Sounders Speak: Sigi Schmid’s Recent Observations

The Seattle Sounders have plenty of games scheduled for the busy period following the World Cup break. On Sunday afternoon the Sounders will be in action in Chester, Pennsylvania.  The team will face the Philadelphia Union at their new soccer specific home. The next MLS competition will be July 4 on the road against the Western Conference leaders, the Los Angeles Galaxy.  On July 11 the Sounders will return home to entertain FC Dallas. The Sounders then travel to face D.C. United at RFK Stadium July 15. There is also plenty of activity outside the MLS.  The Sounders are in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup third round competition.  U.S. Soccer has now bracketed Seattle and the Portland Timbers with the L.A. Galaxy and AC St. Louis in Division 2. The Sounders and Timber will square off June 30 in Portland. The Sounders FC-Portland winner advances to the quarterfinal round to meet the L.A. Galaxy-St. Louis winner on either July 6 (St. Louis) or July 7 (L.A. Galaxy). On July 18 Seattle will host the internationally round Celtic FC in a highly anticipated friendly. Also on the international front, the Sounders host Metapan of El Salvador June 28 as part of the CONCACAF competition. The return leg is scheduled ...

MLS: Seattle Sounders Set for Deja Vu Clash With Philadelphia Union

It's déjà vu time for the Seattle Sounders.  They hope to reconnect with the good times from their first meeting with the Philadelphia Union, who the Sounders visit Sunday afternoon. It was a grand evening when Seattle opened the season against the Philadelphia visitors in the MLS opener, as 36,241 fans at the Xbox pitch of Qwest Field saw the home team prevail 2-0 over the Eastern visitors. First half goals by strikers Fredy Montero and Brad Evans supplied all the necessary scoring, as the defense shut down Philadelphia and the Sounders began the season on a winning note. The following week, Seattle looked for momentum in the form of a second win in a row when trouble ensued, revealing early the kind of topsy turvy activity that has defined their season to this point. The Sounders hosted the New York Red Bulls and lost 1-0, despite tough defense coupled with successful ball possession offense. The locals set a team record for corner kicks, with 12, but ended up with an upset loss due to their inability to convert scoring opportunities. The Sounders hope to prevent that pattern from this point forward. Just before the World Cup break, following a stirring 3-0 home win over the New England Revolution, Seattle hoped to carry a ...

Chris Pontius Hat Trick Leads DC United Past Seattle Sounders, 3-2

Southern California native Chris Pontius came west and scored three goals to boost DC United past the Seattle Sounders, 3-2, Thursday night before 36,146 fans on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field. Pontius, who starred at the University of California Santa Barbara and was DC United’s first pick of the 2009 draft, broke the scoring ice at the 39 minute mark with one of two unassisted goals of the initial stanza.  The second came at the 44 minute mark. The opening goal was a 25-yard effort that shot off of Seattle midfielder Patrick Ianni’s back and landed in the back of the net after catching goalkeeper Kasey Keller going the wrong way. DC United’s second score was a drive from 17 yards out that deflected off the hands of Keller and rolled inside the left post. The game matched a pattern of Sounders' performances in other close games lost, the difference being that in previous instances the team was often shut out by a 1-0 score that proved a jinx.  The Sounders believed that the figurative monkey had been removed from their backs with Saturday night’s 3-0 triumph over the New England Revolution. Seattle Coach Sigi Schmid following the team’s Tuesday practice at Qwest Field ...

Sigi Schmid Pleased By Seattle Sounders Preparation

The practice at the Xbox Pitch of Qwest Field Tuesday morning left Seattle Sounders Coach Sigi Schmid pleased. It was reminiscent of last Thursday’s practice prior to Saturday night’s home clash against the New England Revolution.  The pacing and skilled effectiveness of the first half resulted in a 3-0 lead, which was ultimately the final score. Many thought that the spirited practices leading up to the New England game proved to be a strong victory catalyst. Schmid is hoping that the same pattern will assert itself Thursday night in Seattle as the Sounders host DC United.  With a victory, the Sounders can move up to the .500 mark. “Well, definitely we want to do well in this game,” Schmid said in a news conference following Tuesday’s practice.  “What we did against New England was just one game. It was just one step so we have got to take a lot more steps to get ourselves back to where we want to be. But the spirit of the squad is good. I thought training today was good, the finishing was sharp. If we can continue to build upon what we did on Saturday, we will be okay.” The Sounders coach then commented on DC United’s defense: “Well, ...

Fredy Montero, Seattle Sounders’ Determined Striker With Tangible Goals

Fredy Montero is someone who got his first pro soccer tryout with Deportivo Cali at the age of 13. He impressed enough to be signed after just one session. In the manner of accomplished athletes, the Sounders striker embellishes on natural talent with solid effort and a determined resolve to achieve.  He is a player who will unabashedly set goals and talk about them. A forward known for his blazing speed, Montero is determined to convert scoring opportunities into goals.  After the recent 3-0 friendly win against Boca Juniors at the Xbox pitch at Qwest Field, I caught up with him and asked if he had a scoring goal/projection for the current MLS campaign. “My objective is to score 20 goals,” he quickly replied.  “Playing soccer in Colombia with a shorter season I would have a goal more like 12 or 14 goals.  But in Major League Soccer there is a longer season.  Because it is longer my goal is to score 20 goals.” Saturday night the Sounders played its best half of the season.  The team scored three first half goals en route to an impressive 3-0 victory over the New England Revolution.  Montero supplied one of the goals.  Fellow striker Steve Zakuani scored a ...

Seattle Sounders Speak: Sigi Schmid, Kasey Keller on Shutout Win

“Now about what we should have done … “ The speaker was Seattle Sounders Coach Sigi Schmid at the postgame press conference following his team’s impressive 3-0 shutout victory Saturday night over the New England Revolution at the Xbox pitch of Qwest Field. Schmid stopped himself and smiled, having played his little joke on the media. “Oh, I was so used to talking about what we should have done right,” he smiled, prompting laughter from the group. How much easier to laugh, how far more delightful things are after you have scored an impressive win with a superb balance of offense and defense as the home team unveiled Saturday. Schmid was jokingly referring to those moments following good efforts with solid defense and decent ball possession when the kicks did not fall into the net and a 270 minute MLS home scoreless streak resulted. The Sounders coach was plainly delighted with Saturday’s effort and was delighted over the productive three goal output in the first half and a 19-2 goal edge over the course of 90 minutes against an Eastern Conference foe that had tasted victory twice against the Emerald City crew last season. “We created opportunities and were in a good opportunity to strike,” Schmid said.  ...

MLS: Seattle Sounders Shut Out New England Revolution 3-0

It was one of those dramatic moments, the kind often captured in the better sports films. A player stepped into the spotlight at a key moment and provided the victory-launching spark in an important, team-defining game. Such was the case with Costa Rican defender Leo Gonzalez, who gave his team that needed spark with an early goal that set the tone for the rest of the game. The momentum fueled the Seattle Sounders in their 3-0 shutout victory over the New England Revolution at the Xbox pitch of Qwest Field Saturday night. A crowd of 36,344, the largest to watch an MLS Sounders home match this season, felt the electricity of the moment when Gonzalez delivered his goal. A symbolic fog lifted over the stadium as the Sounders scoring slump evaporated.  Gonzalez’ timely goal shattered a 270 minute home scoreless drought in MLS play. His contribution was anticipated, based on recent efforts. In the disappointing 1-0 road loss to the Colorado Rapids last week, in which the Sounders defense performed capably, Gonzalez demonstrated solid instinct. The rangy defender repelled, compromising Colorado opportunities on numerous occasions. On Saturday, those instincts went to work early on the offensive side of the ball, near the Revolution goal. It was another one of ...

Seattle Sounders Fans: The MLS Season is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

After a promising opening season in 2009 where the chips basically fell into place, Seattle Sounders fans became rocked by the team’s current inability to score goals and win games against Western Conference rivals. The Sounder faithful need to step back and consider what was being said before last Saturday’s contest at Colorado.  It was mentioned that last year’s edition of the Rapids fell barely short of qualifying for the MLS playoffs. The team that edged out the Coloradans did so on the strength of goals scored.  It is interesting to note which team that was and how it acquitted itself thereafter. It was Real Salt Lake that barely scratched its way into the playoffs just ahead of Colorado by earning the fifth spot. What happened to the Utah squad? It fought its way into the MLS Cup championship match against the L.A. Galaxy and emerged with the title following its win on the Xbox pitch of Qwest Field. Real Salt Lake proved a point.  The MLS season is far from a sprint.  It is instead a marathon. At the end of that marathon the important second season begins, the playoffs.  The Utah team jelled at just the right time and a championship resulted. The Sounders have two ...

Casey Goal Nets 1-0 Colorado Rapids Triumph Over Seattle Sounders

Sometimes a pre-match discussion scenario forecasts what will happen on the field and this was one of those occasions as Colorado Rapids scored a 1-0 victory over the Seattle Sounders. Prior to Saturday night’s MLS matchup between the host Rapids and the visiting Sounders, an observation was made about forward Conor Casey that highlighted how the game was ultimately decided. To paraphrase a famous saying, “Hell hath no fury like a prospective World Cup player scorned.” Casey, a former Portland University flash named “Freshman of the Year”, had 2000 Olympic Games experience and was hopeful of landing on this year’s U.S. World Cup team.  Forecasters said that the sturdy, broad-shouldered Casey would have increasing motivation to show his worth as a star player in the upcoming MLS match against the Sounders. In addition to the motivation factor, the warning was conveyed that here was a player due to reach the scoreboard.  Casey has scored three goals this season, but all were on penalty kicks.  It was the unfortunate destiny of the Emerald City squad to be in the path of a seemingly inevitable result, that of a key scorer finally producing a goal. In a tug of war before a sellout crowd of 18,116 at ...

Seattle Sounders’ Sigi Schmid Takes Glossy Record Into Colorado

Seattle Sounders FC hopes to reverse its seasonal Western Conference fortunes by scoring victory No. 1 against the Colorado Rapids in a 6 p.m. Pacific Time matchup at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. The Sounders hope that some of the Sigi Schmid coaching magic will furnish them with an edge over the Rapids.  An MLS legend at Columbus Crew prior to taking the Seattle job, Sigi Schmid has carved out an impressive record against the Colorado team. Schmid’s lofty slate stands at 15-9-7 against the Rapids.  In his last 12 meetings against Colorado, his mark is even more impressive with one lone loss and an overall record of 5-1-6. This encounter, the first Saturday night game of the year for the Rapids, will find the home club looking for its initial win over the Sounders since the Emerald City contingent joined the MLS. Last season, the Sounders notched a 2-2 tie with Colorado at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.  One month later, Seattle shut out its opponent 3-0 at the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field in the second of two meetings ever between the two teams. Both clubs were in action last Wednesday night with Seattle enjoying a much better result.  Seattle blanked international Argentine power Boca ...