Sounders win the Regular Season Title

September 10, 2007 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Seattle Sounders News Release


The Seattle Sounders finished the 2007 regular season with a 16-6-6 record and their first USL First Division Regular Season Title since 2002. The win secures Seattle the number one seed throughout the playoffs and was highlighted by a collection of individual accomplishments by Sounders players.

For the second straight season a Seattle forward has finished tied for the USL First Division League lead in goals scored.

Sebastien Le Toux tallied ten goals in league play this season, enough to tie him at the top of the charts with Montreal's Charles Gbeke. The total was well shy of the 19 goals scored in last year's duel between Seattle's Cam Weaver and Miami FC's Romario.

Le Toux finished one point behind Atlanta's Daniel Antoniuk for the overall point scoring lead. Antoniuk finished a top the league in assists with nine on the season, one ahead of Seattle's Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar.

Sounders goal keeper Chris Eylander led the league in wins with 14 and saves with 108 saves and finished second in shutouts with 14, one behind Portland's Josh Wicks.

The Sounders won nine 1-0 matches in 2007, the most in one season in the modern franchise era, giving Eylander a reasonable chance at receiving Most Valuable Player honors in the team and the league.

The Sounders powered their way to the top of the USL First Division standings with only two losses coming after May 20th.

The addition of 2005 USL First Division Defender of the Year Taylor Graham on July 3rd bolstered a Sounders backline that has seen impressive early season performances from Zach Scott, Noah Merl and captain Danny Jackson. Since the addition of Graham, the Sounders allowed only eight goals in 13 matches.

The emergence of first year midfielder Kenji Treschuk has also bolstered the Sounders defense down the stretch. The last player signed prior to the season opener, Treschuk has appeared in 26 matches and started 15 of those. His tireless work in the middle of the park has eased the pressure put on the back four and created opportunities for forwards Roger Levesque and Le Toux to pressure opposing defenses.

Nearly lost in the mix of new faces is the effort of the Sounders 2005 leading scorer, Roger Levesque. Up until the second to last mach of the season when Le Toux tallied a hat trick, with two of the goals being created by Levesque, the resurgent Levesque was the team's leading scorer. He finished in the top five among point, goal and assist leaders in the USL First Division and was voted he team's most valuable player in the Emerald City Supporters end of season fan awards.

Levesque's roommate Kevin Sakuda pushed his consecutive match played record over 100 matches this season in a streak that dates back to July 7, 2004 while finishing third in the league in minutes played with 2511. Sakuda impressed with his versatility, making his milestone after making the switch from the central midfield to right back. The quiet nature of Sakuda's season is a tribute to the calm nature that the Sounders "Ironman" that has become the foundation for the team to build from.

Left footed midfielder Josh Gardner provided the final piece of the Sounders offensive puzzle with pinpoint passes over the top for the forward duo and the potential to cause havoc with powerful runs down the left side of the field. He finished with one goal and three assists on the season. His presence was key to the Sounders chemistry seeing him feature in 27 matches.

Next up for the Sounders is the first Round of the USL First Division Playoffs. They'll face the Carolina Railhawks on Friday night in Cary, North Carolina, the match will be available on USLLive.com, before coming home for the second leg of the aggregate score series on Sunday September 16th, 6pm at Qwest Field. Tickets for the match are available through SeattleSounders.net or by calling 206.622.3415.



USL First Division Stories from September 10, 2007


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