MLS Seattle Sounders FC

Sounders FC News & Notes

Published on May 31, 2011 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Seattle Sounders FC News Release


Chicago is Next Stop for Seattle's Rave Green Road Warriors

Another opportunity to reinforce their reputation as road warriors awaits Seattle Sounders FC this weekend with a trip to the Windy City. The Rave Green aim to sweep their season series with the Chicago Fire on Saturday night. First kick is 5:30 p.m. PT at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill. The match will be televised live on KONG 6/16 and ROOT Sports.

Although nothing has come easily for Sounders FC (5-4-5, 20 points) they have battled their way to the third-highest point total in MLS. After a slow start they have gone 5-2-3 in the last 10 games, a run that began with the first meeting with the Fire (1-4-6, 9 points).

The first victory of the season for Seattle was a 2-1 decision over Chicago on April 9. Since then Sounders FC have withstood a series of injuries and misfortune in climbing to third in the Western Conference with a sum that's sufficient to share the lead in the East.

Last week the Rave Green experienced both highs and lows, first dominating but dropping a 1-nil decision to FC Dallas at home, then rebounding three days later to beat Real Salt Lake, the most dominant home side in MLS, on their home turf, 2-1.

Meanwhile, Chicago has taken a divergent path, going winless in nine consecutive matches beginning with the loss to Seattle. After losing three in row the Fire have steadied a bit, drawing five of the last six, including a 2-2 result at home against San Jose last week. Beginning this week, they have a new man in charge. Chicago has replaced Carlos de los Cobos with technical director Frank Klopas for the remainder of the season.

Sounders FC are undefeated (3-0-2) against Chicago following wins in the last three meetings. All were one-goal margins and both games in 2010 were won in the dying minutes.

Seattle could face the Fire again in the U.S. Open Cup this summer. Chicago claimed a berth in the third round by winning a pair of play-in matches. Sounders FC begin defense of their back-to-back Open Cup titles in the final week of June.

Following this week's action, the Rave Green come home for three of their next four matches, starting with a June 11 Cascadia Cup encounter with Vancouver Whitecaps FC at 7:30 p.m. PT.

Arlo White will be back in the announcer's chair to call the play on KONG, ROOT Sports and 97.3 KIRO FM. The Spanish language radio broadcast is on La Gran D 99.3 FM.

Also this week, tickets for the July 20 friendly with English Premier League champion Manchester United go on sale Wednesday, June 1. For tickets to that game and all Sounders FC home matches go to www.SoundersFC.com or call 877-MLS-GOAL.

Seattle will also host a Reserve League match on Tuesday, June 7 against Vancouver. First kick is 7 p.m. PT at Starfire Sports Stadium in Tukwila, Wash. Admission is free with donations accepted for the Sounders FC community partners.

Manchester United Tickets On Sale Wednesday

Tickets to see the highly anticipated July 20 friendly between Sounders FC and Manchester United go on sale at 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 1 to the general public. Tickets start at $47 and will be available by calling 800-745-3000 or going to www.SoundersFC.com.

Manchester United is coming off a record-breaking 19th domestic championship--their 12th since the English Premier League was established--and runner-up finish in the UEFA Champions League. If United's last visit to the Emerald City is any indication, tickets should go fast. The 2003 match between the Red Devils and Scotland's Celtic sold-out in a matter of hours, attracting a then-stadium record attendance of 66,722.

This year's match is presented by AT&T and Samsung Mobile, and the game is part of the Sounders FC full 18-match season ticket package. First kick on Wednesday, July 20 is 7 p.m. PT.

Managed by Sir Alex Ferguson since 1986, Manchester United features a star-studded lineup led by forward Wayne Rooney, defender Rio Ferdinand--both members of the English National Team--and other accomplished internationals such as Dimitar Berbatov, Nani, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra, Javier Hernandez (Chicharito) and legendary midfielder Ryan Giggs, the most decorated player in English history.

Stepping Up

Throughout the preseason, Sounders FC staff and players cited the improved depth of the squad, and clearly that depth is delivering. Sigi Schmid has only had his projected preseason XI available for one match and yet Seattle is four points ahead of last year's 14-match pace, when the record was 4-7-3, and is only one point behind the 2009 start of 5-3-6. The Rave Green are currently third in the Western Conference with 20 points, equal to that of East leader Philadelphia.

Neagle Golazo!

Among those players rising to the occasion is rookie Lamar Neagle. A reserve previously, Neagle saw extended minutes for the first time at Real Salt Lake, playing the final 72 minutes, and he delivered the game's decisive blow. He cracked a 22-yard blast off the right upright in the 84th minute for what proved to be the game-winning goal and the first of his career. Neagle finished with a team-high four shots (two on goal) with his on-target strike is one of five nominees for MLS Goal of the Week.

Neagle is a native of Federal Way, Wash. and first made the Sounders FC roster in 2009, although he did not see league action. Waived late in the 2010 preseason he signed with the USL-2 Charleston Battery and scored 12 times in 19 matches to earn league MVP honors. Neagle transferred to a Finnish club for the winter before returning to Seattle. He had scored two goals and assisted on another in Reserve League play this season.

Fucito A Go-Go

Another young frontrunner is making the most of his opportunity. Mike Fucito made the first two starts of his pro career last week, energizing the attack with his non-stop activity and explosiveness. Fucito fired five shots against FC Dallas-forcing three saves-and added another two at RSL. His quick turn toward the box forced Jamison Olave to pull him down, resulting in a red card for the RSL defender. Fourteen minutes later and now playing a man up, Sounders FC scored the first of their two goals.

Everything's Jaqua

Fucito was teamed with Nate Jaqua at forward in Utah, and the pair posed fits for the defense. After brushing aside defenders, Jaqua's forceful header from a corner kick led to Seattle's first goal. It was Jaqua's first assist this year and it came in only his second full 90 in MLS play since the end of 2009.

Jaqua and Fucito formed a productive partnership in the final three games of the 2010 CONCACAF Champions League group stage. Fucito scored three times and Jaqua added a goal and an assist over that span. Jaqua, who had scored six times in his last eight games against Real Salt Lake, shot three times, equaling his highest total of the past two seasons. It was Jaqua who christened the nets at Toyota Park, scoring the first two goals for Chicago at its new home on June 11, 2006.

Another Feat for Road Warriors

Synonymous with Sounders FC in their early history are three achievements: Record crowds, Open Cups and, as they proved once again last week, a knack for winning big games away. Seattle became the first MLS side to win at Rio Tinto Stadium in two years, breaking Real Salt Lake's MLS-record 29-game home unbeaten streak. The previous best run had been 22 games by Columbus that was broken by Sounders FC in 2009. The Rave Green also won the first of two Open Cups by beating D.C. United on the road in 2009.

Seattle owns an all-time road record of 13-13-11 in regular season play. Over the same two-plus seasons only one other club, L.A. Galaxy (18-7-14), is near or above .500.

Fortress Personified

Before the game much of the talk centered on Real Salt Lake's home fortress, but afterward the accolades were saved for the one-man fortress in front of Seattle's net. Kasey Keller came up with another performance for the ages last Saturday, equaling his season high with five saves against RSL.

The finest of the bunch surely was in the 51st minute, with the match still scoreless. Caught out of position by a deflection, Keller quickly set his feet as Jamison Olave headed the ball goalward, and the Seattle skipper leaped to tip the shot off the crossbar. On two other occasions his positioning was impeccable, first a reaction catch from short distance in the 79th minute, then a gathering of a loose ball in front of the net during the dying seconds of stoppage time. In the final season of his storied career, Keller is exhibiting the same form that has made him a legend in America. He is second among MLS keepers with 41 saves and his GAA is 0.93.

Man Up & About

Last week's win kept intact Seattle's unbeaten record (4-0-2) when finishing a match with a man advantage. Both road victories this season have come against 10 men, albeit at high altitude. The list of such results:

Date Player Red Carded/Team Score

5/28/2011 Jamison Olave, RSL SEA 2 at RSL 1

4/22/2011 Brian Mullan, COL SEA 1 at COL 0

5/01/2010 Danny O'Rourke, CLB CLB 1 at SEA 1

3/25/2010 Toni Stahl, PHI PHI 0 at SEA 2

9/19/2009 Marcelo Saragosa, CHV CHV 0 at SEA 0

8/15/2009 David Beckham & Eddie Lewis, LA SEA 2 at LA 0

Montero Adds Spark

Perhaps the only Rave Green attacking player more dangerous than Fredy Montero is a Fredy Montero who comes off the bench. Rare are the times when Montero is listed as a substitute, yet in three of those four opportunities Montero has managed to either score or set-up a goal. Two minutes after coming on against RSL, Montero was in the middle of the game's first goal, collecting his fourth assist on Patrick Ianni's score. He also came off the bench to serve the game-tying assist at Philadelphia and in 2010 Montero worked his magic as a reserve to score a brilliant game-winning goal at New York.

Montero will be facing Chicago for the first time this season. He missed the April 9 match while recovering from surgery on a fractured right wrist. His last two-goal game came against the Fire at home on August 28, 2010.

A Crooked Number Tells All

Seattle scored multiple goals for the first time in six games at Utah, and did so against the stingiest defense in MLS. Real Salt Lake had allowed only two goals in its first eight matches. Sounders FC, who had been blanked by FC Dallas in midweek, have taken points from 10 of the 11 matches that they have scored. RSL had not allowed a goal in 409 minutes prior to Patrick Ianni's point-blank conversion in the 72nd minute and had held 12 of the last 14 visitors scoreless. Not since Seattle's 2-2 draw on April 10, 2010 had RSL allowed two goals at home.

Back Four Strikes Again

Patrick Ianni became the second defender in three games to score, pushing the ball across the goal line following a corner kick by Tyson Wahl (who also assisted on Jeff Parke's winner versus Sporting Kansas City). It was Ianni's third career goal and first since July 11, 2009, that goal also coming after a corner. Wahl now has three assists in his last seven starts, dating to August 28, 2010 against Chicago. Midfielders and defenders account for 12 of the team's 16 goals this season.

Change and Change Again

Call it squad rotation, competition for spots or whatever, but Sounders FC rarely give opponents the same look two games in a row. Last week Sigi Schmid made four and five changes, respectively, for the matches versus FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake. To date, 20 different players have started at least one match and 23 have seen action. Fifteen players have either scored or assisted on a goal, just four fewer than all of 2010.

Only midfielder Osvaldo Alonso and goalkeeper Kasey Keller have played each match and both have played all 1260 minutes. Keller has started 69 regular season matches in a row-dating to April 25, 2009-the longest current streak in MLS. Alonso has been included in the XI for 27 straight, dating to July 25, 2010 and he's appeared in 29 consecutive games altogether.

Plenty in Reserve

A byproduct of Seattle's exceptional depth is a top-of-the-table reserve program. Sounders FC lead the West Division of the MLS Reserve League with an unblemished 4-0-0 mark after blanking Portland, 2-0, on Monday.

The Rave Green play their next two matches at home, hosting Vancouver on June 7 at 7 p.m. PT and L.A. Galaxy on June 13 at 11 a.m. PT. Both games will be played at the Starfire Sports Stadium in Tukwila, Wash. Admission is free with donations accepted for the Sounders FC community partners.

Servando Carrasco and David Estrada scored in the final 13 minutes against the Timbers Reserves before a crowd of 3,393 at JELD-WEN Field.

Off a 30-yard free kick, Carrasco's goal cracked the stalemate in the 77th minute. On the re-start, Carrasco hammered a shot over the four-man wall and into the top right corner of the goal for a 1-nil lead.

Seattle added an insurance goal in the 89th minute, when Leo Gonzalez played a ball over the top and into the box. Estrada headed the ball down and charged towards the right post. He went around Timbers goalkeeper Adin Brown and squeezed a shot in to the back of the net.

Terry Boss made two saves to earn his second shutout. Two of the Timbers' shots hit the goal frame.

And When It Rains

Wherever they go, Sounders FC seems to pull water from the sky. Rain has fallen on each of Seattle's last five matches and nine altogether. That might be expected during springtime in the Pacific Northwest, yet the heaviest rainfall has occurred on the road, namely downpours at Philadelphia, Columbus and Real Salt Lake. The latter was most surprising since Salt Lake City averages only 16.50 inches of precipitation per year. Seattle is tied for ninth (37.07 inches) in annual precipitation amongst MLS cities; New York is first (49.69), and Vancouver has the most days of rain or snow (165). The extended forecast for Saturday in the Chicago area calls for a chance of thunderstorms.

Health Issues

Last week marked the return of two key players who had been missing due to injuries. After missing two matches with an ankle sprain Erik Friberg was back in the XI against FC Dallas, and played the full 90 in that game and at RSL. Brad Evans, who came out of the Portland game on May 14 with a strained adductor, also started at Salt Lake. On the heels of his May 21 return versus Sporting KC, Mauro Rosales played 83 minutes versus Dallas and was available at RSL as well.

Projected starters have missed a total of 21 games to date because of injuries. Winger Steve Zakuani (leg fracture; eight games to date) and forward O'Brian White (blood clot; seven games) remain out indefinitely.

Mexico-Ecuador Attendance Makes Seattle's Top 10

An energetic crowd of 50,305 mostly Mexico fans watched El Tri play Ecuador to a 1-1 draw last Saturday on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field. It was the eighth-largest crowd to see a match played in Seattle. Jorge Torres Nilo scored off an assist from Hector Moreno in the seventh minute to give Mexico the early lead. Ecuador answered through Michael Arroyo in the 37th minute.

Date Change: Sounders FC to Host Philadelphia on October 8

The date for the home match versus the Philadelphia Union has been moved to Saturday, October 8. The game will start at 7:00 p.m. PT on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field.

At the request of Major League Soccer the match was moved from its original July 23 date to accommodate the Union's involvement in the Herbalife World Football Challenge. All tickets issue for the original date will be honored on October 8.

Note: Two Time Changes

Kickoff for the June 11 home match versus Vancouver has been 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.

Academy Update: Sounders FC Hosts Santa Cruz, De Anza Force This Weekend

At long last the Sounders FC Academy teams swing back into league play this weekend with both the boys U18s and U16s hosting matches on Saturday and Sunday. Seattle plays the Santa Cruz Breakers at 3 and 5:30 p.m., respectively, on Saturday. The Rave Green faces the De Anza Force at 12 noon and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. All games will be played at the Starfire Sports Stadium in Tukwila, Wash.

Sounders FC has been idle in U.S. Soccer Development Academy action since February 20. The U18s (5-1-1) slid to second in the Northwest Division and the U16s (4-1-2) to third, but both have three games in hand on the division leaders.

In preparation for league play, each team handily won friendlies last weekend. The U18s routed Tres Leones, 9-0, as Glenn Paden, Sean Okoli, Dominique Dismuke and Troy Peterson each scored twice. The U16s defeated a team of local community college players, 4-0, on goals by Jesse Klug (2), Miles Rodriguez-Nilsen and Tolussa Hassan. Also prevailing was the Pre-Academy team which beat Emerald City U16s, 6-2.

Some Academy team members were unavailable while playing for their high schools in the state championships. Michael Gallagher helped Eastlake of Sammamish, Wash. Claim the 4A crown while Drew White and Matt Palodichuk were members of Camas, the 3A champion. Gallagher and White are both U18 team members while Palodichuk plays for the Pre-Academy team.

Also last week, seven of the 11 all-area selections by The Seattle Times were members of the Sounders FC Academy U18s. Named to the Star Times team were Paden, Okoli, Peterson, Aaron Kovar, Chase Hanson, DeAndre Yedlin and Michael Gallagher.

Recap: Sounders FC 0 vs. FC Dallas 1 - May 25, Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field

Sounders FC controlled much of the game and created numerous chances but was unable to capitalize in a game where Brek Shea's first-half goal proved to be the winner. Seattle saw its three-game unbeaten streak come to an end and the shutout was the first against the Sounders FC attack since the March 19 road loss at New York.

Dallas extended its unbeaten streak to seven games and its defensive scoreless string to 489 consecutive minutes.

FC Dallas scored in the 18th minute when Andrew Jacobson split the defense with a pass which Shea ran onto and beat a charging Kasey Keller from just inside the box.

Seattle had numerous chances to equalize and pressed the entire game. Sounders FC held the advantage in shots (19-7) and shots on goal (6-2), forcing FC Dallas keeper Kevin Hartman to make four saves to Keller's one.

The Rave Green's closest chance was in the 66th minute when Mike Fucito first tested Hartman with a header which was batted by the keeper against the left post. Fucito's follow-up shot was then blocked by defender Ugo Ihemelu for Hartman to collect.

In the 88th minute, Jeff Parke fought the defense and got his head on a Fucito corner kick but it sailed high and wide.

Fucito created multiple chances in his first MLS start, tallying three shots on goal on five attempts. In the 64th minute, he fired an open shot from the top of the box but Hartman tipped it over the crossbar.

In the 43rd minute, Fredy Montero dropped a ball into the box for Mauro Rosales who played it off his chest then tried to score off the volley but Hartman made the save. In the 19th minute Erik Friberg beat Hartman only to have Zach Loyd headed the ball away from goal.

Recap: Sounders FC 2 vs. Real Salt Lake 1 - May 28, Rio Tinto Stadium

Lamar Neagle scored his first career MLS goal and Patrick Ianni added another, giving Seattle the 2-1 victory over 10-man Real Salt Lake, who saw their MLS record 29-game home-unbeaten streak come to an end.

After a fairly quiet and scoreless first half, the course of the game changed when Jamison Olave was issued a red card in the 58th minute after pulling down Mike Fucito as he broke toward the goal.

In the 72nd minute, Sounders FC scored the first goal of the game when Tyson Wahl's corner kick found Nate Jaqua. His header caromed off Fredy Montero to Ianni, who pushed it across the goal line for the 1-nil lead.

Neagle's game-winner came in the 84th minute when he controlled the ball at the top corner of the box, then turned and fired a shot that ricocheted off the corner of the crossbar and into the goal.

Salt Lake made it difficult on Seattle, forcing several chances late in the game and scoring in the 87th minute. Its goal came when Nelson Gonzalez cut into the box and knocked a left-footed shot past Keller and inside the far post, pulling RSL within one.

Late in second-half stoppage time, Real Salt Lake nearly equalized when the ball was sent into the Seattle box and Nat Borchers almost had an opportunity to put the ball in the net but Kasey Keller dove on the ball as a foul was called on Salt Lake.

Early in the second half, Real Salt Lake came out firing with chances in the 48th and 51st minutes, when Fabian Espindola and Olave were able to create opportunities on goal, both of which were saved by Keller. In the 79th minute, Will Johnson received the ball deep in the box off a corner kick and sent his shot directly into Keller's midsection. Keller made five saves.

Osvaldo Alonso created several opportunities for Seattle, firing four shots. His closest attempt came in the 70th minute when he made an opening for himself at the top of the box and bent a ball towards the goal but RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando knocked it away for a corner kick.

Rimando finished with three saves in a game where chances were fairly equal. Seattle held a shot advantage of 16-13, and both teams had six shots on goal.

Among the Leaders

Sounders FC leads the league in shots (194) and fouls committed (192) and is second in assists (20), shots on goal (64) and corner kicks (77). Seattle is fourth in goals scored (16). Brad Evans is tied-seventh in MLS with four goals. Fredy Montero is tied-sixth with four assists. Montero is second in shots with 40 and tied-first in shots on goal with 17. Montero is also tied-sixth with 24 fouls suffered. Osvaldo Alonso is tied-fourth with 23 fouls committed. Kasey Keller is second with 41 saves, fourth with five wins and sixth with a 0.93 goals against average. Keller and Alonso are two of four players to log 1260 minutes or more.

Series Notes

Sounders FC is yet to lose (3-0-2) to Chicago and will look to win its first series of the season after downing Chicago, 2-1 at Qwest Field on April 9. It was the first win of the season for Seattle as four Sounders earned Team of the Week honors (White, Steve Zakuani, Kasey Keller and Mauro Rosales) and White was awarded Goal of the Week. The Rave Green has earned four points in two visits to Toyota Park, including last season's late winner by Blaise Nkufo. Fredy Montero scored twice in a come-from-behind home victory last August and Seattle also capitalized on a late winner by Servando Carrasco in a preseason training game, winning 1-0 in Florida. The two sides battled to draws in 2009.

About Chicago

The Fire have the second-fewest points (nine) in MLS through its first 11 games. After losing at Seattle in their third game, Chicago has gone winless (0-4-5) in its last nine matches. Despite the struggle for wins, Chicago has salvaged points, drawing five of its last six. The team is 1-1-3 at home, having allowed seven goals in five contests. The club fired head coach Carlos de los Cobos and technical director Frank Klopas has assumed the role. Saturday will be Klopas' MLS coaching debut.

The Men in Red are third in MLS with 1.36 goals per game but allow 1.73 goals per game (15th). The team ranks in the top 10 in several categories, including goals (15; T-7th), shots (149; 7th), shots on goal (48; 9th), corner kicks (58; 7th) and cautions (26; T-3rd).

Fire Notables

The Fire attack is led by Guatemalan midfielder Marco Pappa and Uruguayans Diego Chaves and Gaston Puerari. The trio has accounted for nine of the team's 15 goals this season. Pappa, who has posted four goals with two assists through his first 11 games, will miss the game with international duty as he joins Guatemala for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Chaves co-leads the team with four goals and Puerari has added one goal with two assists. Another newcomer has factored in to the team's attack. Dominic Oduro, who joined the Fire via a trade with Houston in early April, has scored three goals with two assists in his six starts. Defender Gonzalo Segares has also contributed to the offense, adding a team-high two assists. Segares, along with Pappa and Chaves, are the only field players to have started all 11 games this season. Twenty-year-old Colombian striker Cristian Nazarit started his first MLS game last weekend, going the full 90 with three shots (one of which hit the crossbar and the rebound was converted for the first goal). Goalkeepers Jon Conway, 34, and Sean Johnson, 22, have split time in net. Conway has started six games with a 1.33 goals against average while Johnson has started five games with a 2.20 goals against average. Johnson started in net last Saturday as he saw his first action since April 17.

SEA/CHI Connections

Nate Jaqua played for the Fire for four seasons (2003-06). He made 92 appearances for Chicago, scoring 21 goals with 11 assists. Alvaro Fernandez (2007-08) played with fellow Uruguayan Diego Chaves (2004-09) with the Montevideo Wanderers. Servando Carrasco played with Chicago forward Davis Paul at the University of California-Berkeley from 2007-10. Jeff Parke played with goalkeeper Jon Conway with the New York Red Bulls. O'Brian White (2005-08) and Josh Ford (2007-10) played with Chicago defender Kwame Watson-Siriboe (2006-09) at UConn.

Many Happy Anniversaries

Saturday, June 4 mark the anniversary of two notable accomplishments in local soccer history. In 1980, eventual NASL MVP Roger Davies scored in his seventh consecutive game, a 2-nil win over Edmonton that pushed the Sounders' start to 12-1.

In 1987, the Tacoma Stars got a hat trick from Preki to beat San Diego, 8-5, and claim a spot in the MISL Championship series against Dallas.

Throw-ins

The first goal scored against RSL was the third on a corner kick this season...Defender Leo Gonzalez remains on four yellow cards after playing the full 90 against FC Dallas. If he avoids discipline in his next two matches his total will be reduced to three cautions...After a slow start to the month Sounders FC finished May at 2-2-2 and they are now 3-5-8 all-time...Taylor Graham turns 31 on Friday, June 3.

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Major League Soccer Stories from May 31, 2011


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