Sports stats



MLS Seattle Sounders FC

Sounders FC News & Notes

January 3, 2012 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Seattle Sounders FC News Release


SuperDraft on the Rave Green Horizon

Offseason preparations will come to a culmination next week as coaches and staff converge on Kansas City for the 2012 Major League Soccer SuperDraft, presented by adidas.

General manager Adrian Hanauer and technical director Chris Henderson will be joined at the draft by head coach Sigi Schmid and his staff.

Sounders FC holds the 15th and 34th selections in the two-round SuperDraft, which will take place on Thursday, January 12. The expansion Montreal Impact hold the first overall pick. The first round will be broadcast live on ESPN2 starting at 9 a.m. PT.

The four-round Supplemental Draft will follow on Tuesday, January 17 where Seattle holds the 33rd and 34th selections.

The offseason evaluation process is nearly complete as Seattle wraps up its Trinidad and Tobago combine this week. Sounders FC brass will then travel to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. for the MLS Player Combine from January 6-10. Sounders FC already evaluated 67 players during a three-day combine in Las Vegas last month.

Last week, MLS named five college players to the Generation adidas class of 2012, and the league also announced the signing of four college seniors.

Local product Kelyn Rowe, the Pac-12 Player of the Year at UCLA and native of nearby Federal Way, Wash. is a member of Generation adidas.

Three current Sounders FC players were selected in last year's SuperDraft, including defender Michael Tetteh (2nd round, 20th overall ), midfielder Servando Carrasco (2nd round, 27th overall) and goalkeeper Bryan Meredith (2nd round, 29th overall). Goalkeeper Josh Ford was also acquired in the 2011 MLS Supplemental Draft (1st round, 11th overall).

Four other Sounders FC players-Steve Zakuani, Mike Fucito, David Estrada and Michael Seamon-were selected in the club's first two SuperDrafts.

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

Friday, January 6-Tuesday, January 10 - 2012 MLS Player Combine, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

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

Tuesday, January 17 - 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft

Saturday, January 21-Sunday, January 22 - Sounders FC Open Tryouts, Starfire Sports Complex, Tukwila, Wash.

Wednesday, March 7, 7 p.m. - Sounders FC v Santos Laguna, Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals - first leg

Wednesday, March 14, 5 p.m. - Sounders FC at Santos Laguna, CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals - second leg

Sounders FC Signs Defender Marc Burch

Seattle Sounders FC has signed defender March Burch, it was announced today. Per Major League Soccer and club policy, terms were not disclosed.

Burch, 27, had been selected by Seattle during the MLS Re-Entry Process Stage 2 Draft on December 12. He had spent the past five seasons with D.C. United.

A six-year MLS veteran, Burch has made 81 starts in 103 regular season appearances. He played in 17 games, starting 11, in 2011. He has three career goals and 10 assists.

A standout at Maryland, he was drafted by L.A. in the second round of the 2006 SuperDraft, and traded to Columbus later that season, where he first played for Schmid. Burch was dealt to D.C. United in 2007.

Three Sounders Invited to US National Team Training Camps

Sounders FC Academy alums DeAndre Yedlin and Sean Okoli will take part in January training camps for the U-20 National Team in Florida and defender Jalen Markey will also travel to Florida to join the U-18 National Team for training camp from January 2-9.

Yedlin and Okoli recently finished their freshman seasons at Akron and Wake Forest, respectively. Yedlin helped the Zips to a 15-4-4 record in his first season, finishing with one goal and six assists in his 20 starts. Okoli scored four goals with three assists in his freshman campaign as the Demon Deacons finished 8-8-5.

Markey, a junior at Seattle's O'Dea High School, plays center back for the Sounders FC U16s and has helped the team to a 10-2-2 record, scoring three goals this season. He was named to the all-star game at last month's US Soccer Development Academy Winter Showcase in Florida, where he played right back and recorded a game-tying assist.

The Sounders FC Academy teams will return from winter break with matches against Real Salt Lake's Arizona club on January 21 at Grande Sports World in Casa Grande, Arizona. The next home match is March 17 at Starfire against Crossfire.

Sounders FC Hosts Combine in Trinidad and Tobago

Sounders FC is hosting a combine in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago this week. It is the first time the club has held a combine outside of the U.S. Players from the Caribbean will be evaluated by Sounders FC coaches during the three-day combine. The club recently scouted 67 players who attended the club's combine in Las Vegas.

MLS Player Combine Underway this Weekend

Fifty-two college seniors from 31 Division I schools will participate in this year's MLS Player Combine in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. These players will be joined by Generation adidas players, additional collegiate players from NCAA Division II and III schools, NAIA schools and Division I alternates. The final list will include 66 players and several combine coaches, including the University of Washington's Jamie Clark.

The combine runs from January 6-10 at Central Broward Regional Park. Matches will be streamed live on MLSsoccer.com.

The three Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy finalists will be at the combine, including Duke's Andrew Wenger, Creighton's Ethan Finlay and North Carolina's Billy Schuler. The MAC Hermann Trophy is the highest individual honor in intercollegiate soccer and the award winner will be announced Friday in St. Louis.

Sounders FC Signs Swedish Defender Adam Johansson

Seattle Sounders FC have signed Swedish international defender Adam Johansson to a multi-year contract. Johansson's signing will be finalized upon receipt of his P-1 visa and International Clearance. Per Major League Soccer and club policy, terms were not disclosed.

Johansson, 28, has played the past seven years for IFK Göteborg in Sweden's top league, the Allvenskan. He has made a total of 129 league appearances for Göteborg since 2005, scoring two goals. His pro career began with Västra Frölunda of the second tier in 2002.

In 2009 Johansson made his full international debut for Sweden in a friendly with the U.S. at Carson, Calif. and later started in three World Cup qualifiers, playing on both the left and right side. His ninth and most recent cap came against Cyprus in February 2011.

After finishing runners-up in 2005, Göteborg claimed the Swedish double in 2007, and also claimed the cup in 2008 and 2009. The Angels were second in the league in 2009.

Sounders Women Hire Carnell as General Manager

The Seattle Sounders Women have named Amy Carnell as the team's general manager.

Carnell, the Sounders FC Director of Youth Programs since 2008, has helped build the largest youth camp system in Major League Soccer with over 6,000 campers in 2011.

An All-American and Southern Conference Player of the Year at UNC-Greensboro, Carnell played for the Sounders Women from 2002-06.

The Seattle Sounders Women was founded in 2001 and is now competing in their 12th season. The team made the USL W-League Semifinals five times in the past eight years (2003, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2011). The Sounders Women consists of elite level collegiate players and graduates from around the nation. Past players include former US Women's National Team, WUSA and WPS talent Michelle French, Tina Ellertson, Justi Baumgardt-Yamada, Lisa Sari, Cori Alexander and Lyndsey Patterson.

Although the Sounders FC does not have any direct relationship or ownership with the Sounders Women, Sounders FC will continue to help promote the W-League by providing promotional messaging on stadium video boards and during radio and television broadcasts.

The W-League consists of 30 teams nationally. Seattle competes in the Western Conference against teams from Canada, California, and Colorado.

Sounders Women will open the 2012 campaign at home vs. the Colorado Rush at 1pm May 20th at Starfire Sports Complex. For up to date ticket information visit www.SoundersWomen.com.

Sounders FC Nominated for Seattle Sports Star of the Year Awards

Sounders FC has been nominated by the Seattle Sports Commission as the Sports Story of the Year for winning their third straight U.S. Open Cup. Kasey Keller also received a nomination for Professional Sports Star of the Year as he completed his 20-year professional career as the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2011.

Fans can vote for their favorite nominee by visiting SeattleSports.org. Individuals can vote up to once a day. Winners will be announced during the show on Wednesday, January 25, 2012, at Benaroya Hall in downtown Seattle.

Throw-ins

U.S. international Hurculez Gomez recently left Estudiantes Tecos to join Santos Laguna, Seattle's opponent in next March's CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal. Gomez, a forward, played one season for the USL-1 Sounders in 2003...Former University of Washington goalkeeper and Sounders FC golden scarf recipient Hope Solo has been nominated for the 2011 U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year. She is also nominated for Best Performance for her World Cup quarterfinal performance versus Brazil. Fado Irish Pub (winner in 2009) has been nominated by U.S. Soccer for the Best Soccer Bar in the United States. Fans can vote on USsoccer.com or via Facebook...Kasey Keller's tribute game was named the Moment of the Year on MLSsoccer.com, earning over 22,000 votes. The Seattle-Portland rivalry was named number five and Kasey Keller's tribute game was number nine on MLSsoccer.com's Stories of the Year...The Sounders FC season was voted the top sports story of 2011 by readers of SeattleTimes.com.

Check out the Seattle Sounders FC Statistics



Major League Soccer Stories from January 3, 2012


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central