Rave Green

Matchday Central: vs. FC Dallas

MattG — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:58:00 GMT

Sounders FC vs. FC Dallas
May 18, 2013, 7:30 pm PT, CenturyLink Field
TV/Radio: KING 5; KIRO Radio 97.3 FM; THIS-TV 4.2 (Spanish); La Gran D 99.3 FM (Spanish)

Dallas’ Record: FC Dallas leads MLS with a 7-1-3 record (24 points) and haven’t lost since falling 3-1 to Chivas USA on March 10, posting a 6-0-3 record since then.

All-time series: The Sounders have dominated the all-time series with Dallas, going 4-1-4 overall and unbeaten at 3-0-1 in their last four meetings. Their only loss came May 25, 2011, at CenturyLink Field.

Injury Report: Sounders FC – OUT: GK Josh Ford (R patella fracture). QUESTIONABLE: D Ashani Fairclough (L adductor strain); M Mauro Rosales (R AC joint sprain); M Steve Zakuani (abdominal strain). FC Dallas – OUT: D Ugo Ihemelu (concussion); M Peter Luccin (torn R ACL). QUESTIONABLE: D George John (L knee strain); M Andrew Jacobson (R hamstring strain).

Key player: With 2010 MLS MVP David Ferreira’s status uncertain, Michel becomes the focal point for the Sounders FC. And it’s only fitting, as the Brazilian midfielder has been involved in nine of the 18 goals scored by FC Dallas this season. Though he has just three assists, his dead ball play and entry balls have been the catalyst for nine goals this year.

Notes: The Sounders are 3-0-2 in their last five matches, with their last defeat coming March 30 at Real Salt Lake. In those five matches, they have outscored their opponents 8-2. … Dallas is on a roll at 6-0-3 in their last nine matches, outscoring the opposition 16-8. … Dallas is second in MLS in scoring with 18 goals, moving them into a tie with Seattle for second in the league since the Sounders joined the league in 2009. Both teams have 194 goals, the same total as the San Jose Earthquakes and 10 goals behind the LA Galaxy with 204. … Nine different players have scored for FC Dallas this year, equal to Chivas USA for the most players with a goal in the league.

Washington squad finishes 6th at Special Olympics Unified tournament

MattG — Fri, 17 May 2013 00:31:00 GMT

Nearly two weeks ago, 16 soccer players traveled to Costa Rica together having only trained a handful of times together, but still ready to take on the region’s best in the Special Olympics Central American Unified Soccer Tournament. The seven athletes from Washington’s Special Olympics program, one from Oregon’s Special Olympics program and eight partners from the Sounders FC Pre-Academy program will come back to Seattle on Friday after placing sixth in the highly competitive tournament.

The team started the tournament with a 2-1-0 record in the group stage and was seeded fourth in the tournament portion. After a 5-0 defeat to Paraguay on Tuesday, they rebounded with a 1-0 win over Nicaragua to put them in the fifth-place game on Thursday.

There, they met El Salvador and while the US took an early 1-0 lead, they allowed two second-half goals to fall 2-1, finishing the tournament in sixth place.

While this tournament is being used as World Cup qualifying for the Central American countries, the US will enter into the North American championships next summer in New Jersey with a trip to Brazil for the Special Olympics Unified World Cup on the line.

Sounders learn possible third round Open Cup pairings

MattG — Wed, 15 May 2013 21:51:00 GMT

In each of their first four seasons, the Sounders FC reached the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup championship match, winning it in 2009, 2010 and 2011 before falling on penalty kicks to Sporting Kansas City in the 2012 final.

They will look to get back to their championship winning ways in 2013 and learned on Wednesday how that quest will start when US Soccer announced the third round pairings in the 100th edition of the US Open Cup.

The Sounders will either travel cross-country to face the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer League or host the visiting VSI Tampa Bay FC of the USL Pro on Wednesday, May 29.

The two west Florida clubs will meet in the second round on May 21 at the home of VSI Tampa Bay in Plant City, Florida. This after VSI Tampa Bay advanced out of the first round over the Orlando City SC U23 club of the PDL, surviving a 1-1 draw to win on penalties.

VSI Tampa Bay FC is now in its second season in the USL Pro division, while the Tampa Bay Rowdies were founded in 2008, but didn’t take the field until 2010. They played the 2010 and 2011 seasons as FC Tampa Bay, then adopted the Rowdies moniker, a throwback to the North American Soccer League club of the same name, for the 2012 season. Then, they captured the NASL title behind the efforts of Tacoma native Raphael Cox and Daniel Scott, the brother of Sounders FC defender Zach Scott.

The Sounders FC is 15-0-2 all-time in the US Open Cup with two more wins in US Open Cup qualifying matches in 2009.

Meanwhile, the Sounders FC U23 PDL team will face the Chicago Fire in a road match on May 28 if they advance past the Charlotte Eagles in their second round match on May 21.

For the full list of second-round and third-round pairings, click here.

Give Big is under way in Seattle

MattG — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:47:00 GMT

Seattle has grown into a reputation as a city that prides itself on the willingness of people within the community to give back and help people within that community.

Wednesday is the greatest example of that as all day The Seattle Foundation is hosting their annual Give Big event. Over 1,400 local organizations are registered for the 2013 event and the Seattle Foundation is looking to top their 2012 total of $7.4 million, a level of support that was more than double that of the first year in 2011 when they raised $3.6 million.

You can donate to the Seattle Foundation and the charity of your choice by visiting www.SeattleFoundation.org.

Sounders fan passes away on fundraising trek to Brazil

MattG — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:41:00 GMT

It is nearly 10,000 miles from Seattle to Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Richard Swanson planned to dribble a soccer ball that entire distance in order to raise awareness for the One World Futbol Project, which provides a soccer ball to organizations working with disadvantaged communities around the world.

However that journey ended abruptly on Tuesday when Swanson was struck by a pickup truck while walking along US highway 101 along the Oregon Coast in Lincoln City, Oregon. The 42-year-old Seattle native was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

What started as a dream of going to the World Cup spawned the idea to dribble a One World Futbol, touted as an indestructible ball, from Seattle to Brazil.

He started that journey two weeks ago at the Space Needle and planned to conclude in Sao Paulo, where the first game of the 2014 FIFA World Cup will be held. Along the way, he was going to go through 12 countries.
For more information about why he was taking this journey, visit www.breakawaybrazil.com. For more on the One World Futbol Project, visit www.oneworldfutbol.com.

U23s roll Doxa Italia 5-1 in Open Cup

MattG — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:28:00 GMT

SUMNER, Wash. – Sounders FC U23 coach and general manager Darren Sawatzky may have had some reluctance about the team that he would field in the first round of the US Open Cup on Tuesday, noting that expectations may need to be tempered because players would be traveling from far and wide to get to Sumner to play in the match before even taking part in a training session.

Before the halftime whistle, one of the players that traveled the furthest from home put Sawatzky at ease as East Tennessee State forward David Geno scored four first-half goals to stake the Sounders U23s to a 5-0 halftime lead over Doxa Italia. The Sounders U23s coasted in the second half to a 5-1 win over the US Adult Soccer Association club from southern California on Tuesday at Sunset Chevrolet Stadium to advance to the second round of the tournament.

“Soccer is a player’s game,” Sawatzky said. “A young guy from Tennessee came out and said this is why he wanted to be in Seattle. Let’s see how he does in the PDL league games, but if that’s any indication of where he’s headed, he’s a good pickup.”

Darwin Jones started off the scoring in the 13th minute, then Geno stole the show.

The 22-year-old senior made it 2-0 after Doxa Italia goalkeeper Justin Commins made a nice stop on a shot from Mauricio DeLeon, putting the rebound away for his first goal of an active first half.

Jones would connect with Geno on the next goal, racing up the left side of the box to draw the goalkeeper, then crossing to Geno for the easy tap-in in the 36th minute. He would add two more in the 38th minute and 45th minute to finish his stellar first half and putting the Sounders U23s up 5-0.

“I was just on the end of a lot of good balls in. I had the easy part,” said Geno, who has family in the Seattle area and he grew to be a fan of the Sounders through that relationship. “It couldn’t have worked out any better really. It was a perfect setup.”

Geno was the 10th player in the modern era of the US Open Cup (1995-present) to score four goals in a game, but was pulled at halftime before he had the opportunity to pursue the modern record of six goals in a match.

“At the end of the day, I think a lot of kids want the opportunity to showcase themselves in front of MLS coaches,” Sawatzky said, noting that Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid was in attendance for the match.

Doxa Italia pulled one goal back in the second half, but the first-half deficit proved too much and the Sounders U23s advanced to the second round, where they will meet the Charlotte Eagles in Charlotte, North Carolina on May 21. First, though, they have league matches against the Portland Timbers U23s on Thursday and the Victoria Highlanders on Sunday before they fly east to face Charlotte.

The Sounders FC first team will enter the tournament in the third round, playing either May 28 or May 29.

Scoring
Sounders U23 – Darwin Jones 13; David Geno 19; David Geno (Darwin Jones) 36; David Geno (Mauricio DeLeon) 38; David Geno 45.
Doxa Italia – Bryan Byrne 68.

Discipline
Sounders U23 – Michael Uyehara (caution) 71.
Doxa Italia – Sean Lockhart (caution) 72; Joseph Cartlidge (caution) 89.

Lineups
Sounders U23 – Zac Lubin, Chris Brundage, Steve Mohn, Adam West, Michael Uyehara, Lucas Baldin, Mark Lee, Mauricio DeLeon, Aodhan Quinn (Michael Gallagher 59), David Geno (Ian Lange 46), Darwin Jones (Michael Harris 73).
Doxa Italia – Justin Commins, Nissa Hatifie (Eddie Pinto 46), Ryan Purtell, Joseph Cartlidge, Justing Valashinas, Greg Piechota, Stephen Chirgwin (Sean Lockhart 64), Devin Toohey, Kyle Holland, Bryan Byrne, Ryan Taylor (Ilia Nazarov 64).

Seattle foursome makes Team of the Week

MattG — Tue, 14 May 2013 22:41:00 GMT

For the first time in six weeks, Seattle had representation on the MLSsoccer.com Team of the Week as four Sounders earned the honor.

Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid was named to Team of the Week for the first time this season, as were midfielder Mauro Rosales and forward Lamar Neagle while defender Djimi Traore earned his second honor.

Schmid navigated the Sounders to wins over Sporting Kansas City on the road and at home against the San Jose Earthquakes to run Seattle’s unbeaten streak to five matches while rotating through players because of injuries, suspensions and fatigue due to three matches in eight days.

Traore anchored the Seattle defense in those two shutout victories and also scored the stoppage-time winner to beat Kansas City, 1-0. Rosales had a goal and an assist on Saturday and Neagle scored twice in a 4-0 win over the Earthquakes.

That foursome was joined by goalkeeper Zac MacMath (Philadelphia Union); defenders Markus Holgersson (New York Red Bulls) and Aurelien Collin (Sporting Kansas City); midfielders Diego Valeri (Portland Timbers), Diego Chara (Portland Timbers) and Russell Teibert (Vancouver Whitecaps); and forwards Rodney Wallace (Portland Timbers) and Will Bruin (Houston Dynamo).

The free kick goal scored by Rosales is nominated for MLS Goal of the Week. To vote, click here.

Seattle will look to extend its five-game unbeaten run on Saturday as the league-leading FC Dallas visit CenturyLink Field

Here are the previous winners for the Sounders FC:
Week 1: D DeAndre Yedlin
Week 3: F Eddie Johnson
Week 4: D Djimi Traore
Week 5: GK Michael Gspurning
Week 11: Traore, M Mauro Rosales, F Lamar Neagle, coach Sigi Schmid.

MLS Rewind: Week 11B

MattG — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:51:00 GMT

It was a big weekend for the Cascadia clubs in Major League Soccer. In addition to the Sounders FC’s dominating 4-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday, the Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps FC also had convincing victories over California clubs, highlighting a weekend of action that also included the Houston Dynamo seeing their home unbeaten streak fall.

We start at JELD-WEN Field in Portland, where the Timbers steamrolled Chivas USA 3-0. Diego Valeri had a goal and two assists, Rodney Wallace had a goal and an assist and Will Johnson added his fourth goal of the year – already a career-high for the former Real Salt Lake midfielder. The Timbers are now unbeaten in their last nine matches and 4-1-6 overall for second in the West, while Chivas has crumbled after a fast start. They are now 0-4-1 in their last five and 3-5-2 overall.

At BC Place in Vancouver, the Whitecaps trounced the LA Galaxy 3-1 on a great night from Russell Teibert. The 20-year-old Homegrown product scored his first two MLS goals to get Vancouver out to a 2-0 second-half lead and Darren Mattocks added another in stoppage time as the ‘Caps handed the Galaxy their second straight defeat after a 1-0 loss to the Dynamo last week. Gyasi Zardes – another Homegrown player – scored his first goal with the Galaxy in the loss as the Galaxy drop to 4-3-2 and the Whitecaps jump to 3-4-3.

Meanwhile FC Dallas remains the hottest team in MLS and DC United is still the coldest after the two teams collided at FC Dallas Stadium. Jackson scored his third goal of the year and Je-Vaughn Watson added the game-winner to rocket Dallas to 7-1-3 while DC dropped their seventh straight match and now are just 1-8-1.

At BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Sporting Kansas City ended the Dynamo’s home reign with a 1-0 victory off of a second-half goal by Aurelien Collin, his second of the season. The defeat ended a 36-match home unbeaten streak for Houston across all competitions dating back to June 18, 2011. It was their first loss at BBVA Compass Stadium after their new home opened last season. Kansas City (6-4-2) and Houston (6-3-2) are now just one point behind the New York Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference.

It was a crazy match in Montreal as the Impact fell behind 1-0, then again 2-1 and still managed a 3-2 home win on a stoppage time goal by Mateo Ferrari. The Italian defender made up for a first-half own-goal with the late winner, propelling Montreal to a 6-2-2 record while RSL dropped to 5-5-2. In other action, Philadelphia topped Chicago 1-0 on a goal by Jack McInerney, his seventh of the year, the Colorado Rapids got goals from Edson Buddle and Dillon Powers to oust the Columbus Crew 2-0 on the road and New England and New York traded goals a minute apart for a 1-1 draw as the Red Bulls maintain a grasp on the top spot in the East.

HALFTIME: Neagle and Rosales post Sounders to 2-0 lead over San Jose

MattG — Sat, 11 May 2013 20:57:00 GMT

SEATTLE – The Sounders were looking to carry the momentum from their great stretch of road games with seven points from three games into their return home on Saturday against the San Jose Earthquakes.

After racing out to a 2-0 first-half lead off of goals by Lamar Neagle and Mauro Rosales, it has been a great homecoming for the Rave Green.

The match started with Seattle taking control from the opening whistle.

In the ninth minute, the Sounders transition into the attacking third nearly led to an early lead. Brad Evans played a long ball to Neagle, who touched it down to Eddie Johnson. The Sounders forward then returned the pass to Neagle running to the middle, creating a two-on-one with Dan Gargan. Neagle fired a shot from 25 yards out heading toward the far corner, but missed just wide.

In the 24th minute, Rosales got on the end of a cross from Evans, but his diving header went back across the front of the open net and was cleared by San Jose.

Seattle’s attack finally paid dividends in the 28th minute. Johnson played the ball into the box for Rosales, who chested it down to Neagle charging down the middle to rocket a shot past Jon Busch for his first goal of the season and a 1-0 Sounders lead.

It was the third assist of the year for Rosales and first for Johnson.

The Earthquakes attempted nine shots, but Michael Gsrpuning didn’t need to make a save until the 42nd minute, then made a pair of saves on Chris Wondolowski and Alan Gordon to keep the Sounders up 1-0.

Just as the match headed into first-half stoppage time, Rosales made it 2-0 off a brilliant free kick goal, bending it over the four-man San Jose wall and into the near post, caroming into the net for his second goal of the season.

The Sounders are on a 35-match unbeaten streak when scoring first and they will look to continue that success in the second half.

Scoring
Sounders FC – Lamar Neagle (Mauro Rosales, Eddie Johnson) 28; Mauro Rosales 46+.
Earthquakes – None.

Discipline
Sounders FC – None.
Earthquakes – Rafael Baca (caution) 45.

Lineups
Sounders FC – Michael Gspurning, DeAndre Yedlin, Zach Scott, Djimi Traore, Leo Gonzalez, Mauro Rosales, Osvaldo Alonso, Servando Carrasco, Brad Evans, Lamar Neagle, Eddie Johnson.
Earthquakes – Jon Busch, Steven Beitashour, Justin Morrow, Victor Bernardez, Dan Gargan, Rafael Baca, Sam Cronin, Ramiro Corrales, Walter Martinez, Chris Wondolowski, Alan Gordon.

LINEUPS: Sounders return several players against Quakes

MattG — Sat, 11 May 2013 19:45:00 GMT

The lineups are in at CenturyLink Field and Sigi Schmid is using his 13th different lineup in 13 games for the Sounders as they host the San Jose Earthquakes in the second meeting of the year between the two teams.

While the Sounders have some key players coming back from injuries, they will be available in a reserve capacity in the 1 pm match. Meanwhile, DeAndre Yedlin and Lamar Neagle both return from suspensions to spots in the starting lineup.

Michael Gspurning will start in goal for the Sounders with a back four of Yedlin, Zach Scott, Djimi Traore and Leo Gonzalez. Scott rotates in for Jhon Kennedy Hurtado at the end of a stretch of three games in eight days. In the midfield, Mauro Rosales and Brad Evans man the wings while Osvaldo Alonso and Servando Carrasco pair up again in the middle after their performance in a 1-0 win over Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday. Up front, the Sounders will go with Neagle and Eddie Johnson.

On the bench, Schmid has MLS pool goalkeeper Doug Herrick in the lineup as Marcus Hahnemann is serving a one-game suspension and Josh Ford is out 4-6 months after knee surgery. Among the field players are Hurtado, Patrick Ianni, Mario Martinez, Shalrie Joseph, David Estrada and Obafemi Martins. Joseph and Martins all return to the 18 after missing the previous two games with injuries.

Frank Yallop will start a lineup of Jon Busch in goal; defenders Steven Beitashour, Justin Morrow, Victor Bernardez and Dan Gargan; Rafael Baca, Sam Cronin, Ramiro Corrales and Walter Martinez in the midfield; and a forward tandem of Chris Wondolowski and Alan Gordon.

On the bench are David Bingham, Jason Hernandez, Cordell Cato, Shea Salinas, Marcus Tracy, Mehdi Ballouchy and Adam Jahn.