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MLS Seattle Sounders FC

Sounders FC News & Notes

July 7, 2014 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Seattle Sounders FC News Release


Derby Double: Seattle Hosts Portland Wednesday and Sunday

With U.S. Open Cup advancement and Cascadia Cup on the line, Seattle Sounders FC hosts the Portland Timbers in a pair of rivalry matches this week. The rivalry week kicks off on Wednesday evening as Sounders FC hosts the Timbers in the quarterfinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. PT at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila, Wash.

The two sides will meet again four days later as Sounders FC returns to CenturyLink Field for the first time since May 31. Seattle will look to extend its league-best five-game home winning streak in front of a full-stadium crowd. Sunday's kickoff against the Timbers is set for 7 p.m. PT on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field.

Wednesday's match is US Soccer's Open Cup Game of the Round and will be broadcast via live video stream on www.SoundersFC.com and www.Timbers.com with Ross Fletcher and Keith Bleyer on the call. Spanish radio is available on ESPN Deportes 1490 AM with Rene Aleman and Noe Menendez.

Sunday's match will be televised nationally on ESPN2 and will also be available on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM and in Spanish on ESPN Deportes 1490 AM.

Sounders FC (11-4-2, 35 points) suffered its first loss in eight weeks with a 1-nil defeat at Vancouver Whitecaps FC last Saturday. Seattle remains in the pole position in the Supporters' Shield race, seven points clear of the opposition, and has gone 9-2-2 over the past 13 outings.

The Open Cup run continues on Wednesday as Sounders FC looks to return to the semifinals, which Seattle reached five straight years (2008-2012), dating back to the team's final USL season. Three-time champions from 2009-11, Sounders FC looks to advance past the Timbers for the third time in club history, twice ousting Portland from the third round.

The winner of Wednesday's match will advance to the semifinals where it will host the Chicago-Atlanta victor, which will be held on August 12-13.

The rivals return to the pitch on Sunday evening in the first home Cascadia Cup match of the regular season. The match will conclude a stretch of three rivalry games over eight days and will be played in front of an enormous crowd and a national television audience.

Seattle battled to a wild 4-4 draw in the previous meeting at Portland on April 5 as Clint Dempsey recorded his first career MLS hat trick, including two tallies in the final five minutes. Sounders FC will look to extend its regular-season home unbeaten streak against the Timbers, having posted a record of 2-0-2 in the four all-time meetings at CenturyLink Field.

Sounders FC will see a bolstered lineup as Dempsey and DeAndre Yedlin return from international duty and Osvaldo Alonso and Gonzalo Pineda return from suspension.

Following Sunday's match, the home stretch continues as Sounders FC will host Tottenham Hotspur in an international friendly on July 19. The month concludes at CenturyLink Field against the LA Galaxy on July 28.

Tickets for Sounders FC home matches, including the Tottenham Hotspur friendly, are available now at www.SoundersFC.com and 1-877-MLS-GOAL. The 5-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)

July 9, 7:30 p.m. - Sounders FC vs. Portland Timbers, Starfire Stadium

July 13, 7:00 p.m. - Sounders FC vs. Portland Timbers, CenturyLink Field

July 19, 1:00 p.m. - Sounders FC vs. Tottenham Hotspur, CenturyLink Field

July 28, 7:00 p.m. - Sounders FC vs. LA Galaxy, CenturyLink Field

First in the Supporters' Shield Race

Sounders FC remained atop the Supporters' Shield standings for a club record 10th consecutive week, sitting seven points ahead of D.C. United and Real Salt Lake. Sounders FC first gained the top spot on April 26, and is guaranteed to hold its position through the weekend's action. Seattle has also won the most games (11) and scored the most goals (33) in MLS, and is the lone team to average over two points per game (2.06) this season.

Do the Double

The two-game week will mark the sixth time in club history that Sounders FC will meet the same opponent in back-to-back U.S. Open Cup and MLS games. In the five previous Open Cup games, Seattle has won all five matches, including the 2009 final at D.C. United. Including MLS Cup Playoffs, it will be the second time that Seattle and Portland will play twice in one week after Sounders FC were eliminated in the 2013 conference semifinals.

Record in Consecutive Games against Single Opponent

Date Opponent Result Competition

May 23, 2009 at Colorado Rapids D, 2-2 MLS

May 26, 2009 vs. Colorado Rapids W, 1-0 USOC

July 11, 2009 vs. Houston Dynamo W, 2-1 MLS

July 21, 2009 vs. Houston Dynamo W, 2-1 USOC

Sept. 2, 2009 at D.C. United W, 2-1 USOC Final

Sept. 12, 2009 at D.C. United W, 2-1 MLS

July 4, 2010 at LA Galaxy L, 1-3 MLS

July 7, 2010 vs. LA Galaxy W, 2-0 USOC

Aug. 20, 2011 at FC Dallas W, 1-0 MLS

Aug. 30, 2011 vs. FC Dallas W, 1-0 USOC

National Spotlight

Sunday's match will be the team's first game on ESPN in the 2014 campaign. Six Sounders FC matches will be televised on ESPN this season, including the next three games (Portland Timbers, Tottenham Hotspur and LA Galaxy). Overall, Seattle has 14 nationally televised matches in the regular season and will play 11 of its final 17 games on ESPN or NBC, including its next five MLS outings.

Open Cup Preview

Sounders FC continues the search for its fourth Open Cup championship, which would tie the Chicago Fire for most titles won by an MLS club. In 2011, Seattle became the first MLS side to win three consecutive titles, marking just the fourth three-peat winner in the 100-year history of the tournament. The Timbers look to return to the semifinals for the second consecutive year after falling to Real Salt Lake in the 2013 semis. In 2012, Portland was ousted from the third round by USASA side Cal FC and did not qualify for the tournament proper in 2011 after falling to San Jose in the qualification semifinals.

Record at Starfire

Sounders FC will look to continue its hot streak at Starfire after ousting PSA Elite, 5-0, and advancing past the San Jose Earthquakes in the fourth round. Seattle has posted an all-time record 13-0-1 at Starfire in Open cup play, outscoring opponents 39-8 with six shutouts. Against MLS opponents, the club is 9-0-1 at Starfire, posting four shutouts and a 22-6 goal advantage.

How They Got Here

Wednesday marks the third match of the tournament for both sides after the 16 U.S.-based MLS clubs entered the competition in the fourth round. Sounders FC opened the tournament with a 5-0 win over PSA Elite of the U.S. Adult Soccer Association and advanced past the San Jose Earthquakes after a penalty shootout in the fifth round. The Timbers ousted the Orlando City U-23s, 3-0, in the fourth round and beat Sporting Kansas City, 3-1, in a fifth round road match.

Seattle Sounders FC Results

Date Result Location Goal Scorers

June 18 Sounders FC 5 vs. PSA Elite 0 Starfire Stadium, Tukwila Evans (23), Scott (39), Cooper (45, 56), Okoli (84)

June 24 Sounders FC 1 vs. San Jose 1 (4-1) Starfire Stadium, Tukwila Cooper (26)

Portland Timbers Results

Date Result Location Goal Scorers

June 17 Portland 3 vs. Orlando City U-23 0 Providence Park, Portland Fernandez (11, 36), Peay (68)

June 24 Portland 3 at Kansas City 1 Sporting Park, Kansas City Fernandez (30, 68), Johnson (57)

USOC Semifinal Pairings

The winner of the Seattle-Portland match will host the Chicago Fire-Atlanta Silverbacks victor on August 13. Should Sounders FC advance, it would host Chicago or Atlanta at Starfire Stadium at 7:30 p.m. PT. Should the Timbers advance, it would host Chicago or Atlanta at Providence Park at 7:30 p.m. PT.

Open Cup Flashbacks

Seattle and Portland have met twice in U.S. Open Cup play. Both meetings were in third round play at Portland and occurred before the Timbers joined MLS. On July 1, 2009, Sounders FC downed Portland, 2-1, at PGE Park with goals from Roger Levesque and Stephen King. On June 30, 2010, the two sides battled to a 1-1 draw in regulation before Zach Scott scored the decisive penalty kick in a shootout to send Seattle through to the quarterfinals.

Sounders FC during Cup Play

With the win against D.C. United on June 28, Sounders FC continued its trend of performing well in league play while participating in the U.S. Open Cup. The team has posted an all-time record of 24-11-19 in MLS during Cup play, dropping just three league matches since 2012. Sounders FC is 6-6-7 in MLS games immediately following an Open Cup match, earning points in 13 of 20 games.

Year MLS Record during Cup Play MLS Record Immediately 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 3-2-4 0-2-2

2013 0-0-0 1-0-0

2014 1-1-0 1-0-0

Totals: 24-11-19 6-6-7

Back to CenturyLink Field

Sounders FC return to CenturyLink Field for the first time since May 31, when the club downed Real Salt Lake, 4-0. Seattle has won five consecutive home games, marking the longest home winning streak in MLS this season. Overall, Sounders FC is 6-2-0 at CenturyLink Field, earning the second-most points (18) at home in 2014.

Full-Stadium Crowd

CenturyLink Field will be opened to full capacity on Sunday for just the second time this season. In the previous match, Seattle beat the San Jose Earthquakes, 1-0, in front of a crowd of 49,746. Sounders FC has opened the entire stadium for nine regular-season games in club history, going 8-0-1 with an average attendance of 59,928. In games with an attendance of more than 40,000, Sounders FC is 9-0-3 with a plus-17 goal differential (25 goals scored with eight goals allowed). 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.

Seattle will host six full-stadium matches in 2014, including the San Jose Earthquakes (May 17), Portland Timbers (July 13), Tottenham Hotspur (July 19), Houston Dynamo (August 10), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (October 10) and LA Galaxy (October 25).

Games with 40,000+ in Attendance

Date Opponent Result Attendance

June 23, 2011 New York Red Bulls W, 4-2 46,065

October 15, 2011 San Jose Earthquakes W, 2-1 64,140*

June 20, 2012 Sporting Kansas City D, 1-1 46,932

August 5, 2012 LA Galaxy W, 4-0 60,908*

August 18, 2012 Vancouver Whitecaps FC W, 2-0 55,718*

October 7, 2012 Portland Timbers W, 3-0 66,452*

March 16, 2013 Portland Timbers D, 1-1 40,150

June 8, 2013 Vancouver Whitecaps FC W, 3-2 53,679*

August 25, 2013 Portland Timbers W, 1-0 67,385*

Sept. 13, 2013 Real Salt Lake W, 2-0 55,107*

October 27, 2013 LA Galaxy D, 1-1 66,216*

May 17, 2014 San Jose Earthquakes W, 1-0 49,746*

*Stadium opened to full capacity

2014 Cascadia Cup

Sounders FC sits second in the 2014 Cascadia Cup standings after dropping its first rivalry match of the season last Saturday in Vancouver. Both Seattle and Portland are searching for their first rivalry win of the season as Vancouver leads the competition by five points. Sounders FC won the Cup in its 2011, and the Timbers won the 2012 edition. Overall, Seattle has won the Cascadia Cup three times, including the USL era (2006, 2007 and 2011). The regional competition was founded in 2004 by the largest supporters groups of the three Pacific Northwest clubs: the Emerald City Supporters, Timbers Army and Vancouver Southsiders. Seattle will play four of its six Cascadia Cup matches on the road this season.

Standings

Team Record Points Goal Differential (GF/GA)

Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2-0-1 7 pts. +2 (7/5)

Seattle Sounders FC 0-1-2 2 pts. -1 (6/7)

Portland Timbers 0-1-1 1 pt. -1 (7/8)

Schedule and Results

Date Teams Location

April 5 Sounders FC 4 at Portland Timbers 4 Providence Park, Portland

May 24 Sounders FC 2 at Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 BC Place, Vancouver

June 1 Portland Timbers 3 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC 4 Providence Park, Portland

July 5 Sounders FC 0 at Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1 BC Place, Vancouver

July 13 Sounders FC vs. Portland Timbers CenturyLink Field, Seattle

August 24 Sounders FC at Portland Timbers Providence Park, Portland

August 30 Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Portland Timbers BC Place, Vancouver

September 20 Portland Timbers vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC Providence Park, Portland

October 10 Sounders FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC CenturyLink Field, Seattle

Series Notes

Sounders FC holds the advantage in MLS regular-season play at 3-2-4, outscoring Portland 15-12. The two rivals previously played to a 4-4 draw at Portland on April 5, and also met in the 2013 MLS Cup Playoffs as the Timbers won twice to advance to the conference finals. Sounders FC is unbeaten at home with a record of 2-0-2, outscoring the Timbers 6-2.

* Seattle has scored 10 of its 15 all-time goals in the second half while seven of Portland's 12 goals have been scored in the second half.

* Both teams have scored three goals in the final 15 minutes.

* Sounders FC has scored in eight of its nine meetings against the Timbers, including three or more goals on three occasions.

All-Time Records

Year Competition Record

1975-82 NASL Sounders 13 wins; Timbers 8 wins

1985-90 WSL FC Seattle 5 wins; FC Portland/Timbers 13 wins; 2 draws

2001-08 USL-1 Sounders 20 wins; Timbers 13 wins; 5 draws

2009-10 U.S. Open Cup Sounders FC 1 win; Timbers 0 wins; 1 draw

2011-present MLS Sounders FC 3; Timbers 4 wins; 4 draws

Totals: 85 matches played Seattle 42 wins; Portland 31 wins; 12 draws

About Portland

The Portland Timbers sit seventh in the Western Conference with 21 points from 18 games. Portland has posted a record of 3-3-2 on the road, and is unbeaten in its past five (3-0-2) road outings. After beginning the season with an eight-game winless stretch, the team won four of its next seven before its current three-game (0-1-2) winless streak. The Timbers have scored multiple goals in seven of its past eight outings, ranking tied-second in MLS with 30 goals scored. Portland has taken the second-most shots (247) and shots on goal (91) in MLS, and lead the league with 293 fouls suffered.

Timbers Notables

Coach Caleb Porter's attack is led by Argentine midfielder Diego Valeri, who is tied-first in MLS with eight assists this season. The 2013 MLS Newcomer of the Year has 10 goals and 21 assists in 45 games since joining the league prior to last season. Fellow Argentine attackers Maximiliano Urruti and Gaston Fernandez are tied for the team-lead with six goals apiece, but combined for just two goals and one assist in the month of June. Captain Will Johnson is the only player to start all 18 games for the Timbers this season, picking up five goals and one assist. Midfielders Diego Chara (16 starts) and Darlington Nagbe (17 starts) have also been staples in the Portland lineup this season, scoring two goals and three assists, respectively. Defending MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Donovan Ricketts has again been solid between the posts this season, holding a 1.39 goals against average in 16 appearances.

SEA-POR Connections

Kenny Cooper played the 2011 season with the Portland Timbers, scoring eight goals with two assists in 34 matches. DeAndre Yedlin (2011-12) played for Timbers Head Coach Caleb Porter at Akron. Portland's Darlington Nagbe (2008-10), Michael Nanchoff (2007-10), Steve Zakuani (2007-08) and Ben Zemanski (2006-09) attended Akron as well. Zakuani spent the previous five seasons with Sounders FC after he was selected with the top overall pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft. Zakuani scored 17 goals with 14 assists in 80 career appearances for Seattle. Portland selected former University of Washington defender Taylor Peay with the 26th overall pick in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft.

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