Seattle Sounders news

MLS Reserve League: Seattle Sounders FC 0 vs. Portland Timbers 1

March 18, 2013, 4:05 am sourced from feedproxy.google.com

The Sounders were undone by a late Timbers strike in their first reserve league match of the season. » read full article

Martins shows glimpse of potential in debut

March 17, 2013, 7:06 pm sourced from feedproxy.google.com

In the 70th minute of the Sounders FC’s 1-1 draw with the Portland Timbers on Saturday, the crowd of 40,150 at CenturyLink Field slowly elevated their volume as Obafemi Martins approached midfield, readying to make his MLS debut.When the announcement was made that he was coming on for Mario Martinez, the building erupted.”It was the loudest it’s ever been at CenturyLink Field when he came out,” forward Eddie Johnson said.  “The fans know the importance he has on this team.”In his 20 minutes of action, Martins had a few opportunities to get dangerous and even sent a great ball through the box for Johnson, who was just a step behind the ball.  With the electric combination of Johnson and Martins at forward and the dynamic speed of Steve Zakuani on the left side, head coach Sigi Schmid is salivating at the scoring potential of his attack. However, Martins flew in to Seattle on Friday evening from Madrid, Spain, leaving him just 24 hours with no training sessions before his first appearance with the club.  He then turned around Sunday morning and flew back around the world to Nigeria, where he will play with the Nigerian National Team on Saturday against Kenya in a World Cup qualifying match.”I thought it was better to come now and see the place,” Martins said.  “I was a little bit tired from the travel, but I decided I wanted to play.”Despite the travel-weary legs, Martins was still an impact player for the Sounders and there is plenty of reason for optimism at the options available for the Seattle offense.“I thought he had a good debut.  He was inches off from getting an assist with me today and he showed up in the 20 minutes what he can do and bring to the team,” Johnson said.  “We’re excited he is here.” » read full article

Four things we learned from draw with Portland

March 17, 2013, 7:06 pm sourced from feedproxy.google.com

It wasn't an ideal result by any means but much can be taken from the result as the team goes forward. » read full article

First half Johnson goal not enough in draw with Timbers

March 17, 2013, 6:36 pm sourced from feedproxy.google.com

The Sounders let a slender 1-0 lead slip in the dying embers of the match as Portland took a point back home in the 1-1 draw. » read full article

HALFTIME: Johnson stakes Sounders to 1-0 lead

March 17, 2013, 2:06 am sourced from feedproxy.google.com

SEATTLE – The Cascadia Cup is always a heated affair and Saturday at CenturyLink Field has been no different.In a first half filled with aggressive play on the field and persistent cheers and taunts from the crowd off of it, the Sounders bolted to a 1-0 lead over the Portland Timbers in the first meeting of the season between the rival clubs.Eddie Johnson scored the only goal of the half for his first goal of the season.Though the Timbers outshot the Sounders 7-3, only one Timbers shot fell on target and that came in the first minute.Portland midfielder Diego Valeri tested Michael Gspurning with a shot from the top of the box, forcing Gspurning to dive to his left for the save in the opening minutePortland had another chance in the ninth minute, but Darlington Nagbe was just a step behind a ball from Ryan Johnson, cutting the pass across the box from the left side.In the 13th minute, Steve Zakuani raced up the left side uncontested on a ball from the midfield and cut a left-footed cross to Johnson at the far post for the tap-in goal and the Sounders, putting them up 1-0 with their first goal of the MLS season.Osvaldo Alonso and Andrew Jean-Baptiste were both shown yellow cards in the first half and both teams also had stoppages for injuries, though Donovan Ricketts and Djimi Traore both remained in the match after receiving medical attention. » read full article

Martins in the 18 against Portland

March 17, 2013, 12:07 am sourced from feedproxy.google.com

Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid has turned in his lineup for the first match in the Cascadia Cup derby against the Portland Timbers and the roster card includes newly signed forward Obafemi Martins.After arriving in Seattle on Friday, the 28-year-old Nigerian joined with his new team and will be available as a substitute for Schmid – a boon for a team that went scoreless in their season-opener against the Montreal Impact on March 2.“Certainly him being in the 18 gives us a tremendous boost.  It gives us a pretty good sub if we decide to bring him into the game, which there is a good likelihood that we’ll bring him on at the end of the game.  It gives us a guy who can change the game or hold the game or ice the game or whatever we need at that particular moment,” Schmid said.  “Having that kind of an asset and quality that you can bring off the bench is always great as a coach.  It makes your decisions a little easier to sub.”The Sounders FC starting lineup is goalkeeper Michael Gspurning; defenders DeAndre Yedlin, Djimi Traore, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and Marc Burch; midfielders Mario Martinez, Osvaldo Alonso, Andy Rose and Steve Zakuani; and forwards Eddie Johnson and Sammy Ochoa.The available bench for Schmid is Marcus Hahnemann, Zach Scott, Leo Gonzalez, Alex Caskey, Lamar Neagle, Mauro Rosales and Martins.Portland’s starting lineup is goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts; defenders Ben Zemanski, Andrew Jean-Baptiste, Mikael Silvestre and Michael Harrington; midfielders Diego Chara, Jack Jesbury, Will Johnson, Diego Valeri and Darlington Nagbe; and forward Ryan Johnson.Their bench is Milos Kocic, Ryan Miller, Dylan Tucker-Gangnes, Rodney Wallace, Kalif Alhassan, Frederic Piquionne and Jose Valencia. » read full article

Matchday Central: vs. Portland

March 16, 2013, 9:06 pm sourced from feedproxy.google.com

Sounders FC vs. Portland TimbersMarch 15, 5 pm PT, CenturyLink FieldTV/Radio: NBC Sports/KIRO radio 97.3Portland’s Record: The Timbers have started the season at 0-1-1 (1 point).  Last year, they finished eighth in the West at 8-16-10.All-time series: Last year the Sounders went 1-1-1 against their rivals to the south, bringing the MLS tally to 2-1-2 in favor of Seattle.  All-time through all of the different incarnations of the two clubs, Seattle is 41-28-10.Injury Report: Sounders FC – Out: D Patrick Ianni (R foot fracture), M Shalrie Joseph (L calf strain).  Questionable: D Andrew Duran (L ACL surgery), F David Estrada (L ankle sprain), M Brad Evans (L calf strain), M Mauro Rosales (L sacral contusion).  Timbers – Out: F Bright Dike (L ACL surgery), F Brent Richards (L ACL surgery), M Sal Zizzo (L medial meniscus tear).  Questionable: D David Horst (L hip strain).Key player: Midfielder Diego Valeri has been an early difference-maker for Portland.  With creative midfielders on either side of him in Darlington Nagbe and Kalif Alhassan, the 26-year-old Argentine has plenty of options in the attack.  Not to mention forward Ryan Johnson and his dynamic scoring in front of him.  However, Valeri acts as the point man to the Timbers offense.Notes: This is the first of three matches in the MLS regular season between the Cascadia rivals.  They will meet again August 25 in Seattle and October 13 in Portland. … Seattle forward Eddie Johnson and Portland defender Rodney Wallace lead all active scorers in the series with two goals apiece. … The Sounders announced the signing of forward Obafemi Martins on Friday and the 28-year-old veteran of Serie A, Premier League, Bundesliga, Russian Premier League and La Liga may be on the bench for Seattle in the rivalry match. … No team in MLS has allowed more than the five goals the Timbers have let in through two matches. » read full article

Three Key Matchups: vs Portland Timbers

March 16, 2013, 7:36 pm sourced from feedproxy.google.com

The Sounders will have to focus on three main battles in today's match against arch-rivals Portland Timbers. » read full article

Sounders and Timbers have enjoyed an extensive history

March 16, 2013, 6:36 pm sourced from feedproxy.google.com

The two clubs, separated by only 180 miles, have met each other numerous times during their various incarnations. » read full article

Martins arrives in Seattle with chance of playing Portland

March 16, 2013, 4:05 am sourced from feedproxy.google.com

The newly-signed striker is willing to play against Portland if head coach Sigi Schmid asks him to. » read full article

Rivalry Week in full gear in MLS

March 15, 2013, 11:06 pm sourced from feedproxy.google.com

It’s officially Rivalry Week in Major League Soccer and the weekend calendar is filled with derby matches around the league as teams battle for regional supremacy. Cascadia Cup; Portland @ Seattle (Saturday, 5 pm PT, NBC Sports)In the Northwest, that means the first match of the Cascadia Cup as the Sounders FC hosts the Portland Timbers at CenturyLink Field in one of the longest-running rivalry cups in the league.  Dating back to 2004, the Cascadia Cup was started by the supporter groups for the Sounders, Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps to put a trophy behind a rivalry series that dates back to Portland’s inaugural year in the North American Soccer League in 1975, bringing together the three clubs from the Pacific Northwest.  The derby has stood the test of time – and three different leagues – to become the standard-bearer in MLS rivalries.  Last year at CenturyLink Field, over 122,000 fans crossed the turnstiles for the two matches when Seattle played host to the Timbers and Whitecaps.Atlantic Cup; DC @ New York (Saturday, 9:30 am PT, NBC)As MLS rivalries go, they don’t get much more heated over the years than the New York-DC slugfests.  While the two MLS originals have battled it out since 1996, the Atlantic Cup was inaugurated in 2002.  The two clubs have met 71 times across all competitions, with DC holding the all-time edge at 39-22-10.  Last year, the rivalry picked up some more steam when they met five times over the course of the season, splitting the season series at 1-1-1 with DC United eliminating New York in the playoffs with a 2-1 aggregate victory over the two legs.Rocky Mountain Cup; Colorado @ Salt Lake (Saturday, 3 pm PT)This rivalry between Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids has been decidedly one-sided in favor of RSL over the years.  Colorado won the Rocky Mountain Cup in the first two years after RSL entered the league in 2005, but Salt Lake hasn’t lost the Cup since, winning it six straight seasons.  However, the all-time series has been much tighter overall, with the teams split at 9-9-8.Texas Derby; Houston @ Dallas (Sunday, 10 am PT, ESPN2)The battle between the Houston Dynamo and FC Dallas pits the runners-up in the last three MLS Cups against each other, with FC Dallas falling to the Colorado Rapids in 2010 and Houston dropping two straight to the LA Galaxy in 2011 and 2012.  This rivalry started when the San Jose Earthquakes moved to Houston in 2006 and has gone on while the teams are now in separate conferences and meet just once each season.  Houston has won five of the seven seasons of the Texas Derby, going 9-3-7 in their MLS meetings.SuperClasico; Chivas @ LA (Sunday, 2 pm PT, UniMas)The LA Galaxy and Chivas USA share the Home Depot Center as their home stadium, but one thing they don’t share much of is the SuperClasico trophy.  LA has won the LA Derby in seven of the eight seasons it has been contested, going 16-4-6 against Chivas since 2005.  Chivas had their lone series victory in 2007.Chicago @ Kansas City (Saturday, noon PT, NBC Sports)This Midwest rivalry has taken on new life in recent years, with Kansas City business offering customer rewards for any Chicago Fire loss – whether Kansas City is involved or not.  That excitement between the two teams is only a recent phenomenon, but one that has drawn the interest of MLS  and will be featured on national television.Toronto @ Montreal (Saturday, 1 pm PT, TSN)In a battle of the near-proximity Canadian teams, the Impact and Toronto FC are both coming off of dramatic victories last weekend and will look to stoke the flames of their rivalry at Olympic Stadium, where Toronto is expecting to bring over 5,000 visiting supporters for the match.New England @ Philadelphia (Saturday, 2 pm PT, Univision Deportes)There are several MLS clubs in the Northeast that battle it out three times each year and the Revs and Union are looking to plant their flags in the rivalry weekend.  While the matches have typically been closely contested and relatively low-scoring, 2011 saw fireworks when they battled to a 4-4 draw.  Can 2013 provide the same excitement?San Jose @ Columbus (Saturday, 2:30 pm PT)In the only matchup of the weekend that can’t really be considered a rivalry, the Earthquakes play their first road match of the year at Crew Stadium, where Columbus will be making their home debuts. » read full article

Sounders FC Roundtable Podcast - 03/15/13

March 15, 2013, 10:36 pm sourced from feedproxy.google.com

Full speed ahead for the Sounders as they officially announced the signing of Obafemi Martins on Friday. The guys break it down right here. » read full article

Sounders FC to Host Santos Laguna on April 2

March 15, 2013, 9:06 pm sourced from feedproxy.google.com

Tickets on sale Monday at 10 a.m. » read full article

ECS host Brougham Block Party

March 15, 2013, 8:36 pm sourced from feedproxy.google.com

This is the 10th year that the Sounders, Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps will compete for the Cascadia Cup and the Emerald City Supporters are celebrating in signature fashion – with the Brougham Block Party at Fuel in Seattle. The Sounders FC and Timbers will clash at CenturyLink Field at 5 pm, so the Block Party starts at noon at Fuel Sports Bar.Here is the release from ECS today:EMERALD CITY SUPPORTERSCELEBRATE THE START OF THE CASCADIA CUP’S 10TH SEASON WITH BLOCK PARTY Largest Supporters Group of Seattle Sounders FC Host Pre-Match Party on March 16th in Pioneer SquareSEATTLE – This weekend’s St. Patrick’s Day revelers of Pioneer Square will again have added company this year, as the Seattle Sounders FC face off against their bitter rivals the Portland Timbers at Century Link Field.To celebrate the 10th season of the Cascadia Cup, the Emerald City Supporters, with their partner, Fuel Sports Bar, will host the annual Brougham Block Party.  Located at the corner of Occidental Avenue and South Washington Street, this 21+ event will feature a large beer garden, food and full bar, ECS membership and merchandise tables, and raucous chants and songs.  Festivities begin at 12 p.m., and covered areas, patio heaters, and extra restroom facilities will make this a comfortable party venue for all Sounders fans (21 and over). Drink specials for Redhook No Equal Amber Lager and Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey will also be featured.The Emerald City Supporters (ECS) is the largest independent supporters group of Seattle Sounders FC, and can be found at the Brougham End of Century Link Field during every Sounders home match.  Drumming, singing, waving flags, displaying tifo, and cheering on the Sounders, “The Brougham Faithful” create the best game day atmosphere in MLS.For more, visit www.weareecs.com. » read full article

Traore goal becomes a sensation

March 15, 2013, 8:06 pm sourced from feedproxy.google.com

When Djimi Traore wound up and fired a 30-yard bomb against Tigres UANL in the CONCACAF Champions League to draw the series to 2-2 on aggregate, it became an instant sensation.  Within minutes, the highlight was a fixture on ESPN’s signature program – SportsCenter – and finished the day No. 2 on the daily Top Ten plays. The Youtube video of the goal with voice of the Sounders Ross Fletcher on the radio call drew nearly 900,000 views in just 48 hours, making it far-and-away the most-watched clip on the Sounders FC’s Youtube channel.Now, Traore himself discusses the goal, its precedings and its aftermath in the first edition of Goal Rewind. » read full article

Sounders FC Signs Nigerian Striker Obafemi Martins

March 15, 2013, 8:06 pm sourced from feedproxy.google.com

» read full article

Martins joins Sounders with huge amount of experience

March 15, 2013, 8:06 pm sourced from feedproxy.google.com

The Nigerian forward, a veteran of Europe's top leagues will come to Seattle looking to get the club over the MLS Cup hump. » read full article

CCL Rewind: MLS gets 2 to semis

March 15, 2013, 2:37 am sourced from feedproxy.google.com

The semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League are set.After two convincing results on Wednesday, the two final spots in the penultimate round of the tournament to determine the top team in the region is now down to the Sounders FC and Santos Laguna on one side of the bracket and the LA Galaxy and Monterrey on the other side, putting two MLS sides in the semifinals for the first time in CCL history.In the first of Wednesday’s matches, Santos Laguna took it to the Houston Dynamo for a 3-0 victory at Estadio Nuevo Corona, getting goals from Juan Pablo Rodriguez, Herculez Gomez and Marc Crosas to eliminate the Dynamo 3-1 on aggregate.  Santos will now meet the Sounders FC in the semifinals.  The first leg will be in Seattle on April 2-3 with the second leg in Torreon, Mexico, on April 9-11.In the second match, the Galaxy hosted Herediano after finishing with a 0-0 draw in Costa Rica last week.  This time around the Galaxy showed their true colors in racing to a 4-1 win behind goals by Omar Gonzalez, Jose Villareal, Robbie Keane and Jack McBean, advancing to meet two-time defending champions Monterrey.  That series will start at the Home Depot Center and finish at Estadio Tecnologico. » read full article

Who is the King of Cascadia?

March 15, 2013, 12:05 am sourced from feedproxy.google.com

With the Sounders match with the Portland Timbers fast approaching, we wonder who is the King of Cascadia? » read full article

Sounders FC Encourage Fans to Plan Ahead for Saturday's Match

March 14, 2013, 11:35 pm sourced from feedproxy.google.com

SR 520 will be closed throughout the weekend » read full article

Sounders to face Santos Laguna in CCL for second straight year

March 14, 2013, 4:09 pm sourced from feedproxy.google.com

The club will face the Mexican side in the tournament for the second year running - though this time in the semifinal. » read full article

Old rivalry with Portland set to be renewed this weekend

March 14, 2013, 2:06 am sourced from feedproxy.google.com

Seattle's adversary from the south will head up I-5 to get the 2013 Cascadia season underway on Saturday. » read full article

Sounders make history with comeback victory over Tigres

March 13, 2013, 11:06 pm sourced from feedproxy.google.com

It wasn't easy, but the Sounders were able to accomplish something that puts them in very rare company. » read full article

Sounders FC Roundtable Podcast - 03/13/13

March 13, 2013, 10:06 pm sourced from feedproxy.google.com

The CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal with Tigres was quite the affair...and has left the guys at the Roundtable with much to discuss. » read full article

CenturyLink Field to host Canada-Mexico Gold Cup clash

March 13, 2013, 6:36 pm sourced from feedproxy.google.com

CenturyLink Field is quickly turning into a central location for CONCACAF in 2013. One day after the Sounders FC ousted Tigres UANL in the quarterfinals of CONCACAF Champions League, the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football announced that Seattle would host two matches in the Group Stage of the CONCACAF Gold Cup on July 11.The double-header starts with Panama playing against Martinique at 5:30 pm PT, immediately followed by Mexico facing Canada at 8 pm PT.  Tickets are available Thursday, March 21 at 10 am Pacific through Ticketmaster.com, by phone at (800)745-3000 and at the CenturyLink Field box office.Mexico is looking to defend their Gold Cup title from 2011.  It marks the third time since 2005 that CenturyLink Field plays host to group stage matches in the tournament.  In 2009, the US trounced Grenada 4-0 in a 4th of July meeting and Honduras topped Haiti 1-0.  In 2005, Seattle hosted two rounds of matches between the US, Canada, Cuba and Costa Rica.The Gold Cup tournament features three groups of four teams with the top two teams from each group advancing the quarterfinals, along with the two best third-place teams. » read full article

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