MLS Seattle Sounders FC

Sounders FC News & Notes

Published on April 27, 2009 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Seattle Sounders FC News Release


Back on track following a home victory, the Seattle Sounders FC (4-2-0) plays twice in the next five days. Seattle hosts Real Salt Lake (3-2-0) in a U.S. Open Cup play-in game on Tuesday night, with the winner to face the Colorado Rapids for a berth in the tournament proper's Round of 16. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. PT at the Starfire Sports Stadium in Tukwila, Wash.

Major League Soccer play resumes Saturday night when Sounders FC visits the unbeaten Chicago Fire (2-0-4). That game begins at 5:30 p.m. PT at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill. It is the first of three road matches in the next four outings.

Saturday's action will be aired live on KONG 6/16 and News Talk 97.3 KIRO FM. Glenn Davis will call the action with analysis from Cliff McCrath. Calling the game in Spanish on THIS-TV (Comcast channel 114) 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 after blanking the San Jose Earthquakes, 2-0, snapping a two-game losing string.

Real Salt Lake is coming off a record 6-0 win over previously undefeated New England last Saturday. RSL has won three of four since opening the MLS with a 2-0 loss to Sounders FC on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field on March 28.

Chicago has yet to lose a match and is second in the Eastern Conference with 10 points, but with draws in its last three matches, is seeking its first win since April 5, at home against New York.

The four victories and 12 points for Sounders FC are the second-highest totals in MLS this season, behind only MLS West leader Chivas USA (5-1-1).

Tuesday's Open Cup play-in, and Seattle's next MLS home games through the June 28 game with Colorado are also sold out. There are tickets on sale for the other remaining home dates. To purchase, call 1-877-MLS-GOAL or visit www.SoundersFC.com.

Upcoming Competition Schedule (All times Pacific)

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

Saturday, May 16, 5:30 p.m. - at FC Dallas, Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, Tex.

Saturday, May 23, 6:30 p.m. - at Colorado Rapids, Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, Colo.

Upcoming Training Schedule, April 27-May 7 (subject to change):

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

Wednesday, April 29 - No Training

Thursday, April 30 - Training at Starfire Sports Complex, 10 a.m.

Friday, May 1 - Training at Starfire Sports Complex, 9 a.m.

Saturday, May 2 - Reserves Training at Starfire Sports Complex, 10 a.m.

Sunday, May 3 - No Training

Monday, May 4 - No Training

Tuesday, May 5 -Training at Starfire Sports Complex, 12 p.m.

Wednesday, May 6 -Training at Starfire Sports Complex, 10 a.m.

Thursday, May 7 - No Training

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

With four wins in the first six games, Seattle is off to the best start in MLS expansion history. Only Miami (3-3-0) in 1998 was at or above .500 at the same stage. Miami and Chicago are the only expansion teams to reach the playoffs, with the Fire winning both the MLS Cup and the U.S. Open Cup in its first season (1998).

Previous Expansion Starts

Team 6 Games 7 Games 1st Season Notes

Chicago Fire (1998): 2-4-0 2-5-0 20-12/MLS Cup, U.S. Open Cup

Miami Fusion (1998): 3-3-0 3-4-0 15-17/1st round playoffs

Real Salt Lake (2005): 1-3-2 2-3-2 5-22-5/5th, West

Chivas USA (2005): 1-4-1 1-5-1 4-22-6 /6th, West

Toronto FC (2007): 2-4-0 2-5-0 6-17-7/7th, East

San Jose Earthquakes (2008): 1-4-1 1-5-1 8-13-9/7th, West

Seattle Sounders FC (2009): 4-2-0

Attendance Record

With a crowd in excess of 28,000 for the match against San Jose, Sounders FC became the first franchise in MLS history to have 28,000 or more fans to four consecutive regular season or postseason 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 four matches on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field. More than 118,000 fans have watched the first four home Sounders FC games. A throng of 32,523 had watched the inaugural home match versus New York. The last three home games have also sold out: Real Salt Lake (28,548), Kansas City (28,746) and San Jose (28,838). Upcoming games against the L.A. Galaxy (May 10), Columbus Crew (May 30) San Jose (June 13), D.C. United (June 17) and Colorado Rapids (June 28) now are sold out. Stadium capacity for the remaining MLS matches is listed as 27,700. The average attendance through four home dates is 29,664.

U.S. Open Cup Play-In At A Glance

Via the play-in process, eight MLS teams are vying for two berths in the U.S. Open Cup's Round of 16. The Seattle-Real Salt Lake winner will face Colorado in May at a site to be determined for one of those slots.

D.C. United defeated FC Dallas, 2-0, in its first play-in on April 22, and now awaits the winner of the April 29 match between San Jose and New York.

The six clubs with the most points at the end of the 2008 MLS regular season (Columbus, Chicago, Houston, New England, Chivas USA, Kansas City), automatically earned a spot in the 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Sounders FC, RSL Meet Again

Sounders FC and Real Salt Lake first met on March 28, with Kasey Keller earning MLS Player of the Week honors for his role in the 2-0 win on Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field. In the 17th minute, Nate Jaqua scored his sixth goal in his last six career games against RSL, finishing a pass from Steve Zakuani. Fredy Montero added an insurance goal late in the second half and Keller made five saves, including a stop at the feet of RSL striker Yura Movsisyan in the 49th minute, to preserve a 1-0 lead. The visitors out-shot Seattle 10-4 in the second half, and also earned 10 corners after halftime.

A Trend Re-Developed

The Sounders FC win over San Jose last week resembled the form of the team's first three victories. All four wins have featured at least one first-half goal and a defensive clean sheet. Seattle was held scoreless in its two losses.

Keller, McBride on Opposite Sides

Saturday's game pits two longtime U.S. Men's National Team stalwarts-Seattle's Kasey Keller and Chicago's Brian McBride-against one another. A year ago, Keller and McBride were teammates at England's Fulham. After both played key roles in the Cottagers avoiding relegation, McBride signed with the Fire in July of 2008 and Keller signed for Sounders FC in August. Keller leads all USMNT keepers with 102 appearances, 53 wins and 47 shutouts. McBride earned 95 caps and his 30 goals ranks No. 3 in national team history. Keller leads MLS in goals-against average (0.00) while McBride is the scoring leader with five goals.

More Chicago-Sounders FC Connections

Midfielder Stephen King played for Fire during his MLS rookie season in 2008 and he was selected by Seattle in the expansion draft. Forward Nate Jaqua played his first four pro seasons in Chicago (2003-06).

Keller's Record Scoreless Streak

Goalkeeper Kasey Keller has set an MLS record for consecutive scoreless minutes to start a season (389 minutes). The old record was 375 minutes, set by Ronald Waterreus of New York in 2007. Keller, the MLS Player of the Week for Week 2, is also the only goalkeeper in league history to post three complete shutouts to start their MLS career. Keller has 16 saves on the season without conceding a goal.

Speaking of Streaks

Steve Zakuani's goal in the 42nd minute of last week's game ended a stretch of 267 minutes without a goal for Seattle. The Sounders FC defense had held the opposition scoreless for the first 350 minutes of the season. Both are the longest such streaks in MLS this season.

Leaders of the Pack

Kasey Keller is the MLS leaders for goals-against average. He is second in wins (4) and shutouts (4). Osvaldo Alonso is tied with five players for second in assists (3) and Alonso is tied with Colorado's Colin Clark for most game-winning assists (2). Fredy Montero is tied for the lead with two other players for most fouls suffered (16). Montero is tied for sixth in goals (3) and shots (18).

Seattle ranks No. 2 in scoring defense (0.50) behind Chivas USA and third in team scoring (1.50).

Jaqua at Toyota Park

It was Nate Jaqua who christened the nets at Toyota Park, scoring the first two goals for Chicago at its new home on June 11, 2006. Jaqua scored in the 39th and 79th minutes of a 3-3 draw with New England. Chicago had played its first nine games of 2006 on the road, then later hosted a nine-game home stand in Bridgeview. Jaqua had scored eight goals in 23 games for the Fire at their original home, Soldier Field.

Best of Health

Seattle's health has never been better, with defender Taylor Graham, midfielder Stephen King, forward Jarrod Smith and midfielder Peter Vagenas all upgraded to probable for this week. Smith, who was placed on MLS injured reserve on March 5 with strained hip flexor, is eligible to play versus Real Salt Lake. Graham (left sesamoid fracture), King (groin strain) and Vagenas (knee surgery) had been listed as questionable last week.

Where It All Began

Chicago is where Jaqua began his MLS career. He was drafted third overall by the Fire in the 2003 SuperDraft and went on to appear in 92 games overall (the longest of his four MLS stints), with 21 goals and 11 assists. Despite scoring a career-high 8 goals for the Fire in 2006, Jaqua was made available to Toronto in the 2007 expansion draft and was selected. He was later dealt to the Galaxy and, in mid-season 2007, to Houston. Jaqua has played against the Fire on just two occasions, both while with Houston in 2007 and '08, scoring one goal and assisting on two others.

Cup History in Seattle

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the longest running team tournament championship in the U.S., dating back to 1914. It is open to both amateur and professional clubs who can qualify. The only Seattle club to qualify for an Open Cup final was the amateur Mitre Eagles in 1987. The Eagles fell to Club Espana of Washington, D.C., on penalties following a 0-0 draw.

While the NASL Sounders did not participate in the Open Cup, the USL-1 Sounders competed on an annual basis, beginning in 1995. They lost to El Paso in the semifinals that season, and also advanced to the final four in 1996 (FC Dallas), 2007 (FC Dallas) and 2008 (Charleston Battery).

Cup Format Notes

If any U.S. Open Cup Play-In game is tied at the end of regulation, a 30-minute extra time period (consisting of two 15-minute halves) shall be played in its entirety. If the score is still tied at the end of the 30-minute extra time period, the game shall be decided by a penalty kick tiebreaker.

Each team may make up to four substitutions. Once a player leaves the field as a substitute, he shall not be permitted to participate in the penalty kick tiebreaker.

Getting Involved

Eight players have been involved in the nine goals scored by Seattle to date, including five different goal scorers: Fredy Montero (3), Steve Zakuani (2), Brad Evans (2), Nate Jaqua, Freddie Ljungberg.

Recap: Sounders FC 2, San Jose Earthquakes 0

Rookie forward Steve Zakuani scored a goal and assisted on another to lead the Seattle Sounders FC past the San Jose Earthquakes, 2-0, on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field on April 25. Seattle's (4-2-0) win snapped a two-game losing streak while the Earthquakes fell to 1-3-2.

Kasey Keller made five saves to earn his fourth shutout and his 389 minutes of scoreless soccer sets an MLS record for consecutive scoreless minutes to start a season. New York's Ronald Waterreus held the previous record 375, set in 2007.

Zakuani scored the first Sounders FC goal in the 38th minute. A free kick by Freddie Ljungberg bounced around in the box before settling at the feet of Tyrone Marshall who sent a quick far post cross to the head of Zakuani for the finish and his second goal of the season.

Early in the second half, Earthquakes forward Ryan Johnson forced a diving save by Keller with his one-touch re-directed shot from a corner kick in the 49th minute of the match. Seconds later, in the 50th minute, Zakuani won a ball on the left flank and played it up the line for forward Nate Jaqua. Jaqua's square pass with the outside of his right foot set up midfielder Brad Evans with an easy finish from the penalty spot around charging Earthquakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon.

Sigi's Final Countdown

Sigi Schmid is approaching the summit of two MLS coaching categories. The league's active leader in wins (117), Schmid is seven 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 (262) is 10 matches away from surpassing Bradley's MLS record of 272 career games coached.

More About Schmid

Schmid against Chicago is 11-8-6 (10-5-2 with L.A.; 1-3-5 with Columbus) in the regular season.

About Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake broke its previous record for goals in a game with six tallies (previous record four, last hit in a 4-1 win over the Columbus Crew in its '09 Rio Tinto Stadium debut on April 2)

RSL shattered its previous mark for shots in a game with 29 (previous record was 24 on two occasions - Sept. 24, 2005 v. Columbus and June 18, 2008 v. San Jose)

It marked the third time in MLS' 14-year history in which six goals were scored in a half, all three happening in the second half (Oct. 26, 2003, Columbus v. Chicago; Aug. 26, 2006, New York v. Real Salt Lake).

About Chicago

Although Chicago is the only remaining undefeated team in MLS, the Fire has gone three matches without a win. Chicago is No. 2 in MLS team scoring, averaging 2.00 goals per game. Brian McBride is the individual scoring leader with five goals and has scored in his last three outings. The Fire has allowed the opposition to score first four times, going 1-0-3 on those occasions. Last week they trailed Columbus 2-0 on the road before scoring twice in the final four minutes.

Current Training Squad

The following players begin the week training in Seattle: Goalkeepers (3): Ben Dragavon*, Chris Eylander, Kasey Keller; Defenders (9): Evan Brown, Taylor Graham, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Patrick Ianni, 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.

Check out the Seattle Sounders FC Statistics

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Major League Soccer Stories from April 27, 2009


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