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MLS Seattle Sounders FC

Sounders FC News & Notes

August 25, 2009 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Seattle Sounders FC News Release


With its first Cup Final awaiting next week, the Seattle Sounders FC hopes to earn a rousing sendoff from its legions of supporters on Saturday when its hosts Toronto FC. Kickoff is 1 p.m. PT on Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field.

Seattle then heads east for the nation's capital for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final against D.C. United on September 2 at RFK Stadium. The Sounders FC will return to Washington,D.C., to face United when MLS play resumes on September 12.

Coming off an impressive 1-1 draw at Western Conference leader Houston, the Sounders FC (8-6-9, 33 points) enters the week tied for third place in the division and fifth overall. There are seven games remaining in the regular season and only three are at home. Three of the four road matches are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Seattle has won just once and scored three goals in the last six MLS games (1-3-2). The last home win came July 11 against Houston.

Toronto FC (8-8-6, 30 points), who begins the week tied for third in the East, has gone 0-2-1 in its last three on the road.

Saturday's match will be shown locally on KING 5 and can be heard on News Talk 97.3 KIRO FM with Kevin Calabro and Greg Vanney calling the action. It will be available locally in Spanish on Ke Buena 1210 AM with Rene Aleman, Noe Menendez and Victor Hernandez.

The Open Cup Final will be nationally televised on Fox Soccer Channel with Max Bretos and Christopher Sullivan calling the action.

Following the Cup Final, the Sounders FC will take four days off before resuming training on September 7.

To purchase tickets to future home games, call 1-877-MLS-GOAL, visit www.SoundersFC.com, any Ticketmaster outlet or the Qwest Field Box office.

Sigi's Choice

For only the fifth time this season, Sigi Schmid should have his complete compliment of players to choose from in determining his lineup for Toronto FC. Seattle players have served suspensions in each of the last five MLS games. Before that, in July, there were month-long national team call-ins. Returning this week is top scorer Fredy Montero, who missed the Houston match due to accumulation of five yellow cards. Freddie Ljungberg and Tyrone Marshall will be suspended following their next caution. Jhon Kennedy Hurtado will miss the Cup Final after receiving a red card in the semifinal win over Houston.

Another New Look

Schmid made four changes in his starting XI after the New England loss. Freddie Ljungberg returned from a two-game absence to play forward for the first time since April 4. Tyrone Marshall rejoined the back four after a suspension and Sigi Schmid nearly revamped the midfield, moving Brad Evans into the middle, starting Sebastien Le Toux on the left and Roger Levesque on the right.

Suddenly Road Warriors

With the majority of remaining matches on the road, the positive reversal of road form is a welcome sight. In the last two away games (1-0-1) the Sounders FC has taken as many points (4) as the previous eight road matches (0-4-4), combined.

Sounders FC Claims Fifth Series

By splitting the points at Houston, Seattle also won its fifth season series to date. Already the Sounders FC had won series with Colorado, San Jose, New York and Los Angeles. The series with Real Salt Lake and Chicago were split and the Sounders FC has lost one series, to Chivas USA.

1-Nil is Nothing

Seattle came from behind to take some points for the third time in as many meetings with the Dynamo. The only comeback victory for Sounders FC was the July 11 league match, a 2-1 win over Houston, 2-1. Ten days later in cup play, the Rave Green once again rose up, 2-1 after extra time. Seattle has rallied to tie three opponents after falling behind 1-nil.

Starting Over at Home

Against Toronto FC, Seattle will be out to reestablish that its home is a fortress. Last week against New England, the Sounders FC was beaten at home for the first time in more than four months. The team is 6-2-4 on Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field, including a mark of 4-0-4 between its first loss on April 11 and a second loss on August 20. Kansas City played a man up for much of the former. The defense has not allowed more than one goal in 11 of 12 home games. Seattle has not scored a goal in its last two games and 224 minutes at home, dating to Patrick Ianni's bicycle kick versus Houston on July 11.

Back Four Shuffle Continues

Seattle's back four shuffle continued last week. In the past 14 MLS games, due to injuries, suspensions, and the unexpected, Seattle has been forced to shuffle its back four each time. The duo of Tyrone Marshall and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, after starting and playing the entire 90 minutes of the first 11 games, has played together only four times in the 12 games since. Regular right back James Riley sat out the August 8 match at Real Salt Lake due to a suspension. That match marked the introduction of Costa Rican international Leo Gonzalez at left back.

Jaqua: Man in the Middle

Figuring in all three goals scored this month was forward Nate Jaqua, who volleyed in the equalizer at Houston. Jaqua had also assisted on both goals at Los Angeles. Of the team's last eight goals, Jaqua has scored three and assisted on four. His total seven goals is one shy of his career high and ranks 11th in the league. His seven assists ties him for fourth in MLS.

Three Keys to Offense

Fredy Montero, Nate Jaqua and Freddie Ljungberg are three of the team's top four Sounders FC scorers and at least one of those players has scored or assisted on the team's last 11 and 20 of the last 21 goals scored. Together, Montero (7), Jaqua (6) and Ljungberg (1) have scored 14 of the last 16.

Blue Means Business

For the second time Seattle wore its blue kit in Houston, and for the second time the Sounders FC brought home points. The club made its blue debut with a 2-0 win at Los Angeles on August 15 and donned the strip again for last week's 1-1 draw against the Dynamo. The team had worn all rave green in its first 10 road matches.

Life Begins at 40

Forty points has proven to be the threshold for teams aiming to secure one of the eight MLS playoff berths. In the league's 13 seasons to date, only twice has a club with 40 or more points missed the cut (41 by Miami in 2000 and 45 by Kansas City in 2005). A minimum of 39 points was required to reach the postseason over the last four seasons, with a maximum of 45 needed by Los Angeles in 2005.

In 2008, New York earned the eighth and final slot with 39 points, and the Red Bulls went on to reach the MLS Cup Final.

Table Remains Tight

Seattle slipped from second into a tie for third in the Western Conference following last week. Chivas USA, which also has 33 points, has two games in hand and New England, now with 30 points, has played three fewer games than Sounders FC.

Defending champion Columbus (39) and Houston (40) currently lead their respective divisions. The top two teams in each division automatically qualify for the playoffs, along the four teams with the next highest totals.

Going into this week, Seattle stands sixth overall in the playoff race, with five other teams within six points.

Soldiering On

Seattle is off to the second-best start in MLS expansion history, and has done so while facing its fair share of adversity. The Sounders FC has stayed above .500 since the outset despite finishing seven games shorthanded, going 0-3-4 in those contests. Resulting suspensions, injuries, national team call-ins and the unexpected have allowed Sigi Schmid to pick his starting lineup from his top players on only four occasions to date.

It's All About Goals

It's simple: When Sounders FC scores, points in the standings have followed. And when Seattle scores first, so much the better. It is 7-0-3 when striking first and 9-0-7 when scoring at least one goal. Each of Seattle's six losses has been by shutout.

Attendance Record

Sounders FC is the first franchise in MLS history to have 28,000 or more fans at 12 consecutive regular season or postseason home games. Each of the first 12 games on Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field has sold out. Seattle leads MLS with an average of 30,412. The MLS record for a season attendance average is 28,916, set by the L.A. Galaxy in 1996.

Crowds Swell

Due to the demand for Sounders FC tickets, stadium capacity has been expanded to 32,400 for the final seven MLS home games. Capacity was 27,700 for home dates between March 28 and June 17. The team utilized the full stadium capacity for Chelsea and FC Barcelona. A record crowd of 66,848 watched the Barcelona friendly and the throng of 65,289 was on hand for Chelsea on July 18. It was the fourth largest attendance ever to watch soccer in Seattle. The highest attendance for a league game this season was the 32,705 for the August 20 Sounders FC loss to New England.

Records Watch

The crowd of 66,848 for the Sounders FC-FC Barcelona friendly on August 5 was the largest for a soccer match played in Seattle.

The top 10 attendances are as follows:

66,848 August 5, 2009 Qwest Field Seattle v Barcelona (friendly)

66,830 August 9, 2006 Qwest Field Real Madrid v D.C. United (friendly)

66,722 July 22, 2003 Seahawks Stadium Manchester United v Celtic (friendly)

65,289 July 18, 2009 Qwest Field Sounders FC v Chelsea (friendly)

58,218 April 9, 1976 Kingdome Seattle v New York (friendly; Pele 2 goals)

56,416 April 16, 2008 Qwest Field Mexico v China (friendly)

56,256 August 25, 1977 Kingdome Seattle v Los Angeles (NASL playoffs)

49,606 August 9, 1980 Kingdome New York at Seattle (NASL)

47,052 May 31, 2008 Qwest Field Brazil v Canada (friendly)

43,651 January 29, 1994 Kingdome U.S. v Russia (friendly)

Chasing History

With a record of 8-6-9 through the first 23 league games, Seattle is off to the best start for an MLS expansion franchise since the Chicago Fire (13-10-0) in 1998. 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.

Previous Expansion Starts

Team 23 Games 24 Games 1st Season Notes

Chicago (1998): 13-10-0 14-10-0 Won MLS Cup, U.S. Open Cup

Miami (1998): 11-12-0 12-12-0 1st round playoffs

Salt Lake (2005): 5-14-4 5-15-4 Finished 5th, West

Chivas USA (2005): 3-17-3 3-17-4 Finished 6th, West

Toronto (2007): 5-13-6 5-14-6 Finished 7th, East

San Jose (2008): 7-9-7 7-9-8 Finished 7th, West

Seattle (2009): 8-6-9

Keller at RFK

RFK Stadium holds some good karma for Kasey Keller. In seven starts for the U.S. National Team in Washington, Keller was unbeaten (5-0-2) while yielding only one goal. The opposition was formidable. Included in those matches was a 1-0 shutout of Argentina in 1999 and a record 4-0 victory over Mexico in 1995. Keller's last visit to RFK with the USMNT was in 2004, a 6-0 romp over Panama in World Cup qualifying.

View to a Thrill

The Open Cup Final will mark Seattle's 11th national TV appearance, including friendlies. The Sounders FC are 2-1-3 in six nationally-televised regular season games to date. Seattle is 1-1-2 in league matches on the ESPN network, including an emphatic 3-0 win over New York on Opening Night. There were also draws with both D.C. United and the Chicago Fire. The loss was to New England, 1-0 at home last week. All were at home. In two games on Fox Soccer Channel, Seattle defeated Toronto FC away, 2-0, and tied Columbus at home, 1-1. Two additional games were aired on TelFutura. The final national TV appearance in the regular season comes September 19 at home against Chivas USA.

Midweek Magic

The Sounders FC is 6-1-1 in its eight midweek matches to date. Seattle opened its inaugural season by beating New York, 3-0, on Thursday, March 19. In addition, Seattle was 5-0-0 in midweek cup matches, including two Open Cup play-ins and three victories in the tournament proper. The sole blemishes both came at home: a 3-3 draw with D.C. United on June 17 and a 1-0 loss to New England on August 20.

Travel Grid

Beginning with next week's first of two trips to Washington, D.C., Seattle will travel over 15,000 miles in September with three trips to the Eastern Times Zone.

Two years from now MLS will have three teams in the Pacific Northwest. Portland and Vancouver join the league in 2011. Projected mileage round trip to Portland (290 miles) and Vancouver (238) will level Seattle's average flight travel with the other MLS clubs. But for now, Sounders FC remains the only team, which means inevitably traveling greater distances than the other clubs.

Based on last season, MLS clubs averaged 31,764 miles per team with New England traveling the farthest (44,940) and Kansas City the shortest (26,790). Sounders FC will travel 46,898 miles this regular season.

Breaking Down Sounders FC Mileage:

Destination Round Trip Miles

4/4 - Toronto FC 4,140

4/18 - Chivas USA 1,918

5/2 - Chicago Fire 3,474

5/16 - FC Dallas 3,362

5/23 - Colorado Rapids 2,072

6/6 - Chivas USA 1,918

6/20 - New York Red Bulls 4,816

8/2 - San Jose Earthquakes 1,418

8/8 - Real Salt Lake 1,402

8/15 - L.A. Galaxy 1,918

8/23 - Houston Dynamo 3,782

9/12 - D.C. United 4,656

9/26 - New England Revolution 4,984

10/3 - Columbus Crew 4,026

10/17 - Kansas City Wizards 3,012

TOTAL 46,898

Schedule Congestion

D.C. United has been playing twice weekly since August 15, making the Open Cup Final its ninth outing in 32 days. United hosts Mexico's Toluca in a CONCACAF Champions League game on Wednesday and visits Chicago on Saturday night. Three nights after the Final, D.C. travels to Kansas City.

Toronto Connections

Tyrone Marshall played the last two seasons for Toronto before being acquired by Seattle in a February 10 trade for allocation money. The Sounders FC had taken forward Jarrod Smith from the Reds in the expansion draft. Smith was released on July 16. Rookie Sam Cronin was a teammate of Evan Brown the past four seasons at Wake Forest. Dwayne DeRosario was a teammate of Nate Jaqua and Patrick Ianni while playing the past three years in Houston.

About Toronto FC

Toronto FC is off to the best start in its three-year existence but, like Seattle, has won just once (1-2-2) in its last five league outings. The Reds are seeking just their seventh road win since beginning play in 2007. They will be making the second of three straight trips west. Last Saturday they lost at Chivas USA, 2-0. On September 5 TFC visits Colorado. Since the first meeting with Seattle, the coaching reins have been taken by Chris Cummins, who was promoted to interim head coach following the resignation of John Carver in April. Cummins is 6-6-4 while in charge. TFC will be without midfielder Carl Robinson and defender Adrian Serioux after each picked up a fifth yellow card at Chivas USA last week. Serioux had started the first 22 matches and Robinson 20. Dwayne DeRosario is tied for fifth in MLS with nine goals. TFC is 11th in scoring defense (1.50 and shares the league lead with Seattle and Chivas USA for offside calls.

First Meeting Recap: Toronto FC

Freddie Ljungberg scored in his first start and Steve Zakuani netted his first professional goal as the Sounders FC won its inaugural road match, 2-0.

An early strike by Ljungberg in the 15th minute and another by Zakuani just before the break enabled Seattle to become the first MLS expansion club to start 3-0-0. Ljungberg finished a give-and-go from Nate Jaqua. On the second goal, Ljungberg fed Sebastien Le Toux who, in turn, found Jaqua for a shot from 15 yards. The ball caromed off a TFC defender and Zakuani converted the rebound in the 45th minute.

The victory came despite some harsh playing conditions: a record crowd for TFC and strong winds. In addition, Sounders FC was without forward Fredy Montero, who had scored three times in his first two games. Seattle's defense also weathered pressure by the Reds midway through the second half with Kasey Keller preserving the shutout with a near-post save of Pablo Vitti.

Keller made three saves as Sounders FC won its first road game. Seattle did not allow a goal in its first three matches.

About D.C. United

D.C. United shares the MLS lead in scoring offense (1.55) yet is 12th in goals allowed (1.55). Luciano Emilio tops the club with eight goals. United has played all of its play-in and tournament matches at home this season. After eliminating FC Dallas (2-0) and New York (5-3) in play-ins, D.C. met PDL Ocean City (2-0), USL-2 Harrisburg City (2-1) and USL-1 Rochester (2-1) in the tournament. D.C. United is 5-0-5 in MLS home games, outscoring visitors 15-8.

D.C United Connections

D.C. United forward Marc Burch played seven games for Sigi Schmid's Columbus Crew in 2006. Ely Allen, a former University of Washington star, trained with the Sounders FC and played for the PDL Seattle Wolves before signing with United on July 24. Stephen King played his college career at nearby Maryland, where he was a teammate of United's Rodney Wallace. D.C. midfielder Andrew Jacobson played at Cal with Sounders FC defender Tyson Wahl for three seasons (2003-05).

Seattle's Cup Lineups

The Sounders FC cup run contributors has featured a distinctive USL-1 flavor to date. All six former members of Seattle's forerunner pro-franchise have seen action in games played in the play-in phase or tournament proper. In fact, they have figured in eight of the 10 goals scored. Sebastien Le Toux scored two goals and two assists in the play-in rounds and scored the game-winner in a quarterfinal win over Colorado.

Roger Levesque scored the opening goal at Portland in the third round and assisted on Nate Jaqua's equalizer versus Houston. Stephen King has scored three goals in cup play, including the overtime winner against the Dynamo.

Reaching the Final

Seattle reached the Open Cup final by virtue of five consecutive knockout victories. It claimed one of eight MLS slots in the Open Cup with two play-in wins. Sebastien Le Toux scored two goals and assisted on scores by Sanna Nyassi and Stephen King in the 4-1 defeat of Real Salt Lake. Kevin Forrest's header from Roger Levesque and Nyassi assists fueled the 1-0 shutout of Colorado, with Kasey Keller posting the clean sheet.

Once in the tournament proper, Seattle earned a 2-1 road win at Portland of USL-1. Levesque and King connected on first-half goals. Le Toux's penalty was the difference in the quarterfinal result with Kansas City. Jaqua scored the equalizer in the 89th minute to send the semifinal to overtime, and King added the winner, his third goals in cup play.

Past Cup Finals (since MLS participated in 1996):

Year Site Atten. Score

2008 Washington, DC 8,212 D.C. United 2, Charleston (U) 1

2007 Frisco, Tx. 10,618 New England 3, FC Dallas 2

2006 Chicago 8,151 Chicago 3, Los Angeles 1

2005 Carson, Ca. 10,000 Los Angeles 1, Dallas 0

2004 Kansas City 8,819 Kansas City 1, Chicago 0 (ot)

2003 East Rutherford, NJ 5,183 Chicago 1, NY-NJ 0

2002 Columbus, OH 6,054 Columbus 1, Los Angeles 0

2001 Fullerton, CA 4,195 Los Angeles 2, New England 1

2000 Chicago 19,164 Chicago 2, Miami 1

1999 Columbus, OH 4,455 Rochester (A) 2, Colorado 0

1998 Chicago 18,615 Chicago 2, Columbus 1

1997 Indianapolis 9,776 Dallas 0, D.C. United 0 (4-2 pk)

1996 Washington, DC 7,234 D.C. United 3, Rochester (A) 0

First-Year Clubs in Cup Finals

Seattle is bidding to become the third first-year franchise in the modern era to win the Open Cup. D.C. United did so in 1996 and Chicago, an expansion MLS team, followed in 1998. The only other first-year team to make a final is the 1996 Rochester Rhinos of the A-League.

Speaking of Open Cup: Le Toux

When it comes to matches related to the U.S. Open Cup, Sebastien Le Toux is prolific with 11 career goals. In both 2007 and 2008 while playing for the USL-1 Sounders, Le Toux was the Open Cup goals leader, with five each season. He then converted a late PK to eliminate Kansas City on July 7. Le Toux sparked Sounders FC with two goals and two assists in a 4-1 U.S. Open Cup Play-In win over Real Salt Lake on April 28.

Cup Final Tested

Osvaldo Alonso is meeting D.C. United in the Cup Final for the second year in a row. United beat Alonso's Charleston Battery, 2-1, a year ago. James Riley played for New England as the Revs defeated FC Dallas in 2007. Nate Jaqua has played in two Finals for Chicago, scoring a goal in in a 3-1 win over L.A. in 2006. Peter Vagenas (2001, 2002, 2005, 2006) and Tyrone Marshall (2002, 2005 and 2006) each represented the Galaxy in Finals on multiple occasions. Marshall also started for Miami in 2000. Taylor Graham played for Kansas City in the 2004 Final overtime win over Chicago.

Next week will be Sigi Schmid's third Open Cup Final. He won with Los Angeles in 2001 and was runner-up in 2002. Ezra Hendrickson played for L.A. in 2001 and 2002, scoring a goal in the first.

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. Teams are limited to five foreign players on the 18-player match roster.

First Meeting Recap: D.C. United

Seattle Sounders FC-3, DC United-3 June 17th, 2009

A late own goal enabled D.C. United to get a 3-3 draw with the Seattle Sounders FC and on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field. The equalizer for Eastern Conference leaders D.C. United came in the 87th minute of the match from an own goal by Sounders FC defender Tyrone Marshall, who deflected a Chris Pontius cross into the net.

Sounders FC had led 3-1 after Fredy Montero's sixth goal of the season in the 57th minute. Seattle's first goal was scored on a 30-yard blast by Osvaldo Alonso, canceling out a strike four minutes earlier by Pontius. Nate Jaqua put the hosts ahead 2-1 at halftime.

D.C. United's Chris Pontius opened the scoring in the 34th minute, converting a long cross by midfielder Santino Quaranta. The visitors began their comeback when Christian Gomez scored in the 67th minute, slotting a shot far post past Kasey Keller.

Seattle finished with a 17-10 advantage in shots.

Last Game Recap: Sounders FC 1, at Houston Dynamo 1

Nate Jaqua's volley earned the Seattle Sounders FC a valuable point on the road with a 1-1 draw against the Houston Dynamo on Sunday night at Robertson Stadium.

Seattle (8-6-9, 33 points) came from behind for the second time against Houston (11-6-7, 40) to win the season series by virtue of a 2-1 victory at home on July 11. The Sounders FC also defeated the MLS Western Conference leaders in the semifinal round of the U.S. Open Cup.

Jaqua scored his seventh goal of the season from 9 yards in the 70th minute. The play began with James Riley serving a long cross from the right wing which Steve Zakuani headed back across the goal to Jaqua.

Four minutes earlier, Zakuani had a chance to equalize just after entering the match. Freddie Ljungberg found Zakuani alone at point-blank range but the rookie winger shot high with an open net.

Jaqua had a goal nullified early in the second half on an offside call.

Geoff Cameron staked the Dynamo to a lead in the 36th minute flicking his header into the left corner from a Brad Davis free kick. It was the eighth assist for Davis.

Ljungberg also figured in a near miss in the game's opening four minutes. He accelerated toward goal and fired low from 15 yards, only to have Houston keeper Pat Onstad deflect the ball with his foot, and then Wade Barrett recovered to clear the goal-bound ball.

The Sounders FC forced two saves from Onstad and finished with advantages of 7-4 (3-2 on goal) in shots and 3-2 on corner kicks.

Ljungberg had missed the previous two games due to symptoms relating to hypoglycemia. Despite 90-dgree temperatures at kickoff he started at forward and played 88 minutes.

Leaders of the Pack

Kasey Keller is No. 3 among MLS goalkeepers with a GAA of 0.94. Keller is also 4th in shutouts (7) and tied for 4th in wins (8). Forward Fredy Montero is tied for 2nd in goals (10), 6th in assists (6) and 4tth in game-winning goals (3). Montero is No. 2 in shots (65), sixth in shots on goal (23) and 3rd in fouls suffered (45). Nate Jaqua is tied for 4th in assists (7) and 11th in goals (7). He is 4th in fouls committed (38). Freddie Ljungberg is tied for 2nd in game-winning assists (3) and is second in fouls suffered (47)

Sounders FC ranks 9th in scoring average (1.26) and tied for 3rd in goals allowed per game (1.00). Its 38 assists are tied for 1st in the league. Seattle is the team with most fouls suffered (291) and 4th in fouls committed (278). The 50 cautions and eight ejections are the most in the league.

Trends to Date

Of Seattle's 29 goals in the first 23 games, 18 have come in the first half and 23 in the first 60 minutes. Five have come from set pieces, all from corner kicks; four by Freddie Ljungberg and one by Peter Vagenas. A goal has yet to be scored from either the penalty spot or free kick. Of the 10 games in which Sounders FC has scored multiple goals, seven have been at home. The defense has not allowed more than one goal in 11 of 12 home games on Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field. Five of the seven shutouts have been at home.

Sigi's Final Countdown

With 121 victories, Sigi Schmid is three career wins shy of Bob Bradley's MLS record total of 124. Schmid is the career leader with 279 games coached, surpassing Bradley (272). New England's Steve Nicol is No. 2 among active coaches in wins (95) and No. 3 overall. Schmid is 4-0-3 against Toronto FC (3-0-3 with Columbus; 1-0-0 with Seattle) in the regular season.

Throw-Ins

Marshall, now with 267 games played, is tied for 16th in player appearances, surpassing Ezra Hendrickson last week. Steve Ralston (373) of New England is the leader in both categories. Seattle technical director Chris Henderson (317) ranks No. 2 all-time...Brad Evans played in his 50th career MLS match at Houston...James Riley's assist at Houston gives him three for the season, matching his career high set in 2005 as a rookie for New England...Seattle is now 0-for-2 on penalties after Fredy Montero hit the crossbar against New England...Stephen King is the only player to play every minute (480) of the five games during the cup run...Kasey Keller, Nate Jaqua and James Riley have played every minute of the three matches played in the tournament proper.

Current Training Squad

The following players begin the week training in Seattle: Goalkeepers (4): Terry Boss, Ben Dragavon*, Chris Eylander, Kasey Keller; Defenders (10): Evan Brown, Taylor Graham, Leo Gonzalez, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Patrick Ianni, Tyrone Marshall, James Riley, Zach Scott, Nathan Sturgis, Tyson Wahl; Midfielders (10): Osvaldo Alonso, Terry Cooke*, Brad Evans, Michael Fucito, Stephen King, Sebastien Le Toux, Freddie Ljungberg, Lamar Neagle, Sanna Nyassi, Peter Vagenas; Forwards (4): Nate Jaqua, Roger Levesque, Fredy Montero, Steve Zakuani.

*invitee

Check out the Seattle Sounders FC Statistics



Major League Soccer Stories from August 25, 2009


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