MLS Seattle Sounders FC

Sounders FC News & Notes

Published on September 28, 2009 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Seattle Sounders FC News Release


With the Seattle Sounders FC's postseason aspirations of paramount importance, Sigi Schmid's return to Ohio is a secondary storyline for Saturday night's trip to face the defending MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew. Seattle visits Crew Stadium for a 4:30 p.m. PT kickoff.

Seattle (9-7-11, 38 points) seeks its first win in three games and to do so the Sounders FC must snap the Crew's MLS record 22-game home unbeaten (16-0-6) run. No MLS expansion team has qualified for the playoffs since 1998, and Seattle is mounting the strongest bid to do so in the 11 seasons since.

Eastern Conference leader Columbus (12-4-10, 46 points) is the frontrunner for the Supporters Shield, awarded to the MLS club with the highest regular season point total. The Crew has won their last five at home, and they are 2-0-1 in the last three league games.

The Sounders FC, which slipped from third place to fifth in the West following a 2-1 loss at New England, is playing its second of three in a row on the road. Next comes Kansas City on October 17.

Seattle is 2-1-1 in the last four on the road, scoring eight goals. It is 3-1-1 in the Eastern Time Zone this season, including the U.S. Open Cup Final played September 2 in Washington, D.C.

Saturday's match will be televised locally on KONG 6/16 and can be heard on News Talk 97.3 KIRO FM radio with Kevin Calabro and Greg Vanney calling the action. Saturday's game will be available in Spanish on THIS TV (Comcast Channel 114) with play-by-play from Jaime Mendez and Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar providing analysis, and on Ke Buena 1210 AM with Rene Aleman, Noe Menendez and Victor Hernandez calling the action.

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.

Upcoming Competition Schedule (All times Pacific)

Saturday, October 3, 4:30 p.m. - at Columbus Crew; Crew Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

Saturday, October 17, 5:30 p.m. - at Kansas City Wizards, Community America Ballpark, Kansas City, Kansas

Saturday, October 24, 7:30 p.m. - FC Dallas; Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field; Seattle, Washington

Upcoming Training Schedule, September 29-October 9 (subject to change):

Monday, September 28 - No Training

Tuesday, September 29 - Training at Starfire Sports Complex, 10 a.m.

Wednesday, September 30 - Training at Starfire Sports Complex, 10 a.m.

Thursday, October 1 - Travel to Columbus

Friday, October 2 - Training in Columbus; site and time TBD

Sunday, October 4 - Travel from Columbus

Monday, October 5 - No Training

Tuesday, October 6 - Training at Starfire Sports Complex, 10 a.m.

Wednesday, October 7 - Training at Starfire Sports Complex, 10 a.m.

Thursday, October 8 - Training at Starfire Sports Complex, 10 a.m.

Friday, October 9 - Training at Starfire Sports Complex, 10 a.m.

Still Among Top 7

While Seattle missed an opportunity to take over second place in the Western Conference, the outcome could have been worse. The Sounders FC slipped from fifth to seventh overall but it is only three points out of second in the division. Fortunately for Seattle, none of those teams closest in the standings were able to gain ground last week. Four of the league's other seven matches ended in draws. With a win last week, the Sounders FC could have moved into second place in the West.

At the top of the West table, idle Houston (43 points) and L.A. (41) were unable to gain ground while Colorado and Chivas USA managed to earn only 2 and 1 points, respectively. Columbus (46) and Chicago (41) are 1-2 in the East.

The top two teams in each conference clinch playoff berths, followed by the next four teams with the highest point totals, regardless of division. Colorado (38) and Chivas USA (38 and 2 games in hand) are just ahead of Seattle. New England (37 with 2 games in hand) currently holds the eighth and final spot. D.C. United (36) and Toronto FC (35) are in hot pursuit.

The Sounders FC holds tiebreakers over Houston, L.A., Colorado and D.C. by virtue of winning those season series.

Time for Another Defensive Stand

The bad news was that Seattle's defense yielded two goals last week. Hopefully history will repeat itself because the Sounders FC has not allowed multiple goals in consecutive games during this inaugural season. In four previous games in which it has given up more than one goal, Seattle has responded with a goals-against average of 0.75 in the next outing, going 1-1-2. The Sounders FC remains first in MLS scoring defense, tied with Houston with a GAA of 0.96.

Shalrie Joseph scored both second-half goals for New England. The first came on a penalty kick and Joseph freed himself for a header on the game's deciding goal in the 87th minute.

Another Missile from Montero

Seven other goals have already been voted the best of the week in MLS this season, including a pair by Fredy Montero to start the campaign. However, Montero may have topped all those and then some with his bolt from the blue at New England.

Montero scored from 30 yards on a blast from the right wing that knuckled and dipped, grazing the underside of the crossbar in the match's sixth minute. Goals by Montero on March 19 against New York and March 28 against Real Salt Lake earned earlier honors. Voting for Goal of the Week 28 will be conducted online at MLSnet.com through Wednesday at 11 a.m. PT. The last Seattle player to win the public's favor was Nate Jaqua in Week 23.

Back on Their Feet

Given all the circumstances, the result against the Revolution was tough to swallow. But if the franchise's short history is any indication, Seattle will likely land on its feet, and soon. The Sounders FC has lost consecutive league games on only two occasions and some of the most punches to the gut have been met with resolve.

First came a deflating road loss at Real Salt Lake which was followed by an unlikely road win at L.A. Next, after a home defeat to New England, Seattle came back to earn a road draw at Houston. Finally, in the wake of a home draw with Toronto FC, the Sounders FC rebounded four days later by beating D.C. United on the road to lift the U.S. Open Cup.

Hello, Columbus

Sigi Schmid will be returning to Crew Stadium for the first time since guiding Columbus to its first MLS Cup championship last November. Schmid served three seasons at the helm of the Crew, taking them back to the playoffs after a three-year absence in 2008. His last game on the touchline was the 2-1 semifinal victory over Chicago on November 13, 2008. He was named MLS Coach of the Year. Schmid's Columbus teams were 22-15-16 at home, including playoffs.

Searching for Mr. October

For the Sounders FC to reach the postseason and matches in November, they will likely need some players to fulfill the role of Mr. October. Forward Fredy Montero firmly stamped his footprint on September. Montero scored three of the club's five goals in MLS and Open Cup play. Montero begins the week tied for third in the Golden Boot race with 12 goals. A top contender for MLS Newcomer of the Year, Montero has scored four goals in the last five away matches, including the Cup Final and altogether he has five goals on the road in MLS play.

Zakuani Returns to Ohio

A key figure in the road wins has been Rookie of the Year candidate Steve Zakuani. This weekend Zakuani is sure to have many personal supporters on hand as he returns to Ohio, where he starred for two seasons at the University of Akron. He was named the 2008 Soccer America collegiate player of the year after scoring 20 goals in 23 games for the Zips.

Zakuani was the No. 1 pick in the MLS SuperDraft and has made a huge impression in his first season as a left winger. In each of Seattle's three away victories Zakuani has scored a first-half goal. He totals four goals and four assists on the season.

In his last visit to Columbus on November 8, 2008, Zakuani scored two goals and assisted on two others in a 4-3 overtime win over Ohio State. The Zips later eliminated the Buckeyes in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Akron is 126 miles northeast of the Ohio capital.

Changes in the XI

Two changes were made to the first XI last week in New England, and at least one alteration will come in Columbus. Brad Evans moved back into central midfield and Nate Jaqua returned to the lineup at outside right against the Revolution. Jaqua, who picked up his fifth yellow card, will miss the Crew match due to a one-game suspension. Sebastien Le Toux, who had started at right midfield against Chivas USA on September 19, was not available for the Revs match due to illness.

Blue Means Business

Seattle is unbeaten (1-0-1) when wearing its blue kit, which it plans to wear in Columbus. The last time the Sounders FC donned those colors was August 23 in Houston for a 1-1 draw. The club made its blue debut with a 2-0 win at Los Angeles on August 15. The team had worn all rave green in its first 10 road matches.

Keller: 4 Clean Sheets in Columbus

Kasey Keller kept a clean sheet in his last match played at Crew Stadium. Keller was in the nets for a 2-0 U.S. win over Mexico in a World Cup qualifying game on September 3, 2005. That game attracted a crowd of 24,685-the second-largest attendance in the facility's existence. Keller has earned five of his 102 international caps in Columbus, where he has a career record of 3-0-2 and a GAA of 0.20 with four shutouts. The only goal allowed was a 1-1 draw with Jamaica in 2004. He blanked Costa Rica (0-0, 2000), Paraguay (2-0, 2003) and Grenada (3-0, 2004).

Foxborough Form Buster

Simply put, Seattle's defeat at Foxborough did not go according to form. For the first time the Sounders FC failed to earn a point after scoring first. Seattle had been 8-0-3 when striking the opening blow and 9-0-7 when scoring a goal. Each of Seattle's first six losses had been by shutout. The Sounders FC had been 8-0-1 when leading at halftime.

Two Card Carriers

Two players, Osvaldo Alonso and Tyrone Marshall, are carrying four yellow cards into Columbus, and their next caution would result in a one-game suspension. Alonso could have his total reduced if he goes without a card for the next two matches. Marshall has already made use of the one-time, good behavior incentive. Seattle players have served suspensions in six of the last nine MLS games, and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado missed the Cup Final after receiving a red card in the semifinal win over Houston.

Seattle Hosts Union, 2010 First Kick

The Sounders FC will again host Major League Soccer's opening game in 2010. The Sounders FC will face Philadelphia Union on March 25 on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field. The match will be nationally televised by ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. PT.

Philadelphia will be making its debut as the 16th team in MLS. Seattle joined the league this season, and is on pace to break the regular season attendance record. All 14 home matches to date have been sold out.

In First Kick 2009, the Sounders FC hosted the New York Red Bulls on March 19, attracting a capacity crowd of 32,523. Seattle won, 3-0.

The complete MLS schedule will be released in February, 2010. Each team will play 30 games, facing each team twice (home and away).

Twelve other teams will begin their 2010 season on March 27. It was also announced that Real Salt Lake will host Seattle in its home opener on April 10 at Rio Tinto Stadium.

About the Crew

Beginning in late June the Crew has caught fire after a slow start. They did not win until their eighth game, but since then Columbus has gone 12-2-5 and moved into the poll position for the Supporters' Shield.

At the same time the Crew has moved within one win of reaching the Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals. Columbus hosts Costa Rica's Saprissa on Tuesday night. Last week it blanked Los Angeles at home despite the absence of MLS Defender of the Year Chad Marshall and reigning MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto, the team's top scorer with 12 goals. Columbus has played twice weekly due to Champions League dates since September 13. After the Seattle match, the Crew goes on the road for three straight, beginning October 10 at New England.

Barros Schelotto, Marshall and Robbie Rogers were members of the 2008 MLS Best XI. Schelotto assisted on all three Columbus goals in the 3-1 MLS Cup victory over New York.

Frankie Hejduk will miss the Seattle match after being issued his fifth yellow card in last week's 2-0 win over the L.A. Galaxy. Eddie Gaven and Matt Lenhart scored for the Crew.

Columbus has won its last five MLS home games, dating to July 18, outscoring visitors 12-4 over that span. The Crew is 9-0-4 (GF 25, GA 13) at Crew Stadium, opened in 1999 as the league's first soccer specific facility.

The MLS record home 22-game unbeaten streak began after a 2-0 loss to an expansion team, San Jose, on June 7, 2008. Columbus also won two home playoff matches in 2008.

Seattle/Columbus Connections

Sounders FC defender James Riley played alongside Columbus midfielder Brian Carroll (2001-02) and goalkeeper William Hesmer (2001-03) at Wake Forest.

Sounders FC midfielder Stephen King was a teammate of Columbus forwards Jason Garey (2004-05) and Robbie Rogers (2005) at Maryland.

Columbus defender Chad Marshall played with Sounders FC defender Taylor Graham and forward Roger Levesque at Stanford for one season (2002).

Columbus forward Alejandro Moreno was a member of Sigi Schmid's Galaxy teams from 2002-04, playing alongside Sounders FC defender Tyrone Marshall and midfielder Pete Vagenas.

Columbus defender/midfielder Frankie Hejduk played three seasons at UCLA and three seasons for the Crew under Sigi Schmid. Hejduk also played on the U.S. national team with Kasey Keller.

MLS pool goalkeeper Ben Dragavon, who has suited up for eight games for Seattle, was called up by the Crew for two games earlier this season (vs. CHI, 4/25; at TOR, 5/2).

Other Columbus Crew - Sounders FC Ties

Certainly this Saturday's match will mean something extra special to a few members of the Sounders FC family. In addition to Sigi Schmid, who coached Columbus from 2006 through 2008, last year's Crew squad included Brad Evans and Ezra Hendrickson. Evans scored the game-winning goal for the Crew in a playoff semifinal win. After two years in Columbus he was selected in the expansion draft and is now a regular starter in the Seattle midfield. Hendrickson played his final three seasons for the Crew. Now retired, he is an assistant coach on Schmid's staff.

Schmid, Evans and Hendrickson joined the Columbus MLS Cup championship contingent honored at the White House by President Barack Obama on July 14.

At Home on the Road

The recent run of success on the road has boosted Seattle to the sixth-best away record in MLS, at 3-5-5. With home sides proving more adventurous than those visiting Qwest Field, the Sounders FC attack is exploiting the greater space by scoring goals. The offense has generated eight goals in the last four trips and 10 in the last five, counting the 2-1 Cup Final victory at D.C. United. Seattle's road run began on August 15 with a 2-0 result at L.A. It tied at Houston, 1-1 and defeated D.C., 2-1, in its last road contest on September 12. In the last four MLS away games the Sounders FC has taken more points (7) than the first nine road matches (0-4-4), combined.

October: Good Vibrations

Seattle's past Sounders never lost in six October matches over the years. In fact, it's month the franchise won three of its four league championships. While the NASL originals were never required to play in October, the A-League/USL club was extended into the tenth page of the calendar for postseason play in three different seasons, going a combined 2-0-4 and winning league championships each time.

Seattle won its first A-League title over Atlanta on October 12, 1995. The Sounders repeated that feat the following year, defeating Rochester, 2-0, on October 6, 1996. They went 2-0-4. Seattle won the 2005 USL-1 crown on October 1 (a shootout victory following a 1-1 draw).

Two to Go for Sigi

Seattle's Sigi Schmid is two career wins shy of Bob Bradley's MLS record total of 124. Schmid is the career leader with 283 games coached, surpassing Bradley (272) this season. Schmid has 122 wins. New England's Steve Nicol is No. 2 among active coaches (97) and No. 3 overall. Schmid is 5-3-5 against the Columbus Crew (0-0-1 with Seattle; 5-3-4 with L.A).

Expansion Teams Prove Tough

Seattle is bidding to become the third expansion team in as many years to defeat a reigning MLS Cup champion. Toronto FC and San Jose posted home wins over Houston in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Miami was the first to accomplish the feat, beating D.C. United in 1998.

Hello, Bye

Following Saturday's match, Seattle's string of eastbound trips will be interrupted by a bye in the schedule. The Sounders FC will train four times at Starfire next week. The next game is October 17 at Kansas City. Only four MLS matches are scheduled between October 5-12. There will be eight the following week.

Shirt Off Kasey's Back

Two of Kasey Keller's most special game-worn jerseys are being auctioned online to benefit the Life Rolls On Foundation (www.liferollson.org). The auction runs through October 26 on MLSnet.com. The one-of-a-kind jerseys include the shirt worn by Keller in earning his 100th cap for the U.S. National Team and also the one donned for the inaugural Sounders FC match against New York on March 19, 2009. Both jerseys are autographed.

Life Rolls On exists to be a resource that provides hope and advocacy for young people whose lives have been affected by spinal cord injury.

MLS Cup Tickets On Sale

Tickets for MLS Cup 2009 are now on sale to the public. Major League Soccer's premier event, MLS Cup, will be played November 22 on Seattle's Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field. Fans can purchase tickets www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000. MLS Cup tickets are included in the Seattle Sounders FC 18-game season ticket package.

Drew Carey Joins World Cup Hosting Effort Sounders FC part owner Drew Carey has joined the board of the U.S. committee bidding to host the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup. A comedian, actor and host of The Price Is Right on CBS, Carey is recognized as American soccer's most visible supporter.

Seattle is one of 27 cities under consideration as a host city, with both Qwest Field and Husky Stadium listed as possible venues. In December 2010, FIFA will award the host nation for the 2018 and 2022. Next year's World Cup will be in South Africa and the 2014 host is Brazil.

Awards Candidates Galore

Several members of Sounders FC are figuring to be contenders for the top MLS postseason awards. Sigi Schmid is a two-time past Coach of the Year winner, and he has quickly fashioned Seattle into a playoff contender, already winning more games than any expansion team in the last 10 years.

All-Star selections Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Kasey Keller, Fredy Montero and Freddie Ljungberg are in the running for various player awards. Steve Zakuani, the No. 1 selection in the MLS SuperDraft, is a candidate for Rookie of the Year with four goals and four assists.

Leaders of the Pack

Kasey Keller is No. 2 among MLS goalkeepers with a GAA of 0.91. Keller is tied for second in shutouts (9) and tied for 4th in wins (9). Forward Fredy Montero is tied for 3rd in goals (12) and game-winning goals (4). Montero leads MLS in shots (75) and fouls suffered (60). Nate Jaqua is tied for 6th in assists (7). He is 5th in fouls committed (45). Freddie Ljungberg is 2nd in fouls suffered (57) and is tied for 2nd in game-winning assists (3).

The Sounders FC ranks 1st in goals allowed per game (0.96) and fouls suffered (343). It is 2nd in corner kicks (152) and assists (40). The offensive scoring average (1.19) ranks 12th. Seattle is 5th in fouls committed (324) and the 55 cautions ranks 3rd.

Back Four Stabilized

Seattle's back four could remain intact for the third successive game this week. The group of Leo Gonzalez, Tyrone Marshall, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and James Riley played together in consecutive games against Chivas USA and New England the past two weeks. The back four has been constantly shuffled since late June. In the past 17 MLS games, due to injuries, suspensions, and the unexpected, Seattle has been forced to shuffle its back four 16 times. The duo of Marshall and Hurtado, after starting and playing the entire 90 minutes of the first 11 games, has played together only seven times in the 16 games since. Right back James Riley has the most starts (25), followed by Hurtado (23). Leo Gonzalez has started the last eight on the left. Patrick Ianni has appeared in 15 of the last 17 games, starting 10.

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 seven occasions to date.

Chasing History

With a record of 9-7-11 through the first 27 league games, Seattle is off to the best start for an MLS expansion franchise since the Chicago Fire (17-10-0) 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 27 Games 28 Games 1st Season Notes

Chicago (1998): 17-10-0 17-11-0 Won MLS Cup, U.S. Open Cup

Miami (1998): 13-14-0 13-15-0 1st round playoffs

Salt Lake (2005): 5-18-4 5-19-4 Finished 5th, West

Chivas USA (2005): 3-19-5 3-20-5 Finished 6th, West

Toronto (2007): 6-15-6 6-16-6 Finished 7th, East

San Jose (2008): 7-11-9 7-12-9 Finished 7th, West

Seattle (2009): 9-7-11 Won U.S. Open Cup

Attendance Record

Sounders FC is the first franchise in MLS history to have 28,000 or more fans at 14 consecutive regular season or postseason home games. Each of the first 14 games on Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field has sold out. With one home game remaining Seattle leads MLS with an average of 30,739. The MLS record for a season attendance average is 28,916, set by the L.A. Galaxy in 1996.

Up in the Air

Seattle will spend a considerable amount of time in the air during September and October, flying more than 25,000 miles. With back-to-back trips to New England and Columbus, the Sounders FC will travel over 9,000 miles within an 11-day period.

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 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

Trends to Date

Of Seattle's 32 goals in the first 27 games, 20 have come in the first half and 25 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 11 games in which Sounders FC has scored multiple goals, seven have been at home. The defense has not allowed more than one goal in 13 of 14 home games on Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field. Seven of the nine shutouts have been at home.

First Meeting Recap

Seattle Sounders FC 1, Columbus Crew 1 - May 30, 2009

Nate Jaqua scored the tying goal in the 58th minute to earn the Seattle Sounders FC a 1-1 draw with the Columbus Crew before 29,126 at Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field.

Columbus opened the scoring in the 12th minute of the match on a lunging header by Alejandro Moreno. Jed Zayner slipped the ball up the right flank for Pat Noonan, whose cross found Moreno open at the far post for the finish past Sounders FC goalkeeper Kasey Keller.

Early in the second half, Freddie Ljungberg lobbed a ball behind the Columbus defense for Jaqua's 10-yard volley to the upper left corner of the net. The goal earned Goal of the Week honors.

It was the second equalizing goal for Jaqua in as many matches and the fifth consecutive tie for the Sounders FC. Each team fired 10 shots, with the Crew owning a 5-2 edge in attempts on goal. Keller made four saves.

Ljungberg had been taken down in the box in the first half. However he missed the resulting penalty kick in the 32nd minute, shooting wide left.

Seattle finished the match a man down as defender Tyrone Marshall was sent off the field in the 92nd minute of the match with a red card.

Last Game Recap:

Seattle Sounders FC 1, at New England Revolution 2 - September 26, 2009

Shalrie Joseph scored two goals as the New England Revolution beat the Seattle Sounders FC 2-1 at Gillette Stadium.

Seattle (9-7-11, 38), which took an early lead, missed an opportunity to take over second place in the West. Colorado and Chivas USA, both chasing the Sounders FC in the division, each play late games on Saturday.

It was the first time in 12 games that the Sounders FC have lost after scoring first. It entered the game 8-0-3 in those situations.

New England (10-8-7, 37) ended a three-game winless streak.

Joseph's game-winning goal came in the 87th minute when he headed a long ball from Jeff Larentowicz right past goalkeeper Kasey Keller for his third goal of the season against Seattle.

Fredy Montero opened the scoring with an unassisted goal in the 6th minute of the match. Montero lined the ball up from 30 yards out on the left side and blasted it past a frozen New England defense for his 12th goal of the year. Montero has now scored four goals in Seattle's last five road games.

New England was given the opportunity of the match in the 51st minute when Seattle defender Leo Gonzalez was called for a handball. Joseph converted the resulting penalty kick for his 7th goal of the year.

The match saw several Sounders FC scoring opportunities, including a Nate Jaqua header off of a corner kick in the 3rd minute and a Montero bicycle kick in the 86th minute.

The Revs out-shot Seattle 13-5 (5-3 on goal). Both Keller and Matt Reis made two saves.

Saturday's match marked the second time the two teams have met this season. New England won the first match 1-0 on August 20 at Qwest Field as Shalrie Joseph's goal in the 21st minute ended up being the game-winner.

Sounders FC midfielder Sebastien Le Toux sat out of Saturday's match with the flu. Jaqua was issued a yellow card in second half added time. It was his fifth of the season so he will miss next week's game.

Revolution forward and MLS all-time assist leader Steve Ralston (135) went out with a knee injury in the 21st minute of the match and did not return.

First-Year Clubs to Win Cup Finals

Seattle is the third first-year franchise in the modern era to win the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, and prior to last week's match the trophy was presented by ownership to the fans and the championship banner was unfurled from the roof of Qwest Field.

Owners Joe Roth, Adrian Hanauer and Drew Carey handed off the trophy to supporters group leaders at the March to the Match. At the stadium, the trophy was held aloft as the Open Cup appeared over the west stand.

Seattle's achievement of claiming the Open Cup in its first season equaled that of D.C. United in 1996 and Chicago, an expansion MLS team in 1998.

Sigi Targets 45

Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid has set a target of 45 points for his club to make the playoffs. 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.

Youth Development RTC's Now Open

Regional Training Centers across Washington opened on September 15. The Sounders FC Youth System incorporates Washington Youth Soccer ODP in four age groups for the boys and all five age groups for the girls. The new relationship unites the very best avenues to high level soccer through a Regional Training Center (RTC) model incorporating the top youth clubs across Washington State and upper age group Academy teams that will be formed in the spring of 2010.

The seven RTCs are located in Everett, Puyallup, Snohomish, Spokane, Tukwila, Vancouver and Yakima.

Youth Club soccer in Washington state will be unaffected by the inception of the RTC's outside of offering a player centric training day each week The RTC's will bring the very best players together once per week to train with the top coaches in the state in each of the 5 locations. These players will train, be evaluated, and develop with the ultimate goal of achieving the state pool of players for each of the age groups designated. The pool that is designated in each age group will become the ODP/Sounders FC youth team pool and the very top players will travel as the ODP/Sounders FC youth teams to competitions commensurate with ability level. There will also be an open tryout for the RTC's to make sure that no player is excluded or missed within this opportunity.

Sounders FC will be fielding U15/U16 and U17/U18 boys Academy teams starting the spring of 2010. These teams will apply to the USSF Academy League following the other MLS youth teams that participate in this league. Per the MLS Youth Initiative, players may be signed to a professional contract out of this programming for the full professional team for Sounders FC. The girl's older Washington State ODP teams will serve as the top teams for this program.

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 32,719 for the September 19 Sounders FC draw with Chivas USA.

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)

Throw-Ins

Seattle's two earliest goals, in the 5th and 6th minutes, have come in the last two road matches at D.C. United and New England, respectively. It has also allowed the two latest opponent goals, in the 88th and 87th minutes...Three of Brad Evans' seven career goals have been scored at Crew Stadium. He scored in two of his last three Columbus home appearances, the regular season finale versus D.C United on October 26, 2008 and the opening round playoff win over Kansas City on November 8, 2008...Sigi Schmid was winless (0-2-3) at Crew Stadium in five visits as coach of the L.A. Galaxy...Fredy Montero and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado each wore black armbands in remembrance of a former teammate who died in a September 20 auto crash in Colombia. Hernan Cordoba, age 19, was one of three people killed in the accident. Another passenger was seriously injured. Cordoba played alongside Montero and Hurtado with Deportivo Cali. He was on loan to Atletico Huila this season...Tyrone Marshall played at Crew Stadium this past summer while representing Jamaica in the Gold Cup. Leo Gonzalez was on the Costa Rica bench for the Ticos' 1-0 win over Jamaica on July 7...New England became the first foe to convert a penalty kick against Seattle. Colorado's Omar Cummings hit the post on a penalty attempt on June 28...Now training with Seattle is Evan Bush, who started in goal for seasons at the University of Akron and played this past season for the Cleveland City Stars of USL-1. Bush first trained with the Sounders FC in February during a preseason tour of Argentina.

Current Training Squad

The following players begin the week training in Seattle: Goalkeepers (5): Terry Boss, Evan Bush*, 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 (9): Osvaldo Alonso, 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

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Major League Soccer Stories from September 28, 2009


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