller currently has the second-longest streak of consecutive scoreless minutes to start a season (299 minutes). The record is 375 minutes by Ronald Waterreus in 2007 for New York. Waterreus did not earn a shutout in his second start, having only played 45 minutes.

Keller, the MLS Player of the Week for Week 2, is the only goalkeeper in MLS history to have three complete shutouts to start their MLS career. Keller has 11 saves on the season without conceding a goal.

Leaders of the Pack

Kasey Keller and Osvaldo Alonso remain as MLS leaders for goals-against average and assists, respectively. Keller (0.00) is the only keeper to have played more than 180 minutes without allowing a goal. Alonso (3) shares the assists lead with four other players, including San Jose's Chris Leitch. Fredy Montero is tied for fourth in goals (3) and shots (16).

Recap: Chivas USA 2, Sounders FC 0

In a matchup for the best record in the Western Conference, the Sounders FC could not convert a number of early chances into goals and then paid for some costly mistakes in a 2-0 road loss to Chivas USA. An own goal by James Riley in the first half was coupled with a late breakthrough by Chukwudi Chijindu in the 84th minute, sending Seattle to a second straight defeat.

Fredy Montero, Sebastien Le Toux and Brad Evans were each presented scoring opportunities, with Montero's perhaps the clearest in the 10th minute. He was freed by Freddie Ljungberg's ball between the Chivas USA central defense, however Montero's chip over Zach Thornton landed a few feet wide left of an empty net.

In the 42nd minute, Thornton denied Le Toux's point-blank, near-post header, and in the 56th minute Brad Evans ran onto a feed from Steve Zakuani only to have Thornton save his 8-yard poke at the left post. Sounders FC finished with an 11-6 edge in shots.

Creating Chances: 20 shots in last 2 games

Although silenced over the last 225 minutes, the Sounders FC attack is generating its share of scoring opportunities, launching 20 shots in the last two games.

Shape of Things to Come

Sigi Schmid went to his bench earlier than in previous games at Chivas USA. For the first time this season he made a halftime change, inserting Steve Zakuani for Sebastien Le Toux. He later brought on Sanna Nyassi in the 71st minute for James Riley. Other than the moves resulting from Kasey Keller's 29th minute ejection in Week 4, previously Schmid had held off until at least the 61st minute to make the first substitution.

Sigi's Final Countdown

Sigi Schmid is approaching the summit of two MLS coaching categories. The league's active leader in wins (116), Schmid is eight wins shy of Bob Bradley's MLS record 124 victories. New England's Steve Nicol is No. 2 among active coaches in wins (89) and No. 3 overall. Schmid (261) is 11 matches away from surpassing Bradley's MLS record of 272 career games coached.

More About Schmid

Schmid against San Jose is 10-6-4 (9-5-4 with L.A.; 1-1-0 with Columbus) in the regular season, and 1-2-0 (all with L.A.) in the playoffs.

About San Jose

This past weekend, Brazilian forward Pablo Campos scored his first career MLS goal to put the Earthquakes on top after just five minutes, but San Jose relinquished the lead and two points after the Galaxy's Bryan Jordan headed home the equalizer with 14 minutes remaining, giving the visitors a 1-1 draw and a share of the points.

San Jose is 1-2-2 in its first five matches this season. The Earthquakes lost to New England at home, 1-0 (March 21); defeated Houston at home, 3-2 (March 28); lost to Kansas City on the road, 2-0 (April 5); and drew with Chicago, 3-3 (April 18), and L.A., 1-1 (April 18).

Head coach Frank Yallop is in his seventh season in MLS, and has an overall record of 68-61-41. Yallop coached San Jose from 2001-03 before the Earthquakes move to Houston. From 2004-06, he was head coach of the Canadian National Team before returning to MLS in 2006 to coach L.A., where he spent two seasons before rejoining the expansion-side Earthquakes.

In its expansion season last year, San Jose finished 7th in the Western Conference with a record of 8-13-9. Goalkeeper Joe Cannon was fifth in the league with a 1.27 GAA.

Current Training Squad

The following players begin the week training in Seattle: Goalkeepers (4): Ben Dragavon*, Alec Dufty, Chris Eylander, Kasey Keller; Defenders (10): Evan Brown, Taylor Graham, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Patrick Ianni, Jared Karkas*, Tyrone Marshall, James Riley, Zach Scott, Nathan Sturgis, Tyson Wahl; Midfielders (8): Ely Allen*, Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans, Stephen King, Sebastien Le Toux, Freddie Ljungberg, Sanna Nyassi, Peter Vagenas; Forwards (6): Kevin Forrest, Nate Jaqua, Roger Levesque, Fredy Montero, Jarrod Smith+, Steve Zakuani.

+Injured reserve

*Invitee

Reserves Schedule (subject to change)

April 21 - vs. Univ. of Washington, at Starfire Sports Complex, 1:15 p.m.

May 5 - vs. Seattle Univ., at Starfire Sports Complex, 1:15 p.m.

May 11 - vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC (PDL), at Starfire Sports Complex, 12 noon

Note: All reserve team games are closed to the public

Check out the Seattle Sounders FC Statistics

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Major League Soccer Stories from April 20, 2009


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