The Sounders are coming up to an interesting month of their schedule where they leave league play a little and begin meeting teams of different levels: Wednesday against the Timbers, mid-month against Chelsea, early next month against Barcelona.

I asked Kasey Keller about the stretch a little bit on Sunday, and while he admitted pressure when Seattle visits Portland, he also pointed out that there would be no pressure when the Sounders meet Chelsea

“Actually it’s kind of cool, to be honest,” he said. “I mean let’s not kid ourselves, this Open Cup game on Wednesday is a big deal. But after that you’re looking at the Chelsea game, which is fun. There’s no pressure there, we’re supposed to (lose), and it doesn’t mean anything. So for us, it’s an opportunity to get some guys a chance to play against some world-class opposition, and test themselves. So that’s kind of a fun week just to kind of switch off mentally and just be ready physically.”

And really he's right, even forgetting the perceived level of any of the teams, simply because Portland is cup play, while Chelsea is a pure friendly.

But then this afternoon, I was interviewing Portland coach Gavin Wilkinson, and he also weighed in pretty heavily with the expectations game, saying all the pressure will be on Seattle on Wednesday.

“Seattle cannot lose to Portland,” he said. “Seattle is an MLS team. For us it’s a matter of going in, enjoying the experience and playing the game. For Seattle, they’re taking a huge step in going to MLS, and this is a game they must win. The urgency of the game, while I think they’re looking forward to it, they also understand the seriousness of the event.”

Anyway, I think it's a fascinating part of the schedule coming up, and that's what I wrote about in the Tuesday paper.

Sounders forward Nate Jaqua was selected as MLS Player of the Week after scoring two goals and assisting the other in Seattle's 3-0 win over Colorado on Sunday.

Here's part of the MLS announcement:

This is his first Player of the Week honor since Week 10 of 2005 when he recorded his first career hat trick, as a member of the Chicago Fire, in a 5-2 victory over Chivas USA. Jaqua, a standout at the University of Portland, was drafted third overall by the Chicago Fire in 2003. The eight-year veteran has played for the Chicago Fire, Los Angeles Galaxy and won MLS Cup 2007 with the Houston Dynamo. He has three career appearances with the U.S. Men’s National Team. For more on Jaqua’s award click here.

The Major League Soccer Player of the Week is selected each week of the MLS regular season by a panel of journalists from The North American Soccer Reporters (NASR).

I'm a member of the NASR, and Jaqua was my top vote this week. We're allowed two, and my second went to LA keeper Donovan Ricketts who was in goal last night as the Galaxy shutout league-leading Houston.

The Sounders went through a shorter-than-normal practice today at Starfire, turning their attention to their US Open Cup match Wednesday at Portland.

Osvaldo Alonso is certainly out of the game with the abductor strain he suffered yesterday. Brad Evans will be off with the U.S. national team. Tyrone Marshall will be off with the Jamaican national team. Steve Zakuani hasn't been ruled out, but the vibe I got is that they'll rest him again, hoping to have his ankle fully recovered in time for Houston's visit July 11. And coach Sigi Schmid said he probably won't decide on his goalkeeper until tomorrow, when the team practices at PGE Park.