Sounders get set to host the Houston Dynamo

By Money Mike


The Seattle Sounders take on the Houston Dynamo in their second of three straight home matches to start the season. The match will kick off tomorrow at 7pm as NBC Sports Network makes their first trip to the Emerald City. Much like what Sporting KC went through last season, the Dynamo face a long road swing to start the year. The Dynamo will be on the road until May 12th when they open up the new BBVA Compass Stadium against D.C. United. Houston won their first two matches, however they didn't look too good in their last match against San Jose. It's important that the Sounders play their game and put pressure on the back line immediately. This will be the only meeting between these two teams this season. In nine all-time meetings, including the two games in the MLS Cup Playoffs and a U.S. Open Cup semifinal, the road team has never taken the full three points.


Injury report:

Houston Dynamo - The only injury update I have right now for the Dynamo is Corey Ashe is listed as probable, he strained his left hammie prior to the start of the season.

Seattle Sounders FC - Well we have a big list here. Of course the guys that are out are Josh Ford, Andrew Duran, Michael Tetteh, Steve Zakuani and O'Brian White. Mauro Rosales will be out for a couple of weeks after he picked up another knee injury last week. Some ridiculous fan on SeattleTimes complained about him flopping and I don't understand this. Out of all the matches I've seen him play, not once have I ever seen him flop. It was obvious, that he was kicked in the knee intentionally and the referee did nothing out it. And I can tell that fan clearly doesn't know what a flop is, but anyway, Rosales is out. Look for Christian Sivebaek to get the start on the right. Eddie Johnson did get some practice time in for the team this week after he sat out last week with a hip flexor injury, but he might sit out again this week. Right now, he's listed as doubtful. And finally, Adam Johannson will be a game-time decision after he sustained a hamstring injury during practice on Tuesday. Hopefully he'll be a go for tomorrow.

By the way, earlier today, the Sounders bought out O'Brian White's contract for 2012, so he will no longer occupy a roster spot or count against the Salary Budget. White has been dealing with multiple blood clot sergeries in his leg. It looked like he would return in the middle of 2011, but he suffered a setback and now it looks like his tenure with the Sounders is just about over.


International absenses:

Houston Dynamo - Alright, currently away on international duty for the Dynamo is Kofi Sarkodie who is currently with the U.S. under-23 national team for the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying tournament which kicked off today. By the way, the U.S. won their first match 6-0 over Cuba.

Seattle Sounders FC - The Sounders have two guys away for the same reason. Rookie Babayele Sodade is currently with Canada, who kicked off their campaign against El Salvador. Unfortunetly, he was left on the bench. The other guy is Cordell Cato with Trinidad and Tobago who kick off their campaign tomorrow against Mexico.


Key matchup:

Alvaro Fernandez vs Andre Hainault - This is the only key matchup I have for this one and this is the matchup that I think will decide this game. So far in this young season, Ferandez has been a playmaker on the left side of midfield. If he can get Andre Hainault backpeddling here, that means Geoff Cameron is gonna have to come over from his central defensive position and help out and if Cameron slides over, that would leave room for David Estrada or Fredy Montero to run diaginally across the Dynamo box. San Jose and Chivas haven't managed that, if Seattle does, that would increase their chances of winning. Fernandez has done all the dirty work while Steve Zakuani has been out recovering from his fractured leg and looking to get back to full fitness and I'm pretty sure Zakuani would've had the same job against this Houston Dynamo back four.

Seattle Sounders open up their 2012 campaign at home against Toronto FC

By Money Mike


The Seattle Sounders return home after an unsuccessful trip to Torreon and kick off their fourth season in Major League Soccer this Saturday. The Sounders take on Toronto FC in their only meeting this season due to the unbalanced schedule being put into place during the offseason. Last season, the Sounders swept the season series against Toronto. In their first meeting on April 30th, the Sounders were playing their first match without their 2009 #1 overall draft pick Steve Zakuani and former TFC player O'Brian White who both underwent season ending surgeries during the week. However, the Sounders prevailed and struck three times to come away with three points in a 3-0 shutout victory. In their second meeting at BMO Field in Toronto, the Sounders were reduced to 10 men when Jhon Kennedy Hurtado picked up his second yellow of the match a minute into the second half, but Seattle still came out on top after Fredy Montero's free kick proved to be the difference in Seattle's 1-0 win. Seattle is 4-1-1 so far against TFC.

Toronto comes to Seattle with a much different look, and a much better team than what I've seen in their first five seasons in MLS. Toronto is coming off a memorable 4-3 series win over the Los Angeles Galaxy in the Champions League quarterfinal, making them the first Canadian team to reach the semifinal of that stage. LA's preseason struggles have carried on to the regular season, and I tell you if they don't solve their defensive problems soon, they're gonna have a rough ass time on their title defense this season. But again, TFC comes in with a different look that has led them to success in their Champions League win over LA, led by former German international Torsten Frings leading the back line, they also have Joao Plata and their top scorer form last season Danny Koevermans up front along with Ryan Johnson. One more player you can add to that list is a young rookie named Luis Silva. So Toronto looks like they have everything in place.

All odds still favor Seattle. Despite their recent form, the home field advantage looks like it's still too tough to handle for the visitors. Toronto will give Seattle all they got, but it doesn't look like it will be enough.


Injury report:

Toronto FC - Alright for Toronto, Nicolas Lindley, one of their homegrown players, is still recovering from surgery on his left knee. He missed all of last season and he will miss this match as well. Dicoy Williams is also recovering from the same surgery, but only on his right knee and he is also out. Also out is one of their newest offseason acquisitions, former Portland Timber Jeremy Hall. Right now Hall is recovering from Sports Hernia Surgery so he won't be around. And lastly, Adrian Cann is recovering from right knee surgery. However, he is listed as questionable.

Seattle Sounders FC - For the Men in Rave Green, Josh Ford has been dealing with pain in his knee since the end of training camp. Rookie Andrew Duran will be out until about late April after undergoing knee surgery. Remember, he suffered a couple of major knee injuries during his college career. Michael Tetteh is out with a hamstring injury. Steve Zakuani has been making progress in his recovery, he's aiming to return around the middle of the season. Eddie Johnson suffered a hip flexor injury in the Champions League match against Santos. He is listed as doubtful, so hopefully he'll be back soon. And lastly, O'Brian White is still recovering from his second blood clot surgery in this leg. There will be a decision tomorrow on whether or not the FO will buy out his contract, as of right now, he is on the DL.


Key matchups:

Joao Plata vs Adam Johansson - If you see the smallest player on the field, then you know it's Joao Plata. He is known for his quickness and creativity on the ball. He gave James Riley a few problems in Seattle's visit last season. Johansson will have to keep an eye out for this kid at all times. This is where one on one defending becomes huge. Johansson has done very well in one on one defending during his career over in Sweden, but this is a guy that he's never seen or heard of, so I hope he's been at home doing his homework because he's got a huge task against this kid. I think this matchup looks pretty even.

Fredy Montero vs Ty Harden - First of all, you people need to lay off Fredy Montero. Sure he had a poor performance in the Champions League, but seriously he's one of the most, if not the most consistant strikers we've had so far. By the way, Ty Harden better be ready because if he's not and Montero catches him napping, watch out. Montero has had a great preseason and his form is right where it needs to be and I think the Colombian has the edge in this matchup.

Manchester United just too much for the Sounders

By Money Mike

In front of a crowd of 67,052, Manchester United score 6 second half goals and spank the Seattle Sounders by a score of 7-0. This is the only friendly match the Sounders have this season. There was quite a bit of Red in support of Manchester United. There are still match day scarfs from last nights match available to purchase online at soundersfc.com. As a matter of fact, you can still purchase scarves from previous friendly matches against Chivas de Guadalajara, Boca Juniors and of course they're still selling the scarves from 09' against Chelsea and Barcelona. The only matchday scarf I have is from July 28th of last year when the Colorado Rapids came to town. That was the match I went to. I didn't get one from the April 9th game against Chicago which was the fifth game of the 2011 season. The only time you'll expect me to purchase another one is if I'm attending an international friendly match or maybe a Champions League match (if they sell them during that time).

As you can see on the picture, they brought the Premier League trophy out on to the field as both teams entered the XBOX Pitch at CenturyLink Field. Now this was weird. I know they're a big club and all, but I didn't see Barcelona do that in 09' following their La Liga title. But captain Nemanja Vidic carried the trophy out onto the pitch with his walking buddy.

United opened up the scoring in the 15th minute. Patrice Evra made a run from his left back spot and was found by Ashley Young. Evra sent in a drivin cross and somehow the ball fell to Michael Owen for the opening goal.

Now this is one thing you Sounder fans don't understand, and that is player development. Why the hell would Sigi Schmid leave his first team out there in the 2nd half of a friendly match just because they were down 1-0? Comeon that's just stupid. Of course he would put in Michael Tetteh, David Estrada, Mike Seamon, Miguel Montano, etc.

In the 49th minute, a beautiful ball by Nani found Mame Biram Diouf who made one touch to get around backup goalkeeper Terry Boss, then settled, then tapped the ball into an empty net to make it 2-0.

In the 51st, again it was Nani who was the provider. This time he set up Wayne Rooney who ripped the ball into the top corner. Rooney wasn't done there, he added another goal in the 69th minute, rolling the ball into the top corner. Rooney wasn't done there, he was found off a driven cross by Gabriel Oberton in the 72nd minute for his 3rd goal of the game, also known as a hat trick. Oberton would get on the scoresheet in the 88th minute and that's how the friendly would end.

The Sounders resume competitive play on July 26th when they head to Panama for the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League preliminary round against San Francisco F.C.

Scoring summary:

Manchester United - Michael Owen (Patrice Evra, Ashley Young) 15'

Manchester United - Mame Biram Diouf (unassisted) 49'

Manchester United - Wayne Rooney (Nani) 51'

Manchester United - Wayne Rooney (unassisted) 69'

Manchester United - Park Ji-Sung (Wayne Rooney) 71'

Manchester United - Wayne Rooney (Gabriel Oberton) 72'

Manchester United - Gabriel Oberton (unassisted) 88'

Lineups:

Manchester United - Anders Lindegarrd (Ben Amos 46'); Rafael da Silva, Nemanja Vidic (Jonny Evans 56'), Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra (Fabio da Silva 56'); Nani (Gabriel Oberton 56'), Anderson, Ryan Giggs (Park Ji-Sung 46'), Ashley Young (Michael Carrick 66'); Michael Owen (Mame Biram Diouf 46'), Federico Mecheda (Wayne Rooney 46')

Seattle Sounders FC - Kasey Keller (Terry Boss 46'); James Riley (David Estrada 73'), Jeff Parke (Michael Tetteh 64'), Patrick Ianni (Taylor Graham 64'), Leonardo Gonzalez (Zach Scott 46'); Mauro Rosales (Servando Carrasco 46'), Osvaldo Alonso (Brad Evans 46') (Mike Seamon 64'), Erik Friberg (Pat Noonan 46') (Mrisho Ngassa 76'), Alvaro Fernandez (Lamar Neagle 46') (O'Brian White 76'); Roger Levesque (Nate Jaqua 46') (Miguel Montano 76'), Fredy Montero (Mike Fucito 46')

Seattle Sounders FC vs Toronto FC preview

By Money Mike


The Seattle Sounders after a successful road trip return home to Qwest Field as they look to extend their unbeaten streak to 6 games. Last week, Seattle came away with a 1-0 win in Colorado over the defending champion Rapids, but also lost one of their star players to injury, and the question is, who will Sigi Schmid add to the starting-11? On the other side, Toronto FC are coming off a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to the Columbus Crew. Tony Tchani, who was acquired from Red Bull New York, put TFC up 1-0 but was immediately sent off after picking up his second yellow for his celebration, and I have no idea what he did that the referee didn't like. Did he get booked for jumping over the boards? If there was a rule about that, when did they start booking players for it? I don't know what he did, but he got sent off and it proved costly as Emilio Renteria's goal erased Toronto's lead and the victory, and also the red card meant Tchani will be suspended for this match.

Injury report:

Toronto FC - I tell you what, Toronto FC have alot of guys with adductor injuries so let's take a look at who's out and who may play, but probably won't. First up on the list is Dutch veteran, Elbekay Bouchiba, has made an appearance for Toronto FC and he will not make his debut this weekend. He is recovering from right knee surgery. Keith Makubuya has an adductor strain and that will keep him out of this match. Alen Stevanovic also has an adductor strain but he is listed as questionable. Adrian Cann has a pectoral contusion and will be listed as questionable. Alan Gordon, Nana Attakora and Gianluca Zavarise are all suffering from adductor tightness and are all listed as questionable.

Seattle Sounders FC - Well there's gonna be a few holes to fill in this match. Pat Noonan remians listed as questionable with a right quad strain. O'Brian White just had blood clot surgery on his leg so he'll be out for a while, but I see him being out for too long. And of course we all know about this guy, Steve Zakuani, a broken tibia and fibula, this is a big loss right here.

Key Matchups:

Fredy Montero vs Ty Harden - Joshua Mayers on Seattle times listed Jaqua vs Harden as a key matchup, but I think Harden is gonna focus more on the Colombian international. Most of you Washington Husky fans who watched him when he played college soccer at UW should know that Harden is a tough-minded defender.

Maicon Santos vs Jeff Parke - Jeff Parke is gonna need to keep his eyes out for him at all times, yep, another test for him. Maicon scored two goals during midweek in a 3-0 win over FC Edmonton in the Canadian Championship and he is looking to pick up where he left off this weekend.

Javier Martina vs Leo Gonzalez - Martina looks like he gonna get the start out on the wing. He came to this team in the offseason only making three professional appearances, two for Ajax and one for HFC Harleem. This season, he's made seven appearances so far and has scored two goals. This young footballer has a lot of potential, and he's gonna test Gonzalez if he get's the start on the wing.

Who does Sigi use to replace Steve Zakuani and O'Brian White?

Well it's been a tough week with two key guys gone and now who does Sigi turn to? On the wing, they have Alvaro Fernandez, I think Rosales is an option, maybe Michael Fucito, David Estrada, as a matter of fact, I think rookie Michael Tetteh should get the start on the wing until Steve Zakuani returns, but of course that's just my opinion. Up front as O'Brian White recovers from blood clot surgery, I'm expecting Nate Jaqua to partner up front with Montero, but there are other options as well. You have 19-year old Miguel Montano, Rosales is also an option to partner up front or maybe even Lamar Neagle, but I think it's gonna be Jaqua up front with Fredy Montero. Like I said, alot of holes to fill.

Sounders win 1-0 but lose Steve Zakuani

By Money Mike

Coming off a 1-1 draw on the road at Philadelphia, the Seattle Sounders extended their unbeaten streak to 5 matches after defeating the defending MLS Cup Champion Colorado Rapids 1-0 on a 19th minute goal by Fredy Montero but also suffered a major blow after Steve Zakuani was carted off very early in the game.

In the 3rd minute, Rapids midfielder Brian Mullan thought he was fouled but the referee didn't give it, and with Steve Zakuani on the ball, Mullan came in with a two footed tackle on Zakuani and the referee immediately reached into his back pocket and gave Mullan a straight Red Card. Zakuani was carted off the pitch and taken to the hospital to undergo X-Rays which was reported to be a broken leg.

Down a man for the rest of the match, the Rapids tried to accommodate themselves on the pitch, but they struggled to do so and the Sounders took advantage of it.

In the 19th minute, the Sounders countered through O'Brian White, who laid the ball off to Mauro Rosales and instead of going for goal on his own, he found Fredy Montero at the edge of the 18-yard box. The Colombian then slipped the ball through the hands of goalkeeper Matt Pickens for his first goal of the season and his first since August 28th of last year.

Despite being a man down Colorado had more time on the ball than Seattle, but couldn't take advantage of it.

In the dying seconds of regular time, Wells Thompson who came on as a second half substitute, came close to equalizing but his left footed volley was blocked by the Seattle defense. Shortly after, former Hull City striker Caleb Folan had an opening about two minutes into stoppage time, but his shot was again blocked. And that was just about the last chance of the game for the Rapids.

With the win, Seattle now improves to 2-2-3 and look to keep their unbeaten run going at home next saturday against Toronto FC.

Scoring summary:

Seattle Sounders FC - Fredy Montero (Mauro Rosales, O'Brian White) 19'

Misconduct summary:

Colorado Rapids - Brian Mullan (ejection; Serious Foul Play) 3'

Colorado Rapids - Caleb Folan (caution; Reckless foul) 75'

Seattle Sounders FC - Fredy Montero (caution; Reckless foul) 81'

Lineups:

Seattle Sounders FC - Kasey Keller; James Riley, Patrick Ianni, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Tyson Wahl; Mauro Rosales (Erik Friberg 74'), Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans; Fredy Montero, Steve Zakuani (Alvaro Fernandez 9')(Leonardo Gonzalez 82'), O'Brian White

Colorado Rapids - Matt Pickens; Kosuke Kimura, Marvell Wynne, Tyrone Marshall (Anthony Wallace 66'), Drew Moor; Jamie Smith (Sanna Nyassi 72'), Jeff Larentowitz, Pablo Mastroeni (Wells Thompson 68'), Brian Mullan; Omar Cummings, Caleb Folan

Brian Mullan:

This is what Brian Mullan said after the match. "It's a tackle that I've done hundreds of times and would probably do again."

I mean, damnit, are you fucken serious? Everybody keeps saying he isn't a dirty player. He commits so many fouls, and saying something like that after the match where you broke somebodys leg and got a red card is just disrespectful. Brian Mullan, do us all a favor and keep your bitchass out of soccer. Even the Colorado fans hate you.

Sounders finally get their first win of the season, 2-1 over the Chicago Fire

By Money Mike

The Seattle Sounders, after a rough first 4 games with the season with 2 losses and 2 draws, find an answer to all critics and defeat the Chicago Fire 2-1 in front 36,233 at Qwest Field. With Fredy Montero missing the second straight match after having surgery on his right wrist, Sigi Schmid went with a 4-3-3 formation with O'Brian White partnering up with Steve Zakuani and Mauro Rosales.

In the 7th minute, the Sounders get on the board first. Mauro Rosales sends in a bender into the top of the area and O'Brian White's thumping header from 16-yard beats goalkeeper Sean Johnson who had a terrible jump on that play, thinking that it was gonna be an easy save. It was White's second goal in as many matches. Did I mention earlier this season he was gonna have a breakout year? He came from Toronto where he scored 2 goals in 9 appearances in 2009 and 2 goals in 24 appearances in 2010. He's played in all 5 matches so far and already has 2 goals.

A minute later, Chicago would pick one back. Leo Gonzalez got caught on a give-and-go between Patrick Nyarko and Gaston Puerari. After received the pass from Nyarko, Puerari sent Nyarko away down the right hand side, and the Ghanaian used his speed to get around Gonzalez and send a driven cross into the penalty area for Diego Chaves for an easy tap in to quickly tie the match up at a goal a piece. With that goal, Chaves also became the first Chicago Fire player to score in his first three games.

In the 23rd minute, Sounders had what I believe is their biggest opportunity by far this season. Leo Gonzalez sent in a chip into the penalty area aiming for Rosales, Sean Johnson came out to try to clear, but Rosales got a head on it and Johnson was dead meat but Erik Friberg failed to take advantage of the opportunity as his touch sailed over the bar. He couldn't get a better chance to score his first Sounders goal. But the Sounders would continue to dominate and this time they got a goal two minutes later.

In minute 25, Osvaldo Alonso started the attack by intercepting a pass and playing it out wide to Steve Zakuani who took on Jalil Anibaba. After a give-and-go with O'Brian White, Zakuani got around Anibaba and instead of squaring it to Erik Friberg, he went for goal alone and slotted it past Johnson for his second goal of the season.

Seattle had another opportunity to go up 3-1 from the corner when Mauro Rosales's out swinger found Jeff Parke at the near post, but his header fell straight to the hands of Sean Johnson.

In the Second half, Kasey Keller came up huge on a couple of Chicago Fire opportunities. In the 59th minute, Marco Pappa's free kick hit the wall, James Riley's attempted clearance failed and Diego Chaves had a golden opportunity to take advantage of it but Keller went down and denied a potential equalizing goal. Two minutes later, Chaves's through ball found Gaston Puarari who beat Jhon Kennedy Hurtado but couldn't beat Keller as he made a kick-save to stop Chicago yet again.

In the 75th minute the Chicago Fire got caught on a counter attack, Nate Jaqua's long ball sent Steve Zakuani off to the races, took on Logan Pause. He cut to his left foot and ripped a shot wide as he was aiming for the far corner. With about 5 minutes to go, Nate Jaqua found Servando Carrasco overlapping on the right. Carrasco had a chance to put the game out of reach, but again, no luck. That was just about the last opportunity of the game. With those opportunities the Fire had in the second half, the Sounders could've ended up with a draw or maybe even a loss if Kasey Keller hadn't made those saves, but good or bad, the only thing that counts is the Sounders winning their first match of the year 2-1.

It was really fun catching this match in person, I had pretty good seats, the atmosphere was fantastic, everyone standing for 90 minutes. I mean, ever since November 2007 when they announced that Seattle was going to join MLS, the fan base has just kept on rising. Before then, soccer wasn't really as big in Seattle as it is now, and I hope that doesn't change at all and that the fans continue to attend these matches and Give their full 90'. This is the 2nd match I've seen since they joined MLS. I didn't go to a game in 2009. I went to one last season when Colorado came to town, that one also resulted in a 2-1 win, but I think I enjoyed this match more than the Colorado one. This one was an early season game, the Colorado match was late in the season.

Scoring summary:

Seattle Sounders FC - O'Brian White (Mauro Rosales) 7'

Chicago Fire - Diego Chaves (Patrick Nyarko, Gaston Puarari) 8'

Seattle Sounders FC - Steve Zakuani (O'Brian White) 25'

Misconduct summary:

Seattle Sounders FC - James Riley (caution; Reckless tackle) 32'

Seattle Sounders FC - Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (caution; Reckless tackle) 47+'

Chicago Fire - Dasan Robinson (caution; Reckless foul) 71'

Starting lineups:

Chicago Fire - Sean Johnson; Jalil Anibaba, Dasan Robinson, Cory Gibbs, Gonzalo Segares (Dominic Oduro 83'); Logan Pause, Marco Pappa, Michael Videira, Patrick Nyarko (Orr Barouch 90'); Gaston Puarari, Diego Chaves

Seattle Sounders FC - Kasey Keller; James Riley, Jeff Parke, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Leonardo Gonzalez; Brad Evans, Osvaldo Alonso, Mauro Rosales (Nate Jaqua 64'); Erik Friberg, O'Brian White (Servando Carrasco 81'), Steve Zakuani

Sounders strike twice in a 2-2 draw at San Jose

The Sounders are still due for a win after finishing level at San Jose. Brad Evans and O'Brian White were the goal scorers for the Seattle Sounders in a 2-2 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes. Nothing changed in the standings with all the draws we had this week. Only the LA Galaxy and the Columbus Crew won their matches. The Sounders were without their designated player Fredy Montero, who didn't travel with the team after having a minor wrist surgery.

Seattle nearly broke through in the 3rd minute when Osvaldo Alonso found Steve Zakuani but goalkeeper Jon Busch came out to deflect his attempt wide of the goal.

The Sounders continued to dominate in the early stages and they got on the board first in the 17th minute. Mauro Rosales, who took Montero's place, shook free of Sam Cronin and delivered a good ball at the near post to Brad Evans who beat Chris Leitch to the ball and smashed it home from point-blank range and the Sounders took their first lead of the 2011 season, leading 1-0. San Jose had a great early chance to take the lead earlier in the match when Ramiro Corrales's lead pass found last seasons Golden Boot winner Chris Wondolowski who redirected the ball and broke free for a shot from 16-yards out, dead center, but Kasey Keller made a huge reaction stop with his left hand to deflect it wide. However, Keller had nothing to do in the 32nd minute.

Former Reading F.C. midfielder Bobby Convey threaded a great pass through three defenders and found Simon Dawkins, and the man on loan from Tottenham Hotspur won the race to the ball and placed it neatly past Kasey Keller inside the far post to tie the match up at 1. It was also San Jose's first non-Wondolowski goal in regular season play since September 5.

The Sounders came right back to re-take the lead. Steve Zakuani sent in a high lofted ball into the six-yeard box for O'Brian White, and the third year man out of the University of Connecticut fended off Jason Hernandez for a diving header that left Jon Busch helpless. It was O'Brian White's first goal with the Rave Green. He previously made 33 appearances and scored only 4 goals during his time with Toronto FC.

Keller came up huge again on the stroke of halftime when Tacoma native Joey Gjertsen who sent free from Chris Leitch and his effort was stoned by the veteran goalkeeper.

In the 52th minute, San Jose would level it up again. Khari Stephenson intercepted a pass from Alonso and ripped a shot from 35-yards out that beat Kasey Keller, into the upper 90. And that was how it ended, Sounders-2 San Jose Earthquakes-2.


Scoring summary:
Seattle Sounders FC - Brad Evans (Mauro Rosales, Erik Friberg) 17'

San Jose Earthquakes - Simon Dawkins (Ryan Johnson, Bobby Convey) 32'

Seattle Sounders FC - O'Brian White (Steve Zakuani, Osvaldo Alonso) 42'

San Jose Earthquakes - Khari Stephenson (unassisted) 52'

Misconduct summary:

San Jose Earthquakes - Chris Leitch (caution; Reckless Takle) 6'

Seattle Sounders FC - Nate Jaqua (caution; Unsporting Behavior) 71'

Seattle Sounders FC - Leonardo Gonzalez (caution; Delaying a Restart) 80'

Lineups:

Seattle Sounders FC - Kasey Keller; James Riley, Jeff Parke, Patrick Ianni, Leonardo Gonzalez; Erik Friberg (Alvaro Fernandez 46'), Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans, Mauro Rosales (David Estrada 83'), Steve Zakuani; O'Brian White (Nate Jaqua 66')

San Jose Earthquakes - Jon Busch; Chris Leitch (Ike Opara 70'), Jason Hernandez, Brandon McDonald, Ramiro Corrales; Sam Cronin, Simon Dawkins (Scott Sealy 85'), Joey Gjertsen (Khari Stephenson 46'), Bobby Convey; Ryan Johnson, Chris Wondolowski

Zakuani's 80th minute goal ends the Sounders scoring drought in a 1-1 draw with Houston

By Money Mike

After a tough first two games of the season, the Sounders get their first goal and first point of 2011 in a 1-1 draw last night against the Houston Dynamo after an 80th minute goal by Steve Zakuani. It wasn't the result they were looking for, but it's a result they'll take.

Houston could've and should've been reduced to 10 men early in the game when defender Hunter Freeman gave the ball away to Erik Friberg and then pulled him down just outside the penalty area. Freeman was the last man on that play, but rather than sending him off, the referee only showed him a yellow card.

The Sounders continued to pressure the Houston Dynamo backline early in the game. In the 27th minute Erik Friberg's cross found O'Brian White for a header from point-blank range and goalkeeper Tally Hall came up huge for the Dynamo, making an excellent reaction save to stop what would've been the opening goal. Hall came up big again after Kofi Sarkodie's failed clearance sent Steve Zakuani away, but his left foot shot was again denied by the Houston goalkeeper.

Despite being the better side in the first half, the Sounders found themselves down a goal. In the 42nd minute, Lovel Palmer cracked one from 30-yards out which hit the crossbar. The ball fell to Andre Hainalt, who was unable to put a shot on frame, the Sounders failed the clear and the ball fell to Geoff Cameron who unleashed a low drive, which deflected off the foot of Jeff Parke and in the back of the net and Houston headed to their locker room at the break with 1-0 lead.

In the second half, the Sounders continued to throw everybody forward. In the 65th minute, Fredy Montero gave it a go from 36-yards out, but it was easily trapped by Tally Hall. About 8 minutes later, Montero was denied again from 11-yards out. In the 79th minute, Zakuani had another golden opportunity to equalize, but he was dispossesed by his former Akron teammate Kofi Sarkodie. Will that goal ever come for the Sounders? In the 80th minute, it came.

A corner kick from Erik Friberg deflected off the knee of Bobby Boswell to the back post and Steve Zakuani tapped it in to the back of the net to break Seattle's goal-scoring drought. Two minutes later, Seattle had a chance to take the lead but Fredy Montero's shot was again saved by Tally Hall. That was just about the last big chance of the game.

Leo Gonzalez booked for diving in the penalty area, did the referee get that right?:

NOT EVEN CLOSE!! Gonzalez and Zakuani combined very well on this play, it was Andre Hainalt with the challenge. The replay shows that Hainalt clipped Gonzalez and braught him down, that should've been a penalty. That was a horrible decision by the referee.

Scoring Summary:

Houston Dynamo - Geoff Cameron (unassisted) 42'

Seattle Sounders FC - Steve Zakuani (unassisted) 80'

Misconduct Summary:

Houston Dynamo - Hunter Freeman (caution; Tactical foul) 2'

Houston Dynamo - Lovel Palmer (caution; Reckless foul) 30'

Seattle Sounders FC - Patrick Ianni (caution; Reckless foul) 43'

Houston Dynamo - Geoff Cameron (caution; Reckless tackle) 46'

Seattle Sounders FC - Leonardo Gonzalez (caution; Simulation) 73'

Lineups:

Houston Dynamo - Tally Hall; Kofi Sarkodie, Bobby Boswell, Andre Hainalt, Hunter Freeman; Corey Ashe (Danny Cruz 85'), Lovel Palmer, Geoff Cameron, Brad Davis; Will Bruin (Brian Ching 75'), Jason Garey (Cam Weaver 45')

Seattle Sounders FC - Kasey Keller; Zach Scott, Patrick Ianni, Jeff Parke, Leonardo Gonzalez; Erik Friberg, Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans (Mauro Rosales 71'), Steve Zakuani; O'Brian White (Nate Jaqua 61'), Fredy Montero

Seattle Sounders FC vs Houston Dynamo preview. Four local boys returning to their hometown.

By Money Mike


The Seattle Sounders get ready for their third match of the season, friday night against the Houston Dynamo. The Sounders are coming off two 1-0 defeats against the Los Angeles Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls, and are in need of a big response. Meanwhile, the Dynamo are coming off a season opening loss at home to the Philadelphia Union 1-0 thanks to a 5th minute goal by Danny Califf. It was the first time Houston has lost a home opener in their history dating back to 2006. These two teams split the season series last season with Seattle winning 2-0 at Qwest Field on August 8th, thanks to goals by Fredy Montero and Alvaro Fernandez. Houston returned the favor in the final game of the regular season on October 23rd when James Riley's 11th minute goal was soon picked back by goals from Geoff Cameron and former Seattle U RedHawk and USL Sounder, Cam Weaver and came away with a 2-1 win. These two teams need answers!! Cam Weaver isn't the only one returning home. Goalkeeper, Tally Hall who graduated from Gig Harbor High School, Mike Chabala, a Washington Husky and former Gonzaga Bulldog, Brian Ching who also played for the Sounders in the USL make their return to Seattle.


Injury report:

Houston Dynamo - Well, there's really nothing much to talk about here. Calen Carr, who was aquired from the Chicago Fire yesterday in exchange for Dominic Oduro, has a concussion and he is out. Francisco Navas has a strained right hamstring, he is also out. Colin Clark still hasn't played a match for the Dynamo at all yet since being traded from the Colorado Rapids, and it's a question of whether or not he'll debut in this game. A left knee injury lists him as questionable. And Finally, Brian Ching has a strained right hamstring and is listed as probable.

Seattle Sounders FC - For the men in rave green, we have new updates and I promise you, they're good ones. Mike Fucito is still out though with a right adductor strain. Nate Jaqua is expected to suit up for tomorrow's match, but we don't know for sure, he is listed as doubtful. Brad Evans is still recovering from a right hamstring strain, he is also doubtful. Mike Seamon is listed as questionable as he is recovering from right leg neuritis. Pat Noonan is listed as probable with a left adductor strain, don't expect him to make the 18-man squad tomorrow. Last, but not least, Steve Zakuani says he's 100% and ready to go, we'll see if Sigi Schmid will put him in the lineup tomorrow, he's listed as probable.


Key matchup:

Steve Zakuani vs Hunter Freeman: Even though we don't know if Zakuani will start, this is the only key matchup I can think of. Believe me this could be the first time Hunter Freeman will face him and if Zakuani takes him on like, 10+ times, he is going to be under a lot of pressure, I don't think he'll be able to contain him.


Areas Seattle needs to improve on:

Play your game. Which is ATTACK!! ATTACK!! ATTACK!! for 90 minutes. They didn't play that game last saturday against the Red Bulls and thats why I think is the reason they lost. New York came at them all game long because they didn't go after the ball like they were supposted to, and nobody commited forward. There is no excuse for that crap, they need to go after the ball at all times and not let the forwards do all the work in the attacking area.

Sounders come up empty handed again. Juan Agudelo scores the lone goal in a 1-0 Red Bulls win

By Money Mike

After a tough 1-0 loss at home to the LA Galaxy, the Seattle Sounders traveled to Red Bull Arena to take on the New York Red Bulls, looking to bounce back and get at least a point. Instead they came away with nothing to show for as they lose their 2nd straight match 1-0 thanks to a 70th minute goal by 18-year old Juan Agudelo, it was his first MLS goal. Remember he made his international debut for the United States national team on November 17, 2010, against South Africa at 17 years of age and scored in that match which made him the youngest player in U.S. soccer history to score on his international debut.

New York had a chance to go ahead early when Thierry Henry's ball found Juan Agudelo behind the Seattle defense. Agudelo with his brilliant piece of skill, cut the ball back and drew contact from Jhon Kennedy Hurtado which resulted in a Penalty Kick. Of course, you would expect Thierry Henry to take the penalty because he's one of the best PK takers in the game. However, Henry tried to go low into the bottom left corner of the goal but Kasey Keller read it perfectly and tipped it wide.

The game was pretty much a back and forth battle for the rest of the first half since the penalty miss by Henry. Seattle had few good scoring chances. In the 16th minute, Fredy Montero sent Alvaro Fernandez alone behind the Red Bull defense, but his touch sent the ball to the right of goalkeeper Greg Sutton. Montero would test Sutton again in the 27th minute as he tried a shot from just inside the half-way line as he caught him well off his line but Sutton punched it away. In the 39th minute, Fernandez and Montero hooked up again as Montero ran onto a weighted ball and ripped a shot from a tight angle that was tipped by Greg Sutton who recovered the loose ball before O'Brian White could follow in on the rebound. The two combined again in the final minute of the first half as Montero beat Tim Ream before hitting the post from an impossible angle.

In the 51st minute, the Red Bulls tested Keller long range when defender Rafa Marquez lashed one that just sailed over. Seven minutes later, a corner from Marquez found his teammate, Mehdi Ballouchy but his touch just rolled wide right of Kasey Keller.

In the 70th minute, the Red Bulls found the breakthrough when Teemu Tainio's long ball found Juan Agudelo behind the defense. Agudelo shrugged off Leo Gonzalez and off the outside of his boot, slotted the ball past Kasey Keller into the net for his first MLS goal to give the Red Bulls a 1-0 lead with 20 minutes to go.

In the 88th minute, New York nearly put the game away from the corner when Rafa Marquez found Tony Tchani unmarked, but his header was punched over the bar by Kasey Keller.

Seattle had a golden opportunity to draw level when Fredy Montero's free kick was punched by Greg Sutton and Lamar Neagle's rebound sailed over the bar. And that proved costly as Seattle ends up getting shut out again and are off to an 0-2 start to begin 2011.

Area Seattle needs to improve on next game:

Finishing is one, but the most important one is to get more people to commit forward. I cannot remember one time in this match when we had 5-6 players on the attack. Also, an even bigger problem, go after the ball at all times. Every time New York has had position of the ball, rather than going after them, the Sounders just back off and let their opponents burn them in every way. Having only your two strikers commited and 8 other outfield players in their own area backing away and not going after the ball is unacceptable and it's never Seattle's game. Their game is ATTACK, ATTACK, ATTACK, go after the ball for 9o minutes, and they obviously didn't do that, which is never good and that needs to change in their match against the Houston Dynamo.

Scoring Summary:

New York Red Bulls - Juan Agudelo (Teemu Tainio) 70'

Misconduct Summary:

Seattle Sounders FC - Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (caution) 61'

Lineups:

Seattle Sounders FC: Kasey Keller (captain); James Riley, Jeff Parke, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Leonardo Gonzalez; Alvaro Fernandez (Mauro Rosales 68'), Servando Carrasco (Lamar Neagle 80'), Osvaldo Alonso, Erik Friberg; Fredy Montero, O'Brian White (Roger Levesque 73')

New York Red Bulls: Greg Sutton; Jan Gunnar Solli, Rafael Marquez, Tim Ream, Roy Miller; Dane Richards (Danleigh Borman 90'), Teemu Tainio, Mehdi Ballouchy (Tony Tchani 68'), Joel Lindpere; Juan Agudelo, Thierry Henry (captain)

Saunders too much for Sounders! Sounders drop opener to Galaxy 1-0

By Kshell

Well the MLS season has begun! In front of a record setting MLS crowd of 36,433 fans the L.A. Galaxy(1-0-0) led by goalie Josh Saunders defeated the Seattle Sounders(0-1-0) 1-0 to earn three points on the road. The game opened up the MLS season on national t.v. on ESPN. The Sounders for the third straight year mostly because of the great turnout by the fans were featured in the opening game. Unfortunetly for the Sounders they couldn't capitalize on few scoring opportunities on tough goaltender Josh Saunders. Saunders entering this game hadn't allowed a goal in his last 342 regular season minutes in MLS play. The Sounders last year were swept by the Galaxy 4-0 and were outscored 10-2 in those four games. The Sounders have a long season left but they must figure out how to defeat the mighty Galaxy which features players like Landon Donovan and David Beckham.

The atmosphere was quite electric at Qwest Field. You would have thought this was a World Cup game not the first game of a seven month grind. The Sounders average attendance is over 36,000 while the second place MLS team is the Los Angeles Galaxy who averages 21,000. The Sounders have created a nice buzz in Seattle. With the Portland Timbers coming into the league look for the Sounders-Timbers rivaly to carry the MLS. This game had a buzz to it like no other MLS game. Despite the terrible weather conditions the Sounders set an MLS record for attendance in a game(Note only MLS games count, Sounders have had larger crowds before). The game had quite the opening atmosphere that even the biggest soccer naysayers must admit was well done. After the opening night ceremony had finished the match had begun.

In the first half the Sounders had controlled the tempo of the game but had nothing to show for it. Early on the Galaxy were having more shots but thanks to Kasey Keller the Galaxy were denied. Early on Keller went up for a save and collided with team USA star Donovan knocking Donovan down for a while. Then the Sounders started to attack the Galaxy trying to end Saunders goal less streak. The Sounders despite seven shots and five shots on goal were held scoreless. The Galaxy didn't even have a single shot on goal and had just four shots total. The Sounders had dominated that first half in front of an electric crowd. Keller who is a northwest legend has stated this will be his last season. While the Galaxy Beckham had also announced this was his last year as well. Beckham was loudly booed throughout the contest. The Sounders were shocked to start the game as they had cut designated player Blaise Nkufo who played in last year's world cup for Switzerland. He was believed to carry the load on offense for the Sounders.

In the second half the Sounders wasted more opportunities to finally score. Unlike the first half it finally caught up to the Sounders. After dominating the first 45 minutes the Sounders finally let the Galaxy have life. A costly turnover by Sounders midfielder Erik Friberg was intercepted by the Galaxy Todd Durnivant. That set up in the 58th minute a 25 foot goal by Juninho to give the Galaxy a 1-0 lead. The goal had just got by stellar goal keeper Keller. The Sounders weren't dead quite yet as they kept attacking Saunders. Each time Saunders kept making one save after another. When Saunders wasn't making saves the Sounders were wasting their chances. Like when O'Brian White had a shot that bounced wide off the far post in the 72nd minute. Friberg missed an open net as well and fan favorite Freddy Montero also missed a short short. Saunders when all was said and done had six saves. The Galaxy had survived to win the game 1-0 to extend their streak to five games in a row over the Sounders.

Overall the biggest winner in this game was Major League Soccer. This game showed that people in America do care about soccer. The crowd was intense and it was a well played game. The game could have featured more scoring but it was well played. There was plenty of shots on goal and this game featured some players that the average fan has heard of. The Galaxy earned a very important three points in a tough road game. Prior to this game the Sounders had never lost an opener before. For the Sounders the season is still young and anyone giving up on them after this loss is crazy. The Sounders do need to figure out a way to beat the Galaxy or at least earn points. The Sounders will have better days and this was a good showcase for soccer. Just remember when the NCAA tournament was going on the city of Seattle had over 36,000 fans in attendance. Soccer is slowly growing in America which can only be a good thing. The Galaxy earned the victory but the game of soccer was the big winner.

Observations:

- This game featured probably the most popular and well known American player in Landon Donovan. As we all remember in World Cup 2010 Donovan was the one who scored the winning goal in stoppage time to advance USA out of pool play. Donovan for a short time in July was the most popular person in the country. He was just one of many stars in this game and shares the star treatment on his own team.

Donovan early on hurt his ribs on a collision with goal keeper Kasey Keller. Donovan didn't flop as he got up and remained playing. The Sounders did a good job on Donovan as he didn't have any shots on goal. Donovan as we all saw in the World Cup can be an explosive scorer but the Sounders did a good job defending Donovan.

- The biggest star in this game was David Beckham. Beckham at this point in his career is more of a celebrity than a good soccer player. Beckham announced this will be his last year in the MLS. Showing how serious the Seattle fans were in this rivalry everytime he had the ball he was booed loudly. Beckham also received a yellow crowd which the crowd reacted pretty emphatically to the call.

I felt Beckham at least this game showed he still has game. He was quite active and had a few shots. He obviously isn't the Beckham of the 1990's who was making movies but he showed he still has game. Beckham if this is truly his last year is at least showing he won't go out like many stars have had in the past. Most importantly for Beckham he is still on one of the best teams in MLS. The Galaxy won the regular season title last year and are on the short list of favorites to win it this year.

- Tough loss for the all-time MLS wins leader Sigi Schmid. Schmid is in his third year with the Sounders. The Sounders in his first season made the playoffs before losing to Houston Dynamo. Then last year the Sounders won the U.S. Open Cup. Schmid has this team going in the right direction. Fans in Seattle better start paying attention to the Sounders as they are closest mens professional team to winning a championship.

For all Schmid has done well for the Sounders beating the Galaxy seems to be a problem. This is the fifth consecutive loss to the Galaxy in MLS play. The season is young and a veteran coach like Schmid I'm sure isn't too worried. The Sounders will fix their scoring problems and should be one of the top tier teams of the MLS season. The Sounders feature one of the better goal keepers in Kasey Keller which should always keep them in games.

All in all, tough loss for the Sounders as they were hoping to make a statement to the rest of MLS. The city of Seattle made a statement to the rest of the nation that they are still the #1 soccer city in America. The 1-5 rivalry with Portland should be quite fun. I was never a soccer fan but the 2010 world cup sucked me in. I also kept hearing how the Sounders games were a fun atmosphere and even though they lost 1-0 I can see myself enjoying a game at Qwest. When the summer rolls around and most likely the Seattle Mariners are 20 games out of first place don't forget about the Sounders. The Sounders will be playing games from now until November and should feature a pretty good squad. The Sounders may have lost this game but you don't see NBA fans freaking out after losing the first of 82 games. Well fans don't give up on the Sounders after one loss. The Sounders will eventually figure out how to defeat the Galaxy. For now the Galaxy proved once again why they are one of the best teams in MLS.

2011 Seattle Sounders FC season preview + Sounders vs LA Galaxy Prediction

By Money Mike

Well, this is it, we've been sitting around during the winter, waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting for a new season. Now, the wait is over, it's now time to gear up, raise your scarves and give your full 90 because Seattle Sounders FC are back and ready for a new season of Major League soccer. This team has had by far their busiest off season in their history, with Sanna Nyassi, Tyrone Marshall, Nathan Sturgis gone, who was gonna step up and replace them? Only Sigi Schmid has the answer to that question. Here's our Sounders FC roster for the year 2011.

Seattle Sounders FC 2011 roster:

2 - Michael Fucito: 3rd year out of Harvard. He'll start the season on the injured list. There have been some critisisms about him being protected for the expansion draft but there isn't a reason why they shouldn't protect him. All I'm gonna say is, he'll be useful for this team during the season.

3 - Brad Evans: To me this guy, since joining the club, has sometimes impressed me and other times, he's been inconsistant. I see him coming off the bench.

4 - Patrick Ianni: Did very well in the late stages of last season with our back line all banged up and everything, but I don't see him as a starting defender at this part of the season.

5 - Tyson Wahl: Again, nothing special, only 4 appearances last season. He's been lacking it since mid 2009.

6 - Osvaldo Alonso: This guy has been fantastic his first two years here in Seattle, and will stick around for another four years. He has one of the best strikes and if he can start attacking more and wearing down the opposing defense, I think he'll come away with a couple of goals this season. He's also great defensively, we need him out there pretty much every game.

7 - James Riley: I think he needs to join the attack a lot more. He hasn't done much of that, so that needs to change.

8 - Erik Friberg: A key acquisition to this team. Friberg has the ability to create goalscoring opportunities, has a good share of goals in his career in Sweden. Believe me when I say, this guys is a lot better than Freddie Ljungberg.

9 - Blaise Nkufo: A designated player, calling it quits is the toughest thing to do in your life, but this is his last year of professional soccer. The greatest goalscorer in FC Twente history with 114 goals. He started off a little slow his first few games, but really picked it up these last couple months of last season and finished with 5 goals in 11 matches.

11 - Steve Zakuani: He has really picked his game up last year, coming away with 10 goals last season and we'll see more in 2011.

12 - Leo Gonzalez: Really impressed me since he joined. It would've been a mistake not to keep him for 2011.

13 - O'Brian White: I think he's gonna have a breakout year for the Sounders. He really struggled in Toronto, and I know there were some questions about trading for him, but I think he'll fit in very well with the Sounders.

14 - Michael Tetteh: Generation Adidas player. This rookie is an exciting young player I think will be here for a long time.

15 - Alvaro Fernandez: A threat from the wing. With Nyassi gone, he's gonna have to take the load.

16 - David Estrada: First round pick last season. If he hadn't been out injured in the first place, I think we would've seen a lot more of them. Only three matches last season. I'm not saying he's useless. But unless Sigi puts him our there more often, I'd consider loaning him out for a while just to gain some work experience.

17 - Fredy Montero: Nothing to say about him. A fan favorite since day one.

18 - Kasey Keller: Final season. I know he hasn't been with Seattle for so long, but I think he will go down as one of the greatest goalkeepers in Sounders history.

20 - Zach Scott: To be honest, he's useless. I think they're gonna cut him soon.

21 - Nate Jaqua: I'm really surprised that they protected him. He has disappointed me a lot, missing a lot of scoring chances. And the majority of them were easy ones. He need to proove that he belongs here.

22 - Mike Seamon: Still a working progress, but he's getting there. 8 appearances his rookie season.

23 - Servando Carrasco: Rookie 2nd round pick out of the University of California. Had an outstanding preseason and I'm looking forward to seeing how he does in the regular season.

24 - Roger Levesque: He tried out for Defender during the preseason, I don't know where he'll end up in the regular season.

25 - Pat Noonan: Ya know, I don't think he belongs in Seattle.

26 - Taylor Graham: I don't think he belongs here either.

27 - Lamar Neagle: Federal Way Native. Great to have him back. Hopefully we'll see him out there in an MLS match.

28 - Terry Boss: He's a pretty good goalkeeper, but he makes so many costly mistakes and I don't think he's a starting goalkeeper.

29 - Josh Ford: I think Ford should be the starter next season. He has set school records at UCONN. 85 consecitive starts, 54 wins, 50 shutouts in his four years. He's got a great future.

31 - Jeff Parke: Did very well last season filling in for the injured Jhon Kennedy Hurtado who suffered a season ending injury back in may.

32 - Miguel Montano: Saw action in 6 matches last season. Had a good preseason. We should also keep an eye on how he does.

34 - Jhon Kennedy Hurtado: It's great to have him back. That ACL injury was a big blow to our back line, but Jeff Parke and Patrick Ianni both stepped up and did very well.

Prediction - Sounders vs Galaxy

Sounders come away with a 3-1 win.