There are a few things we learned from the frustrating result Thursday. In ways they will influence
how we watch and appreciate the Sounders performance on the road next Sunday. In other ways, they
may be the same learnings that Sigi had in watching the film twice before an 11:30AM practice
Friday.
Click to continue reading...
I finally got to this. There shouldn't be any surprises, but the depth chart is obviously switched
right now. Forward: Montero, Ljungberg, Jaqua, Levesque, Le Toux Left Wing: Zakuani, Ljungberg,
Levesque, Le Toux Right Wing: Jaqua, Ljungberg, Levesque, Le Toux Center Mid: Evans, Vagenas,
Alonso Defensive Mid: Alonso, Vagenas, Ianni Left Wingback: Gonzalez, Scott, Wahl Right Wingback:
Riley, Evans, Ianni Centerbacks: Hurtado, [.
Click to continue reading...
Having a full day off I thought I would share the links that are out there of interest to Sounders
fans and those that read the site, as well as a recap of the Sounders FC weekly radio show on 710
ESPN. First TOA v NuRock is getting to a boiling point. Yep, hints of [...]
Click to continue reading...
Thursday night the Sounders launch the league's second season as the Playoffs in many sports are
called, but in this case it might be particularly important. Though Houston and Seattle faced off
twice in League play and once in the late rounds of the US Open Cup, the teams have changed quite a
bit [.
Click to continue reading...
In an effort to get even further hyped up, to meet more of the people who voted me onto the Council
and just enjoy good beer I will be hanging out at Elysian Fields on Thursday. Probably from about
3:30PM until prior to kickoff, or so. I'm inviting coworkers, people from the 214 and readers [...]
Click to continue reading...
I haven't done interviews for a while. My full time job had been at its peak, but now with a slight
tailing off and the Sounders in the Playoffs I hope to get you a few interviews. First up is Steve
Zakuani. Rookie of the Year candidate, fan favorite and a threat along that [...]
Click to continue reading...
That line is from Sigi Schmid, but I think it relates to so many of us after this first season. I
know it personally feels that way. Last night, with all of the pomp, with the win, it was one of my
favorite days of my young life that didn't involve family (yes, [...]
Click to continue reading...
If form matters, then Dallas is the one team that the Sounders don't want to face. Since September
1st they earned 16 points, best in the league. Sounders though are tied for 3rd with 10 points over
that same stretch. Much of their success has been credited to one Jeff Cunningham, who [...]
Click to continue reading...
Sounders Swede Freddie Ljungberg has launched his own blog over the past week, and two of the posts
are directly related to the last match. He LOVES the KC pitch. The actual grass that is. Also good
words for Houston's Robertson Stadium. He also points out that he was trying to score directly off
of the [.
Click to continue reading...
The team just announced that Saturday will be a Salute to Fans. Here's there words. This is NOT the
limit of their activities, but merely an introduction. Sounders FC to Salute Fans as
Record-Breaking Inaugural Season Ends Owners to reveal permanent tribute to season ticket holders
at Qwest Field RENTON, Wash.
Click to continue reading...
Sample size that is. In soccer statistics this shows up in several ways. 1 there are so few
significant events that the correlation and accuracy of the statistics will never be where they are
for baseball, or really any of the American sports. It will ever only be close with correlations in
the [.
Click to continue reading...
Thank you Jim Mora. He was right. No team wants to talk about the Playoffs. They just want to win
more games. Now, for the Sounders that includes a Playoff game, preferably at least three. This
match was another where the Sounders played well enough to double their goal scoring total, and
also played maybe the [.
Click to continue reading...
Sometimes people pass things on that I have missed. In this case it isn't a minor detail, but a
rather disturbing statement from the KC interim coach Peter Vermes. Thanks Leo. He admits in public
that his team is unfit. "The thing that is hard for me to swallow is when we lose the game [...]
Click to continue reading...
Everyone that reads this site knows how important this match is for the Sounders and their ability
to make the MLS Cup Playoffs. It is even more important for Kansas City, would be eliminated with a
loss. KC was so poor early in the season that they fired their coach, and it hasn't [...]
Click to continue reading...
Like many fans around the nation, Sounders Fans will be raising the number 9 in support. Tonight at
viewing parties (including the George & Dragon Fundraiser with Sigi and Chris Henderson) during the
9th minute, as well as at the final home match v FC Dallas. The idea originated with the ECS, but
they do [.
Click to continue reading...
Lies and slander this morning from Steve Sirk, who has ungratefully forgotten who delivered him
from the championship-free existence of a Clevelander, and who claims, in Guillermo Barros
Schelotto's words, we "broke the floor" before his penalty attempt Saturday night:
After referee Ricardo Salazar whistled Jhon Kennedy Hurtado for bodyblocking Eddie
Gaven in the box, Hurtado and James Riley undertook a lengthy appeal.
Click to continue reading...
Sounders have another off-week. A week in which they will be watching scoreboards and working on
tactics. Probably the biggest decision will be who to start as the other Forward with Montero, who
to put on the Right Wing and followed by how to use the Central Midfielders. These decisions have
really [.
Click to continue reading...
GBS misses a PK Gaven hits the post Marshall saves a certain goal Sure Alonso nearly scored as well
(Or Montero could have slid that in after). But the fact is that the Crew had more opportunities
and did not capitalize. Their moments of strength were stronger, and this was a match where luck,
Tyrone Marshall [.
Click to continue reading...
Ah, Columbus Ohio land of great sushi? While this is a home coming for Sigi, Ezra and Brad. It is
also in ways a homecoming for myself. While I did not travel, I have some Ohio roots, but more
importantly my MLS roots are with the Crew and Brian McBride. During MLS [...]
Click to continue reading...
Right now the Rave Green Nation is in various level of disappointment. The early success and recent
form have combined to create a frustrated fanbase with some even thinking that Sounders won't earn
a single point in the remaining three matches. Visions of Shields and Cups danced in our heads at
one point, [.
Click to continue reading...
New England represents so many of the problems with MLS 1.0. They are treated like step-brother by
their NFL partners, a minor tenant in a stadium that should be beautiful. This game though will
feature a team that on the pitch has scraped together through adversity and managed to teeter on
the edge [.
Click to continue reading...
Many will like to look at this match and say the Sounders played better than Chivas and so deserved
to win. I'm a results focused guy though, they tend to actually wind up in the standings and the
trophies. Teams either earn results or they don't. In this case Zach Thorton earned the results. He
[.
Click to continue reading...
Ah, the stretch run. Many pundits and fans tend to focus on the final few games as if they are more
important than any other. Time skews our perception of the game, but honestly, in the Sounders case
those first five matches matter just as much as the last five. Without those [...]
Click to continue reading...
DC United proudly display the word "tradition" on their back collars. There isn't another MLS club
that could do so. They have earned it. There was an idea that they carry 12 trophies means that
they deserve the 13th and that expansion franchises will never deserve respect propagated on the
net, somewhat [.
Click to continue reading...
This is actually the hardest sports post I have ever had to write. It is so difficult to focus on
the words that are appropriate. Early tomorrow morning Sounders FC will land at Boeing Field as
Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Champions. Throughout the day they will be on radio, they will be on TV.
Tomorrow night [.
Click to continue reading...
Tonight, a Wednesday with many school districts in their first week out here Seattle will travel a
few hundred people to DC to watch the Open Cup Final. Mid-week, cross-country, hundreds. Here are
just two of those.
Click to continue reading...
Hurtado is out due to his Card situation. Now today we find out that Marshall and Graham are out as
well. So the Sounders in their quest for their first Cup in year one MLS have a significant
situation. Three of their four CB are out, the central midfield has passing issues and the [...]
Click to continue reading...
Remember back in the giddy days? The days of 4-2-0 and 12 points in six? The days of Nine Goals in
6, only 3 sacrificed and none of those by Keller! Remember the days when the Supporter Shield was a
goal, and not a dream? Remember the days of Sigi's Game, that nice [...]
Click to continue reading...
Seattle's Record on the Road has some peculiarities to it. If they hold, than things could fair
quite well. If they don't, then Seattle misses the MLS Cup Playoffs. You see Seattle actually has
performed better on the Road v Eastern Conference teams (small sample size) than the West. Seattle
@ East currently sits at [.
Click to continue reading...
Seattle is teetering now on the brink. As of this writing both DC and Salt Lake are winning as away
teams and earning points that will change the outlook of the playoffs. Sure, this technically
wasn't a must win, but there are now only 6 points available at home. This was as important a [...]
Click to continue reading...
Earlier this week the Alliance Council had our monthly conference call with Bart Wiley (Director of
Business Development) and we discussed many things (I have to leave it at that because our blog
entry at the team site is going up soon). The thing that concerned me the most was a conversation
about where Sounders FC [.
Click to continue reading...
If you've been reading this site you know this match has significant playoff implications. This is
basically the 7th seed v the 10th seed. It is in essence a must win (remember those from early in
the season?). A win could bump Seattle to 6th and a loss dropping them potentially to [...]
Click to continue reading...
Below are the tables for the statistics updates. Notable as well is that I did the player ratings
for Prost Amerika. Top five in Productivity for the league are; Cunningham 1.65 Casey 1.58 Montero
1.51 Scheletto 1.48 Donovan 1.43 Omar Cummings is making a run as well with his big assist numbers.
Offensive Productivity A look at Goals, Assists, Minutes Played and Productivity [.
Click to continue reading...
Let's test something this week. Sounders FC has a recent (last 5) form of 0-4-1 (0/8) and Houston
has a 2-2-1 (7/7) form in the same stretch of league play. Recent form would make you think that
Houston is a mid-table team and Sounders a bottom of the barrel expansion club. Recent form would
be [...
Click to continue reading...
