MLS Seattle Sounders FC

Sounders FC News & Notes

Published on April 29, 2013 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Seattle Sounders FC News Release


Sounders FC Starts Two-game Road Trip Saturday at Philadelphia

Seattle Sounders FC returns from the bye week with the first of a two-game road trip on Saturday afternoon against the Philadelphia Union. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. PT at PPL Park in Chester, Penn.

Saturday's match will be televised on KONG 6/16 with Ross Fletcher and Kasey Keller calling the action, and can be heard on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM. The match will also be carried in Spanish on La Gran D 99.3 FM.

Sounders FC (1-3-2, 5 points) has played the fewest games in MLS after receiving three byes in the opening nine weeks of the season. Sitting at the bottom of the West, Seattle will play five MLS matches over the month of May, beginning with visits to Philadelphia and Kansas City.

Coming off its first victory at Colorado on April 20, Sounders FC looks to win a second straight on the road, and extend its 235-minute shutout streak - the fourth-longest in the league this season.

Philadelphia (3-3-2, 11 points) had a three-game unbeaten run snapped last Saturday with a 2-nil loss at the New England Revolution. The Union sits sixth in the East and has not won at home since March 16. In the first full season under manager John Hackworth, the newlook Union feature 20-year-old forward Jack McInerney - the league's youngest player to ever hold the scoring lead.

Following Saturday's match at Philadelphia, Sounders FC will stay on the road for a midweek meeting with Sporting Kansas City (4-3-2, 14 points). Currently tied for second place in the Eastern Conference, Kansas City will host Chivas USA on Sunday before Seattle visits in a rematch of the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final on May 8.

Sounders FC then returns home for the next home match on May 11 against the San Jose Earthquakes. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. PT on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field. Single-match tickets to Sounders FC home matches are available through SoundersFC.com, all Ticketmaster Outlets, CenturyLink Field Box Office or by calling 800-745-3000.

Sounders FC 4-Match ticket package are available by phone at 1-877-MLS-GOAL or online at www.SoundersFC.com . The package includes Sounders FC home matches versus the Vancouver Whitecaps FC on June 8, Portland Timbers on August 25, Real Salt Lake on September 13 and the Los Angeles Galaxy on October 27.

Sounders FC Fast Facts

* Sounders FC is 6-7-10 all-time in May, including 3-2-2 last season.

* Sounders FC holds the longest active unbeaten streak when scoring first at 33 games (26-0-7). New York's all-time record of 58 games was snapped earlier this season.

* Ten of 12 goals allowed by Philadelphia this season were conceded in the second half.

* Six MLS teams are still searching for their first road win and no team has won more than two consecutive road games this season.

* Brad Evans and Mauro Rosales are the only active players to score against Philadelphia - both were game-winners. Steve Zakuani has recorded three assists in three meetings with the Union, which is tied for the second-most assists against Philadelphia in league history (Fredy Montero is first with four assists).

* Union midfielder Sebastien Le Toux is one of just six players to record three or more assists versus Seattle.

Three Games in Eight Days

Sounders FC plays some of its best soccer during a congested schedule, so the busy start to May will provide a great opportunity for the club to pile up points. The month begins with three games over an eight-day stretch from May 4 to May 11, marking the first time this season that Seattle will play three games in such a short period of time. Despite the compacted calendar, Sounders FC has had plenty of experience playing multiple games in a week's time.

There have been nine occasions in club history when Sounders FC has played three league matches in eight days. Overall, Seattle is 12-7-7 in such matches, outscoring opponents 36-30. Sounders FC has scored in all but five games, including 11 multi-goal games, and has held teams scoreless eight times.

Three Games in Eight Days (MLS only)

Date Record Goal Differential (GF/GA)

June 13-20, 2009 1-0-2 +1 (6/5)

August 15-23, 2009 1-1-1 +1 (3/2)

April 17-25, 2010 1-1-1 -1 (3/4)

May 21-28, 2011 2-1-0 +1 (3/2)

June 18-26, 2011 3-0-0 +4 (7/3)

April 28-May 5, 2012 3-0-0 +4 (5/1)

May 5-12, 2012 2-1-0 +2 (3/1)

May 19-26, 2012 0-1-2 -2 (3/5)

June 16-24, 2012 0-2-1 -4 (3/7)

May Opportunities: Six Matches next Month

The month of May will feature five league matches plus the opening round of the 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Just two of the five league matches are at home as Sounders FC hosts West rivals San Jose (May 11) and Dallas (May 18). Seattle will play its first Sunday game of the season at Los Angeles on May 26; a total of six Sunday matches are currently on the team's MLS schedule. Sounders FC will also play its first of four midweek league contests this season at Kansas City on May 8. Seattle will also begin its run for a fifth-straight appearance in the U.S. Open Cup Final with a third-round match on May 28.

Around the League

As the only team with a bye last weekend, Sounders FC watched as the gap between the top and bottom of the conference grew. Every team in the West earned points last weekend except Salt Lake, who lost to Los Angeles. Dallas leads the league with 20 points through the first nine games, and second-place LA Galaxy sits on 14 points. Despite playing just six games, Seattle remains six points out of a playoff spot and is within just four points of reaching Colorado and Vancouver.

Seattle Takes Shutout Streak to Philly

Michael Gspurning and the Seattle defense look to extend their shutout streak this weekend at Philadelphia. After posting shutouts against New England and Colorado, Sounders FC enters Saturday's matchup with a 235-minute shutout streak, which is the fourth-longest in MLS this season. A clean sheet in Philadelphia would catapult Gspurning into the second spot. Sounders FC is currently tied for second with Montreal with five goals allowed. Three of Seattle's five goals allowed this season have been scored in the final 10 minutes of the first half, and the team is 0-3-0 when conceding first.

2013 Longest Shutout Streaks (Player)

Player Team Minutes Dates

Jimmy Nielsen Kansas City 546 March 9-April 20

Donovan Ricketts Portland 312 March 30-April 21

Raul Fernandez Dallas 252 April 13-April 27

Michael Gspurning Seattle 235 March 30-current

Into the Unknown: Several Sounders yet to Face Philly

Despite facing Philadelphia five times in league play, only six players on the Sounders FC roster have played in multiple games against the Union. Seattle's newcomers will play Philadelphia for the first time this weekend, including forward Obafemi Martins and defenders Djimi Traore and DeAndre Yedlin. In addition, goalkeeper Michael Gspurning will meet the Union for the first time after missing last season's matchup due to injury. Forward Eddie Johnson, who played just 29 minutes in a reserve role last year, may also see his first start against Philadelphia.

Flashback: Rose Makes MLS Debut

Saturday afternoon marks an unforgettable moment in the young career of Sounders FC midfielder Andy Rose. Nearly a year ago to the day, Rose made his MLS debut against the Philadelphia Union on May 5, 2012. Rose started the match and played 62 minutes, picking up an early yellow card and hitting the post with a shot in the 47th minute. Since his debut, Rose has appeared in 27 league matches, and was the only player to appear in every game from May 5 to August 18 last season.

Sights Set on Two Straight Wins

Sounders FC will look to build off its win at Colorado with a second straight victory this Saturday. It has been nearly eight months since Seattle won back-to-back league contests, having beat Vancouver (August 18) and Chivas USA (August 25) in succession last season. It has been nearly a full calendar year since the club last won consecutive road matches, dropping Chicago (April 28) and Dallas (May 9) early last year.

Series Notes

The two sides are level at 2-2-1 in league play, yet Seattle is still searching for its first win at PPL Park - one of three teams (Houston and Montreal) that Seattle has not beat on the road. The previous two meetings in the series were at CenturyLink Field, and the two matches at PPL Park resulted in a 1-1 draw and 3-1 loss. Sounders FC also hosted Philadelphia in their inaugural MLS match on March 25, 2010 - a 2-nil win in Seattle. Sounders FC has been held scoreless just once, but Philadelphia holds the goals advantage (6-5). Despite outshooting the Union (56-42) Sounders FC have put nine fewer shots on frame (16-25). No player has scored more than one goal in the series.

About Philadelphia

Union manager John Hackworth is in his first full season with Philadelphia after taking over 11 games into the 2012 season. His team sits sixth in East with 11 points from eight games, just five points from top-seeded Montreal. The Union fell to New England last weekend, 2-0 on the road, snapping a three-match unbeaten run. Philadelphia ranks toward the top of the league in most statistical categories, including goals (10; 8th), assists (12; 2nd), shots on goal (38; 6th), fouls committed (120; 5th) and corner kicks (47; 2nd). Their 11 shots on goal versus Toronto FC are the most in a single game this season, yet the match ended in a 1-1 draw. Despite a dangerous offense, the Philadelphia defense is yet to find its form, allowing 1.50 goals per game (tied-17th) with just one shutout.

Union Notables

The Philadelphia Union feature one of the most dangerous young attackers in MLS. Jack McInerney, 20, is the youngest player to lead the league in scoring with six goals through eight games, and he is also first with three game-winning goals. His partner up top is former Rapids striker Conor Casey, who has scored twice against Sounders FC. Casey has started four of six appearances this season with a pair of goals and assists. The midfield is anchored by veteran Brian Carroll, who pairs with younger players such as Keon Daniel, Michael Farfan and Danny Cruz. Forward Sebastien Le Toux has started five games this season, scoring one goal with two assists, but he has played in the midfield or a reserve role with the emergence of Casey. The team is backed by Jeff Parke and Amobi Okugo in central defense, and third-year keeper Zac MacMath has started every game in goal, allowing 12 goals on 30 total shots.

SEA/PHI Connections

The Philadelphia features two former Sounders FC players. Defender Jeff Parke was traded to Philadelphia on December 7, 2012 in exchange for allocation money and a first-round pick in the 2013 Supplemental Draft. Parke played three seasons for Sounders FC and was voted the club's Defender of the Year in 2011 and 2012. He appeared in 39 of 48 matches across all competitions for Seattle in 2012. Parke made 78 regular-season appearances, including 77 starts, and started 102 of his 105 appearances across all competitions with Seattle, logging 8,848 minutes. Forward Sebastien Le Toux spent the 2009 season with Sounders FC after playing for the USL Sounders from 2007-08. Le Toux made 15 starts in 28 appearances for Seattle, scoring one goal and three assists. He spent the 2010-11 seasons with Philadelphia, joined Vancouver and New York in 2012, and returned to the Union this season. In addition, Philadelphia midfielder Brian Carroll won the 2008 MLS Cup with the Columbus Crew under the guidance of Seattle head coach Sigi Schmid.

A May Full of Birthdays

The month of May is full of birthdays for Sounders FC as seven players will celebrate their birthday this month. Michael Gspurning kicks it off on May 2 when he turns 32, and Philip Lund turns 24 on May 5. Marc Burch (29) and Lamar Neagle (26) celebrate their birthdays on May 7. Later in the month, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado turns 29 on May 16, Dylan Remick turns 22 on May 19 and Shalrie Joseph will celebrate his 35 birthday on May 24.

Check out the Seattle Sounders FC Statistics

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