MLS Seattle Sounders FC

Sounders FC News & Notes

Published on November 22, 2011 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Seattle Sounders FC News Release


Pieces Begin Going into Place for Sounders FC 2012 Season

Preseason training is approximately two months away yet elements of the 2012 season are being put into place for Sounders FC.

From the schedule composition to expansion draft exposure to new kit designs, Seattle is moving forward on multiple fronts.

The week began with MLS announcing the format for the unbalanced 34-match schedule and playoff qualification in 2012. On Monday each of the existing 18 MLS clubs published their list of protected players for Wednesday's expansion draft for the Montreal Impact. And last week, Sounders FC unveiled their new third kit.

Coaches and staff are now fanning out across the country, continuing to evaluate college players eligible for selection in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft. Seattle holds the 15th and 34th selections in the draft, to take place on January 12 in Kansas City. Sounders FC hosts its third annual college combine in Las Vegas from December 16-18.

Sounders FC was also awarded the second Group Stage berth in the 2012/13 CONCACAF Champions League as a result of the L.A. Galaxy's MLS Cup win last Sunday. Seattle will first face Mexico's Santos Laguna in the 2011/12 Champions League quarterfinals in March.

Upcoming Key Dates (times are Pacific & subject to change)

Wednesday, November 23, 11 a.m. - Montreal Expansion Draft

Monday, December 5 - Re-Entry Draft, Stage 1

Monday, December 12 - Re-Entry Draft, Stage 2

Tuesday, December 13, 7 p.m. - Sounders FC Alliance Business Meeting, WaMu Theater, Seattle

Friday, December 16-Sunday, December 18 - Sounders FC College Combine, Las Vegas

Thursday, January 12 - 2012 MLS SuperDraft, Kansas City, Miss.

Sounders FC Announces Protected Players for 2011 MLS Expansion Draft

Seattle Sounders FC has submitted the list of protected players for the 2011 Major League Soccer Expansion Draft, to be held on Wednesday, November 23 at 12 p.m. PT. The League's 19th team, the Montreal Impact, will begin to take shape following the 10-round draft. The event will be streamed live on MLSsoccer.com.

Each current MLS club has had the opportunity to protect 11 players from their 2011 roster. Generation adidas players (who did not graduate at the end of the 2011 season) and Homegrown players are automatically protected and do not count against a 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. MLS Clubs may lose no more than one player from their 2011 roster during the Expansion Draft.

At the conclusion of the Expansion Draft teams may resume trading. The Expansion Draft details are listed below:

Protected

Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans, Alvaro Fernandez, Erik Friberg, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Fredy Montero, Lamar Neagle, Sammy Ochoa, Jeff Parke, Mauro Rosales, Steve Zakauni (Michael Tetteh is automatically protected as Generation adidas player)

Non-Protected

Terry Boss, Servando Carrasco, David Estrada, Josh Ford, Mike Fucito, Leo Gonzalez, Taylor Graham, Patrick Ianni, Nate Jaqua, Roger Levesque, Bryan Meredith, Miguel Montano, Pat Noonan, James Riley, Amadou Sanyang, Zach Scott, Michael Seamon, Tyson Wahl, O'Brian White

Seahawks and Sounders FC to Install New FieldTurf at CenturyLink Field

The Seattle Seahawks and Sounders FC announced today they will install a new FieldTurf Revolution artificial grass surface at CenturyLink Field in early February 2012.

The two organizations have a long history with FieldTurf. In 2000, when the Seahawks played at the University of Washington's Husky Stadium, they became the first NFL team to play their home games on FieldTurf. The partnership continued at CenturyLink Field and at both teams training facilities.

The FieldTurf Revolution system is built with the Revolution fiber and is the result of innovative science, engineering and technology that will provide a playing surface that features a soft and strong monofilament fiber. A proprietary fiber polymer formulation resists splitting and degradation and includes an industry leading ultraviolet inhibitor technology. A state-of-the-art extrusion process provides intricate concave and ridged construction to eliminate breaking points in each fiber blade.

Specially sized cryogenic rubber particles and washed silica sand granules are layered, in a patented installation process, surrounding the Revolution fibers. This provides player safety and outstanding durability and longevity. The FieldTurf system is the only turf product in the world with independent long-term and real-life safety data backing up its claims.

For the tenth consecutive year, FieldTurf emerged as the leader among all artificial turf brands in the 2010 National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) Playing Surfaces Opinion Survey. An impressive three out of the league's top four artificial surfaces were FieldTurf fields.

CenturyLink Field is one of seven NFL stadiums to utilize FieldTurf, along with Atlanta's Georgia Dome, Cincinnati's Paul Brown Stadium, Detroit's Ford Field, Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium, New England's Gillette Stadium and New Jersey's Giants Stadium.

2012 Competition Format Announced

Major League Soccer has announced the competition format for the 2012 regular season and MLS Cup Playoffs. Beginning in 2012, the League's championship, MLS Cup, will be hosted by the finalist that finished the regular season with the most points in the standings. The 2012 MLS regular season will begin in March and end in October, and the complete schedule will be announced prior to early February.

Conferences: The Montreal Impact begins its inaugural MLS season as the League's 19th team and will be the 10th team in the Eastern Conference. The Western Conference will consist of the same nine clubs as in 2011.

Regular Season: Each of the 19 MLS clubs will play 34 games, 17 at home and 17 away.

o All clubs will play an equal schedule within their respective conference.

Western Conference - 24 in-conference + 10 out-of-conference games:

- Western Conference clubs will play each West opponent 3 times (24 games) :

o West clubs will play 4 conference opponents twice at home and once away

o They will play the other 4 conference opponents once at home and twice away.

o The home and away games will be reversed in 2013.

- Western Conference clubs will play each East opponent once each (10 games) :

o 5 of these will be at home and 5 will be away.

o The East opponents each team faces at home and away will be reversed in 2013.

Eastern Conference - 25 in-conference + 9 out-of-conference games:

- Eastern Conference clubs will play 25 games against other East clubs:

o East teams will play 7 conference opponents three times each (21 games) and

o 2 conference opponents twice each (4 games).

- Eastern Conference clubs will play each West opponent once each (9 games) :

o Some will play 4 at home and 5 away while others will play 5 at home and 4 away.

o The West opponents each team faces at home and away will be reversed in 2013.

MLS Cup Playoffs: Ten clubs will qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs - the top five in points from each conference at the end of the regular season.

o The 4th- and 5th- place teams will play a single knockout game, the winner of which will advance to the Conference Semifinals and face the 1st-place team in the conference.

o The Conference Semifinals will be decided by a two-game, aggregate-goal format (same as 2011).

o The Conference Championships will be decided by a two-game, aggregate-goal format (change from recent years).o MLS Cup will be hosted by the finalist that finished the regular season with the most points in the standings.

Sounders FC Ticket Sales Team Wins Executive Award

For the third year in a row the Sounders FC ticket sales team has won the MLS Executive Award for their category. Seattle set a record for season attendance, averaging 38,496.

Others winning awards for Sounders FC were the Corporate Partnership Team and Corporate Marketing Team. All awards were presented during MLS Cup festivities in Los Angeles.

Super Cyan Third Kit Unveiled

Sounders FC has revealed the new third kit for the 2012 season featuring a color spectrum in the blue/green family named "super cyan" and trimmed in electricity. The signature rave green jersey will continue to serve as the Sounders FC primary kit.

Super cyan will be worn for Champions League, U.S. Open Cup and friendly matches in order to differentiate between these competitions and MLS league matches. The shale kit will continue as the secondary kit and will be worn when the rave green is in color conflict or is similar to a home team's primary kit.

The Xbox logo is featured prominently on the jersey front with a two-tone Sounders FC logo over the heart. The traditional adidas 3-stripes and trim are electricity. The jersey, shorts and socks will all feature the same color palette.

The third kit features the adidas TECHFIT Powerweb technology designed to improve core strength by applying optimal pressure to areas of the athlete's body to increase blood flow. The Powerweb bands allows for maximum range of motion, breathability and comfort. TECHFIT focuses the athlete's muscles' energy to generate maximum explosive power, acceleration and long-term endurance.

The color scheme of the third kit will continue to cycle following the tradition of many European clubs.

Fans can purchase the third kit at the team's Pro Shops located at 410 Pike Street in downtown Seattle and CenturyLink Field or through the team's website.

Hawks Nest Open for 2012

Sounders FC announced they will open the Hawks Nest for the entire 2012 Sounders FC season. Located in the north end of CenturyLink Field, the Hawks Nest will add 2,200 seats for a total seating configuration of approximately 38,500. This will be the first time these seats have been open for a full season.

Keller, Rosales Earn MLS Awards

Sounders FC goalkeeper Kasey Keller and star midfielder Mauro Rosales each earned major MLS postseason awards.

Keller took three honors: Goalkeeper of the Year, Best XI and 2011 Save of the Year. Rosales was voted Newcomer of the Year and finished fifth in MVP balloting.

Keller, the former U.S. international playing his final professional season, led all goalkeepers with 18 wins and posted a 1.09 goals against average and nine shutouts. He made a career-high 110 saves, the most of any keeper on a playoff team, and his 75.9 save percentage was second in MLS among those with 20 or more games played. Keller, 41, was the only Sounders FC player and one of only three MLS keepers to play every minute this season.

On August 14, 2008 Keller became the second player signed by Sounders FC. He has started a league-high 95 consecutive (and 99 of 100 overall) MLS regular season and playoff matches, and has 119 competitive appearances altogether. Of active keepers who have played at least 50 matches he has the No. 2 career GAA (1.06) and in the last three seasons only Nick Rimando (35) has posted more than his 30 shutouts.

Keller was named to the 2011 MLS Best XI and has been an MLS All-Star each of his three seasons. He was named MLS Player of the Week for his performance in his final regular season home game in front of a record crowd of 64,140. On that evening it was his 10-second sequence of four stops that earned him MLS Save of the Year for the second year running.

With Sounders FC already trailing by one goal in the 64th minute, Keller made a series of saves, scrambling to block four consecutive attempts by the Earthquakes-including two from Chris Wondolowski, the top goal scorer in MLS the past two seasons-to keep his team in the game. Inspired by Keller and the crowd's deafening support, Sounders FC rallied to score twice and win the game.

In all, six of Keller's highlight saves were voted MLS Save of the Week, a league-high. Keller was a finalist for Goalkeeper of the Year in 2009 and he won Save of the Year in 2010.

The only other Sounders FC player to earn MLS Best XI honors was midfielder Freddie Ljungberg in 2009. The Best XI members received the most votes from the media, MLS players and MLS coaches and general managers.

The 2011 season marked the end of Keller's 20-year professional career. A native of nearby Olympia, Wash., he was a pioneer in 1992 when he earned the first work permit for an American to play in England, signing with Millwall. He went on to become a fixture for clubs in the English Premier League, Spain's La Liga and Germany's Bundesliga. At the same time Keller was a force for the U.S. National Team in its rise on the international stage. He earned a record 102 caps, 53 wins and 47 shutouts from 1990 to 2007.

Rosales finished third among MLS playmakers with 13 assists (five game-winning), a new club record, and added five goals (tied-third on the club). Rosales, a former Argentine international playing his first season for Seattle, appeared in 26 MLS matches and helped Seattle to the league's second-best record.

Rosales, 30, signed with Sounders FC on March 18 after playing from 2007-2010 for Buenos Aires giants River Plate. He has played nearly 400 matches for River Plate, Ajax and Newell's Old Boys, and has been capped 10 times by the Argentina National Team, winning the Olympic gold medal in 2004.

Rosales was named MLS Player of the Week for his performance against the Colorado Rapids in Week 18 when he recorded an assist and scored the late game-winner. He was named to the MLSsoccer.com Team of the Week a team-high seven times.

Rosales made a strong first impression as he recorded assists in his first two MLS starts and his first goal came at home in a Cascadia Cup fixture against Vancouver. He either scored (two) or assisted (six) in five consecutive matches from August 20 to October 15, despite missing much of the final month of the season due to injury.

Sounders FC lost just three times with Rosales in the starting XI, going 13-3-6 in his 22 starts. Rosales led the team to several wins this season, highlighted by his late efforts in Kansas City when he scored and assisted in the dying minutes to give Seattle a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory. Seattle went 10-1-2 when Rosales scored or assisted.

Seattle forward Fredy Montero won the MLS top newcomer award in 2009. The Newcomer of the Year honors the player who is in his first season in Major League Soccer, but has prior professional experience, making him ineligible for Rookie of the Year honors.

CONCACAF Sets Quarterfinal Dates

CONCACAF has announced the quarterfinal schedule for the 2011/12 CONCACAF Champions League. Seattle Sounders FC will host Mexico's Santos Laguna in the first leg of the quarterfinal round on Wednesday, March 7 at 7 p.m. PT on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field. The second leg of the series will be played in Torreon, Mexico on Wednesday, March 14 at 5 p.m. PT.

The quarterfinal round opens with defending champion Monterrey going on the road to face Mexican rival Morelia on Tuesday, March 6. Toronto FC will be home against the LA Galaxy in the first leg of their all-Major League Soccer knockout round match on March 7, with Seattle hosting Santos later that same evening.

The first leg ends on Thursday, March 8, when Mexico's Pumas travels to El Salvador for a meeting with Isidro Metapan.

Second-leg action starts on Tuesday, March 13, with Monterrey taking on Morelia at home, followed the next day by Santos-Seattle and LA Galaxy-Toronto FC. Pumas will close quarterfinal play on March 15 by welcoming Isidro Metapan to Mexico City.

The quarterfinal winners will advance to the semifinals March 27-29 and April 3-5, with the two-leg final set for April 17-19 and April 24-26. The winner of the 2011/12 CONCACAF Champions League will earn a berth to the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup.

CONCACAF also announced that Seattle has been awarded the second Group Stage berth in the 2012/13 Champions League. Since the Galaxy won both the Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup titles, the second Group Stage berth was awarded to Seattle, the team with the second-best regular season record. Sounders FC was assured of at least a Preliminary Round berth by having won the U.S. Open Cup in October.

Sounders FC will forego the Preliminary Round for the first time and enter directly into the Group Stage, where they will be joined by the L.A. Galaxy. Real Salt Lake and the Houston Dynamo have both secured Preliminary Round berths.

Academy Continues to Roll with Home Sweep

Sounders FC Academy teams made strong returns to league play by sweeping Bay Area counterparts DeAnza Force and Santa Cruz Breakers over the weekend at Starfire Sports Complex. The two Sounders FC Academy teams combined to go 4-0 over the weekend and outscored their opponents 15-5.

Altogether, 11 different players scored and 19 players recorded points. Dom Dismuke, Jordan Schweitzer (two goals apiece) and Ike Crook (two assists) led the way for the U18's, while Duncan McCormick (two goals), Denis Kalamar (two goals) and Isrido Prado-Huerta (goal, two assists) provided the firepower for the U16's as the cold, wet Pacific Northwest chills dropped the temperature as low as the high-20's.

In Saturday's double-header with DeAnza Force, the U18's fell behind 1-0 in the 28th minute but responded when Jim Oganga found the net form 25-yards out in the 42nd minute and Dismuke added a second tally just three minutes later as the U18's won, 2-1.

The U16's got on the board early against DeAnza when McCormick scored 10 minutes in. Kalamar and Michael Steele added two goals in the second half before DeAnza pulled two goals back. The U16's were able to hang on to the lead and won, 3-2.

Both squads faced Santa Cruz on Sunday. The U18's began the day with a commanding 5-0 win, headlined by a Schweitzer brace. Keenan Townsend and recent addition McKay Owsley kept the clean sheet for the Rave Green.

The U16's continued the strong performance with a 5-2 win over Santa Cruz. After falling behind 1-0, Sounders FC quickly equalized and went up 2-1 before halftime. The sides traded scores coming out of the half but late goals from McCormick and Kalamar sealed the win for Seattle.

Both Sounders FC teams lead their respective USSDA West Division. The U18's have a 4-0-1 record (6-1-2 overall) while the U16's are 3-1-1 in the division (5-2-2 overall). Their next league matches are December 17 at home versus Vancouver Whitecaps FC, whose teams are both unbeaten in the division.

The Sounders FC teams next travel to Sarasota, Florida for the USSDA Winter Showcase from December 1-5.

Pre-Academy Update

After defeating Calgary Foothills 8-1 on November 11, the Sounders FC Pre-Academy dropped two straight matches, first a 4-1 loss to Idaho Thunder and then a 2-0 defeat Westsound FC. Both losses were to older opponents as the young Sounders look to continue their development. Jamison Corbin scored the lone goal in the Thunder matchup.

Throw-ins

MLS has confirmed Seattle will have the 33rd and 34th selections (both in second round) in the Supplemental Draft. The 33rd pick was acquired from Dallas in the December 5 trade of Chris Seitz. Sounders FC lost its native pick first-round selection to Chicago in the August 26 acquisition of Sammy Ochoa via the allocation process...The Supplemental Draft will take place January 17 via conference call...Leo Gonzalez turned 31 on Monday, November 21. Kasey Keller will be 42 on Tuesday, November 29...Academy assistant coach and former NASL Sounders defender Bill Crook earned his first international cap on November 30, 1984 in a friendly versus Ecuador in New York. November 30 is also the 20th anniversary of the United States winning the first FIFA Women's World Cup in China. Four members of that victorious team were from the Puget Sound area: Michelle Akers, Amy Allmann, Lori Henry and Shannon Higgins. Akers scored both goals in the final, a 2-1 win over Norway, and Higgins assisted on both goals.

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Major League Soccer Stories from November 22, 2011


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