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Sounders FC News & Notes

Brad Evans. (Rick Morrison)

News & Notes as released by the Seattle Sounders FC Media Relations Department

 

by SSFC: A magical, record-setting inaugural season for the Seattle Sounders FC reached its conclusion last Sunday in Houston. In the deciding match of the MLS Western Conference Semifinals, the Dynamo defeated the Sounders FC, 1-0, on aggregate, winning the second leg in extra time.

The team returned home later Sunday night to the cheers and applause of its devoted supporters for a remarkable year in which many records were broken, both on and off the pitch.

Seattle was the first expansion team since 1998 to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs and compile a winning record. The Sounders FC not only finished tied for the best defensive team in the league, but also scored more goals than any first-year franchise in 11 years.

In addition, Seattle claimed its first trophy. The Sounders FC won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a 2-1 victory over D.C. United on September 2, completing a perfect six-game sweep of its cup-related matches. The Open Cup is the oldest cup competition in the U.S., dating to 1914, and Seattle became the second expansion team in the modern to lift it.

The support from the fans and the atmosphere they generate are already becoming legend as Seattle established itself as a soccer capital. Each and every competitive match was played before a capacity crowd. The Sounders FC smashed the MLS season attendance record, averaging 30,943 per regular season match. The crowd of 35,807 for the first leg playoff with Houston was a record for a conference semifinal, and ranks No. 7 among all MLS Cup Playoff matches.

The largest crowd in Pacific Northwest soccer history, 66,848, filled Xbox Pitch on Qwest Field for Seattle's August 5 friendly with reigning world champion FC Barcelona. Earlier in the summer, 65,289 witnessed the visit of England's Chelsea FC.

Another big crowd is expected on November 22, when MLS Cup 2009 will be played on Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field. First kick is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. PT.

Houston visits the Los Angeles Galaxy on Thursday night to determine the Western Conference representative. The other half of the MLS Cup pairing will be decided Saturday when the Chicago Fire hosts Real Salt Lake.

 

 

Fredy Montero is MLS Newcomer of the Year

Sounders FC forward Fredy Montero became the first Sounders FC payer to earn an MLS season award, winning 2009 Newcomer of the Year. Montero finished tied for third in goals (12) and game-winning goals (4), and led MLS in shots (86) and was seventh in attempts on goal (32). He also scored the first goal in Sounders FC's 2-1 victory over D.C. United for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Seattle goalkeeper Kasey Keller and midfielder Freddie Ljungberg were the other two finalists for Newcomer of the Year.

"I am very happy and thankful to be honored," said Montero. "I was humbled to be among the top three nominees, along with my teammates, Freddie and Kasey. This has been a very successful campaign in my first season with the Seattle Sounders FC. I feel I will always be a part of the team's history and, in return, this team will always remain in my heart.

"There are many positive things I have learned here that have helped me grow as a soccer player and as a person," Montero added. "I thank all the fans for their confidence in me and my teammates. They are the best fans in the league. There's nothing like stepping out onto the pitch for a match at Qwest Field.

"I must thank my teammates for this award, because they gave themselves completely in every game and on every play," he said. "And I thank the coaches, especially Sigi Schmid, for their trust in my ability."

The 22-year-old Colombian was among Seattle's four representatives in this year's MLS All-Star game. He came to Sounders FC from Deportivo Cali. Montero twice led the Colombian First Division in scoring, including 2006-07 while on loan to Atletico Huila.

Montero made a most favorable first impression in MLS and has sustained a remarkable pace throughout the season. He made the transition to a new land and a new language while remaining one of the most prolific attackers in the league.

Scoring two goals and adding an assist in his debut match, Montero's start was the strongest since Brian McBride in the inaugural season, and his three goals in the first two games was the most productive since Luciano Emilio in 2007. He was named March Player of the Month.

From June 13 to June 28, Montero scored in four consecutive games as Seattle went 2-0-2

Montero has exhibited power with his heavy outside blasts, plus creativity in beating defenders on the dribble. Two of his scores were voted MLS Goal of the Week. He finished tied for second on the team and ninth in the league with seven assists, and he suffered the second-most fouls (62).

The Newcomer of the Year honors the player who is in his first season in Major League Soccer, but has prior professional experience, making him ineligible for Rookie of the Year honors. The award's prior recipients were D.C. United's Luciano Emilio (2007) and San Jose's Darren Huckerby (2008).

 

Remarkable Notes

Seattle opened and closed its first MLS regular season in fantastic fashion. The Sounders FC were the first expansion team to win its first three matches, but it may have saved its best for last.

The Rave Green roared down the stretch, winning its final three games. The stretch began with a 1-0 victory over defending MLS Cup and eventual 2009 Supporters' Shield winner Columbus. That snapped the Crew's MLS record 22-game home unbeaten streak.

Seattle came from behind to win its last two games. A 3-2 result at Kansas City clinched an MLS Cup Playoffs berth. At home for the final regular season game, the Sounders FC rallied to defeat FC Dallas, 2-1, snapping the visitors' four-game win streak. That triumph also gave Coach Sigi Schmid an MLS career-record 125th regular season win.

In the beginning, Fredy Montero matched the best debut performance in MLS history, scoring two goals and adding an assist in the inaugural game win over New York on March 19.

Goalkeeper Kasey Keller set a league record for consecutive scoreless minutes (457) to start a season. Keller is also the only keeper in to post three complete shutouts to start his MLS career.

Keller, Montero and Schmid were among five Seattle finalists for the MLS 2009 year-end awards. Keller was a candidate for Goalkeeper of the Year, Fair Play and Newcomer of the Year. Freddie Ljungberg joined Montero as a newcomer finalist. Jhon Kennedy Hurtado was one of three players considered for Visa Defender of the Year. Schmid was a finalist for Coach of the Year.

Hurtado, Keller, Ljungberg and Montero each represented the Sounders FC at the MLS All-Star Game. Montero was named March Player of the Month and Ljungberg earned October Player of the Month.

 

Surgery for Scott, Zakuani

Defender Zach Scott and midfielder Steve Zakuani are both scheduled to undergo surgery this week. Scott will have a sports hernia procedure in Philadelphia on Wednesday. Zakuani will have reconstructive surgery on his right shoulder in Seattle on Thursday. Both are expected to recover in time to join preseason training in January.

 

Schmid, Henderson on Hall of Fame Ballots

Both Sigi Schmid, the Sounders FC head coach, and technical director Chris Henderson are finalists for induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Schmid is one of 10 individuals listed on the 2010 Builder Ballot. Henderson is among 24 candidates on the 2010 Player Ballot.

 

MLS Cup Tickets on Sale

Tickets for MLS Cup 2009 are on sale to the public. Major League Soccer's premier event, MLS Cup, will be played November 22 on Seattle's Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field. Fans can purchase tickets www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000. MLS Cup tickets are included in the Seattle Sounders FC 18-game season ticket package.

 

Finalists for Goal & Save of the Year

Patrick Ianni's game-winning bicycle kick against Houston and Fredy Montero's dipping, long-range blast at New England are among the 10 finalists for AT&T Goal of the Year in MLS. Tyrone Marshall's reflex overhead goal line stop at Columbus is a finalist for the Degree Save of the Year. Online voting at www.mlsnet.com continues through November 17 and the winners will be announced on November 18.

 

Draft Dates

Philadelphia Union, the newest member of MLS in 2010, will select 10 players in its expansion draft on November 25. The MLS SuperDraft is scheduled for January 14 in Philadelphia.

 

Sounders FC Form

Seattle is 10-1-3 when scoring first and 12-1-7 when scoring a goal. Seven of Seattle's eight losses were by shutout. The Sounders FC was 11-1-1 when leading at halftime.

Despite a long late summer scoring drought, Seattle had only two home defeats and a record of 7-2-7. It has outscored visitors 21-10. In its first 10 home dates, Sounders FC averaged 1.90 goals per game and went 6-1-3.

Defensively, it did not allow more than one goal at home in the last eight games. Overall it owns a home GAA of 0.56. The 16 second-half goals allowed during the regular season was the lowest in the league.

The Sounders FC did not allow multiple goals in consecutive games this season. In six games in which it gave up more than one goal, Seattle responded with a goals-against average of 0.67 in the next outing, going 3-1-2.

 

Plenty of Nail-Biters

Twenty-four of Seattle's final 27 matches in MLS regular season and playoffs were decided by one goal, including 12 draws. Only three games finished with a difference of more than two goals. Nine matches featured game-winning or game-tying goals in the 70th minute or beyond. Nate Jaqua twice knotted scores in such latter stages, and he also scored a game-winner in the 76th. Brad Evans scored the last GWG in the final regular season game, sending Seattle past FC Dallas in the 84th.

 

Expansion History: Seattle Best in 11

Seattle (12-7-11) posted the best regular season record for an MLS expansion franchise since the Chicago Fire (19-11-0) in 1998. Miami and Chicago are the only other expansion teams to reach the playoffs, with the Fire winning both the MLS Cup and the U.S. Open Cup in its first season.

The only other club to post a winning mark in its inaugural year was the Fire in 1998. Chivas USA finished above .500 and made the playoffs in its second year (2006). Miami (2001) and Real Salt Lake (2008) each needed four years to finish with winning records.

 

Previous Expansion Records

Note: Real Salt Lake (5-22-5) and Chivas USA (4-22-6) each played 32 matches in their first season.

 

Leaders of the Pack

For the regular season Kasey Keller was No. 2 among MLS goalkeepers with a GAA of 0.92 and tied for 2nd in shutouts (10) and wins (12). Keller was 4th in minutes (2549) and 9th in saves (78). Forward Fredy Montero tied for 3rd in goals (12) and game-winning goals (4). Montero led MLS in shots (86) and was seventh in attempts on goal (32). Freddie Ljungberg finished 1st in game-winning assists (5). Ljungberg and Montero were 1-2 in fouls suffered (67, 62). Nate Jaqua was tied for 9th in assists (7). He was tied for 5th in fouls committed (47).

The Sounders FC ranked tied for 1st in goals allowed per game (0.97) and tied for 8th in goals scored (1.27). Seattle was 1st in fouls suffered (369). It was 2nd in corner kicks (167) and 3rd in assists (46). Seattle is 8th in fouls committed (353) and the 59 cautions ranks 5th.

 

Trends of Note

Of Seattle's 38 goals in the regular season, 20 came in the first half and 27 in the first 60 minutes. Seven resulted from set pieces, all from corner kicks; six by Freddie Ljungberg and one by Peter Vagenas. None of the goals came from either the penalty spot or a free kick. Of the 13 games in which Sounders FC scored multiple goals, eight were at home. The defense allowed no more than one goal in 15 of 16 home games on Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field. Eight of the 10 regular season shutouts were at home.

Sounders FC won four of its last five games on grass and went (5-1-1) in its last seven on sod. That stretch includes a 2-1 win at D.C. United in the U.S. Open Cup final.

Seattle finished 2-1-1 when wearing its blue kit, which it donned in Houston last week. Despite the loss in Houston, Seattle was 7-6-5 in all competitions on the road. It finished the regular season with the third-best regular season away record in MLS, at 5-5-5, and did so by winning three of the last four and going 4-1-1 in the final six away games.

The regular season finale victory over FC Dallas was the third comeback win of the year. The Sounders FC also rallied from down a goal to earn five draws. All of the wins (Houston, 2-1; Kansas City, 3-2; FC Dallas, 2-1) came in the last half of the MLS season. Another comeback win occurred in the U.S. Open Cup semifinal against Houston.

Seattle finished with the league's fourth-highest point total and only two points shy of the Supporter' Shield winner while facing its fair share of adversity. The Sounders FC stayed above .500 since the outset despite finishing seven games shorthanded, going 0-3-4 in those contests. Resulting suspensions, injuries, national team call-ins and the unexpected allowed Sigi Schmid to pick his starting lineup from his top players on only eight occasions since the start of the regular season.

 

Throw-Ins

Seattle finished the regular season with an unbeaten record (3-0-3) in six matches against the top three teams in MLS: Columbus (1-0-1), Houston (1-0-1) and Los Angeles (1-0-1). The Sounders FC went a combined 1-1-2 against the East finalists, Chicago 90-0-2) and Real Salt Lake (1-1-0)...Tyrone Marshall, who started 27 of 29 appearances this season, will enter the 2010 season 15th in all-time regular season games played (274), and 9th amongst active players. Marshall, who returned from a knee injury to start the second leg at Houston, is 21st all-time in minutes played (21,930) and 12th amongst active players...Steve Zakuani finished as the top scoring rookie in MLS. His four goals and four assists out-paced D.C. United's Chris Pontius (4-3)...Since the adoption of the two-game, aggregate format for conference semifinals in 2003, the Sounders FC-Dynamo series was only the fifth (of 28) to be extended to extra time. Three of the others were eventually decided by penalties. It marked the third time that a single goal determined the series...James Riley was issued a red card in added time of the second extra period at Houston. A one-game suspension would carry over to the first MLS match next season...Of the four expansion teams since 2005, Real Salt Lake, Chivas USA and Toronto FC all increased their win total by at least 50 percent in their second season.

 

Last Game Recap:

Seattle Sounders FC 0, at Houston Dynamo 1 (aet) - November 8, 2009

A volley by Brian Ching in the sixth minute of extra time proved to be the difference in the Dynamo's 1-0 victory over the Sounders FC in the second leg of the Western Conference Semifinal series before a crowd of 27,465 at Robertson Stadium. The match was extended 30 minutes after Houston and Seattle were scoreless in 180 minutes, including the first leg, held October 29 in Seattle.

A former striker for the USL-1 Sounders, Ching scored unassisted in the 96th minute. He volleyed a loose ball past Sounders FC keeper Kasey Keller to the left side netting. The scoring play began with the Dynamo's Mike Chabala cross going over Ching. Seattle's Roger Levesque's attempted clearance caromed off Brian Mullan and fell back to Ching.

Freddie Ljungberg produced the best chance for Sounders FC to equalize in the 101st minute. Ljungberg raced down the left before curling a 20-yard shot which Dynamo keeper Pat Onstad leaped to tip over the bar.

With the result, the inaugural season for the Seattle came to an end. The Sounders FC finished 18-8-12 in all competitions, including 12-7-11 in the MLS regular season.

Houston faces the Los Angeles Galaxy on Friday night at the Home Depot Center for the Western Conference berth in the 2009 MLS Cup.

Seattle sustained 15 total shots from the Dynamo offense, including a bicycle kick by Dominic Oduro in the 3rd minute that was cleared by James Riley, an Oduro drive off the left post in the 23rd minute and a rebound by Ching in the 70th that was saved by Keller.

Houston nearly surrendered an own goal in the 37th minute when a Steve Zakuani cross was deflected towards the goal, forcing a save by Onstad.

Seattle had the best scoring chances of the second half. After fighting through two Dynamo defenders, Fredy Montero's shot in the 69th minute missed just wide of the left post. A Nate Jaqua shot in the 81st minute also missed wide left.

The Sounders FC finished with 10 shots, with two of the three on goal fired by Montero. Seattle had a slight edge of 5-4 in corner kicks.

The physicality continued between the two clubs as each team was called for 16 fouls in Sunday's match. A total of five cards were issued by referee Jorge Gonzalez, including a red card to Seattle's James Riley in the 120th minute.

 

Current Training Squad

The following players began the week training in Seattle: Goalkeepers (4): Terry Boss, Ben Dragavon*, Chris Eylander, Kasey Keller; Defenders (10): Evan Brown, Taylor Graham, Leo Gonzalez, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Patrick Ianni, Tyrone Marshall, James Riley, Zach Scott, Nathan Sturgis, Tyson Wahl; Midfielders (9): Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans, Michael Fucito, Stephen King, Sebastien Le Toux, Freddie Ljungberg, Lamar Neagle, Sanna Nyassi, Peter Vagenas; Forwards (4): Nate Jaqua, Roger Levesque, Fredy Montero, Steve Zakuani.

*invitee