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MLS Seattle Sounders FC

Sounders FC News & Notes

October 24, 2011 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Seattle Sounders FC News Release


Race for MLS Cup Begins with Sounders FC Facing Real Salt Lake in West Semifinals

A season consisting of three very successful campaigns for Seattle Sounders FC funnels down to a focus upon a single purpose. This week Sounders FC begin the quest for MLS Cup 2011 when their Western Conference Semifinal series versus Real Salt Lake opens on Saturday night.

The first leg of the two-match, aggregate goals series will be played at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. First kick is 7:00 p.m. PT and the match is being broadcast live on FOX Soccer.

Seattle (18-7-9, 63 points) hosts the second leg on Wednesday, November 2 on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field. Kickoff time is set for 7 p.m. PT. The match will be televised live on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN3.com.

Seeded second in the West, the Rave Green enter the postseason having won their final two regular season matches and five of the last six. This is the third straight trip to the playoffs for Sounders FC who have yet to advance beyond the first round.

The team that scores the most goals in the series advances to the single elimination Western Conference Championship. If the score is tied after 180 minutes, a 30-minute extra time period will be played, followed by kicks from the penalty spot, if necessary.

Supporters' Shield winner L.A Galaxy is the West's top seed and will meet either Colorado, New York or Houston in the other Conference Semifinal. The team with the higher seed between the two Conference finalists will host the Conference Championship game on November 6. The MLS Cup 2011 final is November 20 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

Seattle has succeeded on three fronts in 2011, winning a third straight Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, finishing runner-up to the L.A. Galaxy in the Supporters' Shield race and advancing to the quarterfinal stage of the CONCACAF Champions League.

Real Salt Lake (15-11-8, 53 points) settled for draws in the last two outings and went winless in the last six yet still finished with the third-highest point total in MLS. RSL won MLS Cup 2009 in Seattle and returns to the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. Last spring Real Salt Lake finished as runner-up in the 2010-11 Champions League.

Sounders FC and Real split the season series with each side winning on the road. Overall the series is tied, 2-2-2.

The Rave Green owned the best road record in MLS at 9-3-5 and snapped Salt Lake's MLS-record 29-match home unbeaten streak with 2-1 victory on May 28. Beginning with that win they went 8-1-2 in the final 11 away games, winning the last five in a row, punctuated by last week's 3-1 verdict at Chivas USA.

Arlo White will call the matches on 97.3 KIRO FM. The pregame show begins at 6:30 p.m. PT with Matt Johnson, Alan Hinton and Pete Fewing. La Gran D 99.3 FM will also air the games.

Tickets to Sounders FC home matches are available at www.SoundersFC.com or by calling 800-745-3000. Seattle has sold out 49 consecutive MLS regular season and playoff matches.

Third Time with a Twist

This marks the first time that Sounders FC have entered a playoff series as the higher seed, and hopefully that will help push them on to their objective of advancing to the MLS Cup final.

Seeded third, Seattle extended Houston to extra time of their 2009 Conference Semifinal. The two teams ended scoreless in Seattle after the first leg. The Dynamo punched through the only goal of the 210-minute series on Bring Ching's volley in the sixth minute of extra time of the second leg.

In 2010 Sounders FC surged in the second half of the season to make the playoffs as a No. 4 seed. A long-distance wonder goal from Edson Buddle put the Galaxy in front after the first leg and David Beckham assisted on a air of set-piece scores in the first 27 minutes of the second game. Steve Zakuani netted the only goal in a 3-1 aggregate loss.

The West's top seed has advanced to the MLS Cup final only once in the past five years. The No. 2 seed Houston win the MLS Cup final in both 2006 and 2007.

Road Tested

The Rave Green have travelled more than any team in America during the past seven months, and it seems to suit them just fine. They have won their last five MLS away matches and with last week's win at Chivas USA became only the 10th team in league history to win nine (9-3-5) or more on the road. They also emerged undefeated (2-0-1) on the road during CONCACAF Champions League group play, becoming only the second MLS team to win in Mexico.

Since their inception Sounders FC have proven solid on the road, going 20-14-13 these past three regular seasons. They ended league-record home unbeaten runs at Columbus (22 matches) in 2009 and Real Salt Lake (29) earlier this season. Altitude doesn't faze them either, having gone 3-0-1 in games at Colorado (elevation 5,164 feet), Salt Lake (4,226), San Jose, Costa Rica (3,839) and Guatemala City (4,921).

A Rich Vein of Form

Seattle has settled into a groove of goodness since the end of July. It has won 10 (drawn once) of the last 13 encounters with MLS opposition while averaging 2.00 goals per game. Sounders FC finished the season as the top scoring team with 56 goals, averaging 2.17 (37 goals in 17 games) over the second half. They scored three or more goal in eight matches, four of those coming in the final eight.

The Rave Green's character has been evident with an unrelenting drive since the loss of top scorers Steve Zakuani and O'Brien White to injury in mid-April. While they are unbeaten (11-0-3) when scoring first, seven of the 18 wins and three draws have come after allowing the first goal. Nine times the tying or winning goal has come in the 83rd minute or later.

Fredy's Ready

Fredy Montero rates as the hottest attacking player among the playoff field. The crafty young Colombian finished the regular season with eight consecutive games contributing either a goal or assist. Montero's ball work on the doorstep of the Chivas goal led to the opening score, a Goats own goal. He assisted on the third goal, skipping a cross into the crease for Sammy Ochoa to head home. Earlier in the week he delivered another beautiful free kick goal versus Monterrey in the final group stage game versus Monterrey.

In Montero's last 12 games across all competitions since August 30 he has scored 11 goals, six of them game-winners. He set a club record for MLS total points (33), tying his record of 12 goals and assisting on nine. Each ties him for fifth in the league. He shares the MLS lead in game-winners with five. Altogether he totaled 16 goals and 11 assists in 38 games played.

Flaco's XI

Compared to the first two seasons, this time around Sounders FC features a multi-pronged attack. Alvaro Fernandez has emerged as a strike threat during the second half of the season, when he has scored eight of his 11 goals in all competitions. Fernandez scored his ninth MLS goal at Chivas USA.

Flaco is among five players-Fredy Montero (12), Mauro Rosales (5), Lamar Neagle (5) and Brad Evans (5)-with five or more goals. In 2009 there were only two players with five or more goals and in 2010 there were three.

Ochoa, Again

One of the latest acquisitions for Seattle has already begun paying huge dividends. Sammy Ochoa's diving header at Chivas was his second goal as a substitute in as many matches. Ochoa was signed by MLS and Sounders FC acquired his rights via a trade with Chicago for allocation position. He made his competitive debut on September 20, his first start versus Monterrey last week. He now has a total of seven appearances. Ochoa came on in the second half on October 15 to score his first MLS goal, the equalizer versus San Jose.

Keller: Finally a Quiet Week

A prime objective last week was to impose a defensive clamp-down going into the postseason, and Sounders FC responded by limiting Chivas USA to only two shots on goal (13 total), with Kasey Keller making only one save. It was the lowest SOG allowed in 14 matches and it came as a welcome relief for Keller, who had averaged 5.4 saves over the previous five outings, including a season-high seven versus San Jose.

His two-save, two-stop effort in the 65th minute against the Earthquakes earned him his 14th MLS Save of the Week in his three seasons. Keller was also named to the MLS Team of the Week (along with Osvaldo Alonso) and was earlier voted Player of the Week.

Keller finished the regular season as the league leader in goalkeeper wins (18), third in saves (110), tied for third in shutouts (9) and fifth in GAA (1.09). He was one of four players to play every (3,060) minute this season (41 games and 3,720 overall) and has started 89 consecutive matches-the longest such streak in MLS. Of Seattle's 128 competitive matches to date, Keller has started 117.

Rosales Status Uncertain

Seattle playmaker Mauro Rosales returned to the starting XI at Chivas USA only to be felled by an opponent's (yellow card) foul in the fifth minute. Rosales left the game on a stretcher after sustaining an injury to the same knee that he suffered a small MCL tear from a foul near the end of the September 17 D.C. United match. He missed the next three league games before returning to spark the comeback versus San Jose on October 15.

Rosales set a club record with 13 assists (third in MLS) and added five goals. A candidate for Newcomer of the Year and MVP, he was named to MLSsoccer.com's Team of the Week on seven occasions.

More Masterful Moves

For the second time in as many weeks and the eighth time this season, Sigi Schmid's sense for who and when to substitute has proven sublime. Eight minutes after Schmid inserted Sammy Ochoa he scored.

Players coming off the bench have combined to score seven goals and add five assists and the result has been a record of 8-0-2 in those matches. Roger Levesque has contributed two goals and one assist as a substitute while Lamar Neagle has two goals plus an assist while Sammy Ochoa has two goals.

Fifteen players scored for Seattle in MLS play, and Sounders FC struck for goals 15 times in the final 15 minutes. Schmid is the MLS leader in both postseason (19) and regular season (157) victories, and he is the only coach to lead two different clubs to MLS Cup titles (L.A. in 2002, Columbus in 2008).

Postseason Squeeze

With a FIFA international date in the middle of November, all but the cup final has been squeezed into a period of 12 days between Wednesday's first wild card match and the Conference Finals on November 6. However the twice-weekly schedule is nothing new to the Rave Green, who have been operating on that regimen for nine of the last 12 weeks.

When an MLS regular season match is preceded by a competitive match four or fewer days prior, Seattle's record is 18-8-2 over the past two seasons and 19-8-8 all-time.Sounders FC have gone 7-1-0 in their last three MLS matches on short rest and 10-2-0 since May.

Will Sounders FC Fans Out-Do Themselves?

The two largest crowds for MLS Cup Conference Semifinals or Finals have been produced by Sounders FC fans. However, there might be room for more. In 2009 Seattle attracted 35,807 for its first postseason match and last year, despite playing on Halloween, there was another sellout of 35,521 (the fourth-largest MLS Cup final crowd of 46,011 was also in Seattle in 2009).

In 2011 Sounders FC set another season record for attendance, averaging 38,496. In the final home regular season game the crowd of 64,140 was the third-largest crowd for a single match in MLS history.

The 2011 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final attendance of 35,615 set a record for the 98-year-old tournament. Seattle supporters accounted for two of the top three and four of the 13 biggest attendances in the CONCACAF Champions League preliminary and group stage matches.The crowd of 21,233 for the preliminary round win over Panama's San Francisco FC on August 3 was the largest of the tournament.

The top 10 attendances for MLS Cup Playoffs are as follows:

61,316 10/20/2002 Final LA vs NE Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.

57,431 10/26/1997 Final DC vs COL RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.

51,350 10/25/1998 Final CHI vs DC Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.

46,011 11/22/2009 Final LA vs RSL Qwest Field, Seattle, Wash.

44,910 11/21/1999 Final LA vs DC Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.

39,859 11/18/2007 Final NE vs HOU RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.

39,159 10/15/2000 Final KC vs CHI RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.

35,807 10/29/2009 West Semifinal SEA vs HOU Qwest Field, Seattle, Wash.

35,521 10/31/2010 West Semifinal SEA vs LA Qwest Field, Seattle, Wash.

34,643 10/20/1996 Final LA vs DC Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.

Sounders FC College Combine Set for December in Las Vegas

Sounders FC will hold its third annual invitational combine for top college seniors in Las Vegas from December 16-18.Sigi Schmid and his staff will be on hand to evaluate players.

In the first two years of the combine nearly a hundred players have participated with 22 going on to sign MLS contracts. Four members of the current squad-David Estrada, Servando Carrasco, Bryan Meredith and Josh Ford-participated in the first two Sounders FC combines.

SuperDraft Set for January 12

The 2012 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas has been confirmed for January 12 in Kansas City, Missouri. For the eighth consecutive year it will be held in conjunction with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Convention, and take place at the Kansas City Convention Center. The first round of the SuperDraft will be broadcast live on ESPN2 beginning at 9:00 AM PT.

This year the MLS SuperDraft will include two rounds and 38 overall selections, with the league's 19th team, the Montreal Impact, selecting first overall. The next eight selections are currently held by clubs that did not qualify for the 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs, in reverse order of regular season finish. The remaining 10 positions currently belong to clubs that were eliminated in the same round of the 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs, in reverse order of regular season finish.

A four-round Supplemental Draft will take place via conference call on Tuesday, January 17.

The 2012 adidas MLS Player Combine will again be held in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., prior to the SuperDraft.

Also announced were the2011 Re-Entry Process drafts which will take place on December 5 and 12.

MLS Announces 2011 Montreal Expansion Draft Date and Procedure

Major League Soccer will hold the 2012 MLS Expansion Draft via conference call on November 23,2011 at 11 a.m. PT. The League's 19th team, the Montreal Impact, will select 10 players during the 10-round draft.

Each current MLS club will have the opportunity to protect 11 players from their 2011 roster. Generation adidas players (who will not graduate at the end of the 2011 season) and Homegrown Players on the team's Off-budget Roster are automatically protected and do not count against each team's 11 protected roster spots. Designated Players do not have to be protected unless the player has a no trade clause in his contract.

Clubs must submit their protected roster to MLS on Monday, November 21. The protected rosters will be made public later that day.

Champions League Update

All four Mexican clubs were group winners while three MLS teams, including Sounders FC, also qualified for the quarterfinals in the 2011-12 CONCACAF Champions League. Joining Seattle from MLS are the L.A. Galaxy and Toronto FC. Mexican clubs Morelia, Santos, Pumas and defending champion Monterrey will be the top seeds. Rounding out the final eight of next March's knockout round is El Salvador's Metapan.

Recap: Sounders FC 3, Chivas USA 1 - October 22, The Home Depot Center

Second half goals by Alvaro Fernandez and Sammy Ochoa propelled Sounders FC to a victory in their final regular season game of the season.

A Chivas own goal in the 53rd minute broke a scoreless tie and got the momentum going for Seattle. The goal occurred after Fredy Montero played a ball down from Mike Fucito near the left side of the goal and it was inadvertently knocked in the net by retreating Chivas defender Andrew Boyens.

In the 68th minute, Fernandez got behind the defense on the left side and received a well-placed pass from Brad Evans and finished in the top right corner of the net for his ninth goal of the season.

Then five minutes later in the 73rd, Montero crossed the ball to a sprinting Ochoa, who finished with a diving header past keeper Dan Kennedy. It was the second goal of the season for Ochoa, who substituted in for Fucito in the 64th minute. Roger Levesque was also credited with an assist on the goal.

Chivas USA scored in the 83rd minute when Victor Estupinan headed down a bouncing ball in front of the net for a score.

Mauro Rosales made his first start since September 17 game against D.C. United when he sprained his MCL. He left the game in the seventh minute after suffering a right knee injury on a foul by Ben Zemanski and was replaced by Roger Levesque. Zemanski was issued a yellow card for the foul. Rosales picked up an assist in Seattle's comeback victory over San Jose on October 15 after entering the game as a substitute.

CCL Recap: Sounders FC 1, CF Monterrey 2 - October 18, Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field

Monterrey's Cesar Delgado scored the decisive goal in the 61st minute as the Rayados clinched both a berth in the quarterfinals and first place in Group D.Seattle (3-2-1, 10 points) had already secured a place in the quarterfinals and finished the second in the group. Comunicaciones was eliminated by the Monterrey (4-2-0, 12 points) win.

Delgado's game-winner came after he picked up a rebound from teammate Humberto Suazo's blocked shot in the box. Delgado fired past Sounders FC keeper Bryan Meredith from 12 yards.

After falling behind on a 3rd minute Monterrey goal, Seattlle tied it shortly before halftime. Fredy Montero bent a free kick from 25 yards out through the Monterrey wall and just inside the left post, outside the reach of keeper Jonathan Orozco. The free kick was set up by a foul and yellow card by Luis Perez, who took out an attacking Montero.

Monterrey got on the board early when Suazo lofted a ball over the Seattle defense to a running Dario Carreno, who won the one-on-one with Meredith. The goal was Carreno's fourth in CCL this year.

The Rave Green had two good opportunities in the two minutes after Delgado's game-winning goal. First, Roger Levesque headed a ball from James Riley right in front of the goal that Orozco was able to punch over the crossbar.

On the next possession, Montero almost added his second of the game. Tyson Wahl lofted a ball into the box where Montero backed down a defender, chested the ball and hit a right-footed shot that missed just wide of the post.

Meredith made his first start since signing with Sounders FC on September 12. He was drafted by Seattle in the second round of the 2011 MLS SuperDraft and spent much of the season playing for the USL PDL champions Kitsap Pumas.

Zach Scott picked up a yellow card in the 58th minute, his second in CCL, which means he will be suspended for the first quarterfinal match.

In the 69th minute, Monterrey keeper Orozco charged out from the goal to punch a ball clear but ran into a teammate and went down with a shoulder injury. He was replaced by Juan de Dios Ibarra.

Reserve League Recap: Sounders FC 3, Chivas USA 3 - October 23, Home Depot Center

Pat Noonan scored twice and Lamar Neagle added another goal as Seattle erupted for three early goals before settling for a draw in their final MLS Reserve League match.Sounders FC had clinched the West Division with three games remaining and finished the season with a record of 8-1-1.

Michael Seamon assisted on two Sounders FC goals in the first four minutes. Seamon dispossessed an opponent and promptly found Noonan lurking for a header at the far post for the opener. Two minutes later Neagle blasted his team-leading fifth goal of the season, doubling the lead. A cross from Michael Tetteh to Noonan made it 3-nil after 14 minutes.

However the Goats (3-3-4) pulled back two goals before the break. In the 34th minute Estupiñan netted his fifth goal in Reserve League play off a corner kick. U18 academy player Ben Spencer struck in the 42nd minute and Greg Vanney's free kick in the 88th minute enabled Chivas to split the points and finish third in the West.

Academy Update: Both Squads Pick-up Win and Draw Against San Diego Counterparts

The Seattle Sounders FC U16 and U18 academy teams both went 1-0-1 over the weekend, sweeping the San Diego Nomads on Friday night and drawing both games on Sunday against the San Diego Surf.

Friday night, the U18's got out to a 3-0 lead and won 5-3 behind two goals from Ian Lange and two assists from Austin Sweeney. Lange scored off a Sweeney corner kick in the second minute, and Sweeney fed Dom Dismuke in the 29th to make it 2-0. The score was 5-1 before the Nomads picked up goals in the 75th and 85th minutes to narrow the gap.

The U16's were equally impressive in a 2-0 win on Friday in which they outshot the Nomad U16's 25-4. They got on the board in the 40th minute when Isidro Prado-Huerta scored on a pass from Denis Kalamar. A Jalen Markey penalty made it 2-0 in the 60th minute after Michael Steele was fouled in the box.

On Sunday, Sounders FC Academy faced one of their toughest challengers yet in the San Diego Surf.

In the second straight game for the U18's, the Sweeney-to-Lange connection got Sounders FC on the board first, this time in the 26th minute. A Surf penalty in the 80th minute tied the game and forced a 1-1 draw in a game where both teams picked up constant fouls and multiple cautions.

The U16 squad tied the Surf 0-0 in another physical, foul-ridden game.

Series Notes

Sounders FC is 2-2-2 all-time against Salt Lake in MLS play as both sides earned 2-1 road victories in the 2011 season series. Seattle snapped Salt Lake's MLS record 29-match home unbeaten streak on May 28 as Lamar Neagle scored the winner. Since the last meeting (a 2-1 RSL victory at CenturyLink Field on September 10), Seattle has gone 5-1-0 in league play while Salt Lake has gone 2-4-2. Salt Lake has not won in their past six matches, including a four-match losing streak before picking up draws in their final two regular season contests. Seattle boasts the league's best road record (9-3-5) while Salt Lake has dropped just three games at home this season (10-3-4), having outscored opponents 29-15 at Rio Tinto Stadium.

Nine of the 13 goals scored by both teams in the series have come in the final 45 minutes, including all three goals in the final 20 minutes of Seattle's last visit to Salt Lake City. Six different Sounders have scored against RSL. Fredy Montero has two goals and two assists in five starts and Osvaldo Alonso is the only player to record two assists in a single match (3/28/09) in this series. Seattle has been shutout twice in six meetings but has tallied multiple goals on three occasions.

About Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake finished the regular season with the third-highest point total in MLS (53). They enter the playoffs on a six-game winless streak, including a 1-1 draw last Saturday on a late Portland equalizer. They have scored 22 goals in each half and seem to start quickly with eight goals in the first 15 minutes of each half. They have also scored 10 goals in the final 15 minutes of the game but have allowed nine, the most that they allow in any 15-minute interval. Salt Lake is 15-3-2 when scoring first and have not won (0-8-2) when allowing the first goal (Seattle is 11-0-3 when scoring first). They are 8-3-2 when leading at the half and 0-6-2 when trailing going into the break.

RSL ranks in the top ten in nearly every statistical category, including top five in shots on goal (153; 3rd), fouls committed (443; 3rd), offside (115; 4th), corner kicks (165; 4th) and cautions (56; T-5th). Salt Lake has one of the league's stingiest defenses, allowing just 1.06 goals per game (2nd in MLS).

RSL Notables

RSL has dealt with injuries to key performers and absences of international players throughout the season but, despite those challenges, the club has managed to finish top three in the league. Kyle Beckerman returns to the RSL lineup after missing the past four games due to suspension and international duty. He is tied fifth in MLS with nine assists, six game-winning (T-2nd). Alvaro Saborio is tied ninth with 11 goals this season, four game-winners (T-5th). Fabian Espindola is second on the club with 10 goals (his career-high) and is tied eighth in MLS with 31 shots on goal. Javier Morales went down with an injury on May 7 and returned to action on September 28. He has played 90 minutes in the past three matches, recording one assist since his return. Midfielder Andy Williams is seventh all-time with nine assists in the MLS Cup Playoffs. He has appeared in 31 matches this season. The backline has remained fairly consistent with the likes of Nat Borchers (30 games started), Jamison Olave (24), Robbie Russell (22) and Chris Wingert (22) helping to create one of the league's top defensive units. Keeper Nick Rimando is tied with Kasey Keller with a 1.09 goals against average (T-5th). Rimando is tied first with 13 shutouts and his 14 wins is third-most.

The RSL Connection

Both Leo Gonzalez (61 appearances) and Alvaro Saborio (54) began playing for the Costa Rica National Team in 2002. Saborio played for Gonzalez's rival club, Saprissa, for five seasons. Seattle's Mauro Rosales and Salt Lake's Javier Morales, Fabian Espindola and Nelson Gonzalez are from Argentina. Midfielder Collen Warner went to the University of Portland where he played all four seasons for the Pilots. Sigi Schmid coached midfielder Ned Grabavoy for one season at Los Angeles (2004). David Estrada and Tony Beltran played at UCLA together from 2006-07.

Throw-ins

With 26 total wins across MLS, Open Cup and the CCL, Sounders FC have equaled the final sum of Chicago in 2000 in all competitions. Four other teams, including the Galaxy this season, have totaled 24 victories...Midfielder Brad Evans finished the regular season with four assists and one goal in his last five matches...Seattle completed the season 10 outright series wins and another two on goal differential. There were two ties and three losses...Sounders FC are now 9-2-0 all-time in October regular season matches...James Riley celebrates his 29th birthday on Thursday, October 27. Nate Jaqua turns 30 on Friday, October 28...Two years ago, on October 24, 2009 Sigi Schmid became the MLS career coaching win leader, getting his 125th with a 2-1 home win over FC Dallas.

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