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MLS Seattle Sounders FC

Sounders FC News & Notes

September 9, 2013 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Seattle Sounders FC News Release


Sounders FC Hosts Salt Lake in Battle for First Place

Seattle Sounders FC hosts league-leading Real Salt Lake on Friday night in a battle for first place in MLS. The match will be nationally televised on NBC Sports Network and the stadium will be opened to the full seated manifest. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. PT on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field.

John Strong and Kyle Martino will call the match on NBCSN, and Ross Fletcher and Kasey Keller can be heard on 97.3 FM. The match can be heard in Spanish on La Gran D 99.3 FM.

The full stadium will be open for Friday's match, with tickets starting at $18. Tickets to all remaining Sounders FC home matches are available through SoundersFC.com, all Ticketmaster Outlets, the CenturyLink Field Box Office or by calling 800-745-3000.

Sounders FC (14-8-4, 46 points) is the hottest team in the league, winning seven of its past eight for the first time in club history. With four straight wins, Seattle could set the season record for longest winning streak with a victory on Friday night.

Last week, Sounders FC defeated Chivas USA and the Chicago Fire to extend the club record home unbeaten streak to 12 games. Lamar Neagle and Marc Burch connected for goals in each game, and the defense remained among the league's elite with an average of 1.04 goals allowed per game.

Seattle now eyes the top spot in the race for the Supporters' Shield, sitting just two points behind Salt Lake with two games in hand. Despite the rest of the weekend's results, a win on Friday night would put Seattle in sole possession of first place.

Friday's match will be the third and final meeting of the season with Real Salt Lake (14-8-6, 48 points). Salt Lake won the previous two meetings at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, and Seattle will look for its first regular-season victory over RSL since May 28, 2011.

The two sides have met the past two seasons in the playoffs. After falling to Salt Lake in the 2011 Western Conference Semifinals, Sounders FC ousted RSL from the 2012 semis, 1-0 on aggregate. Overall, the teams have met 16 times across all competitions since 2009, with Seattle going 5-6-5.

Salt Lake has not played since a 4-2 home win on August 30. RSL leads MLS with 52 goals this season and has scored multiple goals in 12 of the last 16 games.

Sounders FC will host Salt Lake in an MLS Reserve League match on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. PT at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila, Wash.

Seattle will then take on another top team in the West with a visit to the LA Galaxy on September 21. Sounders FC will conclude the month with a home match against the New York Red Bulls on September 29.

Sounders FC Competition Schedule (all times Pacific; subject to change)

Friday, September 13, 7 p.m. - Sounders FC vs. Real Salt Lake

Saturday, September 14, 12 p.m. - MLS Reserve League: Sounders FC vs. Real Salt Lake

Saturday, September 21, 7:30 p.m. - Sounders FC at LA Galaxy

Sunday, September 29, 6 p.m. - Sounders FC vs. New York Red Bulls

Sounders FC Fast Facts

* 1.04 - Seattle's 1.04 goals against average is tied-second in MLS.

* 1.77 - Sounders FC leads the league with 1.77 points per game.

* 4 - Seattle is the only team to win four straight games and could set the season record with a win on Friday.

* 4 - Obafemi Martins and Lamar Neagle have each scored four game-winning goals, ranking fifth in MLS.

* 5 - Mauro Rosales is tied-first in MLS with five game-winning assists.

* 7 - Seattle is the only team with seven wins in the past eight matches.

* 9 - Seattle is unbeaten in nine (7-0-2) all-time games played in front of over 40,000.

* 11 - The team has allowed the fewest goals (11) in the second half this season, including just four goals allowed in the final half hour.

* 12 - Sounders FC currently holds a club record 12-game home unbeaten streak, the second-longest in MLS this season.

* 14 - Seattle's 14 wins are the most in MLS, and the four draws are the fewest.

* 17 - Friday's match will be the 17th meeting between Seattle and Salt Lake across all competitions - the most in club history.

* 21 - the 21 points from the last eight games is the best stretch in club history.

* 30 - The 30 home points ranks third in club history, and the nine home wins are the second-most.

* 33 - Mauro Rosales' 33 career assists is one shy of matching Fredy Montero's club record.

* 45 - Sounders FC is unbeaten in 45 straight games (37-0-8) when scoring first.

Surging Sounders Overtake Second in MLS

Despite playing the fewest matches in MLS, Sounders FC is second in the race for the Supporters' Shield, just two points shy of league-leading Real Salt Lake with two games in hand. A win on Friday night against the Utah side would propel Seattle to first place. Sounders FC already leads the league with 1.77 points per game, which is the second-best average in club history to the 2011 output of 1.85.

Supporters' Shield Standings

Team PTS GP PPG

Real Salt Lake 48 28 1.71

Seattle Sounders FC 46 26 1.77

Montreal Impact 45 26 1.73

New York Red Bulls 45 28 1.61

Sporting Kansas City 45 28 1.61

LA Galaxy 43 27 1.59

Colorado Rapids 42 28 1.50

Portland Timbers 42 27 1.56

FC Dallas 40 27 1.48

Philadelphia Union 39 28 1.39

Seattle Could Set Longest Winning Streak of 2013

Sounders FC is the only team in MLS with wins in its past four outings. A win on Friday night against Real Salt Lake would extend the streak to a 2013 league-best five games, and match Seattle's club record for the longest winning streak. Just three other teams (Montreal, New York and Salt Lake) have won four straight games this season. Sounders FC has also had two streaks of three-straight wins in 2013. Overall, Seattle has won five straight games on two occasions in club history.

Longest Winning Streaks - 2013

Team Wins Dates

Sounders FC 4 August 25-present

Real Salt Lake 4 June 1-June 29

New York 4 April 20-May 8

Montreal 4 March 2-March 23

*Three-game winning streak - 11 times

Longest Winning Streaks - Club History

Dates Wins Teams Faced

9/18-10/15/2010 5 at Columbus, at Chicago, Toronto, at Kansas City, Chivas USA

4/14-5/9/2012 5 Colorado, at Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, at Dallas

8/25-9/7/2013 4 Portland, at Columbus, Chivas USA, Chicago

7/15-8/8/2010 4 at D.C. United, Colorado, at San Jose, Houston

*Streaks over two seasons not included.

Unbeaten at Home: Seattle Goes for Season and Club Records

Seattle's current 12-game (9-0-3) home unbeaten streak is the longest in club history and second-longest in MLS this season. Seattle could match San Jose's season record with a win or draw against Real Salt Lake on Friday night. With a club record five straight home wins, Sounders FC could also match San Jose's season record of six straight home wins.

Longest Home Unbeaten Streaks - 2013 MLS Regular Season

Team GP Record Date

San Jose 13 9-0-4 March 10-present

Seattle 12 9-0-3 March 16-present

Portland 11 8-0-3 April 6-present

Dallas 10 7-0-3 March 2-July 4

Vancouver 10 7-0-3 March 2-July 27

Seattle's home form in 2013 is already among the best in club history. The 30 home points bests the club's first two seasons, and the team is just five points from matching its best-ever total with four home games remaining. The nine home wins are the second-most in club history. The nine home goals allowed would be the fewest in club history, and the plus-15 goal differential would rank second.

All-Time Home Records - Club

Year GP Record (points) GD (GF/GA)

2012 17 11-4-2 (35 pts.) 16 (27/11)

2011 17 9-4-4 (31 pts.) 12 (32/20)

2013 13 9-1-3 (30 pts.) 15 (24/9)

2009 15 7-2-6 (27 pts.) 11 (21/10)

2010 15 8-4-3 (27 pts.) 5 (21/16)

A Great Eight: Sounders Ride Best Stretch in Club History

Sounders FC has earned 21 out of a possible 24 points over the past eight outings, marking the best stretch in club history. On two occasions, Sounders FC amassed 19 points in an eight-game stretch, including earlier this season from April 20 to June 8. A win or draw against Real Salt Lake on Friday night would mark the best nine-game stretch in club history as the team earned 22 points in nine outings from March 17 to May 9, 2012.

Top 8-game Stretches - Club History

Date PTS Record

July 28-Sept. 7, 2013 21 7-1-0

April 20-June 8, 2013 1 9 6-1-1

March 17-May 5, 2012 19 6-1-1

Aug. 6-Oct. 1, 2011 19 6-1-1

June 4-July 16, 2011 18 5-0-3

July 28-Sept. 15, 2012 17 5-1-2

July 11-Aug. 28, 2010 17 5-1-2

Seattle Approaching Club Records in Wins, Shutouts

Sounders FC is quickly approaching the club record for wins and shutouts. The 14 wins is four fewer than the club record of 18 set in 2011, and already bests the 2009 total and matches the 2010 output. The team's 10 shutouts is two fewer than the club record, and is already more than 2011 (9 shutouts) and equal to the 2009 total. Seattle's best win total in the 2011 season featured the fewest shutouts in club history.

Most Wins, Shutouts - Club History

Year Wins Shutouts

2011 18 9

2012 15 12

2013 14 10

2010 14 11

2009 12 10

Large Crowd Expected on Friday

For the third time this season, Sounders FC will open the entire seating manifest at CenturyLink Field on Friday night. In the previous full-stadium game against Portland on August 25, Sounders FC hosted the second-largest standalone crowd in league history with 67,385 in attendance, marking the largest crowd for a soccer game in Pacific Northwest history. Overall, Seattle has hosted three of the top 10 single-game attendances in league history. Sounders FC has opened the entire stadium six times in club history, with an average attendance of 61,380.

All-Time MLS Regular-Season Attendances - Club

Attendance Teams (Competition) Date

67,385 Sounders FC 1 vs. Portland Timbers 0 August 25, 2013

66,452 Sounders FC 3 vs. Portland Timbers 0 October 7, 2012

64,140 Sounders FC 2 vs. San Jose 1 October 15, 2011

60,908 Sounders FC 4 vs. LA Galaxy 0 August 5, 2012

55,718 Sounders FC 2 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC 0 August 18, 2012

53,679 Sounders FC 3 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 June 8, 2013

Top-10 All-Time MLS Single-Game Attendances

Att. Match Date Location

*92,650 Chivas USA vs. New England 8/6/06 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

*92,216 LA Galaxy vs. Tampa Bay 6/16/96 Rose Bowl

*88,816 Chivas USA vs. LA Galaxy 8/10/05 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

*73,123 San Jose vs. DC United 7/4/99 Stanford Stadium

*70,550 Houston vs. LA Galaxy 8/9/06 Reliant Stadium

69,255 LA Galaxy vs. MetroStars 4/13/96 Rose Bowl

67,385 Sounders FC 1 vs. Portland 0 8/25/13 CenturyLink Field

66,452 Sounders FC 3 vs. Portland 0 10/7/12 CenturyLink Field

66,237 New York vs. LA Galaxy 8/18/07 Giants Stadium

64,140 Sounders FC vs. San Jose 10/15/11 CenturyLink Field

*International doubleheader

Big Crowds, Big Wins

The big crowds at CenturyLink Field have translated to big wins for Sounders FC. In games with an attendance of more than 40,000, Sounders FC is 7-0-2 with a plus-14 goal differential (21 goals scored with seven goals allowed). The offense has scored in all nine matches, including multiple goals six times. The team gets stronger as the crowds get bigger, winning all five matches played in front of over 55,000, outscoring opponents 12-1.

Record with more than 40,000 Fans - Sounders FC

Attendance Result Date

67,385 W, Sounders FC 1 vs. Portland 0 August 25, 2013

53,679 W, Sounders FC 3 vs. Vancouver 2 June 8, 2013

40,150 D, Sounders FC 1 vs. Portland 1 March 16, 2013

66,452 W, Sounders FC 3 vs. Portland 0 October 7, 2012

55,718 W, Sounders FC 2 vs. Vancouver 0 August 18, 2012

60,908 W, Sounders FC 4 vs. LA Galaxy 0 August 5, 2012

46,932 D, Sounders FC 1 vs. Kansas City 1 June 20, 2012

64,140 W, Sounders FC 2 vs. San Jose 1 October 15, 2011

46,065 W, Sounders FC 4 vs. New York 2 June 23, 2011

In the National Spotlight

Friday's match against Real Salt Lake will be nationally televised on NBC Sports Network - the second of three straight games on NBCSN. Seattle has 13 games on national television this season, including seven of the final eight. The next four games will be on NBCSN or ESPN, as well as the final three matches of the regular-season campaign. Sounders FC is 3-2-1 on national television in 2013. Overall, Seattle has played 82 games to date across all competitions on national television (ESPN/ESPN2, NBCSN & FOX Soccer) since joining MLS in 2009, excluding friendlies. After the 2013 regular season finishes, over 40-percent (89/218) of Sounders FC games since 2009 will have been televised nationally.

Friday Night Lights

Friday's match against Real Salt Lake will mark the sixth time in club history that Sounders FC will play on Friday night. In the last competitive match on a Friday night, Seattle hosted Salt Lake in the first leg of the Western Conference Semifinals, resulting in a scoreless draw on November 2, 2012. Overall, Sounders FC is undefeated on Friday night, going 3-0-2 including playoffs. Seattle played just one Friday night match in the 2013 preseason, drawing 0-0 with Mexico's Veracruz in Tucson, Arizona.

All-Time Friday Night Games

Date Result Attendance

November 2, 2012 Sounders FC 0 vs. Salt Lake 0 34,941

March 23, 2012 Sounders FC 2 vs. Houston 0 38,304

April 22, 2011 Sounders FC 1 at Colorado 0 14,185

March 25, 2011 Sounders FC 1 vs. Houston 1 36,204

October 15, 2010 Sounders FC 2 vs. Chivas USA 1 36,356

True Grit: Sounders Win Three in a Week

Sounders FC won three regular-season matches in an eight-day stretch for the third time in club history, downing Columbus on the road before returning home to oust Chivas USA and the Chicago Fire. Seattle showed its ability to win in different ways throughout the stretch. In a weather-delayed road match, a 10-man Sounders FC side defeated the Crew, marking the third shorthanded win in club history. Against Chivas USA, Seattle missed several starters due to injury, international call-ups and suspension but still managed to beat The Goats, 1-0. Last Saturday, Sounders FC welcomed a red-hot Chicago team to CenturyLink Field and came-from-behind to win, 2-1.

Four Sounders FC players went the full 90 minutes in all three matches: Osvaldo Alonso, Michael Gspurning, Lamar Neagle and DeAndre Yedlin. Midfielder Mauro Rosales also started all three games, playing all but 34 minutes. Neagle scored two of the team's four goals, Rosales recorded a game-winning assist and Gspurning earned two shutouts.

A Look Ahead: Eight Games Remaining

In the final eight matches of 2013, Sounders FC will face stiff competition, including six current playoff teams. Seattle will play the top six teams in the West as well as the East-leading New York Red Bulls. Seattle will play the West's first and third-place teams over the next two weeks with Real Salt Lake and the LA Galaxy, respectively. Sounders FC will also play the fourth-place Rapids, fifth-place Timbers, and the two teams on the bubble in Dallas and Vancouver. The season concludes at home with another match against the two-time defending champions LA Galaxy.

Seven Season Series Won

Sounders FC added another season series to the total with Saturday's 2-1 win over the Chicago Fire. Seattle has also won the series against Chivas USA, Columbus, Dallas, D.C. United, Kansas City and Toronto FC. Five season series are yet to be decided: LA Galaxy, New York, Colorado, Vancouver and Portland. Seattle tied the series against New England and Philadelphia and lost to Houston, Montreal, Salt Lake and San Jose.

Ready, Set-Piece, Go

Sounders FC has found its set-piece form, scoring seven goals from free kicks and corners this season. The seven set-piece goals are the fourth-most in MLS this season, ranking behind Dallas (14), Salt Lake (11) and New York (9). Seattle has scored five times indirectly from a free kick, once directly from a free kick and once from a corner kick. Four of the team's last six goals came from set-pieces, including three straight game-winners. The club record for most set-piece goals was in 2011 when the team scored 10 times.

Sounders Spotlight: Neagle and Burch Connect, Again

Just minutes before halftime last Saturday, Lamar Neagle knocked in Marc Burch's cross to pull Seattle level with the Chicago Fire. It marked the second time in as many games that the duo connected after Burch assisted on Neagle's game-winner against Chivas USA last Wednesday.

Neagle's seven goals matches Eddie Johnson and Obafemi Martins for the team-lead, including four game-winners. He has set career-highs in goals (7), assists (3), starts (19), and minutes (1,693) this season. His next game will match his career-high for appearances (23). Neagle has made the most consecutive starts (11) for Sounders FC, dating back to July 6. He has scored in back-to-back games for the second time as Seattle improved to 6-0-0 when Neagle scores this season.

Burch has matched his career high with three assists, including all three assists in his past four games. Burch recorded assists in back-to-back games for the second time in his eight-year career and first time since 2007. He now has 16 career assists in regular-season play.

USA-Mexico Tuesday at 5 p.m. PT

The U.S. National Team hosts Mexico in 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying on Tuesday. Kickoff at Crew Stadium is set for 5 p.m. PT, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN, WatchESPN, UniMas and ESPN Deportes Radio.

A victory for the United States combined with a win or tie for Honduras at home against Panama would clinch passage for the USMNT to the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The U.S. currently sits in second place in the group with 13 points, one behind leaders Costa Rica. With its first victory away to Mexico in a World Cup Qualifier, Honduras is now in third place on 10 points. Mexico holds the fourth spot, one point ahead of Panama.

Seattle's Clint Dempsey and Eddie Johnson are available for the USMNT for Tuesday's match. Last Friday in Costa Rica, Dempsey earned his 100th cap and became the USA's all-time leading scorer in World Cup Qualifying with 13 career goals. Dempsey and Omar Gonzalez are the only two players to have started all seven games in the Hexagonal. Johnson is the team leader with 14 appearances in 2013, and he has accumulated four goals and one assist.

Both Dempsey and Johnson are expected to be available for Seattle's match against Real Salt Lake on Friday. In addition, Salt Lake's Kyle Beckerman, Nick Rimando and Costa Rican Alvaro Saborio will return to their club before Friday's match.

Seattle-Salt Lake Meet for Record 17th Time

Sounders FC and Real Salt Lake have become familiar foes over the past five seasons, meeting 11 times in the regular season, four times in the MLS Cup Playoffs and once in the U.S. Open Cup. The 16 total meetings between the two sides are the most in club history, and Salt Lake is one of just three teams that Sounders FC has played five times in a single season.

Most All-Time Meetings (all competitions)*

Team GP MLS Playoffs USOC

LA Galaxy 16 3-5-2 1-3-0 2-0-0

Real Salt Lake 16 2-5-4 2-1-1 1-0-0

Chivas USA 15 7-2-4 0-0-0 2-0-0

San Jose Earthquakes 14 5-7-1 0-0-0 1-0-0

Best in the West

Friday's match not only features the two top teams in the Western Conference this season, but Seattle and Salt Lake have historically been two of the top teams in MLS. Sounders FC (260 points) and Real Salt Lake (254 points) rank just behind the LA Galaxy (271 points) for most points in MLS since 2009. The two teams also score the most goals in the league as Salt Lake is tied-first with 230 goals and Sounders FC is third with 219.

Most MLS Points since 2009

Team Record Points

L.A. Galaxy 80-40-37 271

Seattle Sounders FC 73-40-41 260

Real Salt Lake 72-46-38 254

Sporting Kansas City 63-51-42 231

Columbus Crew 64-53-38 230

Most MLS Goals since 2009

Team Goals

L.A. Galaxy 230

Real Salt Lake 230

Seattle Sounders FC 219

New York Red Bulls 216

FC Dallas 213

Throw-ins

Leo Gonzalez now has four yellow cards and is one caution from receiving an automatic one-game suspension for accumulation. Gonzalez has three games remaining to receive the good behavior incentive. Djimi Traore also has four yellow cards but can no longer use the good behavior incentive...The MLS roster freeze deadline is Friday, September 13...On September 14, 2012, Sounders FC signed goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann...On September 15, 2012, Sounders FC played the Portland Timbers in a network television broadcast on NBC.

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