Why do we watch sports? We watch because of the drama and the intensity. This is exactly what was found in Saturday's game against the Chicago Fire. It was the moment where it was to be determined if Seattle had the ability to move forward from Freddie Ljungberg and the past and look toward the future.
Chicago struck first in the 28th minute off of a penalty. It seemed as though the daunting challenge of the Fire was going to prove to much for the Sounders. But shortly after Chicago's goal. Tyson Wahl found Fredy Montero alone at the top of the eighteen and whipped in a cross. Montero then settled the ball and rifled a shot far post to equalise in the 36th minute. The sellout crowd went wild.
The drama was almost unbearable as the score remained tied through the second hald. Freddie Ljungberg provoked by the intensity of the crowd found himself seeing yellow after throwing an elbow into Jeff Parke.
The tension finally broke all the way in stoppage time. in the 92nd minute Nathan Sturgis collected a throw in from James Riley. He looked up to see Fredy Montero heading far post and put the ball on Montero's head. Montero nodded the cross in for his tenth goal of the season and the Sounders first come from behind victory. Once again the electricity of Seattle was back and they had dowsed the Fire.
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As the regular season reaches edges closer to playoffs it seems that Sounders FC has found the form to be major Cup contenders. Forward Fredy Montero has been named July Player of the Month by registering either a goal or assist in the past nine games. The other Freddie is now no more than a faded ghost in Seattle's memory as newcomer Alvaro Fernandez of Uruguay has arrived and given the Sounders a new spark and sense of unity. All this came together last night as Seattle pinned the Houston Dynamo 2-0.
The first half was admittedly shaky as neither team could find a rhythm. Blaise Nkufo did find some space in the Houston defense and was able to blast a few shots on goal. But it was the second half where in the past Seattle has faltered that the Sounders really turned the heat onto the boys from Texas.
In the 61st minute, not long after a Houston goal was ruled offsides, Fredy Montero drew first blood as he chested a lobbed ball from Keller, spun his defender, and neatly tucked the ball in the far corner past Houston's keeper. Qwest Field went wild after a stunning goal that once again asserted Seattle as one of the top clubs in Major League Soccer. The Sounders hurled on the pressure as they possessed the ball and picked around the Dynamo defense. Seattle's defense was stalwart as Ianni and Parke smothered each attack and denied Houston's top forward Brian Ching any chance on goal.
As the game drew closer to its end Seattle struck again. This time it was Alvaro Frenandez who scored in the 88th minute. After coming on as a substitute for Zakuani, Fernandez or "El Flaco" as the team calls him, gave a calm to the Seattle midfield. For the goal, Nate Jaqua gave the ball to Montero who slotted the ball for Fernandez who broke away from Houston's defense and slotted the ball in for the second and game deciding goal. In the celebration Fernandez and Montero embrace and Fernandez pointed to Montero crediting him for his part in the goal. This is just one symbol of the revived Sounders, unified and ready to take on anyone.
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Finally the moment we have all been waiting for. The return of a Seattle franchise's winning mentality. This past Sunday night, the Seattle Sounders return to the form they displayed last year. With cutting pace and intensity the Sounders defeated the Colorado Rapids 2-1 although it felt for much of the game like Seattle was ahead by more.
Steve Zakuani opened the scoring in the seventh minute putting the ball near post past Pickens. Colorado's Omar Cummings responded with a cracking shot thirty seconds later but in the 17th minute Seattle regained the lead after midfielder Sanna Nyassi crossed the ball into the six yard box and Zakuani again put the ball in the back of the net. Zakuani nearly had a hat trick after getting on a breakaway and beating Pickens but the goal was unjustly overturned for offsides. Fredy Montero was extremely active as he was freed up by the departure of Freddie Ljungberg. Montero nearly scored the goal of the season when he nearly chipped Pickens from 40 yards out.
Kasey Keller also had a stellar game in the net producing some vital saves. With the strong performance of the team in the past few games the 40 year old was quoted as saying he "is looking forward to competing in 2011." The good just keeps getting better for the Sounders. Let's hope that for Seattle's sake they keep it going.
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After losing 3-2 to the DC United, the Sounders were craving for a chance to make up for that loss. That chance came last night as the Sounders played rough and scratched out a 1-0 victory over DC with an 87th minute goal from Roger Levesque. From the first whistle the game was open and physical.
Attacks ebbed and flowed from both sides as both teams were desperate for wins to turn around their season. The game was very tight and cramped for the Sounders in the first half as they compressed play in the middle of the field. This made it easy for DC to repel Seattle’s attacks in the first half.
Zakuani appeared frustrated on the outside and began drifting into the middle of the field to get on the ball but this only added to the overcrowding of the Seattle attack. With the start of the second half however, Seattle began to open up.
But mid way through the second half, the Sounders were scared speechless as Kasey Keller darted out to stop DC’s Najar from scoring a breakaway goal. Keller delayed the play but Seattle barely stopped a lobbed shot from Quaranta but Keller was left writhing in a heap of pain as his right foot was hit during the tackle. For a few minutes it was unclear as to whether Keller would carry on, but like a true professional Keller hobbled back to the goal and managed several more stunning saves throughout the second half.
The second half continued and Osvaldo Alonso returned for the Sounders and then it was really game on for Seattle. Alonso showed what Seattle had been missing as his deft distribution opened holes in the DC defense.
This pressure on DC gave way in the 87th minute as Fredy Montero got in behind the United back line and lofted a ball to the far post for Roger Levesque to head in for the late winner. With that the Sounders snapped a four game win-less streak and left Washington DC with higher hopes for the remainder of the season.
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With the World Cup closing with Spain winning its first title and a disappointing loss to the LA Galaxy, the Sounders were looking for some inspiring play. In Sunday night’s game against FC Dallas the Sounders seemed to find that spark even without Freddie Ljungberg. With the return of Nate Jaqua, Fredy Montero was again able to find his form.
As the creative energy for the attack, Montero moved on and off the ball exceedingly well as Jaqua was able to use his size to create space for Montero. In the 14th minute Montero capitalized on this newly freed space as James Riley served in an exquisite cross to a wide open Fredy Montero who smashed home the header for his sixth goal of the season.
Qwest Field erupted in a moment of ecstasy which has been missing for much of the game. It seemed as though the Sounders were on their way to win the first game in a very long while as the half ended with Seattle leading 1-0. The second half began in very much the same manner as Seattle dominated the field. Steve Zakuani combined with Fredy Montero to get in behind Dallas’ defense but was unable to find the back of the net.
In the 56th minute the game turned on its head as 18 year old phenom Miguel Montano was ejected with a questionable red card. Seattle was left with ten men and Dallas turned on the heat. Kasey Keller responded to the adversity with superb focus as he made two fantastic goal line saves. But Keller’s heroics proved not to be enough as Sanna Nyasi left Dallas’ Ferriera open and with a man short a well organized Seattle defense was unable to stop the shot that gave Ferriera the tying goal.
The Sounders left the field disappointed as a questionable red card and a poor instance of marking ruined what could have been a turnaround for the Sounders.
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It’s easy to forget amounts the current World Cup hype that MLS still has the second half of its season yet. And speaking of things we forget or would like to was the Sounders FC losing 3-1 to Philadelphia last week as MLS play resumed from its World Cup break. The Sounders struggled to retain possession throughout the match. Former beloved Sounder, Sebastien Le Toux, orchestrated the Union superbly. But in the 44th minute Pat Noonan scored for the Sounders against the run of play after a nice exchange between Steve Zakuani and Fredy Montero put him in on goal.
It seemed as though the Sounders would be able to rally past the Phili home crowd for a win in their first game back from the World Cup break. However, it was the Union who did the rallying as a penalty shot for them in the 54th minute by Le Toux and a missed penalty by Noonan allowed the Union to gain momentum and put two more goals past Keller for a 3-1 win. A chance for the Sounders to redeem themselves early after the break had crumbled.
But now a week later in the first round game of the U.S. Open Cup the Sounders showed a drive and resiliency to win despite some frustrating play (to say the least) and a tough opponent in northwest rival the Portland Timbers. Seattle struck first with a decent header from returning Nate Jaqua after a switched cross between Miguel Montano and Sanna Nyassi. Portland’s Dik’e equalized not long after and the score remained tied all the way through to a full 30 minute overtime and then to penalty kicks.
In the very end the clutch penalty fell to Zach Scott who had struggled through much of the match. But in this moment he was cool and collected as he drove his shot past Portland’s Steve Cronin to advance the Sounders to the quarter finals of the U.S. Open Cup, a glimmer of hope in an otherwise excruciating season.
no commentsA stunning victory last week and a chance against DC to secure another three points prior to the World Cup break and keep contact with the rest of competition. This chance was what the Sounders based their week around. But despite their hopes, the Sounders came up short in a 3-2 loss against the worst team in MLS.
The game started out positive. Seattle dominated possession and had majority of the scoring opportunities. However, the Sounders’ Achilles heel of putting the ball on frame early came back once again to rear its ugly head. After a plethora of shots by the Sounders, Chris Pontius capitalized on a poor clearance and shot the ball which deflected off of Jeff Parke and past Kasey Keller for the opening goal in the 39th minute. Pontius struck again at the 45th minute after Kasey Keller uncharacteristically mishandled the ball and watched it trickle into the net.
Keller was visibly distraught and commented after the game that performances like that make him question whether he will play another year. And it only got worse in the second half as Pontius completed his hat trick by heading a crossed ball which hit the post and luckily for Pontius and unluckily for the Sounders deflected into the net.
In addition there were also two missed penalties for the Sounders as James Riley and Roger Levesque were taken down in the box on two separate occasions. But there was still a little bit of light left in the evening as James Riley collected a pass from Nathan Sturgis and fired in a goal at the 90th minute and seconds later as Fredy Montero headed in a cross from Freddie Ljungberg in the 91st minute.
Next up for the Sounders is the World Cup break. The Sounders players and fans will likely spend this time watching Blaise Nkufo play for Switzerland as we all await his arrival. Following the break the Sounders have seventeen regular season fixtures left where hopefully they can turn it all around
no commentsTime: 7:00 PM
TV: ESPN 2
Finally the Sounders looked like that of last year. The ones that we grew to love and loved to watch. Leo Gonzalez got his first MLS goal, Steve Zakuani scoring, Fredy Montero getting back to old form, that just seems like he is having fun, and getting a goal and an assist, and Freddie Ljungberg going back to playing the game and having enjoying the game. With the 3-0 win it pulled the Sounders in a tie for 6th place and with building confidence. If the Sounders are able to pull this game out too they will pull up to 18 points and in 4th place in the conference. The Sounders want this win to have the confidence going into the World Cup break, have a .500 record and puts them in a good spot with new transfer Blaise Nkufo.
This is what the Sounders dream of to put them back into the playoffs at the end of the year. The team that they are going up against today is DC United. Last year this game could looked at as being one of the toughest on the schedule. Last year we tied and beat these guys in three tough games (remember the US Open Cup game where goalkeeper Wicks played a little jump on Montero?). This year though is a whole different story. They have not been able to get a steady goal scorer (Two players are tied with 2 goals for top), they have not been able to find a solid goalkeeper using two different ones through their first 11 games and through that they have only been able to win 2 games and tie 1. This is not the kind of team that should challenge the Sounders. After last week the Sounders should hopefully not disappoint against a worse team the New England, and especially at home. I see the Sounders winning 2-0 against a team like this.
Go Sounders!!
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With the upcoming World Cup break just two games away and Seattle sitting in second to last place in the western conference, the Sounders were in dire need of a win. Sigi Schmid moved to a 4-4-2 formation to try to maximize the Seattle offence and neutralise the danger of midfielder Sharlie Joseph. The alteration in formation paid off with Sounders FC steamrolling the New England Revolution 3-0 in the teams biggest win of this second season.
The party kicked off (no punn intended) in the fifth minute as defender Leo Gonzalez picked up the ball just off the corner of the eighteen yard box and rocketed a shot off the outside of his left boot into the net for the first goal. In the 24th minute Zakuani responed to Gonzalez’s wonder strike with an equally impressive volley from a Brad Evans assist giving Seattle a 2-0 lead. But the Rave Green were not finished yet. Nearing the end of the first half in the 43rd minute, Fredy Montero collected a flick from Pat Noonan, faked the defense twice and then slotted the ball under New Englands shellshocked rookie keeper Bobby Shuttleworth.
This match was an excellent example of why the Sounders still have a chance to make it far in this years MLS season. MLS is a league different from many other soccer leagues across the globe in that it is more about how a team finishes than starts. As was seen last year, the two teams in the MLS Cup Final, LA and Real Salt Lake, were both at 11 and 12 points at this point last year. Seattle has just about the same point value now. If the Sounders continue the intensity they displayed against the Revolution they will make a deep run in MLS this year. They will also have the presense of Blaise Nkufo after the World Cup shortly and this will no doubt help as well so long as Nkufo stays healthy. The future remains bright Sounders FC fans.
Note: In Switzerlands recent World Cup warm up friendly the same day as the Revolution win, Nkufo registered an assist. no comments
Time: 7:30 PM
TV: KONG 6/16
Ever since the 4-0 loss to the LA Galaxy nothing seems to be going the Sounders' way. Since that game they are 1-3 with their only win coming against New York Red Bull. It isn't because of a lack of shots, there just hasn't been any finishing of the shots or just any straight up energy. Nobody seems to know why we just cannot win. Sigi says that it is not the refs or anything else, but instead the Sounders themselves. Freddie Ljundberg is a little bit to blame too as he seems to be arguing with the refs more than playing the game. Injuries could also be to blame as the Sounders are missing two main defenders in Alonso and Hurtado and a big striker in Jaqua. Whatever it is, the Sounders need to finish these last two games strong to build some confidence going into the World Cup break.
This week the Sounders will be playing the New England Revolution. New England, schedule wise, seems to be very similar to the Sounders as each team has 3 wins and the rest are a mix of ties and losses. The main attack for the Revolution is Zack Schilawski who has scored 5 goals this season. Outside of Schilawski there is no other big scoring threat. The Sounders need to come out strong against this similar team that is low scoring and more defensive. What I would like to see from this game is Montero to take more free kicks as he is very dangerous and Ljundberg to stop arguing with the refs and just play the game. With such a huge advantage of home field for the Sounders they need to take care of teams at home. I see this being a close game, but the Sounders pulling it out with a 1-0 win (I hope).
Go Sounders!!
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