Sounders Notes: Build up to Portland away

The Cascadia Cup rivalry reignites on Saturday afternoon as a surging Sounders FC side visits the Timbers in the 78th all-time meeting between Seattle and Portland soccer teams, dating back to 1975.

The match will be the first MLS game on network television since MLS Cup 2008, and kicks off a series of three regular-season games on NBC in 2012. Saturday’s kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. PT at JELD-WEN Field in Portland.

Calling the action for NBC will be Arlo White and Kyle Martino. The match can also be heard on 97.3 KIRO FM with Ross Fletcher and Kasey Keller on the call, and in Spanish on La Gran D 99.3 FM.

Sounders FC (13-6-8, 47 points) jumped into sole possession of second in the West with a late win over Chivas USA on Saturday afternoon at CenturyLink Field. Eddie Johnson scored both of Seattle’s goals in the 2-1 win, bringing his season total to a club record 13 goals (fourth in MLS).

Seattle has lost just once (6-1-4) in its past 11 league outings, and extended its home winning streak to four straight. With the third-highest point total in MLS, Sounders FC continues to chase the Supporters’ Shield, six points behind leaders San Jose with one head-to-head meeting remaining.

The Rave Green now readies for three games in seven days. The stretch begins in Portland on Saturday, continues in Honduras on Wednesday and wraps up at home against San Jose on September 22.

Seattle will look to extend its four-game (3-0-1) league unbeaten run on Saturday in Portland. The match will be the second of the season between the two rivals as Sounders FC fell, 2-1, on June 24 at JELD-WEN Field.

Portland (7-14-6, 27 points) is bottom of the West with seven matches remaining. The Timbers rattled off the season’s first back-to-back wins following a nine-game winless streak, but fell to the Colorado Rapids last week.

The Timbers are currently atop the Cascadia Cup standings with seven points through three games. A win on Saturday would move current Cup-holders Seattle into a first-place tie with Portland. Sounders FC will open the entire stadium for the third and final meeting of the season on October 7.

Following Saturday’s game, MLS Reserve League play continues as Seattle visits Portland on Sunday. Kickoff is 2 p.m. PT at JELD-WEN Field. The final reserve game of the season will be against San Jose on Sunday, September 23 at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila, Wash.

Sounders FC will then fly south to San Pedro Sula, Honduras to take on CD Marathon in the third game of the CONCACAF Champions League group stage on September 19 before returning to Seattle for a home match on September 22 against the league-leading San Jose Earthquakes.

Tickets to home MLS matches are available through http://www.SoundersFC.com, all Ticketmaster Outlets, CenturyLink Field Box Office or by calling 877-MLS-GOAL.

In This Issue

* Sounders FC Fast Facts

* A Chance for Revenge

* Quest for Northwest Supremacy: Cascadia Cup 2012

* All-Time Series with Portland

* King(s) of Cascadia

* Lucky Number 13: Johnson Sets Single-Season Scoring Mark

* Heading the Way: EJ Leads League in Header Goals

* Eddie Johnson Named MLS Player of the Week

* Over-the-Air: MLS on NBC

* Sigi at the Helm: Seattle’s Skipper Leading the Way

* The Rave Green D: Seattle’s Defense Among League’s Best

* Keeping Pace: 2012 Squad on Track with Last Year’s Team

* Plenty in the Tank: Seven Games to Go

* Meet the Opposition: Portland Timbers

* Sounders Go International: Johansson and Martinez Called in for WCQ

* Academy Update: Let the Season Begin

* Date Change: Sounders FC to Host San Jose on September 22

* Throw-ins: Meet Jhon Kennedy, Markey Named to U18 MNT Roster

Upcoming Competition Schedule (times are Pacific & subject to change)

Saturday, September 15, 12:30 p.m. – Sounders FC at Portland Timbers, JELD-WEN Field, Portland, OR

Wednesday, September 19, 7 p.m. – Sounders FC at Marathon, Estadio Olimpico, San Pedro Sula, Honduras

Saturday, September 22, 7:30 p.m. – Sounders FC vs. San Jose Earthquakes, Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field, Seattle

Saturday, September 29, 6 p.m. – Sounders FC at Vancouver Whitecaps FC, BC Place, Vancouver, BC

Sunday, October 7, 6 p.m. – Sounders FC vs. Portland Timbers, Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field, Seattle

Upcoming MLS Reserve League Schedule (times are Pacific & subject to change)

Sunday, September 16, 2 p.m. – Sounders FC at Portland Timbers, JELD-WEN Field, Portland, OR

Sunday, September 23, 2 p.m. – Sounders FC vs. San Jose Earthquakes, Starfire Stadium, Tukwila, WA

Sounders FC Fast Facts

* With the win on Saturday, Seattle surpassed its win total from 2009 (12) and is one away from matching the 2010 mark (14)

* Michael Gspurning leads MLS with a 0.74 goals against average

* Mauro Rosales leads MLS with 13 assists and five game-winning assists

* Eddie Johnson is fourth in the Budweiser Golden Boot Race with 13 goals

* Sounders FC is tied for fourth in scoring with an average of 1.59 goals per game, and second in road scoring with 23 away goals

* Seattle is 6-3-3 all-time in the month of September, outscoring opponents 19-11

* Sounders FC has won its past four home MLS matches, and is unbeaten in its past four (3-0-1) overall

* Seattle has just three more two-game weeks remaining in the final seven weeks of the season (two are Wednesday/Sunday matchups)

* The win on Saturday marked the first come-from-behind win of the season for Sounders FC. The club is now 1-6-4 when allowing the first goal and 12-0-2 when scoring first. Seattle’s current 28-game unbeaten streak (23-0-5) when scoring first is the second-longest active streak in MLS (New York – 55).

* Seattle has not lost consecutive MLS games in 59 outings (31-11-17) – the longest stretch in league history

* Seattle’s average attendance of 42,379 is on track to set the league record. It is over 19,000 more than second-highest Montreal. The biggest attendance for an MLS game this season was 60,908 when Sounders FC hosted the LA Galaxy at CenturyLink Field on August 5. The 2012 season attendance total is 550,930. Seattle’s record from 2011 was 654,431.

A Chance for Revenge

Sounders FC enters Saturday’s Cascadia Cup fixture looking for revenge. In the last visit to Portland, Seattle dropped its first derby game, falling 2-1 on June 24. Portland jumped out to an early 2-nil lead before Sounders FC pulled one goal back on an Eddie Johnson second-half strike. The loss was the first and only for Sounders FC in Cascadia Cup play.

Quest for Northwest Supremacy: Cascadia Cup 2012

Seattle, Portland and Vancouver have long battled for soccer supremacy in the Pacific Northwest. Sounders FC is the current Cup-holders after winning the derby competition in its inaugural MLS year. This season, the Portland Timbers have jumped out to an early lead with seven points through three games with a plus-two goal differential. Sounders FC is second with four points and Vancouver is last with two points. Seattle and Portland both have three rivalry games remaining, including two head-to-head meetings and a visit to Vancouver.

Cascadia Cup Schedule/Results

May 19 BC Place, Vancouver Sounders FC 2 at Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2

May 26 JELD-WEN Field, Portland Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1 at Portland Timbers 1

June 24 JELD-WEN Field, Portland Sounders FC 1 at Portland Timbers 2

August 18 CenturyLink Field, Seattle Sounders FC 2 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps 0

August 25 JELD-WEN Field, Portland Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1 at Portland Timbers 2

September 15 JELD-WEN Field, Portland Sounders FC at Portland Timbers

September 29 BC Place, Vancouver Sounders FC at Vancouver Whitecaps FC

October 7 CenturyLink Field, Seattle Sounders FC vs. Portland Timbers

October 20 BC Place, Vancouver Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Portland Timbers

2012 Cascadia Cup Standings

Team GP Record (points) Goals For/Goals Against

Portland Timbers 3 2-0-1 (7 points) 5/3

Seattle Sounders FC 3 1-1-1 (4 points) 5/4

Vancouver Whitecaps FC 4 0-2-2 (2 points) 4/7

All-Time Series with Portland

The rivalry between Seattle and Portland soccer teams dates back nearly four decades when the Sounders and Timbers first met in NASL. The sides went on to battle each other in the WSL, USL and U.S. Open Cup before reuniting in the top tier of professional soccer last year. Seattle holds the all-time series lead with 40 wins, 28 losses and nine draws in 77 matches.

All-Time Series Record

Year League Record

1975-82 NASL Sounders 13 wins; Timbers 8 wins

1985-90 WSL FC Seattle 5 wins; FC Portland/Timbers 6 wins; 2 draws

2001-08 USL-1 Sounders 20 wins; Timbers 13 wins; 5 draws

2009-10 U.S. Open Cup Sounders FC 1 win; Timbers 0 wins; 1 draw

2011-12 MLS Sounders FC 1 win; Timbers 1 win; 1 draw

Totals: 77 matches played; Seattle 40 wins; Portland 28 wins; 9 draws

King(s) of Cascadia

Fredy Montero has a strong case as the King of Cascadia over the past two seasons, leading all players with six goals in seven Cascadia Cup matches. Not to be outdone, strike partner Eddie Johnson has similarly terrorized Seattle’s Pacific Northwest rivals, scoring in all three derby matches since joining the Rave Green, including the team’s lone goal in Portland in June. In two of the three Cascadia Cup matches this season, both Montero and Johnson scored (May 19 at Vancouver and August 18 vs. Vancouver).

Lucky Number 13: Johnson Sets Single-Season Scoring Mark

Eddie Johnson has returned to MLS in top goal scoring form. The 28-year-old striker set the club record for goals in a season on Saturday when he headed in the game-winner against Chivas USA, his 13th of the season. Johnson is now fourth in MLS with 13 goals, five fewer than Chris Wondolowski, and his goals per 90 minutes average of 0.68 ranks third. Five of his 13 goals were game-winners (third in MLS). Saturday also marked the second multi-goal game of Johnson’s season, a feat he accomplished six times in his seven MLS seasons before joining Sounders FC. The club record for most multi-goal games in a single season is three set by Fredy Montero in 2011.

Heading the Way: EJ Leads League in Header Goals

Seattle’s offense features the most dangerous aerial attacker in MLS. Eddie Johnson has scored nine header goals this season, which is three more than any other MLS player. Since the league began recording how goals were scored in 2003, Johnson’s nine header goals is the most in a single season. He has 16 header goals since 2003, which is tied for seventh all-time.

Eddie Johnson Named MLS Player of the Week

Seattle Sounders FC forward Eddie Johnson has been voted Major League Soccer Player of the Week by the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) for Week 27. Johnson scored both goals – including the 89th minute game-winner – in Seattle’s 2-1 win over Chivas USA on Saturday afternoon at CenturyLink Field.

It is the second time this season that Johnson has been voted MLS Player of the Week. He previously won the award in Week 22 for his performance in a 4-nil over the LA Galaxy. He has won the award five times in his MLS career. Johnson set Seattle’s single-season scoring record with his two-goal output, giving the striker 13 goals on the season (fourth in MLS).

The MLS Player of the Week is selected each week of the regular season by a panel of journalists from NASR. The group consists of members of print, television, radio and online media. More information and membership information can be found at http://www.soccerreporters.com/.

Over-the-Air: MLS on NBC

The Seattle-Portland match this weekend is the first of three MLS regular season games that will be televised live on NBC this year. It will be the first time since Sounders FC joined MLS in 2009 that a league match will be broadcast on network television. The last over-the-air broadcast was the MLS Cup Final in 2008, where Seattle coach Sigi Schmid guided the Columbus Crew to a 3-1 win over New York. Earlier that season, D.C. United downed the LA Galaxy, 4-1, on June 29. Both games were shown on ABC.

NBC in 2012

Saturday, September 15, 12:30 p.m. PT Seattle Sounders FC at Portland Timbers

Saturday, October 6, 12:30 p.m. PT Chicago Fire at New York Red Bulls

Saturday, October 27, 10:30 a.m. PT New York Red Bulls at Philadelphia Union

Sigi at the Helm: Seattle’s Skipper Leading the Way

Sigi Schmid is putting together another strong season for Sounders FC. The Seattle skipper has used 26 different starting lineups in the team’s 27 MLS matches. Twenty-five players have been included in the Starting XI, and 27 of 33 available players throughout the season have seen MLS action. Six of Schmid’s substitutes this season have either scored (seven) or assisted (three), including two game-winning goals and one winning assist. Schmid’s career winning percentage is .570, and this season he is slightly above at .629, which ranks fifth-best in the coach’s 13-year MLS career.

Schmid’s Top-5 Single Season Records

Year Team Record Winning pct.

2008 Columbus Crew 17-7-6 .667

2011 Seattle Sounders FC 18-7-9 .662

1999 LA Galaxy 17-9-0 .654

2001 LA Galaxy 14-7-5 .635

2012 Seattle Sounders FC 13-6-8 .629

2002 LA Galaxy 16-9-3 .625

The Rave Green D: Seattle’s Defense Among League’s Best

Michael Gspurning and the Seattle defense are challenging for tops in MLS. Seattle’s six-foot-five Austrian netminder leads all MLS goalkeepers with a .786 winning percentage (10-2-2) and a 0.74 goals against average. No keeper from outside of the CONCACAF region has led MLS in single-season goals against average. His saves percentage of 75.0 is just 1.9-percent from the league lead. Overall, Sounders FC is second in MLS with a 1.04 goals against average and has kept nine clean sheets (tied for fourth in MLS). The best defensive effort in club history was the inaugural season when the team allowed less than one goal per game (0.97 GAA) while posting 10 shutouts.

Team Defense Year-by-Year

Year GP Goals Against Average Shutouts Shots Against

2009 30 0.97 10 114

2012 26 1.04 9 93

2011 34 1.09 9 145

2010 30 1.17 11 121

Keeping Pace: 2012 Squad on Track with Last Year’s Team

The 2012 Seattle squad has continued to keep pace with last year’s record-setting team. Sounders FC is one point behind last year’s pace after 27 games, matching the win total with one fewer draw. The 47 points through 27 games already matches the season point total from the inaugural campaign, and is one point from tying the 2010 total. In 2011 – the best season in club history – Sounders FC gained 15 points in the final seven games to set the mark at 63.

Best Record through 27 Games

Year GP Record (Points)

2011 27 13-5-9 (48 points)

2012 27 13-6-8 (47 points)

2010 27 12-9-6 (42 points)

2009 27 9-7-11 (38 points)

Plenty in the Tank: Seven Games to Go

Seattle’s postseason fate is far from settled as there are still 21 points on the table for Sounders FC. Seattle currently holds sole possession of second in the West, and has at least one game in hand on three of four West playoff teams. Seattle is one point clear of third-place Real Salt Lake and six points behind league-leading San Jose. Four of Seattle’s remaining seven matchups are against West playoff teams (San Jose, Vancouver, Salt Lake and Los Angeles). Overall, the Rave Green holds a 4-4-3 record this season against its upcoming opponents.

Portland Timbers Series Notes

The Seattle-Portland series is level in MLS play at 1-1-1 after Sounders FC dropped its first Cascadia Cup fixture on June 24. Seattle’s lone win in the series came at JELD-WEN Field in 2011 with two goals from Fredy Montero – the only player to score multiple goals in the series. The sides are even at five goals each, and all five Seattle goals have been scored in the final 45 minutes. Seattle and Portland have each scored at least one goal in all three meetings.

About Portland

Portland is last in the Western Conference with 27 points (7-14-6) and is 18th in MLS with a -19 goal differential. They are tied-17th with 1.00 goals per game, and 18th with 1.70 goals allowed per game. However, the club has had success at home, going 7-4-3 with a plus-three goal advantage and 1.50 goals per game. Portland has the two longest scoring droughts in MLS this season, 369 minutes from 7/14-8/5 and 339 minutes from 4/21-5/20.

The Timbers currently hold the lead in the 2012 Cascadia Cup standings at 2-0-1, with three games yet to play (Seattle-2, Vancouver-1).

Timbers Notables

Designated player Kris Boyd leads Gavin Wilkinson’s club with seven goals in 2012, but the Scotsman hasn’t scored since netting a brace against LA on July 14. Midfielder Darlington Nagbe (six goals, one assist in 2012) has been their primary option lately with three goals and an assist in their last five games. 25-year old striker Bright Dike has come on lately, starting the last four matches (his first starts of the season) and adding two goals. Eric Alexander leads the club with six assists this season and captain Jack Jewsbury has two goals and three assists in a team-high 25 starts.

Goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts, acquired from Montreal in a goalie-swap trade with for Troy Perkins, has allowed nine goals in five starts since joining the club. The 2010 MLS Goalkeeper of the year has four shutouts and tied-sixth with 81 saves overall in 2012.

SEA/POR Connections

Former Sounders FC striker Mike Fucito joined Portland in a midseason trade from the Montreal Impact. Fucito played his first three professional seasons with Seattle, starting 13 of 23 appearances with three goals. Eddie Johnson played with Timbers captain Jack Jewsbury at Kansas City from 2006-07. Steve Zakuani (2007-08) and Darlington Nagbe (2008-10) attended Akron. Similar to Zakuani, Portland forward Danny Mwanga was a former No. 1 pick in the MLS SuperDraft. Mwanga played collegiately at Oregon State. Marc Burch played with Rodney Wallace for two seasons with D.C. United. Portland forward Brent Richards, a native of nearby Camas, Wash., attended the University of Washington from 2008-11.

Sounders Go International: Johansson and Martinez Called in for WCQ

Two Sounders FC players missed the weekend’s MLS action while on international duty. The Sweden National Team called in defender Adam Johansson and the Honduras National Team called in midfielder Mario Martinez for 2014 World Cup Qualifiers.

Johansson, 29, will join Sweden for one qualifier against Kazakhstan on September 11 in Malmo, Sweden. Johansson currently has 11 caps for Sweden. He also played in Sweden’s friendly against China last week.

Sweden is in Europe’s Group C with Germany, Ireland, Austria, Faroe Islands and Kazakhstan.

Martinez, 23, joined Honduras for two qualifiers. Honduras won the first match, 3-0, against Cuba in Havana on Friday. Martinez played 75 minutes as a first-half substitute as three MLS players scored for Los Catrachos.

The second match is against Cuba on September 11 in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Martinez currently has 18 caps for Honduras.

Honduras is in CONCACAF’s Group C with Panama, Canada and Cuba.

Both Johansson and Martinez should rejoin Sounders FC for the September 15 match at Portland.

Academy Update: Let the Season Begin

Sounders FC Academy kicked off its 2012-13 USSDA season this past weekend when they traveled down to Los Angeles for matches with LA Galaxy and Chivas USA academies. In the SoCal heat, the U18′s came away with a draw and a loss, while the U16′s drew twice.

On Saturday, the U18′s saw goals from Jordan Morris, Ike Crook, and Isidro Prado-Huerta in a thrilling 3-3 draw against La Galaxy. Goalkeeper Connor Adkisson made multiple clutch saves, including stopping a penalty kick in the final 10 minutes to preserve road point.

Denis Kalamar netted a penalty kick in the 10th minute for the U16′s as they drew, 1-1, with LA.

On Sunday, Ike Crook and Kenny Sweet scored but Chivas USA U18 came out on top, 4-2. Kalamar converted another penalty and Marcus Machado scored late in the first half as the U16′s played to a 2-2 draw with Chivas.

Sounders FC Academy returns to action in two weeks for their home opener when they host Portland Timbers Academy on Saturday, September 22. The U18′s will kick off at 1:00 p.m. and the U16′s at 3:30 at Starfire Sports Complex.

MLS Recap: Seattle Sounders FC 2 vs. Chivas USA 1 – September 8, 2012

Eddie Johnson scored two goals, including the game-winner in the 89th minute, as Sounders FC defeated Chivas USA, 2-1, Saturday afternoon on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field. The brace gives Johnson 13 goals on the season, the best single-season scoring output in franchise history.

The win moves Seattle into second place in the Western Conference with 47 points, six points back of league-leading San Jose.

Chivas got on the board first in the eighth minute when Shalrie Joseph found Nick LaBrocca inside the box with some space, and LaBrocca rolled a shot past Michael Gspurning inside the far post.

The goal ended a 389-minute home shutout streak for Gspurning, who hadn’t allowed a goal at CenturyLink Field since a San Jose penalty kick on March 31.

Seattle equalized in the 29th minute when Christian Tiffert’s free kick from the corner found Johnson, who skied above the crowd and headed in the equalizer. The free kick was the result of a foul on Steve Zakuani after a strong run up the left side.

It was the second assist for Tiffert, who assisted Brad Evans’ goal in the last Chivas matchup.

The game did not see another goal until the 89th minute. Alex Caskey played to Montero up the left sideline, and with two defenders marking him, Montero crossed into the box and hit Johnson in stride for a header past Chivas keeper Dan Kennedy.

Montero is second on the club with six assists.

It was the first home start for Zakuani since April 9, 2011, when he scored the game-winning goal in a 2-1 win over Chicago. In the 55th minute, he received a ball from Montero on the run, but his right-footed shot in the box was saved by Kennedy.

Seattle outshot Chivas, 13-7 (5-4 on goal), and earned six more corner kicks.

The Rave Green nearly scored in the 59th minute when Brad Evans hit the post. Johnson got into the box on a run after a ball from Zakuani. After a couple moves, he chipped a short cross to an open Evans at the far post, but his shot went off the woodwork.

MLS Reserve League Recap: Seattle Sounders FC 4 vs. Chivas USA 2 – September 9, 2012

Seattle scored three second-half goals as Sounders FC beat Chivas USA, 4-2, in the MLS Reserve League on Sunday at Starfire Stadium.

After trading a pair of first-half goals, Sounders FC came-from-behind in the final 45 minutes to earn a two-goal victory over Chivas USA, including the game-winner from Michael Seamon.

Seattle (3-4-1, 10 points) is now four points behind West Division leader San Jose with two games remaining, while the match marked the final game of Chivas’ (3-4-3, 12 points) reserve league season.

Seattle opened the scoring in the 22nd minute on a goal from guest player Eidur Gudjohnsen. Sammy Ochoa got the ball on the right flank and sent a low cross to the middle of the box, where Gudjohnsen knocked it inside the far post to put Sounders FC ahead, 1-nil.

Chivas then scored twice to take a 2-1 lead. Jose Correa netted the first-half equalizer in the 26th minute when he headed in a ball form the right side on an assist from Paulo Cardozo.

The Goats’ second goal came in the 60th minute on an own goal. Correa found Laurent Courtois with a backheel in the box but his initial shot was saved by Josh Ford. On his second attempt, Seattle defender Daniel Steres’ attempt to clear the ball off the line went into the net for an own goal.

Just two minutes later, Cordell Cato pulled Seattle level. Cato flew up the left flank in the 62nd minute, cut across his defender at the top of the box and blasted a low, right-footed shot inside the near post.

Sounders FC regained the lead in the 69th minute. Ochoa sent a cross into the box that deflected off of Andy Rose and Chivas keeper Tim Melia. In a scrum in the box, Seamon knocked the ball into the net for a 3-2 lead.

Seattle secured the win with a goal in the 90th minute. Guest player Seth C’deBaca got on the end of a ball from Seamon and scored just before the final whistle.

Seattle’s next MLS Reserve League game is on September 16 against the Portland Timbers. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. PT at JELD-WEN Field. Chivas

Date Change: Sounders FC to Host San Jose on September 22

As a reminder, Seattle’s match versus the San Jose Earthquakes originally scheduled for September 23 at CenturyLink Field has been moved to Saturday, September 22. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT on KONG 6/16.

Throw-ins

On Tuesday, September 11 Jhon Kennedy Hurtado will be at the Pro Shop to meet fans and sign autographs…Sounders FC Academy player Jalen Markey has been named to the U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team…Seattle has played the second-most Champions League games of any MLS team since qualifying for the 2010/11 tournament. Seattle has played 20 CCL games, two fewer than Toronto FC (22). LA Galaxy is third with 18 games played and Salt Lake is next at 14…Seattle’s Fredy Montero and Eddie Johnson are both one yellow card caution away from receiving a one-game suspension. Osvaldo Alonso, Marc Burch, Servando Carrasco, Leo Gonzalez, Andy Rose and Zach Scott are all two cards away from suspension. Montero is the only Seattle player cautioned in Champions League this year.