The Sounders have released the following statements from Nate Jaqua's lawyer, David Angeli, and the Jaqua family, concerning the sexual assult claimed in an Oregon civil suit.

The suit is mentioned briefly at the end of our Sounders' story in today's paper.

Here are the statements:

STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF NATE JAQUA
With respect to the civil suit filed in the Circuit Court of the State of Oregon for Multnomah County, David Angeli, Attorney at Law, issued the following statement today on behalf of his client, Nate Jaqua:

“Nate Jaqua was shocked to learn of these allegations. The Complaint – which has not even been served on Nate – is baseless. It alleges events that purportedly took place two years ago. In the past two years, Nate has never been contacted by the police, the District Attorney’s Office, the plaintiff, her lawyer, or anyone else regarding these allegations. Nate has confidence in the legal system and is certain that these allegations will be proven to be false.”

STATEMENT OF THE FAMILY OF NATE JAQUA
The family of Nate Jaqua – his father Jon and mother Connie – today issued the following statement on behalf of Nate Jaqua with regards to the civil suit filed in the Circuit Court of the State of Oregon for Multnomah County on June 30, 2009. The family received a copy of the civil suit yesterday:

“The allegations contained in this civil lawsuit are completely incompatible with everything that the people closest to Nate know about him. Nate is a terrific person. At age 28, he’s never been in trouble in his life. He was born and raised in Eugene and has always been committed to making positive contributions to our community.

“Looking at this Complaint, the circumstances under which it was filed, and based on everything that Connie and I know about Nate, we can only conclude that the plaintiff in this case is a troubled young woman. The incident allegedly took place more than two years ago. In the intervening two years, the plaintiff apparently never reported any incident to the police. She apparently never went to the District Attorney. Neither she nor her lawyer ever approached Nate or us, his family. Instead, her initial platform for making these very troubling and detailed allegations of criminal conduct is a civil lawsuit demanding $10 million, filed just one day before the statute of limitations would have extinguished her ability to demand money.

“We steadfastly support Nate during this difficult time and will continue to do so.”

The Sounders have announced the signing of fourth-round pick Michael Fucito, the midfielder from Harvard. However, you likely won't be seeing him until next month, due to injury.

Here's a story I wrote when Fucito began working out with the club last month. And here's the release from the club:

The Seattle Sounders FC signed midfielder Michael Fucito, the club’s fourth-round selection in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft out of Harvard, the club announced today. Per Major League Soccer and club policy, terms were not disclosed.

Fucito, who has been diagnosed with sesamoiditis in his right foot, has been placed on the disabled list for all MLS matches through August 15. He will be eligible to play in U.S. Open Cup and friendly matches prior to that date. Fucito has been added to the roster as Senior Development player.

“Fucito adds for us a left-sided player, and we don’t have many left-footed players on our team,” said Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid. “He can play wide left and can also play up front. He’s a little bit different player; he’s quick with a low center of gravity, so he’s different from the other forwards we have.”

Fucito, 23, was taken by Seattle with the 46th pick overall in the draft. He was a second team All-American as a senior, leading the Ivy League in total points and helping Harvard reach the second round of the 2008 NCAA tournament. Fucito finished as the Crimson’s No. 4 career scorer with 32 goals and 24 assists.

Due to injuries, Fucito played in only three preseason games for Seattle, scoring one goal. He rejoined the team for training in early June following his graduation.

Transaction: Seattle Sounders (MLS) – Signed MF Michael Fucito; placed on disabled list

Position: Midfielder
Height: 5-9
Weight: 165
Birthdate: 3/29/1986
Hometown: Westford, Massachusetts
College: Harvard
Pronunciation: fuh-SEE-toe

The U.S. men's national team has wrapped up its final training session before beginning its CONCACAF Gold Cup run tomorrow at Qwest Field against Granada.

We got a few words in with coach Bob Bradley today and some of the players, including Brad Evans, who has been called in with the national team for the first time.

A midfielder with the Sounders, Evans is playing right back with the national team. And though he doesn't yet know if he'll start, play, or even be in uniform tomorrow, he said he's enjoying the experience and learning from it.

A few of his remarks:

Comparing national team play to club team play:
It’s a little bit different. It’s different to be with all Americans. It’s a different feeling, for sure; it’s a different attitude a little bit. It’s a great feeling.

On playing right back:
I feel pretty comfortable there. I played there a little bit with the under-20s (national team). Having familiarity with different positions is always an advantage. ... It’s a lot of looking over your shoulder. As long as you’re in line with the last line of defense, there’s a big gap between you and the goalkeeper, so it’s a little bit looking over your shoulder, it’s a little bit that the guys on the outside are all going to have speed. So, for sure a little bit different, a little bit more simple: You can’t take as many chances. But the concepts are still pretty much the same.

On wearing the red, white and blue on the Fourth of July:
It’s going to be pretty emotional for sure. You’ve got to try to soak it in; it’s all going to go by in the snap of a finger. But soak it in the best you can and try to put out a good performance and get a good result. ... If I get on the field it will be nice. It’s great to play in front of the home fans for sure. It would be nice if we could get some support. It’s going to be a big advantage for us for sure in that stadium. ... The butterflies are there, but good butterflies."

US national team coach Bob Bradley was part of a conference call today, talking about the USA-Granada game Saturday at Qwest Field, which starts the U.S. defense of the CONCACAF Gold Cup title. (Some of this is also covered in my story in the Friday paper.)

Here's Bradley's answer to my question about Seattle as the site and the Fourth of July as the date:

“To answer the second part first, it is always special to hear the National Anthem and I think on the Fourth of July there’s a little bit extra there. We are excited to be opening up the Gold Cup; the fact that it’s in Seattle is great in many ways, but as an organization they have done a tremendous job of getting themselves going on the right foot. Their team is very good, fun to watch, I think anybody who has seen any of their games, whether live at Qwest Field or on TV can see the passion their fans have for the team. You see jerseys all over the city. I mentioned earlier that the training facility is first class. They deserve credit for how they went about bringing their team into the league, and I think it’s great that we’re beginning the Gold Cup here.”

Bradley also was asked asked about Sounders midfielder Brad Evans, who has been called in to the national team:

“Brad is a player that had a good season in Columbus last year and I think has really been an important part of Seattle’s success throughout the first part of this season. He’s a very good competitor, he’s athletic, and we also know that he’s had some experience in the past with our Under-20 team. So, I think it’s a very good time to assess him in the group, and, so far in training it’s just what you expect. He works very hard, has a great attitude and now we’ll have a chance going forward in this tournament to see more.”

This just in...

The Seattle Sounders FC have signed Costa Rican defender Leonardo Gonzalez, it was announced today. Per Major League Soccer and club policy, terms were not disclosed. Gonzalez’s signing will be finalized upon receipt of his P-1 work permit and International Clearance.

Gonzalez, 28, will join Sounders FC after completing his call in to the national team for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. He has been capped 59 times by Costa Rica, including three starts during the 2006 World Cup.

“It’s nice to have to have a naturally left-footed player. He can play left back, play center back in a pinch, and he can also play wide and run the whole line for us,” said Sigi Schmid, Sounders FC coach. “He is an attacking left fullback with good size and athleticism. He’s very willing to get forward out of a defensive position and does a good job defensively.”

Costa Rica currently leads the final round of 2010 World Cup qualifying in CONCACAF. There are five qualifiers remaining, beginning August 12 at Honduras.

The Ticos open Gold Cup play on July 3 against El Salvador in Los Angeles. They face Jamaica in Columbus on July 7 and complete group play versus Canada on July 10 in Miami. The Gold Cup runs through July 26, with the final being played in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Gonzalez last played for Liberia Mia, newly crowned champion of the Costa Rican first division. Previously he was with Club Sport Herediano, which was runner-up in 2007.

Transaction: Seattle Sounders (MLS) – Signed MF Leo Gonzalez

Position: Defender
Height: 6-1
Weight: 174
Birthdate: 11/21/1980
Hometown: San Jose, Costa Rica
Last Club: Liberia Mia (Costa Rica)

Here's my game story. Sounders advance to the U.S. Open Cup and will meet Kansas City at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Starfire. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday.

However, the Sounders seemed to have fun tonight far beyond merely advancing in the Cup. Everyone seemed really energized to play in a stadium with this kind of buzz tonight.

As we were doing our interviews outside the locker room, we could hear the Sounders singing: "Jingle bells, jingle bell, jingle all the way; oh was fun it is (something something) when the Sounders win away."

I'm not sure if they showed it on TV, but the Roger Levesque also had a little fun after his first-minute goal put Seattle ahead.

“I actually had a celebration planned with Nate Jaqua, running over to the corner: I was the tree and he cut me down, and I kind of fell over,” Lesveque said. “That was for the fans. We were just disappointed it was on this end of the field and not over (by the Timbers Army supporters group).”

While clearly enjoying himself, Levesque also gave the Timbers supporters their due.

“I’ve played a lot of games on this pitch,” he said. “I’ve had some good memories and I’ve also been on the other end of it. … They’ve always had a really strong support system – the best in the USL hands down. We didn’t expect anything less tonight. The atmosphere was absolutely amazing. Whether that Timbers Army is booing you or cheering for you, it’s great for soccer in the Northwest.”

Sounder after Sounder praised the crowd. Kasey Keller even implied -- perhaps seriously -- that he might extend his career to 2011 so that he'll be around for Seattle's rivalries with Portland and Vancouver.

“This rivalry is going to be tremendous,” Sounders goalkeeper Kasey Keller said. “When the stadium gets revamped a little bit more, they get stands around the whole field, the put a better surface down, there’s going to be some good football played here. And I think everyone’s extremely excited about 2011. I really see myself having to play at least one more year (after the current two-year contract) because I really want to be a part of this if my body’s willing.”

As for what happened on the pitch, coach Sigi Schmid seemed happy too, with reservations.

“Obviously we got off to a great start: We scored a great early goal,” Schmid said. “The second goal was well-taken, as well. We were around the goal at times. We let them back in it by giving up the goal late in the first half. … But that’s what these games are. They aren’t always pretty. Sometimes they’re the kinds of games where you have to roll up your sleeves and that’s what we did in the second half.”

The Sounders return to league action July 11, when the league-leading Houston Dynamo visits Qwest Field.

=> Read more!

Just arrived in Portland to find this notice:

The Portland Timbers today announced that the team will place 400 standing-room-only tickets on sale for tonight’s U.S. Open Cup match against Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders FC. The standing-room-only tickets will be available exclusively at the PGE Park box office on 18th and Morrison beginning at 5 p.m. tonight.

The standing-room-only tickets are $15. Ticket orders will be limited to four (4) per person. As of noon today, only a select few seats remained for tonight’s match.

Gates open at 6 p.m. for tonight’s 7 p.m. match against Seattle, and fans are encouraged to arrive early as the result of the expected sellout crowd for the third-round U.S. Open Cup match between the two Northwest rivals.

By the way, it is full-sun down here, hot and getting hotter. The temperature is suppose to peak just under 90 and should still be in the 80s for most of the game.