Sports stats



MLS Seattle Sounders FC

Sounders FC News & Notes

May 13, 2014 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Seattle Sounders FC News Release


Sounders FC to Host San Jose Saturday Night in Full Stadium Match

Sitting first in the league table, Seattle Sounders FC returns home to host the San Jose Earthquakes in the first full-stadium match of the season. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. PT on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field.

Saturday's match will be televised on Q-13 FOX and can also be heard on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM. The match will also be available in Spanish on THIS-TV and ESPN Deportes Radio.

Sounders FC (7-3-1, 22 points) will look to rebound from Sunday's road loss and remain atop the MLS standings. Seattle has won its past three home matches by a combined score of 8-3, and currently leads the league with 12 points at home this season.

The top scoring team in MLS, Seattle was held scoreless for the first time this season at New England, and will look to regain its league-leading form against a San Jose defense that has allowed 1.22 goals per game.

Sounders FC will be without three of its starters as Clint Dempsey, Brad Evans and DeAndre Yedlin were called into U.S. Men's National Team camp for World Cup preparations. San Jose's Chris Wondolowski and Clarence Goodson were also called into camp. The five players are among a group of 30, of which 23 will be selected for the World Cup roster.

San Jose (2-3-4, 10 points) sits sixth in the West following last Saturday's shorthanded win over FC Dallas. The Earthquakes will be searching for their first road points of the 2014 campaign, returning to CenturyLink Field where Seattle won 4-nil in the lone 2013 meeting.

The season series will continue on August 2 in the first sporting event at the new Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., and will conclude on August 20 in Seattle.

The club will continue to celebrate 40 years of professional soccer in Seattle by honoring the six league MVP's in Sounders history: Roger Davies, Peter Ward, Peter Hattrup, Mark Baena, Leighton O'Brien and Sebastian Le Toux. Both Hattrup and O'Brien will be at the stadium for Saturday's match.

Sounders FC will host the LA Blues in MLS Reserve League play on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. PT at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila, Wash.

Seattle will resume Cascadia Cup play on Saturday, May 24 at Vancouver. Kickoff against the Whitecaps FC is set for 4 p.m. PT. Sounders FC will conclude the month with a home match against Real Salt Lake on May 31.

Tickets for Sounders FC home matches, including the Tottenham Hotspur friendly, are available now at www.SoundersFC.com and 1-877-MLS-GOAL. The 6-Match ticket package is also available now with expanded seating to include the upper bowl at CenturyLink Field.

Competition Schedule (All times Pacific; subject to change)

May 17, 7 p.m. - Sounders FC vs. San Jose Earthquakes, CenturyLink Field

May 24, 4 p.m. - Sounders FC at Vancouver Whitecaps FC, BC Place

May 31, 1 p.m. - Sounders FC vs. Real Salt Lake, CenturyLink Field

June 7, 5:30 p.m. - Sounders FC at Chicago Fire, Toyota Park

June 28, 4 p.m. - Sounders FC at D.C. United, RFK Stadium

First in the Full Table

Sounders FC remains first in the race for the Supporters' Shield with 22 points, leading Real Salt Lake by two points with one more game played. Seattle is one of two teams (Salt Lake) that holds an average of two points per game, and the club's seven wins are two more than any MLS side.

Seattle's first-place ranking is the highest Week 11 position in club history, and the overall record marks the second-best start behind the 2012 season. Seattle has spent four weeks atop the Western Conference standings, the most in club history through the opening 11 games.

Year Record Weeks in 1st Place Week 11 Position Lowest Position

2014 7-3-1 4 1st 4th

2013 4-4-3 0 T-6th 9th

2012 7-2-2 1 3rd T-5th

2011 3-3-5 0 T-4th T-6th

2010 3-5-3 1 T-6th 8th

2009 4-2-5 3 3rd 3rd

League Leaders

In addition to leading the league in points, Sounders FC and its players also lead the league in several statistical categories. Seattle is one of five teams to play a league-high 11 games this season; the Earthquakes have played nine. The 22 goals scored are the most in MLS, averaging 2.00 goals per game (2nd). The team also leads the league in assists (23), shots (165), shots on goal (69), fouls suffered (199) and multi-goal games (7).

Clint Dempsey ranks second in MLS with eight goals and Obafemi Martins leads the league with six assists. Dempsey also leads the league in shots (443) and is second with 17 shots on goal, and has recorded the most multi-goal games (3) in MLS this season. Martins ranks sixth with 13 shots on goal while Lamar Neagle is tied-8th with 12. Osvaldo Alonso ranks second with 29 fouls suffered and third with 22 fouls committed. Gonzalo Pineda has taken the sixth-most corner kicks (35) and Stefan Frei's 34 saves ranks second.

First Full Stadium Match of Season

CenturyLink Field will be opened to full capacity on Saturday for the first time this season. Seattle will host six full-stadium matches in 2014, including the Portland Timbers (July 13), Tottenham Hotspur (July 19), Houston Dynamo (August 10), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (October 10) and LA Galaxy (October 25). Sounders FC leads MLS with an average attendance of 38,623 through the first six home matches of 2014. The club has set the MLS attendance record each of the past five seasons, averaging 44,038 in 2013.

The largest attendance for a Sounders FC match was 67,385 in a 1-nil win over the Portland Timbers on August 25, 2013, marking the second-largest crowd for a standalone match in MLS history. The last full-stadium match was the 2013 regular-season finale, a 1-1 draw with the LA Galaxy on October 27, which featured a crowd of 66,216. Sounders FC has opened the entire stadium for eight regular-season games in club history, going 7-0-1 with an average attendance of 63,350. In games with an attendance of more than 40,000, Sounders FC is 8-0-3 with a plus-16 goal differential (24 goals scored with eight goals allowed).

Flashback: 2011 Regular Season Home Finale

On October 15, 2011, Seattle hosted San Jose in the regular-season home finale, marking the final regular-season home game for goalkeeper Kasey Keller. Sounders FC earned a 2-1 comeback victory in front of 64,140 as Keller earned MLS Save of the Year for his series of stops late in the second half. Seattle's starting lineup featured three current players in Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans and Lamar Neagle. Current San Jose forward Mike Fucito also started the match for Seattle.

Most Home Points in MLS

Riding a league-best three-game home winning streak, Sounders FC will look to continue its strong form on Saturday when it hosts the San Jose Earthquakes. Seattle is 4-2-0 at CenturyLink Field this season, earning a league-best 12 points. The team has scored multiple goals in its past three home games, including a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rapids on April 26. Sounders FC is 4-3-0 against the Earthquakes at home, holding an 11-6 scoring advantage, including a 4-0 win in the lone home meeting last season. Overall, Seattle is 49-18-20 at home in MLS play, outscoring opponents 141-79.

Late Game Goals

With two late goals against FC Dallas last Wednesday in a come-from-behind victory, Sounders FC continues to lead MLS in second-half goals scored (15). Seattle averages 1.36 goals in the final 45 minutes compared to 0.64 in the opening half. The team scores its most goals in the final half hour, leading the league with 12 goals after the 60-minute mark, including seven tallies in the final 15 minutes. On the defensive side, Sounders FC has allowed the fewest goals (2) in the final half hour.

Bouncing Back

Sounders FC will look to bounce back from the largest defeat in club history in Saturday's match against the San Jose Earthquakes. The result against New England marked Seattle's third loss of the season, as the previous two were followed by impressive road results (2-0 win at Montreal and 4-4 draw at Portland). The team has shown an ability to come back from adversity this season, leading the league with four wins when allowing the first goal. Sounders FC is 3-3-0 in club history following a game when it allowed four or more goals, including a 3-2 at FC Dallas earlier this season after the 4-4 draw at Portland.

Series Notes

Sounders FC trails San Jose in the all-time regular season series at 5-7-1, including a minus-1 goal differential. Seattle holds a 4-3-0 advantage at CenturyLink Field with 11 goals scored and six allowed, and has scored multiple goals in four of the seven home meetings. In the last home match, Sounders FC earned a 4-0 victory on May 11, 2014. The teams have combined for seven goals in the final 15 minutes, led by four from Seattle.

About San Jose

San Jose sits sixth in the West with 10 points through nine games. After starting the season with a five-game (0-2-3) winless streak, the team has gone 2-1-1 over the past four weeks, including a short-handed 2-1 victory over FC Dallas last Saturday. The Earthquakes are one of four winless road teams this season, going 0-2-1 with two goals scored.

Earthquakes Notables

The Earthquakes will be without the services of leading goal scorer Chris Wondolowski and defender Clarence Goodson as both will join the U.S. National Team for World Cup preparations camp on Wednesday. Wondolowski leads the team with five goals, and just three other players have scored. Defender Victor Bernardez has scored twice while playing every minute this season. Newcomer Yannick Djalo has scored one goal in just 133 minutes of action. And former Sounders FC midfielder Cordell Cato tallied his first goal of the season last Saturday against FC Dallas. Former D.C. United and New York Red Bulls defender Brandon Barklage has started four of five appearances this season while MLS veteran Alan Gordon has appeared in all nine contests. Goalkeeper Jon Busch has conceded 11 goals for an average of 1.22 goals allowed per game and has recorded three shutouts this season.

SEA-SJ Connections

The San Jose roster features a trio of former Sounders FC players. Midfielder Cordell Cato is in his second season with the Quakes, appearing in all nine matches with one goal. He played in eight games for Seattle in the 2012 season with one assist. Forward Mike Fucito is also in his second season in San Jose and made his first appearance of the 2014 campaign last Saturday against FC Dallas, playing the final 30 minutes. Fucito scored three goals with two assists in 23 appearances for Sounders FC from 2009-11, and is yet to record a point for another club. Former Sounders FC goalkeeper Bryan Meredith is in his first season with the Earthquakes. Meredith made 12 appearances (10 starts) in the 2012 season for Seattle, averaging 1.27 goals allowed per game with a record of 3-3-5, including three shutouts.

40th Anniversary Honorees

As part of the club's 40th anniversary celebrations, Sounders FC will honor the six league MVP's in Seattle soccer history at Saturday's match. Roger Davies was named the MVP of the North American Soccer League in 1980 and Peter Ward earned the honors in 1982. In 1995, Peter Hattrup won the MVP award for the United Soccer League's First Division and Mark Baena won the award in 1998. Leighton O-Brien was named A-League MVP for the 2002 season and Sebastien Le Toux was named USL MVP in 2007. Hattrup and O'Brien will both be present at Saturday's match.

Academy Update: Late Results against Cascadia Rivals

Sounders FC Academy went unbeaten at home against Vancouver Whitecaps FC Saturday with a couple of dramatic results at Starfire Sports Complex. David Olsen scored two first-half goals-including a commanding header right before the halftime whistle-as the U18's (15-3-5, 50 points) survived a late Vancouver comeback to win, 3-2. Seyi Adekoye netted the deciding goal in the 80th minute before the Whitecaps U18's scored two goals in stoppage time. The win extended Seattle's unbeaten streak to 11 games (10-0-1) as they jumped one point ahead of Vancouver for first place in the USSDA Northwest Division.

Despite facing a 2-0 deficit in the second half, the U16's (13-4-6, 45 points) came roaring back to force a 2-2 draw with Vancouver, extending their unbeaten streak to four games (1-0-3). Alejandro Hernandez and Vic Mansaray scored for Seattle as the team improved to 7-1-4 in their past 12 matches. The U-16's currently trail first-place Vancouver by four points in the USSDA Northwest Division with two games in hand.

Check out the Seattle Sounders FC Statistics



Major League Soccer Stories from May 13, 2014


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