MLS Seattle Sounders FC

Sounders FC News & Notes

Published on June 25, 2012 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Seattle Sounders FC News Release


Quest for the Cup Continues, followed by Visit to the Revs

Amidst a dip in form in league play, Seattle Sounders FC turns its attention to the quest for a record fourth straight U.S. Open Cup with a quarterfinal matchup against the San Jose Earthquakes on Tuesday evening at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco. The Rave Green will stay on the road for the remainder of the week for a Saturday night match against the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

The Seattle Sounders FC at San Jose Earthquakes game notes are now available at http://SoundersFC.com/notes .

Tuesday's match can be heard live on 97.3 KIRO FM and SoundersFC.com with Ross Fletcher and Taylor Graham on the call. Saturday's match will be televised live on KONG 6/16 with Ross Fletcher and Kasey Keller calling the action, and can also be heard on 97.3 KIRO FM and in Spanish on La Gran D 99.3 FM.

The recent struggles continued for Sounders FC (7-5-4, 25 points) on Sunday afternoon as the team dropped its first Cascadia Cup fixture of the MLS-era, falling 2-1 at Portland. Eddie Johnson scored Seattle's lone goal and is now tied for the team lead with five tallies this season.

The loss extended Seattle's winless streak to seven games (0-4-3), totaling the longest winless stretch in club history. The club now sits fourth in the West and seventh overall.

Earlier last week, Sounders FC came back to earn a 1-1 home draw with Sporting Kansas City. Defender Patrick Ianni scored a highlight goal on a side-winding volley in the first half. The centerback's impressive strike is nominated for MLS Goal of the Week alongside Johnson's goal against Portland.

Sounders FC will once again look to the Open Cup to provide the spark needed to climb out of the seven-game winless slump. The quarterfinal match will be Seattle's first against an MLS opponent in this year's tournament, and the game is the only matchup featuring two MLS sides. Seattle has been the highest scoring team over the third and fourth rounds, and have a 16-game (15-0-1) unbeaten run in Open Cup play.

Following Tuesday's match, the Rave Green will fly cross-country for this season's lone league match against the New England Revolution (5-7-3, 18 points). The Revs are seventh in the East and are riding a three-game unbeaten run (1-0-2), including a 2-2 draw at Toronto last Saturday.

Seattle will continue its road tour next week with a visit to Real Salt Lake on July 4, and will return to the Emerald City for the lone home match of July against the Colorado Rapids. Sounders FC will round out the month with two more road games, plus an international friendly on July 18 against Champions League winners Chelsea on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field.

Open Cup Quarterfinal Preview

Seattle Sounders FC began its quest for a record fourth straight Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on May 30 with a 5-1 victory over the North American Soccer League's Atlanta Silverbacks at Starfire. The pursuit continued a week later as the Rave Green ousted the U.S. Adult Soccer Association's Cal FC, 5-0. Seattle now faces its stiffest competition in MLS Western Conference foe San Jose Earthquakes.

Seattle has been the highest scoring team over the third and fourth rounds of this year's tournament, and has extended its unbeaten run in Open Cup play to 16 games (15-0-1), dating back to April 28, 2009. Sounders FC has been dominant in the opening rounds, setting club records for largest margin of victory (five) and most goals scored in a half (five). The match against Cal FC also marked the first time two Seattle players scored multiple goals in the same game as both Osvaldo Alonso and Fredy Montero netted a brace. Alonso leads the team with three goals in the 2012 tournament. Not only have the goals come frequently, but they have been scored in bunches. Seattle scored five goals in 22 minutes against Atlanta and set a club record with five goals in just 20 minutes against Cal FC.

Sounders FC now sets its sights on the San Jose Earthquakes - the first MLS team Seattle will face in this year's competition. Seattle is 11-0-0 against MLS sides in Open Cup play since 2009, outscoring their top-tier opponents 23-6. The match against San Jose is the only quarterfinal matchup that features two MLS teams. The Philadelphia Union, Sporting Kansas City and Chivas USA will all host USL PRO teams.

San Jose reached the quarterfinals by beating the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers, 2-1, in the third-round and the Minnesota Stars, 1-0, in the fourth-round, both at home. The winner of the Charlotte Eagles/Chivas USA match will visit the winner of Seattle/San Jose in the semifinals on July 10.

Cup Catalyst

Sounders FC have used the U.S. Open Cup as a spark plug for league play over the past three seasons. In both 2010 and 2011, Sounders FC earned eight MLS victories while participating in the Open Cup. Seattle secured over half (27) of their season point total during Cup play in 2010 and earned 26 of 63 points in 2011. Despite the schedule congestion caused by the additional Open Cup games, Seattle has earned points in nine of 14 matches immediately following a Cup match.

Year Record during Cup Play Record following Cup Match

2009 4-4-10 2-0-3

2010 8-2-3 1-2-1

2011 8-2-2 1-2-1

2012 0-2-1 0-1-0

Totals: 20-10-16 4-5-5

First Nine, Last Seven

Sounders FC has followed up the best start in franchise history with the poorest run of form to date, going winless in the past seven matches (0-4-3). In the first nine games, Seattle earned seven wins and outscored opponents 13-3. In the past seven matches, Seattle has no wins and has allowed 13 goals, scoring just six times. After securing 22 points through the first nine games, the club has just three points to show for the past seven games, setting the mark for the poorest seven-game stretch in club history. Seattle has never gone winless in seven games, and the last six-game winless streak was in 2009 and featured five draws.

Tale of Two Halves

The disappointing seven-game stretch has been a tale of two halves. Seattle has conceded the first goal in the past seven matches, which the team did just once in the first nine outings. Playing from behind has become a trend this season, and the club has not earned a comeback victory yet, a feat the team accomplished seven times in 2011. In the past seven games, Sounders FC has been outscored 6-1 in the first half after allowing just one first-half goal in the first nine games of the season. Five of Seattle's six goals in the winless stretch have been scored in the final 45 minutes and, overall this season, Seattle has scored 13 of its 19 goals in the second half.

Eddie in Form

Eddie Johnson has brought quality production in his return to MLS. The offseason acquisition is paying off for Sounders FC as Johnson scored his fifth goal of the season on Sunday. The U.S. international brought the ball into the box, cut back across his defenders and placed a curling ball with his left foot into the far upper corner of the net, pulling Seattle one back. Johnson's five goals are tied for the team lead, and he is tied-eleventh in MLS alongside players such as Dwayne De Rosario and Landon Donovan. He has scored two goals in the last three games, and he is averaging 0.49 goals per 90 minutes. His five-goal output already equals his third-most in his eight MLS seasons. His best season was his last in MLS with 15 goals and six assists in 2007.

Scoring Breakdown

The top scoring team in MLS last season has struggled to find its touch this year. Seattle has scored 19 goals in its first 16 matches for an average of 1.19 goals per game (12th in MLS). Sounders FC led the league with 56 goals in 2011, averaging 1.64 goals per game. Despite leading the league, Seattle is nearly on pace with last season's scoring output. After 16 games in 2011, the team had scored just two more goals (18).

Sounders FC has always had a well-balanced attack, featuring a variety of goal scorers who produce from all areas of the field. So far this season, Seattle has seen the majority of its goals scored by forwards (14), with just two from the midfield and two from defenders. Conversely, 33 of Seattle's 56 goals in 2011 came from the midfield, with 18 scored by forwards and three by defenders. Overall, forwards have accounted for 70 goals, midfielders have scored 66 and defenders have added 12.

Year Forwards Midfielders Defenders Totals (own goals not included)

2009 21 13 4 38

2010 17 18 3 38

2011 18 33 3 54

2012 14 2 2 18

Totals: 70 66 12 148

A Rave Green Road Trip

Sounders FC will travel over 14,000 miles over the next four weeks as five of the next six competitive matches are away from home. Sounders FC will first visit San Jose just 48 hours after playing at Portland, but there's no rest for the weary. Following Tuesday's game, the team will travel 2,700 miles across the country for a match against the New England Revolution on Saturday evening. The team will then return to Seattle for a night at home before embarking to Salt Lake City for an Independence Day meeting with Real Salt Lake. A rare home game awaits Sounders FC on July 7 before the team hits the road again for games at New York and Colorado.

Date Depart Arrive Air Miles

June 25 Seattle San Francisco 680

June 27 San Francisco Boston 2,701

July 1 Boston Seattle 2,492

July 3 Seattle Salt Lake City 688

July 5 Salt Lake City Seattle 688

July 13 Seattle New York 2,418

July 16 New York Seattle 2,418

July 27 Seattle Denver 1,023

July 29 Denver Seattle 1,023

Totals: Nine flights to five cities in 34 days 14,131

Champions League Schedule Set

The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) announced the complete Group Stage schedule last week for the 2012-13 Champions League.

Seattle Sounders FC will be in Group 4 with CD Marathon (Honduras) and newly-crowned Caribbean champion Caledonia AIA (Trinidad & Tobago). The first group stage match will be at home on Thursday, August 2 against Caledonia and group play will conclude at home on Wednesday, October 24 against CD Marathon.

The Group Stage will feature six weeks of play and will consist of eight groups of three teams each. The eight group winners will advance to the knockout round where the quarterfinalists will be ranked 1-8 based on their results from the Group Stage and paired accordingly.

Seattle faced Marathon in the 2010-11 Champions League, winning 2-0 at home and losing 2-1 on the road. Sounders FC has participated in the Champions League the past two years, and advanced to the quarterfinals in the 2011-12 tournament. Overall, Seattle is 7-9-2 in Champions League play with a minus-4 goal differential (23 goals for/27 goals against).

Group 4: Seattle Sounders (United States), CD Marathon (Honduras), Caledonia AIA (Trinidad)

Thursday, August 2

Seattle Sounders (USA) vs. Caledonia AIA (TRI), 7 p.m. PT

Thursday, August 30

Caledonia AIA (TRI) at Seattle Sounders (USA), 5 p.m. PT

Wednesday, September 19

CD Marathon (HON) at Seattle Sounders (USA), 7 p.m. PT

Wednesday, October 24

Seattle Sounders (USA) vs. CD Marathon (HON), 7 p.m. PT

About CONCACAF

CONCACAF "The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football" is one of six continental confederations of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) and serves as the governing body of football in this part of the world. It is composed of 40 national associations, from Canada in the north to Guyana, Surinam and French Guyana in the south.

Sounders FC Signs Defender Daniel Steres

The Seattle Sounders FC signed defender Daniel Steres, the club announced last Friday. Per Major League Soccer and club policy, terms were not disclosed. Additionally, the club parted ways with midfielder Christian Sivebaek. He was placed on waivers by mutual agreement.

Steres, 21, was selected by Seattle in the 2012 MLS Waiver Draft on June 6. He was originally picked by Chivas USA ninth in the second round (28th overall) of the 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft.

Steres played four seasons with San Diego State where he was a co-captain his final two years. He was named to the All-Pac-10 second team as a junior and also earned College Soccer News National Team of the Week honors in September 2010.

Sivebaek, 24, made three appearances with one start for Seattle. He also made a substitute appearance in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League and started four of five MLS Reserve League matches.

Sounders FC Develop Game Show to Showcase Players

The Seattle Sounders FC announced last week the launch of a brand campaign utilizing a game show called "The Full 90". The campaign includes TV and radio spots, outdoor billboards, bus boards and social media elements.

Fans are invited to visit www.SoundersFC.com/TheFull90 to view the spots and learn how they can play "The Full 90" to win Sounders FC merchandise, tickets and autographed items.

The first run of commercials feature Sounders FC players Osvaldo Alonso, Marc Burch, Alex Caskey, Brad Evans, Michael Gspurning, Adam Johansson, Fredy Montero, Jeff Parke, Mauro Rosales and Andy Rose. Future spots feature Servando Carrasco, David Estrada, Eddie Johnson and Roger Levesque. Sounders FC broadcaster Ross Fletcher serves as the game show host.

The team built a full scale game show set featuring customized podiums, a "The Full 90" backdrop, stage lighting and sound effects.

The campaign was designed in partnership with Wexley School for Girls, a local full-service advertising agency.

Recap: Seattle Sounders FC 1 at Portland Timbers 2 - June 24, 2012

Two Portland first-half goals were the difference as Sounders FC fell to the Timbers, 2-1, Sunday afternoon at JELD-WEN Field. Eddie Johnson scored his fifth goal of the season and second in three matches for Sounders FC.

In the 58th minute, Johnson took the ball into the box from the right side and let loose a left-footed shot that finished into the top left corner of the net. Johnson is now tied with David Estrada for the team-lead with five goals.

Portland got on the board first in the 16th minute when Kris Boyd got behind the defense on a cross from Steven Smith and put it past Andrew Weber for his team-high fifth goal of the season.

Nine minutes later in the 25th, Portland made it 2-0 when a Franck Songo'o corner kick found David Horst in the box and he headed it past Weber for his first goal of the season.

Despite only scoring one goal, the Seattle attack created many opportunities. In the 35th minute, Jeff Parke got off a clean shot in the box off a Mauro Rosales corner kick, but Portland keeper Troy Perkins made the save. In the 44th, Fredy Montero found Evans for a low shot from 25 yards that barely rolled wide.

Sounders FC midfielder Osvaldo Alonso made plays all over the field and finished with a team-high two shots on goal. In first half stoppage time, he rocketed a 35-yard shot that Perkins punched over the crossbar. In the 53rd minute, he sent a strong shot from 25 yards out that Perkins again punched away for a corner.

Around the hour mark, Alonso made two crucial defensive stops. He cleared away a strong opportunity just moments before Johnson's goal in the 58th, then made a tackle on Mike Fucito in the box, foiling a good chance on a counter-attack.

Montero and Portland's Lovel Palmer were issued red cards in second-half stoppage time.

Pat Ianni came on for starter Jeff Pake in the 42nd minute because of injury.

Portland nearly tallied two more in the first half. In the 11th minute, Horst got his head on a corner kick and banged it off the crossbar, and in the 25th, Boyd received a long cross and got off a clean header, but Weber cleared it over the crossbar.

New England Series Notes

Seattle and New England have met six times in league play over the past two seasons, and all six meetings have resulted in a win or loss (no draws). The series is level at 3-3-0 with Seattle holding a slight edge in scoring, 9-8. Seven of Seattle's nine goals have been scored in the first 45 minutes while New England has netted five of their eight in the second half. Sounders FC recorded its lone win at Gillette Stadium in their last visit, winning 2-1 on a Fredy Montero brace. Montero leads the series with four goals, and the Revs' Shalrie Joseph is second with three. Seattle has scored at least one goal in five of six matches, but has only held New England scoreless one time. While the Rave Green are yet to notch a goal in the final half hour, the Revs have scored four goals after the 60-minute mark.

About the Revs

New England is tied for seventh in the Eastern Conference with 18 points (5-7-3), but has been successful at home, going 4-1-2 at Gillette Stadium with a 12-6 goal advantage. They also hold a winning record of 4-3-1 against the Western Conference in 2012.The Revs are currently riding a three-match unbeaten streak (1-0-2) and most recently drew 2-2 at Toronto on Saturday.Their shot efficiency has been top-notch, as they lead the league with 93 shots on goal and a 48.7% shots on goal percentage, and the latter is 8-percent higher than all other teams.

Jay Heaps' attack is led by first-year French striker Saer Sene, who leads the team with seven goals (tied-sixth in MLS) and 21 shots on goal. Revs mainstay Shalrie Joseph is tied for the team-high with three assists this season, while also adding a goal. The Grenadian has 37 goals and 34 assists in his 10-year career, all with New England. Left back Chris Tierney has two goals and is tied with Joseph with three assists in 2012, and first-year MLS midfielder Lee Nguyen has added two goals and two assists. Local product Kelyn Rowe has chipped in with two goals and one assist in his rookie campaign.

SEA/NE Connections

Sigi Schmid coached New England goalkeeper Matt Reis (1994-97) at UCLA. The pair was also together with the L.A. Galaxy from 1998-2002. Midfielder Kelyn Rowe is from Federal Way, Wash. Rowe was selected third overall by the Revs in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft. Marc Burch played with Revs' midfielder Clyde Simms (2007-11) and forward Blake Brettschneider (2011) with D.C. United. Servando Carrasco and AJ Soares played collegiately at Cal from 2007-10. Both Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and New England midfielder Fernando Cardenas and forward Jose Moreno are from Colombia. Alvaro Fernandez and 17-year-old Diego Fagundez are from Uruguay. Zach Scott and Stephen McCarthy were both born in Hawaii.

Sounders U23 Update

Sounders FC U23 defeated the Portland Timbers, 4-3, on Friday night in a back-and-forth match at the Kiggins Bowl in Vancouver, WA. Fernando Monge scored the game-winner in the 88th minute for Seattle in a game that also saw goals by Sean Morris and Aodhan Quinn.

The Sounders now sit third in the PDL Northwest Division with 21 points, just two points behind the first-place Kitsap Pumas. The game concluded the PDL version of the Cascadia Cup, with the Seattle U23's coming out on top in its first season after a record of 2-0-1 against their Pacific Northwest rivals. The Rave Green will clash with the North Sound Sea Wolves on Friday night as they look to climb up the table with just five games remaining. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. at Edmonds-Woodway High School.

Throw-ins

Defender Zach Scott turns 32 on Monday, July 2...Seattle has used 23 different starters this season, and 24 players have made appearances. In 2011, Seattle used 23 players (26 total). In 2010, Seattle used a club record 26 starters (27 total). And in 2009, Seattle used just 21 starters (22 total)...Midfielder Steve Zakuani was included in the 18-man matchday roster against Kansas City for the first time since suffering a broken leg on April 22, 2011...Alvaro Fernandez will be eligible to return to MLS play at New England after serving a one-game suspension for a red card tackle against Kansas City. Fredy Montero will be unavailable for the match at New England while he serves a one-game suspension for his red card against Portland.

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Major League Soccer Stories from June 25, 2012


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