Seattle to have 1st tier Women's team in 2013

In the demise of WPS, the WPSL (2nd tier, alongside the W-League in which the Sounders Women play) is forming an Elite Soccer League in 2012 for some former WPS teams to continue playing.

This story reports of Seattle committing to a team for 2013 alongside San Diego, Los Angeles, Sacramento and the Bay Area.

Their Words "Juninho is not going to be utilized at São Paulo per the coach's decision and the club is accepting the loan deal for Juninho's return to Los Angeles to play for the Galaxy," Sao Paulo spokesperson Felipe Espindola. Other Sources Is salary space an issue for Galaxy? Who knows? - from Soccer America's Ridge Mahoney: The great unknown is, of course, allocation money.

Sounders v. Whitecaps Preseason Liveblog

Game will be three periods, with two 45 minute "halves" and a 30 minute additional period.

Reportedly Zak will be making an appearance, though he is not starting. Follow along with Matt Gaschk through the link. This is not really a gamethread, though feel free to discuss here.

Sounder at Heart is co-hosting (along with Golazo) an away viewing party for the second leg of the Sounders-Santos Laguna CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal on March 14 from 4 p.m.-9:30ish. The event will double as our scarf distribution event. We of course appreciate those of you who have bought and will buy scarves, but buying a scarf is not a mandatory part of attending.

Photo: Paul Rudderow

In the hours following the Union's official announcement of their decision to sell Sebastien Le Toux to the Vancouver Whitecaps, the French striker who leaves Philadelphia as the club's statistical leader in nearly every measurable offensive category, showed the professionalism, character, and emotion that made him such a beloved figure in Philadelphia.

Los Sounders de Seattle iniciaron esta semana la temporada 2012 con sus entrenamientos en el Starfire Complex de Tukwila. El equipo se trasladará a la ciudad de Casa Grande, Arizona el 30 de enero y luego seguirá su preparación en la Florida. Los Sounders abren la temporada de local ante el Santos Laguna de México [.

Let's get this out of the way right at the beginning: Christian Sivebaek sees himself as a wide midfielder. During our relatively brief conversation, the 6-foot-3, soon-to-be 24-year-old made that point abundantly clear. Sivebaek said he could play on the right or on the left, but indicated he's never played as a central midfielder and left little doubt that he felt his skills were being wasted as a right back.

Sebastien Le Toux Apparently Heading To Bolton

Oh, how Seba has grown up. It seems like just the other day he was a relatively unknown player making a name for himself with the Sounders in the USL. Now, he's apparently heading to Bolton to play in the EPL. It's really a remarkable rise and, unfortunately, a reminder of easily the biggest personnel mistake the Sounders have made since coming to MLS.

The snow is here and is there a better way to spend an hour or so of your snow day other than listening to Nos Audietis? We think not.

In this highly educational episode, Aaron teaches us about "Ragnarock", the Norse Apocalypse and how it applies and translates to our own "Snowgnarock".

So this year the Sounders had the best draft in the history of MLS - again. The thing is, our player scouting efforts are so far above that of the average team, we really should be considered a separate case. As an example, did you see me lamenting the loss of Mo Johnston? Remember when I stripped him for Danny O'Rourke and Will Hesmer for a partial allocation?

At Gay4Soccer, a call to offer support to gay players and fans:

Imagine how David Testo's career would have gone if he didn't have supportive people to come out to early on in his career while at the Columbus Crew. I'd like to think the kindness and support of the players he told kept him in the game and standing strong against the on-field taunts he's had to endure.

But does anyone, except Seattle - the Sounders are winners of three straight cups - care? I'm sure Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena is thrilled (not): After all it's not like the club has much on its plate this year. Here's more from AP on the U.S. Soccer decision announced today:

Their Words "Elite football is about results and winning. There is no one better at it than him." FIFA president Sepp Blatter, while presenting Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson with the FIFA Presidential Award. Other Sources An American Loaner in Everton - from The Wall Street Journal's Gabriele Marcotti: It worked.

Before we get to the news I thought I'd take a second to introduce myself. I'm Timm and I'm sure you've seen me around the in the comments - and I now have the privilege to be one of the contributors to Sounder At Heart. I'm a ECS member and a supporter that is behind enemy lines. Yes, I live in Oregon though I'm about 45 minutes to the south of said city.

Last year was a good year for one of MLS's premier franchises. The Sounders won yet another U.S. Open Cup and advanced past the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League. While they could not vanquish their nemesis Galaxy in ...
Visit http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com for the rest of the story.

MLSsoccer.com 2012 Mock SuperDraft

Kelyn Rowe goes 2, 4 & 5. Sounders are seen picking Casey Townsend (Maryland) by two while the other sees GA player Sam Garza out of UCSB. In the second round there is more variety with one going off board with Washington Husky Jacob Hustedt getting the nod. The other pickers go with UCLA players Andy Rose and Eder Arreola.

In 2011, the MLS schedule was released in February. MLS fans eager for league news got a surprising gift on Thursday when the league released the entire 2012 schedule more than one month earlier than last year. For business junkies, the most interesting part of the release is probably the announcement of nationally telecast games.

By Tony Edwards - San Jose, CA (Jan 5, 2012) US Soccer Players -- In Thursday's edition, Tony analyzes the Rapids' coaching choice, the same old news out of Harrison, and midfield options for the Sounders. Are the Rapids getting everything they want in a coach? With Colorado yet to make this Denver Post report official, possibly.

What started as a rumor on the ECS message board can now be confirmed: Brad Evans has been called into the United States national team camp as they prepare for games against Venezuela and Panama later this month. The source was of the confidential variety, but I can assure you that it's highly reliable and is someone who is in position to know.

Happy New Year! We hope all of you had a great holiday season and are getting even more excited for the 2012 Sounders Season.

The "Silly Season" is now in full swing and the end of 2011 was just heating up with all kinds of rumors and new signings for the Sounders and we think that's just the beginning.

Happy New Year! We hope all of you had a great holiday season and are getting even more excited for the 2012 Sounders Season.

The "Silly Season" is now in full swing and the end of 2011 was just heating up with all kinds of rumors and new signings for the Sounders and we think that's just the beginning.

There was a single moment of 2011 that has managed to stay in the back of my mind for months. It is a moment that few would care to remember but I believe it is one of importance. Early in the season there was an ill-fated tackle from a scrambling Brian Mullan that ended the season of Seatlle's Steve Zakuani.

MLSsoccer.com: As a native of the Seattle area, what has it been like watching the Sounders take off in the region?
Rowe: It's been great. The fan base is unreal. You walk through Seattle and half the people you see are in Sounders gear, it's just an amazing movement.

US Open Cup's Problems Not So Easy To Fix

No one is a bigger fan of the US Open Cup than the guys at TheCup.US. Josh Hakala and company know more about the tournament than just about anyone this side of the organizers, and maybe more. That said, there are some scary facts in this piece. Perhaps the most bothersome is the fact that in the past three years, only nine of 117 matches not involving the Sounders drew at least 4,000 fans.

Revolution right back Kevin Alston keeps a close eye on Galaxy midfielder Miguel Lopez (Photo: Chris Aduama/aduama.com).

Heads down. Hands on hips. That was the unofficial pose of the Revolution defense in 2011.

After giving away goals at a philanthropic rate (58, the second-most in MLS last season) it's not a stretch to say that the biggest task head coach Jay Heaps faces this offseason is improving his team's porous D.

He recommended I go play for the Charleston Battery in the USL, and have them keep tabs on me. He mentioned in his speech at the end that the Sounders had a kid they drafted who didn't do too well in his first year, so he went to Charleston and really played well, and now he's back with them.

Sounders Trinidad Combine Jan 2-4

It is part of a larger program to increase awareness of T&T's soccer skills.

Video of the Sounders Academy U-18 team's only by loyal reader bmvaughn.

From this angle, doesn't look like a goal.

Mauro Rosales enjoyed an outstanding first season in Major League Soccer, leading Seattle's high-powered offense and earning MLS Newcomer of he Year honors in the process.

The Sounders rewarded Rosales outstanding debut, and secured his services in the process, signing the 30-year-old playmaker to a multi-year contract.

Matt Gaschk's Liveblog of the 2011 Sounders FC Alliance Business Meeting

Follow along over at the official site. Something interesting always happens at these things.

Philadelphia Union

The big news of the day is that Jimmy McLaughlin is the Philadelphia Union's second homegrown signing. Ed has all the details here. McLaughlin said he has spoken to Zach Pfeffer about turning pro. ""It's a business and you're playing for a spot every day.

The Sounders traded with the Vancouver Whitecaps to earn the No. 1 overall pick in the draft and used it to select defender Marc Burch, who spent the past five seasons with D.C. United. Terms of the trade with Vancouver were not released and are expected to be made public by the clubs later on Monday.

It is a good problem to have, namely more starting-calibre talent than starting spots, and this is the problem that the Sounders already appear to have in their crowded midfield for 2012.

With Mauro Rosales, Alvaro Fernandez, and Osvaldo Alonso all seeming to be virtual locks in any "best XI", Lamar Neagle, Erik Friberg, and Brad Evans all having proven themselves capable of starting a match, and Steve Zakuani looking to recover from his horrific injury last April and re-join the fray, it becomes pretty clear that the 2012 Sounders already have a logjam of talent at midfield.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Move to the front page for the sake of discussion on this rather dull weekend. - Jeremiah

Very simple question: who will replace Kasey Keller as captain of the Sounders this season?

Some thought it might be Riley: it clearly won't now. I've included some likely possibilities, as well as an 'other' option.

Sounders U16 Academy Profiled By ESPN High School

Focus on defense, attacking from the back and then this quote from Jalen Markey about the upcoming game against the Vancouver Whitecaps

They're like our rival, even though they're new to the Academy. We want to get the win to show that we're the best team in the Northwest," Markey said.

Philadelphia Union

John Hackworth explains what the Union is looking for going into the 2012 season. "When you're retooling, you have to make sure you're managing the roster and the salary cap. We're not necessarily trying to get younger; we're trying to get better. And we're going to look at every avenue do that.

Some highlights of the US U-17 victory over Brazil at the Nike Friendlies. This is notable first because Sounders U-16 player Paul Christensen was the goalkeeper for the US and second because at the youth level the US outplayed Brazil.

As the (Acting) President of the Alliance Council, I've heard plenty of skepticism about the Alliance, whether it truly represents "Democracy in Sports" or not, and whether or not it is - or can be - a true voice for fans and a way for them to take some control in the operation of the Sounders.
I share some skepticism.

"The negotiations with Miguel Montano are going well and we are very confident he comes back."

Nick De Santis, Montreal Impact Sporting Director. The story is in French, but there are these fancy translating tools that should give you the gist of the story. In any case, this is the most concrete thing we've heard about Montano yet.

Legal documents aren't really a fun look. There's something dry about them that takes away from what they can mean. Words like "whereas" or parentheticals for future reference immediately cause a glassification of eyeballs and headaches in many.

In the case of the vote for ratification of the Alliance Constitution and Sounders FC Alliance Charter maybe some perspective of what the Alliance Council was asking for in the Charter and how I view what it can mean for you as a fan of the team may give you a reason to vote yes to ratify the full documents.