MLS Seattle Sounders FC

Sounders FC News & Notes

Published on May 16, 2011 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Seattle Sounders FC News Release


Sounders FC Home Stand Continues Saturday Versus Kansas City

Resuming a three-match home stand, Seattle Sounders FC faces a foe that brings out the most riveting performances of the Rave Green. Sporting Kansas City comes to the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field on Saturday night for a 7 p.m. PT first kick. KONG 6/16 will air the game live.

Sounders FC (3-3-5, 14 points) can jump from fifth to second in the MLS Western Conference with a victory. They have lost only once in the last nine but have not won in their last three matches. Sporting KC (1-5-1, 4 points) has lost four in a row and rests at the bottom of the East.

Seattle is unbeaten in its last four at home and completes the home stand on May 25, hosting defending MLS Western Conference champion FC Dallas at 7 p.m. PT. For Kansas City, this will be the eighth of 10 consecutive road matches to start 2011. It moves into its new stadium, Livestrong Sporting Park, on June 9. Seattle visits on August 6.

Each time Sounders FC and KC have hooked-up in the past has produced a memorable 1-goal decision. Seattle leads the regular season series 3-1-0 and also owns a U.S. Open Cup play-in win versus the club formerly known as the Wizards.

Twice the Rave Green have clinched a playoff berth by winning in Kansas City. At home there have been a pair of last-minute game-winning goals. And KC can claim to be the first side to ever defeat Seattle, doing so in the Emerald City on April 11, 2009.

Last week's Cascadia Cup opener against Portland produced a spectacle in the stands, however Sounders FC was forced to settle for second straight draw, 1-1, before the 37th consecutive sell-out. The injury-plagued Rave Green has not won since a 3-0 rout of Toronto FC on April 30.

Sporting Kansas City fell, 4-1, at Los Angeles last week and are now winless since opening the season on March 19 with a victory over Chivas USA.

Calling Saturday's match on both KONG and 97.3 KIRO FM is the voice of Sounders FC, Arlo White. The game will also be carried by La Gran D 99.3 FM.

For tickets to Sounders FC home matches go to www.SoundersFC.com or call 877-MLS-GOAL.

Building in Progress

Great teams never rely solely on talent and most championship sides are forced to overcome some sort of adversity. Certainly Sounders FC is facing the latter in spades this spring. Seattle has fought on despite losing several key attacking players to injuries, including two for extended periods. Goals have been harder to come by, but a stout defense and a competitive character of the squad is braving the hard times.

Sounders FC is two points ahead of last year's 11-match pace, when the record was 3-5-3, and they have scored four more goals (13) while allowing three fewer (11).

Mining the Midfield

The majority of goals this season have come from the midfield. Alvaro Fernandez scored his third of the season against Portland and Brad Evans tops the side with four markers. Steve Zakuani had scored twice before sustaining a fractured leg at Colorado on April 22. Already midfielders account for nine of the team's 13 goals. Last season Zakuani produced 10 of the 15 goals by midfielders and in 2009 those positions scored 11 altogether.

Get Well (Soon)

It's difficult to complete a puzzle when the pieces are missing. No sooner does Sigi Schmid fit one segment together and another comes apart. For a spell of 93 minutes in mid-April, Schmid could choose from his full compliment of key players. Then came the loss of winger Steve Zakuani (leg fracture) and forward O'Brian White (blood clot), followed by midfielder Mauro Rosales (hamstring) and, last week, Erik Friberg (ankle) and Brad Evans (adductor). The good news is that the latter three could be available for selection by the end of the home stand, if not this weekend.

Only midfielder Osvaldo Alonso and goalkeeper Kasey Keller have played each match and both have played every minute. Nineteen different players have started at least once and 23 have seen action.

Montero Making It Happen

Once on the injury list himself, forward Fredy Montero has managed to contribute since returning to action with a cast on his fractured right wrist. Montero assisted on the goal by Alvaro Fernandez against Portland, and he has now factored in Sounders FC scoring in each of the last six games, including goals at Colorado and Columbus and earning the penalty kick at D.C. United. Montero's three assists tie him with Mauro Rosales for the team lead. He tied his own team record by firing seven shots against Portland.

Nate's KC Masterpieces

Nate Jaqua has returned from offseason hip surgery to reclaim his starting job up front with Fredy Montero, and if history is any indication this Saturday could mark his return to the scoring column. Jaqua has totaled five goals and two assists in his last seven matches against Kansas City. He assisted on both goals in Seattle's 2-1 win last October. Jaqua's run of form against the then-Wizards began in 2006 while he played for Chicago. He scored twice for the Fire that season, then added a brace in 2008 while playing for Houston, and a single goal for Sounders FC in their initial win over KC in 2009.

Some Memorable Moments

Each of the five past meetings with Kansas City has etched at least one moment into the memories of Sounders FC players, staff and supporters. Foremost is likely the last time the two sides met on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field. In the second minute of stoppage time, Mike Fucito cracked the winner off a quickly taken Brad Evans throw, setting off pandemonium throughout the stadium. Seconds later, Kasey Keller saved the win by stopping Chance Myers.

The Rave Green's visits to CommunityAmerica Ballpark were among the best of times as they celebrated clinching playoff berths on both occasions. In 2009 it was a come-from-behind, 3-2 effort by goals from Roger Levesque and Nate Jaqua in the final 21 minutes. They left it late in again last season; Sanna Nyassi and Alvaro Fernandez scored in the final half-hour of a 2-1 win.

The first encounter with KC actually brought the Sounders FC to earth after the expansion team started with three shutout wins in a row. Keller was red-carded in the 30th minute for a handball outside the box and the visitors prevailed, 1-nil. Three months later, in the quarterfinal round of the Open Cup, Seattle avenged that loss. Sebastien Le Toux struck a penalty kick in the 89th minute for a 1-0 triumph.

May All Drawn Out

Draws are nothing new to Sounders FC in the month of May. The deadlock against Portland was the eighth in 13 May matches (1-4-8) to date. In 2009 Seattle tied all five games during the month.

Biggest Crowd Yet for MLS Match

Sounders FC fans have filled the seats for 37 consecutive MLS regular season and postseason matches, and the attendance of 36,593 for the Timbers' first visit was the biggest yet. Seattle is again leading the league in 2011, currently averaging 36,350. Last year the club broke its own MLS season record, averaging 36,173.

The top 10 Sounders FC attendances, including friendlies, are as follows:

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

65,289 July 18, 2009 Seattle v Chelsea (friendly)

45,631 July 18, 2010 Seattle v Celtic (friendly)

41,047 October 12, 2010 Seattle v Chivas Guadalajara (friendly)

40,122 May 26, 2010 Seattle v Boca Juniors (friendly)

36,593 May 14, 2011 Seattle v Portland

36,433 March 15, 2011 Seattle v Los Angeles

36,386 August 28, 2010 Seattle v Chicago

36,344 June 5, 2010 Seattle v New England

36,333 July 25, 2010 Seattle v Colorado

*46,011 November 22, 2009 MLS Cup (Real Salt Lake v L.A.)

A Spectacle to Behold

Between the national anthem and kickoff last week against Portland, Sounders FC supporters demonstrated to the worldwide television audience that their passion runs deep, far and wide. First came the unfurling of a giant tifo in the City End by the North End Faithful, stating "We Are Faithful; We Are Sounders." At the same time a mosaic of nine huge tifos was beginning to cover virtually the entire Brougham End. The Emerald City Supporters' display included portraits of past Sounders greats Jimmy Gabriel, Marcus Hahnemann and Preston Burpo, plus current icons Roger Levesque, Fredy Montero and assistant coach Brian Schmetzer. Flowing down from the stadium's upper deck was a message ("Decades of Dominance" and a massive fist shown crumpling the Timbers' crest) directed toward Portland's followers.

Altogether, the ECS spectacle measured over 23,000 square feet (more than a half-acre). It featured 2 miles of sewing, and approximately 3,200 man-hours to complete. It was four months in the making with shifts averaging 40 people working on the tifos at a time. Eighty people were needed to execute the unveiling on match day.

Reserve League: Sounders FC Goes Top of the Table

Sounders FC (3-0-0, 9 points) moved to the top of the West Division in the MLS Reserve League with home wins over Chivas USA and the Portland Timbers last week.

Lamar Neagle scored the first goal and assisted on the second as Seattle Sounders FC defeated the Timbers, 3-2, on Sunday afternoon at Starfire Sports Stadium. Pat Noonan and Michael Tetteh also tallied goals

Just before halftime Neagle scored the game's first goal in the 44th minute, his strike from 25 yards out on the right slipping through a crowd and inside the far post. In the 57th minute he swung a cross into the box that Noonan headed in from close range.

Rookie Michael Tetteh gave Seattle a 3-1 lead in the 74th minute, working a give-and-go with Roger Levesque and slotting home from 12 yards.

Earlier in the week, Neagle and Miguel Montano scored eight minutes apart of a 3-2 win over Chivas USA.

Neagle put Sounders FC ahead early in the second half. Streaking into the right corner of the box he was taken down by Chivas USA goalkeeper Sergio Arias. Neagle then stepped to the spot and converted to the left corner in the 52nd minute.

Montano doubled the lead to 3-1 on the hour. He received a short feed from Pat Noonan, faked right, then pulled the ball back left and fired inside the near post from 16 yards.

Chivas USA pulled a goal back in the 69th minute on the second strike by Chris Cortez.

The teams exchanged first-half goals three minutes apart.In the 22nd minute, Cortez intercepted a miss-hit goal kick and scored to the right corner.Sounders FC equalized in the 25th minute. David Estrada's cross to the far post was headed down by Nate Jaqua and Mike Fucito put it away from close range.

Seattle resumes Reserve League play on May 30 against the Timbers. The match at JELD-WEN Field begins at 2 p.m. PT. The next home match is June 7 against Vancouver. First kick is 7 p.m. at Starfire Sports Stadium.

Academy Update: Kovar Named State Prep Player of the Year

Aaron Kovar of the Sounders FC Academy U18 team has been named Gatorade Washington Player of the Year. Kovar, a junior at Seattle's Garfield High School, was earlier named the KingCo 4A Player of the Year.

DeAndre Yedlin, another member of the U18s, recently returned from a U.S. U18 National Team training camp in Oregon. Yedlin was one of 24 players to participate in the camp, which included friendlies against the Portland Timbers, University of Portland and University of Washington.

The Sounders FC Academy teams are preparing for the resumption of play later this month. The U16 and U18 boys host to California on May 28 at Starfire.

Note: Two Time Changes

Kickoff for the June 11 home match versus Vancouver was changed to 7:30 on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field. The match will be nationally televised by Fox Soccer.

First kick for Seattle's game at Portland on July 10 has been moved up to 1 p.m. PT at JELD-WEN Field. The Sounders FC-Timbers match will be televised by ESPN2.

Match Recap: Sounders FC 1 vs. Portland Timbers 1 - May 14, Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field

Alvaro Fernandez's goal early in the second half was enough to earn a 1-1 draw in heavy rain in front of a record 36,593 fans and an international television audience.The crowd set a record for a Sounders FC home MLS regular season or playoff match.

Fernandez's goal came in the 52nd minute when Roger Levesque sent a ball into the box where Fredy Montero was able to win a header and flick it through to an unmarked Fernandez on the left side. Fernandez took a touch off of his chest and pounded a left-footed shot for 12 yards past Portland goalkeeper Troy Perkins, giving Seattle the 1-0 lead.

The Timbers' equalizer came in the 65th minute off a set piece when midfielder Jack Jewsbury sent a free kick into the box that found the head of a leaping Mamadou Danso who put the ball past Kasey Keller for his second goal in as many games.

Montero launched seven shots, including a free kick late in the first half that bounced just wide of the near post. In the 56th minute, he blasted a right-footed shot from the top of the box that hit Perkins square in the hands.

In the 18th minute, Portland's Kenny Cooper sailed a left-footed shot from distance, but a leaping Keller made the save.

Sounders FC held a slight advantage in total shots, 11-9, and corner kicks (7-2) but Portland held the advantage in shots on goal (5-2).Keller recorded four saves.

Brad Evans returned to the starting lineup after missing the Columbus match, but left the contest in the 42nd minute with a strained adductor.

Seattle-Bound Manchester United Claims Record 19th English Title

Manchester United will arrive in the Emerald City later this summer as champions of England. Man United won a record 19th domestic title on Saturday by drawing 1-1 at Blackburn. The Premiership season concludes Saturday.

The Red Devils will play Sounders FC on July 20 at 7 p.m. PT as they prepare for the 2011/12 season in Europe. The presenting partners are AT&T and Samsung Mobile. The friendly is part of the Sounders FC full 18-match season ticket package.

Prior to the June 1 public on-sale date for individual tickets, fans can guarantee seats for Manchester United by purchasing a three match ticket package for $99. The three match ticket packages also include the June 23 game against the New York Red Bulls and October 15 against the San Jose Earthquakes. The packages are available by phone at 1-877-MLS-GOAL or online at www.SoundersFC.com.

Manchester United will conclude its season on May 28 by facing Barcelona at London's Wembley Stadium for the UEFA Champions League trophy.

Mexico Announces Roster for May 28 Ecuador Friendly in Seattle

Mexican head coach José Manuel "Chepo" de la Torre has announced the 23-player roster for the national team's upcoming U.S. Tour matches in Seattle and Denver, as well as for this summer's 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Mexico will face Ecuador on May 28 (1 p.m. PT) at the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field in Seattle, before traveling to face New Zealand on June 1 in Denver.

Tickets for the Seattle match are still available and can be purchased at www.Ticketmaster.com, by calling 1-800-745-3000 or at all usual Ticketmaster locations.

Media planning to cover the Mexican national team tour should apply for credentials at the following link: https://sum.iwebreg.com/apply. The application deadline is Monday, May 23rd (6:00 p.m. ET).

"El Tri's" roster includes several European-based standouts, including midfielder Andrés Guardado (Deportivo La Coruña of Spain), forwards Giovanni dos Santos (Racing Santander of Spain) and Pablo Barrera (West Ham United of England). Also joining the squad is New York Red Bulls (MLS) star defender Rafael Márquez.

Goalkeepers: Guillermo Ochoa (Club América/MEX), Alfredo Talavera (Toluca/MEX), Jose de Jesús Corona (Cruz Azul/MEX).

Defenders: Rafa Márquez (New York Red Bulls/USA), Carlos Salcido (Fulham/ENG), Héctor Moreno (AZ Alkmaar/NED), Francisco Javier Rodríguez (PSV Eindhoven/NED), Ricardo Osorio (Monterrey/MEX), Edgar Dueñas (Toluca/MEX), Jorge Torres Nilo (Tigres/MEX).

Midfielders: Andrés Guardado (Deportivo La Coruña/ESP), Efraín Juarez (Celtic Glasgow/SCO), Israel Castro (UNAM/MEX), Antonio Naelson Sinha (Toluca/MEX), Luis Pérez (Monterrey/MEX), Gerardo Torrado (Cruz Azul/MEX), Angel Reyna (Club America/MEX), Jesus Zavala (Monterrey/MEX).

Forwards: Javier Hernández* (Manchester United/ENG), Giovanni dos Santos (Racing de Santander/SPA), Pablo Barrera (West Ham United/ENG), Aldo de Nigris (Monterrey/MEX), Elías Hernández (Morelia/MEX)

*Javier Hernandez is scheduled to join the Mexican national team in Dallas prior to the start of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Among the Leaders

Sounders FC leads the league in assists (16), shots (146) and fouls committed (162). Seattle is second in goals (13), shots on goal (51) and corner kicks (57). The only category that Sounders FC are ranked out of the top 10 is fouls suffered (11th with 119). Brad Evans is tied-fifth in MLS with four goals. Fredy Montero and Mauro Rosales are tied-sixth with three assists. Montero is second in shots with 35 and first in shots on goal with 16. Montero is also seventh with 20 fouls suffered. Osvaldo Alonso is fourth with 21 fouls committed. Kasey Keller is third with 32 saves, tied-fifth with three wins and tied-seventh with a 1.00 goals against average. Keller and Alonso are two of five players to log 990 minutes or more through the first nine weeks.

Series Notes

Seattle is 3-1-0 all-time against Kansas City in MLS play, scoring six goals and allowing four. Having won both meetings last season, the Rave Green's lone loss came over two years ago (April 11, 2009) in the initial meeting at Qwest Field. The action between the two sides picks up in the final 45 minutes as nine of the ten goals scored in the series have come in the second half, with five coming in the final 15 minutes (three by Sounders FC). The teams nearly double their shots on goal output in the second half (SEA - 6 in 1st/11 in 2nd and KC - 5/11). Coach Sigi Schmid has faced Kansas City more than any other team in the league, holding a mark of 16-15-5 in 36 meetings.

About Kansas City

Despite playing four fewer games than Seattle, Sporting Kansas City has not had an easy first nine weeks of the season as it is amidst 10 consecutive road matches. Sporting KC has lost four in a row and sits at the bottom of the East with four points in seven matches. Its lone win of the season came in week one against Chivas USA and it is coming off a 4-1 defeat at L.A. Galaxy last week. Kansas City has allowed a league-worst 2.43 goals per game but, with 11 goals scored in seven contests, Sporting leads the league with 1.57 goals scored per game. Nine of those 11 goals have been scored in the middle of the match between the half hour and 75-minute mark. It has allowed more goals (five) in the final 15 minutes than any other team.

Sporting Notables

Forward Kei Kamara leads the attack with three goals and two assists in six starts. Teal Bunbury joins Kamara with three goals and one assist in five starts but has not scored since a brace on April 2. Mexican forward Omar Bravo joined Sporting KC over the offseason after playing nearly a decade in the Mexican First Division and with the Mexico National Team. Bravo scored twice in the opening game but has been sidelined since March 26 due to sports hernia surgery. Midfielder Davy Arnaud has started all seven matches but is yet to record a goal or assist. Rookie C.J Sapong, a 6-2 forward, has started six games up top with one goal and one assist. Goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen has started six games but missed last week's match against the Galaxy. He has allowed 13 goals (2.17 per game) on 35 shots.

Sporting KC Connections

Seattle defender Tyson Wahl spent two seasons with Kansas Cityand made 32 appearances before being taken by Seattle in the expansiondraft. Defender Taylor Graham played for Kansas City from 2003-04. Sporting's Chance Myers and Sounders FC midfielder David Estrada were teammates at UCLA. Schmid coached Kei Kamara at Columbus from 2006 to 2007. Sporting KC goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen began his professional career at Millwall (1994-95) behind Kasey Keller (1992-96). Nielsen also played at another of Keller's former clubs, Leicester City, from 2007-08.

Sounders FC technical director Chris Henderson played for KansasCity from 1999-2000, winning the MLS Cup in 2000. He was a teammateof Kansas City's coach Peter Vermes in 2000 and also while with Coloradofrom 1997-98. Henderson spent the 2007 season as an assistant coachwith the then-Wizards. Sounders FC head fitness coach David Tenney spentthe 2007 and 2008 seasons in the same capacity with Kansas City.

SUBWAY & Sounders FC to Host Family Fitness Night on Tuesday

Sounders FC defender Leo Gonzalez and forward David Estrada will be on hand Tuesday night, May 17 when the Seattle-Tacoma SUBWAY Restaurants host Family Fitness Night at Seattle's South Park Community Center (8319 8th Ave South), from 6-8 p.m.

Seattle-Tacoma SUBWAY Restaurants will provide healthy sandwiches followed by the Sounders FC players sharing tips for eating right and exercise. Families will be led through a series of interactive exercises including: basketball and soccer drills, jump rope and line dancing.

The partnership between the Seattle-Tacoma SUBWAY Restaurants and the Seattle Sounders FC was developed to provide health and fitness programming to youth and parents in order to encourage them to pursue healthier lifestyles.

According to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the percentage of overweight children and adolescents more than doubled from 1976 to 1999, with nearly 13 percent of children and adolescents reported to be seriously overweight. The rates in Washington State increased from 9 to 18 percent.

Throw-ins

Over $3200 was raised for the Sounders FC community partners at the first two home MLS Reserve League matches. There is no charge for admission, however donations are accepted at the gate ($5 suggested). Parking is $5 or free with a Starfire membership...Roger Levesque's assist versus Portland was his first in MLS. He had previously scored two goals...Seattle has scored first in four of the last five games. It is 3-0-3 this season and 24-4-9 all-time when scoring first...Defender Leo Gonzalez has four yellow cards. A fifth yellow card results in a one-game suspension, however if Gonzalez avoids a card for three consecutive games he would earn a one-card reduction from MLS...Jeff Stock and Mark Peterson, both Tacoma natives and key members of the NASL Sounders from 1979-83, were presented with a Golden Scarf prior to the Portland match...On May 20, 1982, Mark Peterson scored two goals as the Sounders beat Manchester United, 3-0, in the Kingdome...Last week it was announced that MLS Cup 2011 will be played at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. on November 20... Fredy Montero will be signing autographs and taking pictures with fans on Tuesday, May 17 from 4-5 p.m. at the Seattle Bank - Southcenter (6450 Southcenter Blvd., Seattle, WA 98188)...Join Brad Evans and world renowned chef instructors from The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Seattle on Sunday, May 22 at 3:30 p.m. for the ultimate culinary experience. RSVP at http://AiLearnMore.com/seattle

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Major League Soccer Stories from May 16, 2011


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