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Sounders host Atlanta in USL-1 Final Saturday

September 26, 2007 - USL First Division (USL-1) News Release


TAMPA, FL - The Seattle Sounders will be aiming for their fourth USL First Division title Saturday night when they play host to the Atlanta Silverbacks, who will be making their first championship game appearance, at the Starfire Sports Entertainment Complex in Tukwila, WA. The game will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel at 10:00 pm ET.

The Silverbacks have already made two firsts this postseason. They captured their first playoff victory in the opening leg of their Quarterfinal series against Rochester, recording three consecutive draws win since. Last Sunday, they made it to their first championship game with a penalty kick decision over the second-place Portland Timbers.

On Saturday, the Silverbacks will likely need to complete another first in order to capture the USL First Division title by scoring their first goal this season against the Sounders, a club that suffered just one loss in the second half of the season (11-1-2). Seattle blanked the Silverbacks in their two meetings this season, posting a 3-0 victory at home just over a month ago to follow up a midseason scoreless draw in Atlanta. Chris Eylander was in goal for both clean sheets. An own goal and strikes from defender Taylor Graham and Roger Levesque gave Seattle the win.

The August 22 victory gave the Sounders the edge 3-2-2 in the all-time head-to-head record between the two clubs. The Sounders are unbeaten in the past three games with a 2-1 win in the second of their two meetings in 2006 as they split that season series.

While history certainly favors the home team with only one visiting team capturing the championship in the 16 single-game finals held over the league's 22-year history of championships, recent trends may prove against the Sounders chances. That lone club to buck the home team trend was the Vancouver Whitecaps of last year, winning 3-0 in Rochester. In addition, no regular season champion has gone on to win the title since the 1998 Rochester Rhinos, who were only the second team to accomplish the feat six years after the Colorado Foxes of 1992.

Another facet in favor of Atlanta is that under coach Brian Schmetzer, the Sounders' have not had a clear advantage at home in the postseason with a record of 4-3-3 with an aggregate score of 10-11 in favor of the visiting opposition. The Sounders have only once won by more than one goal in the four victories and their 2005 championship was captured in penalties against Richmond.

The Sounders' history in championships, however, has been rather successful, claiming the title in three of their four previous attempts. Their 2005 championship came on the heels of a 2-0 loss in Montreal the year before on came on the team's 10th Anniversary of their first title in 1995, which was the first part of a back-to-back set of titles in which they defeated the Atlanta Ruckus and Rochester Rhinos, respectively.

While the Silverbacks, born in 1999, have cemented themselves as the flagship USL franchise in Atlanta with its new stadium being built, a club that has grown into one of the largest in the region, and teams that have reached the finals of the W-League and USL First Division this year, the city does possess a lengthy USL history.

Part of that history includes the Atlanta Magic, a club that was a force in the former USL indoor league that captured three consecutive titles from 1993-95 and reached the final the year before and after the streak for five straight appearances.

In the outdoor game, the Atlanta Ruckus were a success in their inaugural year in 1995, reaching the USL First Division (then APSL) Championship Series, but fell two games to one to the Sounders after claiming the first game 2-1 via a shootout victory. With the series concluding in Seattle, the Sounders claimed game two 3-0 and won the title 2-1 in game three via a shootout. The loss began a spiral for the Ruckus, who dropped to last place in their division the next two seasons, before ultimately ceasing operations and bowing out of the league.

While the fans of Atlanta may be looking to avenge the 1995 series loss to Seattle, the Sounders faithful may be also looking for a little payback for their elimination from the W-League Championship Final Four when the Silverbacks downed the Sounders decisively 4-1 in the Semifinal.

The Dynasty Debate

While they may have gone about it quietly with the Montreal Impact finishing atop the league each regular season, the Sounders have reached the final for the third time in four years, a feat that has occurred only four times previously, raising the much debated question of what constitutes a dynasty.

Surely, the Rochester run of three USL-1 titles in four appearances and an Open Cup championship over the course of four years (1998-01) is the pinnacle of all dynasty comparisons in the history of the USL First Division. Where then would the Sounders fit with a win or loss Saturday? The following are the clubs that are arguably worthy of dynasty consideration based on championship appearances.

Rochester Rhinos (1998-2001)

1998: In their third year of existence, the team won the regular season title with the league's highest win total (24-4) in modern history (26 or more game season) and went on to capture the championship. They were the last team to do both.

1999: While the Rhinos fell short in the championship, they again were the regular season champions (22-6). They stole all the headlines on the year with their US Open Cup run with four wins over Major League Soccer teams to become the only non-MLS side to win the title since the league's inception in 1996.

2000: The Rhinos slipped to second in their division, but rose to the occasion in the playoffs to reach the final again and reclaim the championship.

2001: Second in their division again, the Rhinos showed everyone that what matters most is being hot in the postseason as they won a championship for the fourth consecutive year.

Colorado Foxes (1992-1994)

1992: In their second year in the league, the Foxes claimed the regular season title with a mark of 11-5 and went on to win their first championship.

1993: Colorado slipped to second in the regular season, but defended their championship in the postseason for a second straight title.

1994: Despite finishing tied for the second best record at 12-8, the Foxes were fourth in the table in points. It did not prevent them from upsetting the regular season champion Sounders to reach the final, where they fell 1-0 to the Montreal Impact.

Minnesota Thunder (1998-2000)

1998: You can't discuss the Rhinos dynasty without including Minnesota as the two squared off in three consecutive finals. The Thunder finished second in the division and advanced to the USL-1 final in their second year in the league. It was their third appearance in a USL final in five years.

1999: Minnesota jumped to the top of their division and went on to capture their first championship in four finals appearances, spoiling Rochester's shot at a double on the year.

2000: The Thunder claimed the regular season title with a record of 20-4-4 in the first year of draws in USL-1 since the launch of one of the founding leagues (WSA) in 1985, but Rochester got its revenge by reclaiming the title in the championship game.

Seattle Sounders (2004-2005, 2007)

2004: The Sounders finished middle of the pack in the division on the season at 13-11-4, but made a remarkable run in the postseason to reach the championship before falling in Montreal.

2005: Seattle again made another amazing playoff run after finishing fourth with a record of 11-6-11 on the year. They reached the championship, where they claimed their third title in team history with a win over Richmond in penalties.

2007: After missing the postseason by one point in defense of their title in 2006, the Sounders left no doubts with a 16-6-6 record to claim the Commissioner's Cup as the regular season champion. They became they first regular season champion to reach the final since the 2000 Minnesota Thunder.

San Jose Earthquakes (1985, 1987-1988)

1985: In the first year of the Western Soccer Alliance, born out of the ashes of the NASL, the Earthquakes won the league title with a record of 4-2-1. There were no playoffs.

1987: San Jose rebounded from a second-to-last place finish in 1986 to finish in a three-way tie for first a year later at 5-5. They fell in the championship to the regular season champion San Diego Nomads.

1988: While the Western Soccer League (formerly WSA) and American Soccer League, which was the east coast equivalent, were still completely independent, San Jose again finished third, but advanced to the final. They lost to the Seattle Storm, the first team to give the Emerald City a USL First Division Championship... which ultimately brings the story full circle.



USL First Division Stories from September 26, 2007


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