LA Galaxy starts their first team in this match and what happens? Sounders crush them 4-0

By Money Mike


Back on May 2nd, following the Sounders 2-0 home win over the Los Angeles Galaxy, so many LA fans were making dumbass excuses. Saying a bunch of stupid bullshit like, "You beat us only because we played our reserves, if we had our first team out there things would've been different." I watched every single minute of that match last night and the LA Galaxy did play their starters. David Beckham was out there, so was Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane, Omar Gonzalez, Juninho, Josh Saunders, etc. and I got to tell you, all of them played like complete shit. The Seattle Sounders destroyed the Galaxy 4-0 in front of a crowd of 60,908 at CenturyLink Field.

In the fourth minute of the game, Brad Evans went long for Alex Caskey. Now at first the attack looked to have been broke down, but a mistake by defender Omar Gonzalez sent Caskey on a two on one break. Caskey looked to curl the ball into the far corner but Josh Saunders got his hands to it and Fredy Montero couldn't put away the rebound. I don't know how much Montero knew about it, but that would've been the start the Sounders were looking for.

A minute later, the Sounders were on the attack again and this time they got the opening goal. Ozzie Alonso sent Mauro Rosales streaking down the right hand side. Eddie Johnson made a brilliant run into the penalty area and Rosales found him with a terrific cross and EJ puts it away with a snap header from point blank range for his team leading 10th goal of the season which makes him the third player in MLS history to score at least 10 goals in a season for three different clubs. The other two players to do that were Jeff Cunningham and Dwayne De Rosario.

LA started to create some opportunities and they probably should've equalized in the 31st minute. David Beckham played in a good long ball into the box for Landon Donovan who got away from Jeff Parke. Just as Donovan was ready to put the ball away, it took an awkward bounce which forced Donovan to play it back to Robbie Keane whose first timed shot was deflected wide by Parke.

The Sounders doubled their lead in the 52nd minute. Eddie Johnson fed the ball to Fredy Montero who poked the ball through to Alex Caskey who may have been offside. Caskey tried to get to the ball before Josh Saunders but Saunders denied Caskey of his first MLS goal. The ball was still in the box however. Fredy Montero chased the ball down and he saw Saunders retreating to his goal, so Fredy decided to give it a go and found the back of the net. Saunders did get a touch to it, but the Sounders extended their lead to two goals with Montero's sixth league goal of the season and his ninth in all competitions.

Nine minutes later, added a third goal. David Beckham was looking to play in a cross to either Robbie Keane or Landon Donovan, but he got it all wrong and instead gave the ball away to Seattle who quickly poured down field in a counter attack. Eddie Johnson and Fredy Montero sprinted forward to put pressure on both center backs for LA. Johnson tried to get around David Lopes, but his final touch was too heavy and Josh Saunders broke up the play. However, Alex Caskey stepped in and gave it a go from a long way out because he saw that Saunders was well off his line and he found an empty net for his first MLS goal and more importantly to put the Sounders ahead 3-0.

With just over two minutes to go in the game, the Sounders would add one more to cap of LA's embarrasing night. Mauro Rosales played a good ball down the left side for Marc Burch who slowed the play down before squaring the ball across and there to finish it off was Andy Rose for his first MLS goal and to seal a 4-0 victory over the Galaxy.


Observations:

I'm pretty sure Andy Rose has had a difficult day yesterday leading up to this match with the loss of a friend. Yesterday morning, Rose got a call found out that Columbus Crew player Kirk Urso had passed away. Rose and Urso were close friends, going back to the early days when they were club teammates in Chicago. For Rose to score his first MLS goal in front of over 60,000 strong was a special moment for him and he recieved several messages on his phone from people around the nation who watched this match on ESPN2 last night. To hear that a close friend had died is something that's hard to believe and it's something nobody even wants to believe. You just have to wonder what's been going through his mind leading up to the match.

Christian Tiffert made his debut for the Sounders, coming on in the 64th minute of the match. Tiffert joined the Sounders back on July 28th as a Designated Player. I thought Tiffert did very well on his debut. He gave the ball away only once all match, he did a good job defensively and the partnership with Alonso in the midfield seems to be working to perfection. Sometimes you got to have more than one playmaker on your team, so I'm glad that Tiffert is here in the Emerald City and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season with our team getting back to full fitness.

"Pete Carroll @PeteCarroll
Huge 4-0 win for @SoundersFC! And a crowd of 60,000+ too... Seattle fans are unbelievable!"

Pete Carroll, the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, was at the game last night. There's his picture that he posted on Twitter. Just goes to show that Seattle truely is America's Soccer City. The entire stadium will be open again for the Sounders next home match against the Vancouver Whitecaps on August 18th and on October 7th when the Portland Timbers come to town. Unlike RFK Stadium, the Rose Bowl, Gillette Stadium or Soldier Field, CenturyLink Field is a great venue for soccer. It was built remember in 2002 to bring in an MLS team and it's great to have one here in Seattle.

So how about we take a look at the highlights from this match.....



This win will really boost the confidence of this team with a couple more tough games ahead of them. Of course on Wednesday, the Sounders will go for their fourth straight U.S. Open Cup title against Sporting Kansas City and then a big road match on Saturday against the first place San Jose Earthquakes. So to get a win like this is a real confidence booster for sure.


Scoring summary:

Seattle Sounders FC - Eddie Johnson 10 (Mauro Rosales 8, Osvaldo Alonso 1) 6'

Seattle Sounders FC - Fredy Montero 6 (unassisted) 52'

Seattle Sounders FC - Alex Caskey 1 (unassisted) 61'

Seattle Sounders FC - Andy Rose 1 (Marc Burch 3, Mauro Rosales 9) 88'


Misconduct summary:

Los Angeles Galaxy - A.J. DeLaGarza (caution; foul) 24'

Seattle Sounders FC - Brad Evans (caution; time wasting) 60'


Lineups:

Los Angeles Galaxy - Josh Saunders; A.J. DeLaGarza, Omar Gonzalez, David Lopes (Jose Villarreal 80'), Bryan Gaul; Sean Franklin (Mike Magee 57'), David Beckham, Juninho (Hector Jimenez 70'), Marcelo Sarvas; Robbie Keane, Landon Donovan

Seattle Sounders FC - Michael Gspurning; Adam Johansson, Jeff Parke, Patrick Ianni, Leonardo Gonzalez; Mauro Rosales, Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans (Christian Tiffert 64'), Alex Caskey (Marc Burch 81'); Eddie Johnson, Fredy Montero (Andy Rose 73')

Over 60,000 fans expected as the Sounders clash with the LA Galaxy

By Money Mike


The Seattle Sounders get set to square off against the Los Angeles Galaxy in a crucial Western Conference matchup at CenturyLink Field. Kickoff time is tomorrow night at 6pm and it will be televised nationally on ESPN2. We're expecting over 60,000 fans to be in attendance for this one as the MLS playoff race begins to heat up in the Western Conference and the Sounders are in need of a big win to pick up a bit of ground on Real Salt Lake and the San Jose Earthquakes, who they will meet next Saturday in San Jose. Last time the Sounders and the Galaxy met was back on May 2nd here in Seattle. The Sounders came out on top 2-0 with goals from Eddie Johnson and Fredy Montero. The Galaxy have bounced back from their slow start to the season and are currently 5th in the Western Conference, so this is a much different LA side than we saw earlier in the year.


Injury report:

Los Angeles Galaxy - For LA, Edson Buddle had surgery on his right knee so it's pretty obvious that he won't take any part of this game. Leonardo is also out, he has inflammation on his right knee. Kyle Nakazawa is having back spasms so he's listed as questionable. The rest of the players that are listed as questionable are Andrew Boyens, Todd Dunivant, Dan Keat and Omar Gonzalez.

Seattle Sounders FC - For the Sounders, some big news regarding this. Steve Zakuani is no longer on the injured list so it looks like he's fully healed and ready to go. Unfortunately, the guys that aren't fully healed and ready to go are David Estrada and Babayele Sodade.


What to look out for in this game:

- So I'm not going to throw out any key matchups for this one, so I'm just gonna give you guys a few things to keep an eye on here. Yesterday as many of you may have heard, Christian Tiffert did get his P-1 visa so he is eligible to play tomorrow against the Galaxy. Sigi said during practice that Tiffert will not start tomorrow vs LA, but he will be available off the bench.

- With Zakuani no longer being on the injured list, I would assume that he is going to be in the squad tomorrow. Zakuani made his return from injury on July 7 against the Colorado Rapids, making his first appearance since April 23, 2011, against the Rapids when he suffered a double fracture on his left leg.

- There have been questions these last few days about whether or not Eddie Johnson and Fredy Montero can co-exist up front for the Sounders. Remember, Montero started on the bench during the Sounders home match against the Rapids and away to New York. That can't happen against LA, they both need to start up front. Fredy Montero and Eddie Johnson both need to co-exist. The Sounders are gonna need a lot from them against LA.

The Sounders have had a great week of preperation for this one. They know that they are facing a different LA team than they did earlier on in the season. It should be a great match. Hopefully the Sounders can come out on top and get the three points. If the match ends in a draw, fine but the Sounders are prepped and ready to clash with LA in front of a crowd of at least 60,000.

Seattle Sounders FC monthly rewind: May 2012

By Money Mike


The Sounders started the month on a high note with wins over the LA Galaxy, the Philadelphia Union and FC Dallas. Since then, they have struggled to produce as they are winless in their last four MLS matches. After a long month where the Sounders had to play a total of eight matches, including the U.S. Open Cup, I'm going to look back and give you guys some positives (Bryan Meredith filling in very well in goal) and negatives (lack of finishing and poor defending) from this past month and look ahead to what we have going on for the month of June, including Steve Zakuani's road to recovery.


Positives:

Back on May 2nd against the LA Galaxy, Bryan Meredith came on as a halftime sub for Michael Gspurning after he suffered a hip injury. He was ruled out for 2-3 weeks, but I wasn't surprised that Meredith got the start in goal for the rest of the month. Since filling in, Meredith has done an excellent job as he finished the month with a GAA of 0.92 in six starts and he also has a couple of clean sheets. The Sounders have dealt with their goalkeeping crisis since the end of last season starting with Terry Boss's season ending concussion which also forced him to retire. Josh Ford has been dealing with a few injuries as well and Andrew Weber has had ankle problems that dropped him to the #3 spot in the Depth Chart. I still remember Bryan Meredith making his debut against Monterrey in the final Champions League group stage match and putting together a great performance between the pipes because he just joined the team at the time following Kitsap Pumas PDL Championship run. I've been impressed with this kid and I think he has a great future ahead of him, but unfortunately he won't be in goal much longer when Gspurning returns in a couple of weeks.

I think Fredy Montero has had a solid month for the Sounders and has answered all the stupid and unnecessary critics with four goals and three assists during the month. People have been calling him lazy and I will say that he hasn't been aggressive at the start of the season, but last month was a different story as he really began to challenge the defenders and test the goalkeepers. The Montero/Johnson partnership has had its ups and downs during the month, but I think it will start to take shape as summer rolls around. Montero has been accounted for six of the seven goals Seattle has scored in league play last month.


Negatives:

I'm not sure what to make of this. Last four MLS matches, poor defending and on the other side, poor finishing. This is definitely not the Sounders team we saw at the last half of the 2011 season all the way up to the midweek road match against FC Dallas. On the defensive side, the man who has disappointed me the most is Adam Johansson. He has been caught napping in his last three starts and those three times he got caught, the opposition went ahead and scored. He is 10 times better than that. The coaching staff needs to get in his head, get him fired up or whatever. They need to do something because getting caught in three straight matches is ridiculous. The defense needs to wake up and the offense needs to finish when they get the chance.


Western Conference standings:

1. Real Salt Lake, 9-3-2 (29 pts) GF 22 GA 14 GD 8
2. San Jose Earthquakes, 8-3-3 (27 pts) GF 27 GA 17 GD 10
3. Seattle Sounders FC, 7-3-3 (24 pts) GF 16 GA 9 GD 7
4. Colorado Rapids, 6-6-1 (19 pts) GF 20 GA 18 GD 2
5. Vancouver Whitecaps, 5-3-4 (19 pts) GF 13 GA 14 GD -1
6. Chivas USA, 4-6-3 (15 pts) GF 9 GA 14 GD -5
7. Portland Timbers, 3-5-4 (13 pts) GF 12 GA 15 GD -3
8. FC Dallas, 3-8-4 (13 pts) GF 15 GA 24 GD -9
9. Los Angeles Galaxy, 3-8-2 (11 pts) GF 15 GA 21 GD -6


Look ahead to the month of June:

There's really not much going on this month unlike last month. All we have are four league matches and a couple of U.S. Open Cup matches as well, unless the Sounders end of losing to Cal FC this Tuesday.

Upcoming schedule: June 2012

June 5 vs Cal FC, 7:00pm (soundersfc.com, FOX Soccer)*
June 16 @ Montreal Impact, 4:30pm (KONG TV)
June 20 vs Sporting Kansas City, 7:00pm (KONG TV)
June 24 @ Portland Timbers, 2:00pm (ESPN)
June 30 @ New England Revolution, 4:30pm (KONG TV)

Note: * - U.S. Open Cup match

Now this is huge for the Sounders. Last night Steve Zakuani appeared in a reserve match against the Whitecaps reserves and played a full 45 minutes. It was great to see him back out there as he winds down his long road to recovery from that broken leg he suffered April 23rd of last year. With the struggles the Sounders have gone through late last month and the fact that they have yet to get past the MLS Cup Quarterfinal, having Zakuani back will be a major boost for the Seattle Sounders on their road to MLS Cup 2012.

Sounders snap skid vs Galaxy: Win 2-0

By Money Mike


The Sounders finally snap their winless skid against the Los Angeles Galaxy with a 2-0 win Wednesday night in front of a crowd of 39,002 in attendance. With the win, Seattle climbs into third place in the Western Conference standings and remain six points shy of the first place San Jose Earthquakes with still a couple games in hand between the two. Seattle's next match is Saturday afternoon at 1pm against the Philadelphia Union here in Seattle. That game will be televised nationally on the NBC Sports Network.

Seattle got it rollin' early in the match and put LA's weak backline under pressure. Mauro Rosales's free kick was intended for Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and it looked like Chad Barrett got a head on it and goalkeeper Bill Gaudette came off his line to gather the ball. Gaudette is making his second straight start in goal for Josh Saunders who is suspended indefinitely after being enrolled in Major League Soccer's substance abuse and behavioral health program. In the 10th minute, Mauro Rosales made a cut outside of Bryan Gaul and whipped in a good cross to the six yard area for Fredy Montero who turned and tried to slide the ball through, but Bill Gaudette made a huge kick save.

In the 23rd minute, Mauro Rosales sent Eddie Johnson away down the right hand side. Johnson waited a couple of seconds for help to arrive in the penalty area before doing a scissors move to get past David Lopes. As help arrived, Johnson decided to go alone with his left foot which was spilled by Gaudette and Fredy Montero was there for the rebound, but somehow Gaudette was able to get a foot to that to deny Montero point blank.

The breakthrough finally came in the 40th minute as Seattle capitalized on some poor defending all around in LA's half. Mauro Rosales was left with loads of time and space and he whipped in a beautiful curling ball to the middle of the penalty for Eddie Johnson who beats two LA defenders for a snap header that probably should've been saved by Gaudette, but the ball ended up in the back of the net for Eddie Johnson's second goal in as many matches to give Seattle a 1-0 lead going into the break.

In the second half, the Sounders ended up making a change in goal. Michael Gspurning was replaced by Bryan Meredith after a hip injury that has been bothering him for about a week. So unfortunately, he was taken out and Meredith came on for his first MLS appearance.

In the 48th minute, Fredy Montero finally got on the score sheet in big way. Once again, no pressure on the ball from LA and Montero from 35 yards out hits an absolute belter for his first goal of the season that he's been chasing for seven games and quite possibly a top candidate for Goal of the Year, but more importantly, it gave the Sounders a 2-0 lead.

The LA Galaxy hoped to claw their way back and get something out of this match by bringing in Mike Magee and Edson Buddle and for most of the second half, the Galaxy had a ton of possession, but didn't really have anything to show for. In the 62nd minute, Landon Donovan tested Bryan Meredith from about 20 yards away with a left footed strike, but it was straight at Meredith. A minute later, Mike Magee tested him from about the same distance and a few thought it went in, but it missed just wide of the far post. That was the last real opportunity in the match for LA.


Observations:

Another great turnout by the Sounder nation, that's 55 consecutive MLS matches that have been sold out here in Seattle since the Sounders joined MLS and I don't see that streak ending anytime soon. As a matter of fact, not in a long time. Because of the success this team is having right and the direction they're going in the future, fans will continue to pack the stadium and add to their streak of sellouts as Soccer in America continues to grow. Every year, the capacity for Sounder matches has increased. At the start, the capacity was around 28,000 in 09' and then the fan base started to grow and grow and it continues to grow, so now the capacity is around 39,000 now although there are four matches this season including the friendly match against Chelsea where they'll open up the entire stadium.

Former Sounder Pat Noonan made his return to Seattle since he was taken in the Re-entry Draft by the Galaxy last December. He came on for the last 19 minutes match and didn't really do a thing for the Galaxy because they were outplayed, outcoached, weren't fully prepared for this match. Landon Donovan had a disappointing night, Edson Buddle was unable to provide any spark to LA's attack, Sean Franklin had a disappointing night, Marcelo Sarvas came close a couple of times to getting a red card, Bryan Gaul had a rough night defensively, all night LA just couldn't find a way to click it into full gear.

I was a little surprised to see Bryan Meredith come on in the second half. I thought he did very well in his 45 minutes of work. Took a couple of touches at the start of the half, made a good stop on the shot from Landon Donovan, kept his nerve the entire half and he didn't look like was playing under a bit of pressure. Meredith made his Sounders debut in the final group stage match of the 2011-12 CONCACAF Champions League against Monterrey, mainly because Sigi wanted to rest Kasey Keller for the playoffs that time and Terry Boss and Josh Ford were on the DL. The reason he was out there as a backup to start the match was because Josh Ford is still out injured as well as Andrew Weber.

Gspurning underwent an MRI earlier today on his hip and it appears unlikely that he'll play Saturday in their home match against the Philadelphia Union. If he's unable to go, what I'm hearing is Bryan Meredith will get the start and a guy named Steve Spangler who recently played goalkeeper at Oregon State University will join the squad as an emergency backup.

Eddie Johnson had another terrific night, picking up his second goal of the season and hopefully his goal last night can put an end to all the critics about the Sounders trading Mike Fucito, who unfortunately is now with the Portland Timbers, and Lamar Neagle to the Montreal Impact to get Eddie Johnson. He's made a lot of progress getting back into goalscoring form and so far he hasn't disappointed. I can say now that the Sounders pulled off a good trade because of Johnson's performance recently and also because of his caliber which is much higher than Fucito and Neagle.

In case anybody who was at the game didn't notice, Leon Washington of the Seattle Seahawks was at the match. He does have a couple of pictures and videos from the match on his twitter page. Tony Ventrella caught up with him at halftime for a Sounders 1 V 1. Here's the video....



The Sounders have now won three in a row and continue to add to their best start in franchise history. Even though the Galaxy didn't put their strong team out there, it was nice to get that first home win against them out of the way. The Sounders are three points back of Real Salt Lake for 2nd place in the Western Conference with three games in hand and are six points back of the San Jose Earthquakes for 1st place in the West and if they can take advantage of those games in hand, not only can they take over first in the West, they can take over the top spot in the race for the Supporters Shield.


Scoring summary:

Seattle Sounders FC - Eddie Johnson 2 (Mauro Rosales 1) 40'

Seattle Sounders FC - Fredy Montero 1 (Osvaldo Alonso 1) 48'


Misconduct summary:

Los Angeles Galaxy - Marcelo Sarvas (caution; foul) 34'


Lineups:

Los Angeles Galaxy - Bill Gaudette; Bryan Jordan (Pat Noonan 71'), A.J. DeLaGarza, David Lopes, Bryan Gaul; Sean Franklin, Marcelo Sarvas, Juninho, Landon Donovan; Adam Christman (Edson Buddle 53'), Chad Barrett (Mike Magee 58')

Seattle Sounders FC - Michael Gspurning (Bryan Meredith 46'); Zach Scott, Jeff Parke, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Leo Gonzalez; Mauro Rosales (Marc Burch 74'), Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans, David Estrada; Fredy Montero, Eddie Johnson (Alex Caskey 81')

Sounders return home for a midweek match against the Los Angeles Galaxy

By Money Mike


The Seattle Sounders get set for a midweek match as the defending MLS Cup Champion LA Galaxy come to town in their first of two visits to Seattle this season. The Galaxy have struggled so far in the early part of the season and are currently 7th in the Western Conference with 10 points, although they are unbeaten in their last three matches. Perhaps his is the opportunity for the Sounders to finally get a home win over LA in MLS play. LA has won three straight matches against Seattle at CenturyLink Field including the playoffs and are 5-1-2 against the Sounders in League play. This is the first of eight matches in all competitions this month for the Sounders.

Last time these two met in league play was back on the 4th of July. Despite settling for only a draw, the Sounders did manage to snap a five game losing streak against the Galaxy in league play. Not the way they would've wanted to though. In the first half of that match, Fredy Montero missed a penalty kick opportunity. That was the team who conceded only 28 goals last season, which is the fewest MLS, and went on to win the Cup. This is not the same LA team as last years. This years LA team has already conceded 11 goals and are struggling to find an answer to their defensive problems after losing Omar Gonzalez to a possible season ending ACL injury that he suffered during his loan stint to 1. FC Nuremberg back in January. They went with their first round pick Tommy Meyer at the start of the season, that didn't quite go well. Then they started Andrew Boyans, that didn't work and now he's back on the bench. Now I understand a few weeks ago, they traded Paolo Cardozo to their arch rivals Chivas USA for David Lopes and he has started the last three matches since, but it just shows you how big that loss to Omar Gonzalez hurt LA's backline. Also, the fact that Josh Saunders may miss this match could put the Galaxy under a lot of pressure.


Injury report:

Los Angeles Galaxy - For the Galaxy, Omar Gonzalez as I mentioned is out with a torn ACL. Leonardo is close to making his return from right knee sergery, but he will not feature in the match tomorrow. Brian Perk who is their no. 3 goalkeeper is listed as questionable after he had sports hernia sergery. That could be a problem because they already have Josh Saunders out as well. Also, David Beckham may or may not play tomorrow as head coach Bruce Arena admitted he is not in the condition to play three games in one week.

Seattle Sounders - For the Sounders, Josh Ford, Michael Tetteh, Andrew Weber, Steve Zakuani and Babayele Sodade are out. Alvaro Fernandez has missed the last two matches with a right quad strain. Right now, he is listed as doubtful. Patrick Ianni is dealing with low back pain and is listed as questionable. Lastly, Mauro Rosales suffered a right foot contusion last match against Chicago, but I don't think that'll keep him out. He's listed as probable.


Key to the match:

I think the key here is to get forward and put a lot of pressure on the LA backline as well as backup goalkeeper Bill Gaudette in the early minutes. That's usually been my key every game, but three straight losses at home against the Galaxy in MLS play? Time to put an end to it, no excuses. Get forward, put the defense in an uncomforable situation. With the struggles the Galaxy have had, perhaps this is where Seattle can do some damage.

LA Galaxy win 1-0 to claim their third MLS Cup title

By Money Mike

After choking in the MLS Cup playoffs the last two years, the Los Angeles Galaxy have finally won an MLS Cup title in the Beckham era. The Galaxy defeated the Houston Dynamo 1-0 in what could be David Beckham's final game with the LA Galaxy. 30,281 filled up the Home Depot Center. Most of which were hoping that Beckham would end his LA Galaxy career with an MLS Championship (if this were to be his last game with LA), and a couple weeks ago, I said that if this were to be his final match and the Galaxy didn't win the Cup, this would've been an epic fail following the Cup final defeat here in Seattle against Real Salt Lake in 2009 and a 3-0 beating they got from FC Dallas in the 2010 Western Conference final. But after the final was all said and done, the Galaxy came out on top and lift the Trophy for the third time in their history.

LA nearly opened the scoring in the 12th minute. Adam Cristman, who made 11 appearances and scored only one goal, was found unmarked off a David Beckham corner kick, but he couldn't get his header on target, missing wide of the right post. Cristman was getting the start in place of Chad Barrett after Barrett dislocated his ankle earlier this week during practice.

Cristman had another chance in minute 27. David Beckham sent another dangerous ball into the penalty area. Cristman got up and again headed the ball off the mark before colliding with goalkeeper Tally Hall.

Houston struggled to test LA goalkeeper Josh Saunders, who had been filling in for Donovan Ricketts in the 2nd half of the season since Ricketts suffered a broken hand back on July 2nd against the San Jose Earthquakes. The best chance they had came in the 43rd minute. Calen Carr sent a very good ball out wide to the right for Danny Cruz. Cruz then cut to his left foot and ripped a low drive, but it was right at Saunders. Again, that was just about the best chance the Dynamo had in this match.

A minute later, the Galaxy had another chance to break the tie. Robbie Keane found Mike Magee in the box, but the opportunity came to waste as Magee's left footed shot flew well over the bar.

In the 49th minute, Robbie Keane had a golden opportunity to put LA on top. Keane ran onto a loose ball that caromed off Luiz Camargo's head, but he trickled a shot wide of the far post.

In the 72nd minute, the LA Galaxy finally got their goal. Robbie Keane picked out Landon Donovan with a beautiful through ball in the box. Donovan lifted the ball over Tally Hall and into the far corner. Geoff Cameron tried to clear the ball of the line, but he wasn't fast enough and you knew that there was no way back for the Dynamo with the lack of chances they had in the game. The Galaxy were knocking on the door and with over 18 minutes to go, they get the goal that turned out to be the winner.

For Landon Donovan, that was his 20th career postseason goal and his forth all-time in the MLS Cup as he continues to add to his amazing career. Donovan is the all-time leading goalscorer in LA Galaxy history, he's the all time greatest goalscorer in U.S. national team history and he has now won four MLS Cup titles in his career and there is still more milestones to reach in years to come for the 29-year old.

Scoring summary:

Los Angeles Galaxy - Landon Donovan (Robbie Keane, David Beckham)

Misconduct summary:

Houston Dynamo - Bobby Boswell (caution; Handball)

Los Angeles Galaxy - Adam Cristman (caution; Reckless tackle)

Houston Dynamo - Andre Hainault (caution; Reckless foul)

Los Angeles Galaxy - David Beckham (caution; Tactical foul)

Los Angeles Galaxy - Landon Donovan (caution; Delaying a restart)

Lineups:

Houston Dynamo - Tally Hall; Andre Hainault, Bobby Boswell, Geoff Cameron, Jermaine Taylor; Danny Cruz (Colin Clark 78'), Luiz Camargo, Adam Moffat, Corey Ashe (Je-Vaughn Watson 84'); Brian Ching, Calen Carr (Carlo Costly 66')

Los Angeles Galaxy - Josh Saunders; Sean Franklin, Omar Gonzalez, A.J. DeLaGarza, Todd Dunivant; Landon Donovan, David Beckham, Juninho, Mike Magee; Adam Cristman (Chris Birchall 57'), Robbie Keane

MLS Cup semifinal recap

By Money Mike

Well the Sounders may be out, but that doesn't keep me from recapping the MLS Cup playoffs. Today we found out who will be playing for the MLS Cup title two weeks from now and who will be packing their bags and heading home one game away from the MLS Cup final. The playoff system has turned into a land of confusion because of the wild card positions where an Eastern Conference team would end up in the western conference bracket or a Western Conference team possibly ending up in the eastern bracket. The fact that Seattle was knocked out the playoffs was because the Quarterfinal was a two game home-and-home series where whoever scores the most goals in the series moves on and if the series ended all square after 90 minutes in the 2nd leg, there would be two 15-minute overtime periods and if still tied, the series would be decided by penalties (There's no Golden Goal). After that, the semifinals and the championship is single elimination. This round was the semifinal where the winner heads to the final.

Sporting Kansas City vs Houston Dynamo (Houston wins 2-0):

Well after missing out on the playoffs last season, the Houston Dynamo are moving on to the MLS Cup for the third time in franchise history. The previous two times they were in the final in 2006 and 2007, they won the MLS Cup. They move on to the Championship after defeating Sporting Kansas City 2-0. Andre Hainault opened the scoring in the 53rd minute after Adam Moffat whipped a cross to the back post. The ball bounced around and fell to Hainault who tapped it in to make it 1-0 Dynamo. In the 87th minute, Sporting Kansas City were caught on a counter and beat on a counter. Luiz Camargo split a through ball which sent Carlo Costly behind the defense and through on goal, and the Honduran international made no mistake, banging a shot off the post and in to put the Eastern Conference final beyond reach.

I got to tell you, keeping track of the MLS teams all season long and tracking what Sporting Kansas City has accomplished since moving to their new home ground back in June after all they went through in their first eight games of the season, all on the road of course, winning the Eastern Conference regular season title and then getting knocked out of the playoffs one game away from a trip to LA is just a major disappointment and Teal Bunbury knows it. It's been an up and down year for Bunbury, struggling through injury which left him off the U.S. squad for the Gold Cup. Despite his struggles, the 21-year old did manage to finish the year with 9 goals and 5 assists in 29 matches and will start to get better in years to come. But that picture says it all, a missed opportunity at reaching the final and qualifying for the 2012-2013 CONCACAF Champions League is just tough to swallow and Teal Bunbury and the rest of the Sporting Kansas City players will be feeling the pain for a few days.

Scoring summary:

Houston Dynamo - Andre Hainault (unassisted) 53'

Houston Dynamo - Carlo Costly (Luiz Camargo) 87'

Misconduct summary:

Houston Dynamo - Calen Carr (caution; Reckless tackle) 17'

Sporting Kansas City - Julio Cesar (caution; Reckless foul) 30'

Houston Dynamo - Luiz Camargo (caution; Reckless tackle) 55'

Sporting Kansas City - Roger Espinoza (caution; Dissent) 74'

Houston Dynamo - Carlo Costly (caution; Shirt removal) 87'

Lineups:

Houston Dynamo - Tally Hall; Andre Hainault, Bobby Boswell, Geoff Cameron, Corey Ashe; Danny Cruz, Adam Moffat, Luiz Camargo, Brad Davis (Jermaine Taylor 39'); Brian Ching (Carlo Costly 78'), Calen Carr (Will Bruin 68')

Sporting Kansas City - Jimmy Nielsen; Matt Besler, Aurelien Collin, Julio Cesar (Jeferson 82'), Seth Sinovic (Omar Bravo 85'); Chance Myers, Graham Zusi, Roger Espinoza (Davy Arnaud 75'); C.J. Sapong, Kei Kamara, Teal Bunbury

Los Angeles Galaxy vs Real Salt Lake (Los Angeles wins 3-1):

With the Los Angeles Galaxy advancing to the MLS Cup final and the fact that Los Angeles was chosen to host the 2011 MLS Cup final, you would expect LA to win the final. The Galaxy earned a spot in the final after defeating Real Salt Lake by a score of 3-1. LA got on the board first in the 23rd minute. Omar Gonzalez was pushed to the ground from behind in the RSL penalty area and referee Jorge Gonzalez pointed to the penalty spot. Landon Donovan stepped up for the LA Galaxy and put the spot kick away with ease. RSL answered back two minutes later. Off a Javier Morales corner, Jamison Olave headed the ball back across goal for Alvaro Saborio who flicked it in to the goal to level things up. In the 58th minute, LA re-took the lead. David Beckham again doing what he does best. Curling in a trademark cross to the far post for Mike Magee who headed it goalwards from point blank range and in off the hands of Nick Rimando to put LA up 2-1. 10 minutes later, LA puts the icing on the cake in the Western Conference. RSL started to push numbers forward and LA made them pay on a counter attack when Landon Donovan fed Robbie Keane who started to slow down as he was approaching the penalty area, the Irish international made a nice cut to full Jamison Olave and ripped a shot low and into the far corner to seal the win and a place in the MLS Cup final.

Ever since David Beckham has arrived to MLS in 2007, the league has started to become one of the top leagues in the world and that American soccer is starting to grow. Now remember, I listed him at no. 1 when I gave you guys my Top 5 worst Designated Players in MLS history, but I may over look that if LA were to win the MLS Cup on November 20th. It's just disappointing to have guys like David Beckham and Landon Donovan on your team and not win a league title with both of them on your team. In 09' the LA Galaxy reached the final as we all know, this one was in Seattle. The match went to penalties and the Galaxy ended up losing to Real Salt Lake. Last season, the Galaxy were knocked out of the playoffs in the semifinals, losing 3-0 at home to FC Dallas. Now this year, in what could be David Beckham's final season in Major League Soccer, will Beckham finally win an MLS Cup title?

Scoring summary:

Los Angeles Galaxy - Landon Donovan (penalty kick) 23'

Real Salt Lake - Alvaro Saborio (Jamison Olave, Javier Morales) 25'

Los Angeles Galaxy - Mike Magee (David Beckham, Robbie Keane) 58'

Los Angeles Galaxy - Robbie Keane (Landon Donovan) 68'

Misconduct summary:

Los Angeles Galaxy - Juninho (caution; Reckless foul) 56'

Real Salt Lake - Javier Morales (caution; Reckless tackle) 70'

Los Angeles Galaxy - Sean Franklin (caution; Delaying a restart) 93'+

Lineups:

Real Salt Lake - Nick Rimando; Robbie Russell (Ned Grabavoy 70'), Jamison Olave (Tony Beltran 82'), Chris Schuler, Chris Wingert; Andy Williams (Luis Gil 75'), Kyle Beckerman, Javier Morales, Will Johnson; Fabian Espindola, Alvaro Saborio

Los Angeles Galaxy - Josh Saunders; Sean Franklin, Omar Gonzalez, A.J. DeLaGarza, Todd Dunivant; Landon Donovan, David Beckham (Michael Stephens 89'), Juninho, Mike Magee; Chad Barrett (Chris Birchall 63'), Robbie Keane

Sounders defeat LA 3-1 in the U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal

By Money Mike

In front of 4,322 at the Starfire Sports Complex in Takwila, the Seattle Sounders faced off with the Los Angeles Galaxy in the U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal and pretty much a replica of last years Quarterfinal matchup with LA, the Sounders come away with a win.

The Sounders, with the win, advance to the U.S. Open Cup semifinal against FC Dallas. That match will take place on August 30 at Starfire.

In the 4th minute, the Sounders struck early. After hitting the post a minute ago, Nate Jaqua was sent behind the defense off a Pat Noonan through ball and he calmly slotted it inside the far post. It was Jaqua's 8th career goal in Open Cup play (7 of them with the Sounders).

In the 25th minute, Jaqua was involved in the 2nd Sounders goal. I don't what the hell this guy was thinking. Defender A.J. DeLaGarza gave the ball right to Jaqua who quickly fed it to Fredy Montero who cut the ball to his left foot and put away his third goal in two matches to double Seattle's lead at 2-0. The Sounders could've been up 4-0 or 5-0 up to that point, but they just couldn't capitalize on their chances, most of them coming from Jaqua and in the 40th minute, LA pulled one back. Adam Cristman finished a cross from Chris Birchall at the front of the net.

On the stroke of halftime, Birchall almost came away with one for himself, but Terry Boss made the save.

In the 74th minute, the LA back line got caught off another through ball. After some work on the ball, Alvaro Fernandez sent one through for Lamar Neagle who made a diagonal run through the penalty area to score. That goal prooved to be the knock out punch for the Galaxy as the Sounders once again, win a U.S. Open Cup match.

The Sounders get back to work in MLS as they return home to face that fucker who broke Steve Zakuani's leg on purpose............ yes I'm talking about Brian Mullan. He's gonna be there along with the Colorado Rapids on Saturday. That match will be shown live on FOX Soccer Channel, if you don't have that channel, sucks for you.

Scoring summary:

Seattle Sounders FC - Nate Jaqua (Pat Noonan) 4'

Seattle Sounders FC - Fredy Montero (Nate Jaqua) 25'

Los Angeles Galaxy - Adam Cristman (Chris Birchall) 40'

Seattle Sounders FC - Lamar Neagle (Alvaro Fernandez) 74'

Misconduct summary:

Seattle Sounders FC - Osvaldo Alonso (caution; Tactical foul) 22'

Seattle Sounders FC - Fredy Montero (caution; Unsporting behavior) 54'

Seattle Sounders FC - Jeff Parke (caution; Tactical foul) 55'

Los Angeles Galaxy - Paolo Cardozo (caution; Reckless tackle) 59'

Seattle Sounders FC - Mike Fucito (caution; Delaying a restart) 90'

Lineups:

Los Angeles Galaxy - Josh Saunders; Bryan Jordan, A.J. DeLaGarza, Gregg Berhalter, Todd Dunivant; Chris Birchall, Michael Stephens, Juninho (Jovan Kirovski 78'), Landon Donovan (Hector Jimenez 75'); Paolo Cardozo (Miguel Lopez 64'), Adam Cristman

Seattle Sounders FC - Terry Boss; Zach Scott, Jeff Parke, Patrick Ianni, Leonardo Gonzalez; Pat Noonan (Erik Friberg 64'), Osvaldo Alonso, Alvaro Fernandez, Lamar Neagle; Nate Jaqua (Roger Levesque 71'), Fredy Montero (Mike Fucito 79')

Seattle Sounders FC vs Los Angeles Galaxy preview

By Money Mike


The Seattle Sounders head down to the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, not only to keep their 3 game winning streak alive, but also to put an end to a 5 game losing skid against their opponents, the Los Angeles Galaxy. Last week, the Sounders finished off the month of June with a 2-1 win at home against the New England Revolution, their 3 game win streak has put them a step closer from 1st place in the Western Conference. As of right now, the Sounders are 4 points back of the Galaxy for 1st place and are 3 behind FC Dallas for 2nd place after Dallas defeated the Columbus Crew 2-0 last night. The Galaxy are coming off a 0-0 draw to the San Jose Earthquakes but they lost starting goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts to an ulna fracture on his left arm, and backup goalkeeper Josh Saunders after he picked up a red card in that same game. These two teams met in the season opener in Seattle on March 16, where the Sounders had loads of chances, but the lone goal by Juninho and great goalkeeping by Josh Saunders prooved to be the story in LA's 1-0 win. Main focus for this one is who Sigi Schmid will start up front and what his plan to shut down LA's attack is.


Injury report:

Seattle Sounders FC - For the Seattle Sounders, well it's been tough for them, two months now without Steve Zakuani and O'Brian White. White is currently working his way back to full fitness. Sigi said that he's expected to start practicing with the first team after this match. There's a chance O'Brian White will be back for the rivalry match in Portland next Sunday, if not, the Sounders next home match on the 16th against the Colorado Rapids. Fredy Montero missed the last match on Sunday with a quad strain, as of right now, he's listed as probable. My fingers are crossed, hoping he'll play in this match. Brad Evans has been missing for quite a while as well with a strained hammy. He's also listed as probable.

Los Angeles Galaxy - For LA, Defenders Sean Alvarado and Leonardo are out with Right knee surgery. And as I said earlier, goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts has a fractured ulna on his left arm and is out. David Beckham, who fucked up a Royal Wedding about a month ago, has back spasms and is listed as questionable. From what I'm hearing, he's not going to play tomorrow. And finally, Frankie Hejduk is listed as questionable with inflammation on his right ankle.


Suspensions:

There's only one player suspended for this match and that is LA's backup goalkeeper Josh Saunders, who did very well against us in the 1st match of the season. So now all the Galaxy have is their #3 goalkeeper Brian Perk who played 1 game for PDL Club Seattle Wolves in 2009. My guess is the Galaxy will bring in Kevin Guppy who is under contract with the MLS League-Wide reserve goalkeeper pool.


Key matchups:

Alvaro Fernandez vs Sean Franklin - Keep an eye on this matchup on the left wing with Fernandez who has been involved in a lot more attacking plays lately and scored last week. He's going to go up against Sean Franklin who has been a brick wall for left sided midfielders and is also an attacking option for Los Angeles.

Landon Donovan vs James Riley - Landon Donovan is making his return to the Galaxy after USA's disappointing 4-2 loss in the Gold Cup final to Mexico. I think Bruce Arena will put him at left midfield which would set up a matchup with him and James Riley. Right now this matchup would favor Donovan.

Seattle Sounders to play Panamanian club San Francisco F.C. in the Champions League qualifying round

By Money Mike


The CONCACAF Champions League took place earlier this morning at the CONCACAF Headquarters in New York City and the Seattle Sounders, who qualified by winning the U.S. Open Cup last year, have been drawn against Panamanian club San Francisco F.C. in the preliminary round of the Champions League. The winner of this matchup has been drawn into Group D with Monterrey (Mexico), Comunicaciones (Guatemala), and the winner of Herediano (Costa Rica) and the 3rd place team from the CFU Tournament. The Sounders are one of five MLS clubs that will take part in this years Champions League. The LA Galaxy got in by finishing with the best overall record in 2010. Colorado Rapids got in by winning the MLS Cup. FC Dallas were the runners-up in the MLS Cup. Seattle's rivals Vancouver Whitecaps could take part in the Champions League if they beat Toronto FC in the Canadian Championship. Here's the draw from the preliminary round to the group stage.

Preliminary round (Teams listed 1st will host 1st leg):

Motagua (Honduras) vs Municipal (Guatemala)

UNAM or Morelia (Mexico) vs CFU runner-up

Isidro Metapan (El Salvador) vs CFU champion

Santos Laguna (Mexico) vs Olimpia (Honduras)

Alianza (El Salvador) vs FC Dallas

Toronto FC or Vancouver Whitecaps (Canada) vs Real Esteli or Walter Ferretti (Nicaragua)

San Francisco (Panama) vs Seattle Sounders FC

Herediano (Costa Rica) vs CFU third place

Group stage:

Group A:
Los Angeles Galaxy
Alajuelense (Costa Rica)
Clausura runner-up (Mexico)/CFU runner-up
Motagua (Honduras)/Municipal (Guatemala)

Group B:
Colorado Rapids
Real Espana (Honduras)
Santos Laguna (Mexico)/Olimpia (Honduras)
Isidro Metapan (El Salvador)/CFU champion

Group C:
Clausura champion (Mexico)
Tauro (Panama)
Alianza (El Salvador)/FC Dallas
Canadian champion/Real Esteli or Walter Ferretti (Nicaragua)

Group D:
Monterrey (Mexico)
Comunicaciones (Guatemala)
San Francisco (Panama)/Seattle Sounders FC
Herediano (Costa Rica)/CFU third place

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.