Freddie Ljungberg did not return to Sounders training today, apparently still feeling the effects of his migraines.

However, Fredy Montero did train, and there has still be no official announcement about his joining the Colombian national team.

Also working today was defender Leonardo Gonzalez, who was signed almost a month ago and has finally met his new club after duty with the Costa Rican national team.

Here are some quotes from Gonzalez, translated by the Sounders:

On joining Sounders FC: “It’s a good opportunity to play in Seattle with an MLS team that is doing a lot of good things in the league. I am excited to be able to try to contribute to the team.”

On choosing Sounders FC: “I had a chance to come a couple of months ago, and I had a chance to meet the team and see the city. Immediately, I saw what the team was trying to accomplish. It’s a new team, but I saw that they had great ambitions in this league. I think it is a great opportunity for me as a player to grow and continue my career.”

On his style of play: “I am a left back who is technically pretty sound. I like to get forward in the attack. I feel like I am pretty good defensively, and I want to be somebody who can do my role and do whatever it takes to allow the team to have success.”

On how he fits with the Sounders: “I had the opportunity to watch some games in Costa Rica and see the way the team plays. I think I can fit in well with a system that likes to get forward and to attack. I can be able to fit into the style of the team.”

SIGI SCHMID on Gonzalez: “He just got in last night so we wanted him to just take part in the warm-up and train with the team a little bit, do a little work with Dave (Tenney), and got him in on the crossing and finishing. In the first game, here’s somebody who is really important: You don’t want to throw him in there before he has really got a little bit of knowledge of the team and integration in the team. He is obviously somebody we are looking at at the left back position. He can also play wide left and midfield. He can play as a center back as well.”

On Gonzalez playing at San Jose on Sunday: “We will see how he feels. He has got a physical scheduled for this afternoon. We will see how he feels (Saturday) morning and then we will make our final decision. ... You always want to bring a new player into a good situation. You don’t want to make it a difficult situation.”

Here's past of a disciplinary release from MLS:

The MLS Disciplinary Committee has also fined Seattle Sounders FC midfielder Freddie Ljungberg $500 for failure to leave the field in a timely and orderly manner after he was issued a red card in the 59th minute of Seattle’s match versus the Chicago Fire on Saturday, July 25.

As one of the League’s official Charities of Choice, the US Soccer Foundation is the recipient of all player fines at the end of each season. Those fines are added to the Foundation’s Annual Grants Pool from which the Board of Directors awards grants to soccer clubs and organizations that serve economically disadvantaged children in urban areas. To learn more about the Foundation, please visit www.ussoccerfoundation.org.

More information at MLSnet.com.

The remainer of the disciplinary release noted that Real Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis was $3,000 and suspended one game for actions that led to his dismissal in Real Salt Lake’s game versus FC Dallas on July 24.

The one-game suspension in in addition to the game suspention that is automatic for the dismissal. Therefore, he will mess RSL's next two games ... the second of which is vs. the Sounders.

This is supposed to be mostly a vacation day for me, but I'm checking with the Sounders for any updates on Ljungberg or Montero or the arrival of the new defender from Costa Rica. If I hear back on any of that, I'll post.

Meanwhile, here's my story from today's paper, which is mostly on Ljungberg and the team returning its attention to the regular season and San Jose.

Here's the Earthquakes coverage from the San Jose Mercury News.

Here's the Quakes official website.

And here's a link to information on the Heritage Cup, which will be awarded Sunday.

Also, with me mostly away today, feel free to use the comments section as a forum for any soccer info you'd like to discuss.

Several reports -- none yet confirmed by the Sounders -- that All-Star and leading scorer Fredy Montero will join the Colombia nation team for a friendly match against El Salvador in Houston on Aug. 7.

Here is one of the reports.

The Sounders play at San Jose on Sunday, then a friendly of their own Aug. 5 against Barcelona, then return to league play Aug. 8 at Salt Lake.

Sounds like Freddie Ljungberg was feeling well enough to travel. This just came in from the Associated Press:

Seattle Sounders FC midfielder Freddie Ljungberg is back in the Seattle area after being taken to the hospital following the MLS All-Star game in Sandy, Utah.

Sounders spokesman Zac Kaplan said Thursday morning that Ljungberg had returned to the area, but wasn’t sure when the Swedish star got back.

Kaplan says the migraine that sent Ljungberg to the hospital following Wednesday’s All-Star game isn’t as bad as a severe migraine Ljungberg suffered earlier this season that forced him to miss two games.

Ljungberg was photographed leaving Rio Tinto Stadium on a stretcher following the MLS All-Star’s loss on penalty kicks to Everton from the English Premier League.

Ljungberg had the final shot for the MLS, but his chip attempt was saved by Everton keeper Tim Howard.

And the Sounders have provided this update from coach Sigi Schmid:

“We hope he is OK. He went straight home, and we will see how he is. He is one of the few guys who played 90 minutes in a little bit of heat, a little bit of altitude. Again, we know what his diet requirements are and what he can and can’t eat. It is possible that there was a trace of something that he shouldn’t have in the food. That might have triggered it as well. But, it is not nearly what it was the last time, and we expect him to be able to recover fairly quickly.”

Moments after Tim Howard slapped away a Freddie Ljungberg penalty kick to give Everton a win in the MLS All-Star game, Ljungberg was carted off the field complaining of loss of vision and the onset of a migraine.

He was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.

Ljungberg had played all 90 minutes of the game, which began at Rio Tinto Stadium with temperatures at 84 degrees.

Ljungberg has a histroy of migraines and had missed time earlier this season because of them. At the time, he explained that he usually gets them once a year and isn’t sure what causes them.

There isn't likely to be any more news tonight. I'm traveling Thursday but I've asked my editors to post any news they might receive while I'm unavailable.

Even five PKs weren't enough. But on the sixth, Tim Howard reached back to tap away the shot by Freddie Ljungberg, giving Everton the win. It's the first MLS loss after five wins in this All-Star format.

Howard was honored as MVP.

Apparently no coaches or players we spoke to after the game knew about the Ljungberg situation (see post above) as the coach Dominic Kinnear spoke purely about the game and his team's effort, and Kasey Keller spoke mostly about having had a good time, and the pure oddity of leaving a game and then subbing back in -- which is quite common in the Federal Way over-40 league, but apparently less so in international competition.

Some of those quotes:

KINNEAR overview: “It took us a while to get going. I think in the first 10 or 15 minutes we were a bit nervous. But I think we settled down and played some good stuff. … We had some good chances in the second half taken away by the post and Tim Howard’s play.”

KELLER on Howard:

“Tim was great. He made a couple of key saves and he obviously made a couple of good penalty saves. Tim was solid, and that’s nothing more than to be expected.”

KELLER on subbing back in, and going to penalty kicks:

“That was a little interesting. It was the first time I’ve started and subbed back in in the same game in a while. It was a fun game. … I thought for the majority of the game we were the better team. We had our chances to win the game. … Penalties are penalties. Why we went to penalties, I don’t know.”

KELLER on his first All-Star game as compared to other competitions: "I would say probably similar to the Chelsea game where both teams took it seriously and they did well, but at the same time you can never replicate a game that matters."

The Sounders will return to league play Sunday at San Jose.

=> Read more!

I've finally gotten a chance to take a deeper look at the Salt Lake papers today, and there's no shortage of Sounders items in there.

The main photo on the Desert News shows a picture from the all-stars/media gathering yesterday at Rio Tinto Stadium. Four interview clusters are clearly visitble: Dominic Kinnear, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Fredy Montero and Kasey Keller. (Both traveling sportswriters covering the Sounders are visible too.)

Inside the section, the News gives its MLS rankings, and the Sounders have moved to the top. The text says: "Six-game unbeating streak vaults Sounders to the No. 1 rankings." (Which isn't really gramatical, but...)

An inside story has a story on the MLS and Everton goalkeepers Kasey Keller and Tim Howard, with pictures of each.

The Salt Lake Tribune has a good inside spread on the game, including a list of both rosters with a quick one-sentence summary for each player. Here's what they had to say about the Sounders:

FREDDIE LJUNGBERG
Latest global star to join league has been key for Sounders.

FREDY MONTERO
Young star for Sounders among the league's top scorers.

KASEY KELLER
Longtime national star, arguably best American keeper ever.

JHON KENNEDY HURTADO
One of four Sounders on team has been rock in central defense.

It's MLS All-Star day. Here's my preview story from this morning's paper, dealing mostly with the four Sounders.

Meanwhile, here's a note from the MLS preview, which implies the MLS plans to put its offensive assets on display for the ESPN2 prime-time audience:

Although MLS All-Stars Coach Dominic Kinnear will make his final decisions on a starting lineup Wednesday, he tentatively plans to field a 3-4-3 alignment with four of the most productive players in the League this season leading the attack.

Colorado Rapids targetman Conor Casey will spearhead the attack and look to dish to crafty wingers Cuauhtémoc Blanco and Fredy Montero. Orchestrating the midfield will be Seattle Sounders FC’s darting Swede, Freddie Ljungberg, flanked by Houston Dynamo creators Stuart Holden and Brad Davis. The MLS All-Stars front six have totaled 30 goals and 29 assists just past the halfway point of the season.

Anchoring the center could be Kyle Beckerman, making his first All-Star appearance in front of his own Real Salt Lake fans. The back line is likely to feature three imposing, athletic and skillful defenders – Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew) between Wilman Conde (Chicago Fire) and Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo). In goal will be U.S. national team great Kasey Keller, also of Sounders FC.

Meanwhile, local papers have done a nice job with their pregame covers: Here's the Salt Lake Tribune, here's the Deseret News.

Here's the Everton site.

I'll report back from the stadium in the late afternoon and then keep a running blog going from the game.

Sounders speak: A few thoughts from the four Sounders All-Stars:

KASEY KELLER on representing his league rather than his country: "I think any time you’re selected for any kind of honor, it’s always exactly that: It’s an honor, so that’s how I took it. It’s nice to be named, and I’m going to come here and represent the league, and I’m proud to be back and proud to be an All-Star and I’ll do my best to keep Everton out of the goal."

FREDY MONTERO on whether he'd rather have the All-Star break away from the game: "There’s no doubt that I’d rather be here because I’m playing with the best players in the league and against a great team and in a sold out stadium, so we hope to fulfill their expectations."

JHON KENNEDY HURTADO on the experience: "It is a little bit curious, but also a very enjoyable thing. There are players you crossed with on the field, but now they’re next to you and you get along fine. There’s nothing like this in Colombia. Maybe there should be: It might be fun. We’re going to enjoy this as much as we can."

FREDDIE LJUNGBERG on Utah: "The scenery at least is very beautiful. The stadium I think is probably the best one, apart from Seattle that I’ve seen so far."

LJUNGBERG on Everton: "They can sometimes be up in the beginning of the season and then they drop sometimes. Their problem probably is a little bit they don’t have the budgets that the big teams. In the Premiership, in my opinion, to win it there are so many games, if you’re in the champions League and there are two cups, and you need to rotate your players and they get injured and you need a big squad. I think Everton don’t have that much money where they have a massive squad, so if they have injures they get hit more."

Kasey's wild ride: Sounders keeper Kasey Keller flew with the Blue Angels as part of SeaFair on Monday. Here's his take:

"Just a ton of fun. Obviously, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be able to fly with the Blue Angels. ... It was cool. I’m still a little green, but it’s slowly working its way out. That is a serious workout. I have a tremendous amount of respect for those guys and what they do. The first half an hour I felt great. It was just as much fun as you could imagine. Then we started hitting some heavy G’s, and I kinda of passed out a little bit and came back and then I felt pretty sick the rest of the way. (But it was) just an unbelievable experience."

Tickets going, gone: Only scattered singles remain for the All-Star Game tomorrow at 6:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, the Sounders have announced that their Aug. 5 friendly with Barcelona is officially sold out.

High school nicknames: Driving back from the stadium, I passed what now has to go down as one of my favorte high school nicknames of all time: Jorday High School, home of the Beetdiggers.

Off the pitch: The All-Stars are off the pitch. Crowd probably wasn't much more than a couple of hundred, but they seemed to have a good time.

I talked to all four Sounders -- Keller, Ljungberg, Montero, Hurtado -- for tomorrow's story. The No. 1 emotion for all four seemed to be a mix of appreciation for being selected and confusion with the whole All-Star issue, which doesn't exist in the English Premier League, Sweden or Colombia.

MLS stars on the pitch: It's hot in Salt Lake, so they've just moved to small crowd across to the shady stide of the stadium (although I understand they'll get no sympathy from Puget Sounders this week).

The MLS stars have just hit the pitch, about 20 minutes behind schedule. The pitch is in full sun, but fortuntely for them, their training uniforms are full white. They're just kicking around right now, and Kasey Keller is taking a few soft kicks from a coach. I'll be heading down soon, and will report back after.

Arrival at Rio Tinto: I've arrived at Rio Tinto Stadium, and one of my goals for this week is learning what Rio Tinto is. (My goal for last week was learning how to spell "Cuauhtemoc.")

It's a beautiful, as Utah stadiums tend to be. Like the others I've seen, it faces the mountains, which are close, rugged and beautiful. Unfortunately, this stadium has a sun-breaking overhang, which obscures most of the mountain view. But it's a solid comfortable brick stadium, very pretty in its own right.

There are certainly some very nice mountain views up in Park City, which is where Everton is training. Unfortunately the train schedule makes media choose because the MLS All-Stars are about to train here in the stadium, while the EPL team is about to train up in the ski town. I decided to be where the four Soudners are.

My plan is to keep this blog running most of the day, with update posts as they happen ... like we do on game day. I expect to be back in a couple of hours after the star train (it's open to the pubic here, and a small crowd has gathered ... apparently mostly youth-league teams) and the interview period that will follow.

Just picked up the local papers. The Deseret News sports section has a story called "Soccer's star power .... World Class players are in Utah as All-Stars." And they chose quite an MLS odd couple to illustrate: Chicago's Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Seattle's Freddie Ljungberg.

The Salt Lake Tribune has a story on Everton keeper Tim Howard, as an example of an MLS player who moved on to the EPL. It includes some references to and quotes from Kasey Keller.

Just arrived in Salt Lake City -- well, Sandy, actually -- to catch up on a couple of news items.

First, MLS has awarded the 2010 All-Star game to Houston at either Robertson Stadium (home of the Dynamo) or Reliant Stadium (home of the MLS Texans and Gold Cup games, etc.) The game will take place after the World Cup, but neither date nor opponent were announced.

I was half thinking Seattle would get the next available All-Star game, so I guess I'm half surprised.

Meanwhile:

Sounders keeper Kasey Keller maintained a prior commitment and fulfilled a personal dream by flying with the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels. The Seattle Sounders FC goalkeeper flew in a two person jet with one of the U.S. Navy’s top trained pilots, who performed tricks as part of the 60th annual Seafair, a Seattle summer festival. Keller arrived in Salt Lake City on Monday night and will participate in All-Star training on Tuesday at Rio Tinto Stadium.

I'll file after training.

Here's my Sounders story from this morning's paper, which briefly sets up the All-Star break.

But beacuse All-Star breaks are traditionally used for assessing where teams are -- and since I'm likely to be away from the computer most of the day -- I thought I'd just open this post for your takes on the state of the Sounders, with 18 regular season games behind them and 12 ahead. (Or any other soccer topics you'd like. ... I'm also hearing now that Montreal might be about to be introduced into the league. Thoughts on that? Would a Vancouver-Montreal-Toronto rivalry weaken the Seattle-Vancouver rivalry?)

Sounders FC (7-3-8, 29 points) goes into the break tied for the third-best record in the league, three points behind Western Conference leading Houston, one point behind Eastern leader Columbus.
However, Los Angeles, Chivas USA and Colorado are all within two points; and in a league where the top eight make the playoffs, nine teams are clustered between 32 and 26 points.

And Seattle will try to avoid being odd-team-out despite playing eight road games out of their final 12 -- starting Sunday at San Jose.

I'm sure the first half will draw pretty positive marks from most Sounders fans. But how about that tough stretch run? Do you think there's abetter chance at Supporters Shield or missing the playoffs? What needs to happen for the former to be more likely? And so on.

Sounders fans are talking today about the refereeing in yesterday's draw with Chicago, especially the two yellows referee Baldomero Toledo showed to Freddie Ljungberg.

Some exceptionally good facts and opinions are weaved into a couple of posts from blog contributors elmocatt and JoePublic.

So, I'm reproducing those here:

Comment from: elmocatt
Well, J Jr. hate to rain on your parade - but unfortuately that was a world class official out there on the field - at least in theory - in the sense that he has world class qualifications on paper. But as you saw, he did not put his world class paper qualfications to use today obviously.

Refs are qualfied to officiate different levels of matches, and you can tell what level by looking at the badge they have on their left breast pocket. Many MLS refs are just US soccer federation qualified - so only US matches (MLS, USL, etc). Today's guy had a white "FIFA" badge on his shirt, which means he is part of the very, very large pool of internationally qualfied referees (so he could ref a Gold Cup match, a world cup qualifying match, or whatever, involving not only MLS or USL matches, but also international teams in the US - such as the Barcelona match). It also means he is more experienced, and hopefully better, than the average US ref.

Having said all that, the ref did not do a good job today, and he certainly won't be able to use those paper FIFA credentials in any type of international soccer match anytime soon. No calls-up for him anytime soon to ref any international event.

Comment from JoePublic
Elmo: Correct, as usual. The white badge = referee badass. But when you say "very, very large pool" I'm not sure what you mean. There are only six US men on the FIFA list: Baldomero Toledo (our man yesterday), Mark Geiger, Jair Marrufo, Alex Prus, Ricardo Salazar and Terry Vaughn. Select company.

In Italy the newspapers rate the referee performance in every Serie A match. In England the Premiership referees are all well-known to followers of the game, and supporters think they know what to expect when a guy they know is assigned to their team's game. All around the world referees are subject to intense scrutiny, and about the best that fans of teams will say is 'that guy doesn't (stink) too bad.'

Because when you come to this from the position of a fan of a team, you see it with your supporter's eyes. You are biased. You can't help but want the decisions to break your way. And if they don't, then the referee must be at fault. Or incompetent. Or stupid, or from Portland, or whatever.

Nobody was complaining when Baldomero Toledo sent Thorington off (except Thorington, of course). Freddie had to know he has a reputation for being a jerk with the refs, and that sooner or later, some ref was not going to put up with even the smallest amount of (grief) from him. A hairtrigger is not a good quality in a referee; on the other hand, I don't know if Freddie had been in Baldo's earhole the whole game long up to that point.

My take: Enough fans dislike diving to the degree that I like the idea of trying to control it. And I do think Ljungberg milked it. However, I would have simply let the game play on at that point. If you're only going to card one dive over 90 minutes, it has to be different enough from all the others to justify the card. This one seemed unfortunately routine by world soccer standards.

That said, the second yellow almost had to be shown. Too much public display too much in the ref's face.

I've tweaked this post a bit, offering this comment section for discussion for any of today's games, expecially USA-Mexico.

I got home from the Sounders game last night in time to make it an MLS triple-header, watching the Galaxy remain a point behind the Sounders with a 1-1 draw at Kansas City (including what might well be the MLS goal of the year). And then to see San Jose, of all people come from two goals down for a 2-2 draw with D.C. United. (The Sounders next game will be at San Jose a week from today).

The fun should continue today as the US and Mexico will meet on Fox Soccer Channel at noon for the Gold Cup championship.

That will be followed by a World Football Challenge doubleheader on ESPN2: AC Milan-Inter Milan match at 2 p.m. ... Chelsea-Club America at 4 p.m.

My game story.

The Sounders and Fire each pick up a point and each goes into the All-Star break 7-3-8. In the MLS standings, that sends Seattle into the break in second place in the West, just one point ahead of the Galaxy -- who tied Kansas City 1-1 tonight -- and just two points ahead of Chivas USA.

For the most part, the Sounders seem pleased with the season at it reaches this natural pause. However, they are getting frustrated a bit at the lack of finishes ... both today and as a growing trend to the season.

Coach Sigi Schmid -- at least publicly -- was purely annoyed at the ref, and not at Ljungberg for his complaint. And Ljungberg himself said the second yellow came too early for too little and that he doesn't regret not just walking away.

Two notes:
* It appears Ljungberg will have to miss the next two games: one for sure because of this red, but also probably the next due to yellow-card accumulation, which reached the magic number on the first yellow. However, we didn't receive confirmation from the league.

* Today's Sounders' attendance at Qwest: 32,405.
Today's Mariners' attendance at Safeco: 29,213.

A few quotes:

SCHMID OVERVIEW:
I thought we had enough chances to win the game. We went at them early on. I thought we created a lot of things. Overall I wasn’t displeased. At halftime I told the guys just continue to play the way we’d been playing, we’d been creating chances and to make sure we didn’t get caught on the counter. They had one good chance at the end where they hit the post, I’m not sure if it came of our head or theirs. But outside of that I thought we had more of the game for sure. We were a little surprised to see (Jon) Busch in goal because I thought he was with the national team. I thought (Brad) Evans was with the national team too; I didn’t see him out there today. We’re a little bit surprised at that, how that works. Obviously they got the red card on the foul from behind and I just had the feeling, I told our coaches on the bench, that somewhere, somehow today we’re going to get a red card. It was going to happen.”

SCHMID on the team’s performance against Cuauhtemoc Blanco:“I thought we did a pretty good job on him today. I thought in Chicago he really had an outstanding game against us and was really dominant. I thought today we really didn’t give him that many good looks. He’s an outstanding player so he’s always going to find two or three or four passes that he can make but I think we really limited him. I didn’t think we gave him a lot of looks forward and a lot of chances to play people in.”

SCHMID the team going into the All-Star break:“I think right now the key for us is we’ve got to do a better job of finishing opportunities. I think we’ve created opportunities when we played Chelsea a week ago, but that clinical finishing still has to happen for us. There’s times when we over hold it, over pass and we need to finish better. There’s been very few games, especially recently, where I felt that we haven’t created enough chances or that the opponent has created more than us. So finishing is definitely the key. Defensively our ability to hold the ball, our ability to balance people off offensively, we do a pretty good job of that. I’m pretty pleased with most of what we’ve done. It’s just a matter of when we dominant games, the key to the sport is when you dominate games you’ve got to score goals and when you get dominated not to give any goals up. We’re doing a good job of not giving the goals up in the periods of time when we dominate, but we’re not turning our domination into the goals that we need and that’s what happened today. If we get better at that, then we’ll have even more success.”

LJUNGBERG on the cards:“There was nothing after the first yellow. You could see that I go down on the side, away from him. I got suspended because of that. It was my fifth yellow so I got pissed off about that. I knew what he is like. He’s been fretting me the whole game. I hit my chest and made conscious to not scream anything abusive at him. And then I hear some whistles behind me. But, I have got to just rise above it. I can’t control him. Like I said, that’s the way it is.”

LJUNGBERG on whether he should have walked away after first yellow:“It’s an important game and there were a lot of things wrong in that game, things that players from the other team were laughing behind his back sometimes. It’s not the way a game should be. If I would not have cared, if I would have just walked away and didn’t care, I wouldn’t care to win the game. And that’s not me. I always want to win.”

Chicago coach DENIS HAMLETT overview:
“It was about as exciting as a zero-zero game as you will find in our league. I thought it was a great atmosphere and both teams came on here to attack. I think both teams had chances to win the game, in the end a fair result.”

HAMLETT on Ljungberg's red:
"When he got the red I thought we had a chance. Guys lose their heads sometimes in this game, and you have to remind your players to stay focused, especially my guys, with the emotions being so high. Sometimes people overact and you try to find the right balance.”

HAMLETT on the atmosphere:
“It is a great environment to play; there is a lot of pressure from the crowd. You see certain calls and I think that is because of the pressure. The guys looked forward to this environment; we could have done without the heat today. You have to tip your hat to Seattle as far as doing everything right. Every team that comes here wants to bring their best game because it such a great atmosphere.”

=> Read more!

The Sounders are encouraging fans attending the noon Saturday match vs. Chicago to arrive early (Gates open at 10:30.) due to the usual construction issues and the unusually close bump with a 1 p.m. Mariners game.

There could also be some early arrivers staking out good parking and watching spots for the SeaFair Torchlight Run at 6:30 and Torchlight Parade at 7:30.

I'll write more about this for the Saturday paper, but this collision of soccer and baseball is usually avoided due to a Sounders/Mariners/City agreement that usually bars games across the street from each other at the same time.

Usually, when soccer and baseball games are expected to draw a combined attendance of 70,000 on weekends or 58,000 on weekdays, there must be a three-hour gap between the projected end of one game and the start of the other.

However, the agreement acknowledges that conflicts can be inevitable, so it allows for two weekend exceptions and two weekday exceptions. This first use of the exception comes because ESPN selected the Sounders-Fire game for national telecast. And there’s little arguing with the choice, as this match projects among the best of this MLS season, if only for the first Qwest appearance of the Fire's utterly unique All-Star Cuauhtemoc Blanco.

More information at SoundersFC.com.

Meanwhile, a quick scouting report:

CHICAGO FIRE (7-3-7, 28 pts.)
AT SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC (7-3-7; 28)
Noon Saturday, Qwest Field.

TV: ESPN.
Radio: 97.3 FM (in Spanish on 1210 AM).

Head-to-head: The teams tied 1-1 on May 2 at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill.

Team leaders: For Chicago – G 6 Brian McBride; A 7 Cuauhtemoc Blanco; S 38 McBride; SOG 18 McBride/Marco Pappa. For Seattle – G 9 Fredy Montero; A 6 Montero/Nate Jaqua; S 52 Montero; SOG 21 Montero.

Coach Sigi Schmid scouting report: “I think the guys know we didn’t play well the first time in Chicago. Chicago’s sitting in first place in their conference. So that’s important for us, too: We want to continue to maintain where we’re at and to continue to push up. It’s going to be a tight race for the playoffs at the end, and we want to stay in the top two in the West.”

Notes: Seattle is unbeaten in its last five league games, Chicago in its last three. … Six MLS All-Stars are expected to be on the pitch: Montero, Kasey Keller, Freddie Ljungberg and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado for Seattle; Blanco and defender Wilman Conde for Chicago. … The Fire will be without McBride (shoulder), Bakary Soumare (card accumulation) and Gonzalo Segares (Costa Rican national team) and Logan Pause (USA); Pappa is probable (knee). For Seattle, Brad Evans (USA national team) is out and Patrick Ianni (toe) is probable. … Montero has scored goals in five straight league games, the longest streak in MLS this season. … Stephen King came to Seattle from Chicago in the expansion draft. Chicago’s Brandon Prideaux is a Renton native who played at the University of Washington and with the USL Sounders. He will return to UW as an assistant soccer coach after this season. … If Ljungberg is cautioned today, he will receive a one-game suspension for yellow-card accumulation. ... The game is sold out.

Next: MLS pauses for its All-Star Game, Wednesday at Sandy, Utah. Seattle’s season resumes Aug. 2 at San Jose.

The Sounders announced this afternoon that about 500 tickets remain for the Sounders FC vs. FC Barcelona match, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 5.

Tickets are available at www.SoundersFC.com, by calling 877-MLS-GOAL, through Ticketmaster and the Qwest Field Box office.

As with Chelsea, the full stadium will be used, creating a capacity of 67,000.

Barca is the reigning La Liga, the UEFA Champions League and the Copa del Rey champion.

This just in from MLS:

Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber today fined Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham $1,000 for his interaction with a fan at halftime of his team’s 2-2 draw against AC Milan in an exhibition match on July 19.

“We support our players interacting with fans, whether it is at clinics, charity events or by high-fiving their supporters in the stands while celebrating a goal,” Garber said. “However, our players should never engage in conduct that can be interpreted as encouraging fans to come out of the stands and onto the field, regardless of the reason.”

As one of the League’s official Charities of Choice, the US Soccer Foundation is the recipient of all player fines at the end of each season. Those fines are added to the Foundation’s Annual Grants Pool from which the Board of Directors awards grants to soccer clubs and organizations that serve economically disadvantaged children in urban areas. To learn more about the Foundation, please visit www.ussoccerfoundation.org.

Seems to be a well-deserved fine, especially if you can push out of your head just how little $1,000 must mean to Beckham.

Good morning. A couple of early items before heading out to Sounders practice:

Sounders tops in merchandise sales: Sounders gear is reported to be the most popular in the MLS this season, followed in order the Los Angeles Galaxy, Toronto F.C. , D.C. United, Chicago Fire , NY Red Bulls, and Houston Dynamo.

That according to this post from the New York Times soccer blog.

So, a question: Why? New team? Large fan base? Cool logo? Rave green? It's probably a combination of factors, but what's the top reason?

I asked Gary Wright, Sounders vice president of business:

"TThe newness of the team, certainly," he said. "The size of the crowds at the games. The fact that people like to belong, they like to be part of it, especially in this sport. And it all adds up into a great thing: the scarves, the tradition of the game, some people wearing jerseys. The support in the community is sensational, so I would expect we would be No. 1 in sales."

And how about that rave green?

"There are a lot of factors, and the color is certainly one of them," Wright said. "It’s different, it’s unique, no one else has it. I think the logo is sharp and crisp. I don’t think you can put your finger on just one thing, but if you did I think it would be the support of the community."

Meanwhile:

Fire becomes Husky: OK, it's not as cool as "Forrest becomes Timber," but it's the focus of my story in today's paper: Chicago Fire defender Brandon Prideaux, who will become a UW assistant soccer coach at the end of this MLS season.

Should have some more notes in the early afternoon, after the Sounders conclude their final practice before the Fire's visit at noon Saturday. Be back then.

Portland appears another step closer to MLS membership and participating in the Heritage Cup and renewing its regular rivalry with the Sounders.

All of this because the city approved renovation of PGE Park into an MLS-quality soccer-specific stadium.

Here's a report from the Oregonian, which is pretty thick on the financing side, but you can survive it if you skim a bit, and the bottom line seems to be good news for the Timbers.

D.C. United president Kevin Payne was "surprised and disappointed and offended" at the Adrian Hanauer's comments from yesterday's blog and today's TNT questioing how the U.S. Open Cup final was awarded to D.C. United and RFK Stadium (where the game drew fewer than 8,500 fans last season.)

(I will add this: I interviewed Kevin Payne before United visited Seattle. He's one of the key figures of MLS, he's been key to building what may be its most successful franchise, and he is understandably proud of that.)

The cross-country return fire comes from Steven Goff's Washington Post soccer blog.

Here's the blog item.

(And at the very least, this could add some fire the final. Clearly it's become a little personal, clearly there is an element of MLS royalty resenting the young upstart.)

Fredy Montero said "incorrecto" today when asked if the English-newspaper reports quoting him as expecting quick transfer to Fulham are correct.

Montero said his thoughts are fully with the Sounders and the MLS race at this time.

Following up on the earlier report, yes, Sounders GM confirmed today that his bid for the U.S. Open Cup final would have been for an afternoon game at Qwest.

Yes, part of that is because there is a Seattle ordinance that limits the number of times two events with an anticipated combined total attendance of 65,000 or so can be held at the same time at Qwest and Safeco.

However, Hanauer notes that the Mariners often draft big weekday afternoon crowds -- especially in the summer -- and he's sure that the Sounders playing for a couple final could have drawn something close to a lower-bowl sellout even on a weekday afternoon.

Also, on a previous issue, Hanauer said his expectation is that the Open Cup winner will go on to Champions League, but that isn't firm or officially announced yet.

More later.

The Sounders are training at Qwest today, and I'm hoping for direct access to Fredy Montero there. Naturally, I'll pop back in here with anything that adds to the Fulham situation reported yesterday.

Meanwhile, a couple of items out of Portland.

This apparently is the day that the city council there will give final thumbs up -- or not -- to the plan to renovate PGE Park for that 2011 expansion into Portland.

Also, the Timbers have signed former Sounder Kevin Forrest, thrilling headline writers everywhere with the possible plays on the words "Timber" and "Forrest."

Sounders FC general manager Adrian Hanauer said the club did right by its fans in making "a very aggressive bid" to host the U.S. Open Cup final -- two or three times what other clubs have bid.

The bid was so solid, in fact, that Hanauer belives U.S. Soccer should do some explaining about how D.C. United and RFK Stadium were selected over Seattle and Qwest Field.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was frustrated and somewhat skeptical of the process,” Hanauer said. “I don’t think D.C. has played a game in the Open Cup on the road in two years. They had a road through all lower-division teams to get to the Open Cup Final. I’m not in the know … enough to be able to raise any real issues, but I’m frustrated and I wish U.S. Soccer would explain why one bid wins over another.”

So, I made a couple of calls to U.S. Soccer. One spokesman said that bid process “takes in all factors” -- presumably meaning the highest bid doesn't necessarily win -- and another promised to check on some of Hanauer’s questions and get back to me Thursday.

“Our fans deserve some answers,” Hanauer said. “And, by the way, U.S. Soccer has been trying to raise the profile of the U.S. Open Cup. A game in front of 10,000 fans at RFK I don’t believe is going to raise the profile as much as a game in front of a sold-out Qwest Field.”

D.C. United won the 2008 cup in front of a home crowd of 8,212.

Now, they'll host again on Sept. 2, as the Sounders fly cross country to play for their first trophy.

And if Hanauer wasn't happy with U.S. Soccer, he was no happier with the parade of MLS coaches who have complained about the turf at Starfire -- the latest of whom was Houston coach Dominic Kinnear after the Dynamo's 2-1 loss to the Sounders last night.

“I think we need to stop playing on synthetic surfaces,” Kinnear said. “I give the crowd a ton of credit: It is a great atmosphere. But all the superficial stuff is below what these guys should be playing on. … We have a guy (Brian Mullan) who has a possible fractured ankle because he gets caught in the turf.”

Hanauer said after practice today -- at Starfire -- that replacing the turf is “a possibility.” He noted that Sounders FC does not own the complex, but that the club and Starfire regularly discuss ways to make it better.

“At some point we might together decide that that’s a good idea, but it’s not going to be because opposing MLS coaches don’t like it,” he said. “It would be because it makes sense for the tournament, for Starfire, for the Sounders and all the more pertinent parties involved.”

I'll have more on all of this in the Thursday paper.

The Sun newspaper of London is reporting that Sounders leading scorer and All-Star forward Fredy Montero says he has had talks over moving to Fulham FC and that "a deal could be done soon."

Montero and a translator weren't in the same place at the same time after practice today, so I couldn't ask him directly. However the Sun quotes Montero as saying "I was in touch with Fulham officials around six months ago, and now they have been in touch with me again. I find the idea of playing for their team in the next season interesting. I haven't spokenb about this situation with the officials of Seattle yet, but I suppose that once they receive a proposal there will not be any problem."

Sounders general manager Adrian Hanauer said today that he hasn't formally spoken with Montero nor had any conversations with Fulham.

Hanauer said that English work permits aren't that easy to come by, so it might not be that simple for Montero to make the move even if all parties wanted it to happen.

Are the Sounders willing to let it happen before this MLS season is through? Hanauer didn't want to discuss any one player's situation, but he offered this in terms of general philosophy:

"It's certainly our policy that we want to give ourselves the best chance of winning a championship as possible," Hanauer said. "Sometimes turning a player loose gives you a better chance of winning a championship and providing opportunities for the future. Sometimes it doesn't, so each case will be addressed individually. ... The way transfer fees work, there's allocation money that comes in that then can be reinvested in more players. So, each case will be addressed individually."

Three bald eagles circled the practice pitches at Starfire today as the Sounders returned to training on one field and Everton on the other.

The English Premier League side is practicing the area this week before beginning a U.S. tour that will include providing opposition for the MLS All-Stars one week from today in suburban Salt Lake City.

MLS intends to keep expanding beyond Philadephia, Portland and Vancouver as teams 16, 17 and 18.

Here are a couple of updates on a couple of possible contenders:

Montreal

and

Atlanta. (This one also includes information on today's Club America of Mexico and Italy’s A.C. Milan game; 4 p.m., ESPN2.)

The Sounders win a hyper-chippy game with Houston, 2-1, before a sellout crowd of 4,895 at Starfire in Tukwila. (Here's my game story.)

Their reward is the right to play for the first trophy in franchise history: the U.S. Open Cup, the oldest such trophy in the United States, which will be determined Sept. 2 at RFK Stadium against homestanding/high-bidding U.C. United. United advanced with a 2-1 win over USL-1 Rochester earlier tonight.

It would be the 13th major title for United, the first for the expansion Sounders.

“Obviously, the object it to go there and win,” said Gary Wright, Sounders vice president of business. “What a great job by (coach Sigi Schmid, general manager Adrian Hanauer, technical director Christ Henderson), the whole team side. They’ve just done a remarkable job of putting the team together. I think that’s pretty evident.”

If the Sounders eventually hoist the Open Cup, they will think back to this sweltering night in Tukwila, when they outplayed the long-delayed game-winner came on a Stephen King goal that followed a cross by Steve Zakuani and either a slight touch or a daring dummy by Sebastien Le Toux near the Houston goal.

“I’m trying to remember (the play),” King said. “I know Steve Zakuani had the ball out wide. He took his guy one-on-one, he made a good cross. I think Sebastien might have gotten a touch to it – it might have ricocheted off a defender -- it was kind of a loose ball, and I just kind of shot it in.”
That was Seattle’s first lead, despite a 16-2 advantage in shots, including 12-0 in the second half.

The Sounders outshot Houston, 26-7, including 12-0 in the second 45 minutes and even 7-3 in the final 15 minutes of extra time, when they were defending their lead.

“The last 20 minutes of (regulation) when we were getting chance after chance and nothing was going in it was getting a little frustrating,” King said. “But we just tried to remain confident and keep doing what we were doing and we tied it up”

The score was identical to the Sounders controversial regular-season win over Houston on July 11 at Qwest Field, and it seemed that hard feelings from that game lingered into Tuesday.

The game was chippy from the start as 10 yellow cards were awarded. Two went to Sounders All-Star defender Jhon Kennedy Hurtado. That forced the Sounders to play the final seconds one player down, and it will keep Hurtado out of the title game.

"I think if some of the things would have (been called) early on, the guy who scored the equalizer (Jaqua) would have been off the field," Houston coach Dominic Kinnear said. "The guy who is throwing elbows deserves more than a talking to."

That wasn't Kinnear's only complaint.

"(Open Cup home games should be given) to the team which has a grass field," he said. "We played three turf games in 10 days in (Qwest), Toronto and now here. It has gone from the better of the three to worst to worst. We have a guy (Brian Mullan) who has a possible fractured ankle because he gets it caught in the turf."

(Everybody who has played at Starfire has hated the turf. If the Sounders are going use this place next season, they need to do something about it."

Jaqua, meanwhile had staples put into his scalp at halftime.

"In the first 5-10 minutes, a guy came over my back. I don't know exactly what the collision was. I was a little bit angry -- anytime you get hit in the head, you get a little bit angry. It was just a real physical game. So, stuff like that happens."

"I know there are rivalries that are based on proximity like us and Portland, but I think what you’re going to see is that there are going to be pretty intense battles when Seattle plays Houston," Sounders coach Sigi Schmid said. "I think that’s something you’re going to see from here on out."

The Sounders visit Houston Aug. 23. First, they return to league play Saturday, meeting the Eastern Division-leading Chicago Fire at Qwest Field.

P.S.: Quality and quantity in the comments tonight gents. Nice job.

Reminder: all of my new blog posts are now also available on Twitter under the name donruiztnt.

=> Read more!

Sounders forward Fredy Montero and defender Jhon Kennedy Hurtado were added today to the MLS All-Star team that will meet Everton of the English Premier League on July 29 in Sandy, Utah.

Here's my story from the Tuesday paper.

The final selections by All-Star/Houston coach Dominic Kinnear give the Sounders four all-stars, with midfielder Freddie Ljungberg and goalkeeper Kasey Keller having been named earlier to the MLS First XI.

Houston leads MLS with five all-stars, Seattle is second with four: one for each spot on the field: keeper, defense, midfield, fowards. No other team has more than two All-Stars.

"It is a good honor to have that amount of players in the all-star game," Sounders coach Sigi Schmid said today.

Here's the full roster:

2009 MLS All-Star Team

Goalkeeper: Kasey Keller (Seattle Sounders FC)*, Pat Onstad (Houston Dynamo)&

Defenders: Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo)*, Wilman Conde (Chicago Fire)*, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (Seattle Sounders FC)&, Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew)*

Midfielders: Davy Arnaud (Kansas City Wizards)&, Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake)+, Cuauhtémoc Blanco (Chicago Fire), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo)&, Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo)*, Shalrie Joseph (New England Revolution)*, Freddie Ljungberg (Seattle Sounders FC)*, Javier Morales (Real Salt Lake)+

Forwards: Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids)*, Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo)&, Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)*, Fredy Montero (Seattle Sounders FC)&

* Denotes selection to First XI Team (Blanco replaced Dwayne De Rosario due to Toronto FC’s CONCACAF Champions League match)
+ Denotes a Commissioner’s Selection
& Denotes Coach’s Selection

Online fan balloting comprising 25 percent of the combined First XI vote, with MLS coaches and GMs (25 percent), media (25 percent), and players (25 percent) accounting for the remainder. Players and coaches/general managers could not register votes for players on their own teams.

More information at the MLS website.

UPDATE
The final All-Star additions were named this afternoon -- David Bechman not among them.

The full list is in the post above.

Coincidence?:
Save 25% off any David Beckham item at MLSgear.com

Jack Bell, in this New York Times soccer blog post, asked a very basic question: Should the league's biggest star be an all-star?

That, of course, would be David Beckham, who began MLS play only last week.

My answer -- a small minority opinon, given the comments below -- was yes, Beckham should have been named.

Major League Baseball or the NBA might be able to treat the game as a reward for players who had the best first halves of the season. In MLS, it must be a showcase for fans and a display of its most-talented players.

If the MLS were a league of Seattles -- playing before involved crowds in sold-out stadiums -- I'd go the other way. But as long as MLS is also a league of Dallases and Red Bulls, the all-star game needs to be an invitation to watch as the best of MLS measures itself -- presumably positively -- with an English Premier League side.

But MLS is struggling to be noticed, dying -- hopefully not literally -- for butts in its seats and eyeballs on its broadcasts. This league needs ESPN fully involved in promotion, and I would have to take it on faith that the cable giant would want Beckham in uniform.

Did you?

The Sounders went through a relatively light practice session this morning at Starfire. (Here's my story from the Monday paper.)

The main news was coach Sigi Schmid indicating that he's going to go with a league-like lineup now that the club's first trophy is just two wins away. (However, it could be that Freddie Ljungberg's 74 minutes against Chelsea signals that he'll be inactive for the Tuesday competition, which limits clubs to five foreign players.)

Schmid said he thinks his team will be able to put the excitement of the Chelsea game behind them and turn their attention appropriate to Houston.

He also said the Sounders should have an advantage because Houston is coming off of a league game three time zones away: A 1-1 draw in Toronto that moved the Dynamo four points ahead of Seattle in the MLS standings. Then that was followed by a cross-continent flight to Sea-Tac today.

The Sounders had it easier, playing at home in a friendly match offering the advantage of unlimited substitutions.

That allowed Schmid to limit the minutes of 10 of his starters – one for each reserve available. The lone Sounder to play the full 90 minutes was defender Tyrone Marshall, who Schmid selected because Marshall’s duty with the Jamaican national team had given him the longest rest preceding the Chelsea game.

What a swirl of soccer this weekend is.

Next up is the Tacoma Tide season ender at 1 p.m. today at Curtis High School. The Tide is out of playoff contention, but this is a meaningful game in that it is a derby: vs. the Kitsap Pumas with the Narrows Bridge Bell at stake.

Then Chivas USA -- who is right behind Seattle, for now -- visits New England this afternoon; while league-leader Houston picked up a single standings point yesterday in Toronto. Here's a link to more information on both of those games.

And then there was that really entertaining USA extra-time win over Panama (where my "Ruiz" comes from) yesterday in CONCACAF Gold Cup.

And of course, there's still a nice buzz in the air from yesterday's Sounders game (Here's my game story, a secondary piece on Federal Way's Lamar Neagle and the other two guys who made their Sounders' debuts against Chelsea, and a photo gallery from the TNT's Janet Jensen.) and some building anticipation for the Open Cup semifinal on Tuesday against the Dynamo and the return to league play Saturday against the Fire.

Sounders are practicing this morning, so I'll be back after that with some highlights.

Here's my game story, a secondary piece on Federal Way's Lamar Neagle and the other two guys who made their Sounders' debuts against Chelsea, and a photo gallery from the TNT's Janet Jensen.

The postgame bottom line seemed to be that it was a learning experience for the Sounders, a good training test for Chelsea, and a lot of fun for everyone.

“I think it was just tremendous from the standpoint of our fan support,” Sounders coach Sigi Schmid said. “… The hoopla, the atmosphere, the crowd support; that was brilliant. Obviously, the result is something that we would have liked to turned out a little better, but I was proud of the way we played and proud of the support we got.”

“I think the game was pretty even really except for the two goals that we scored, which is maybe the slight difference in quality from the Premier League to here,” said Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard, who scored the second goal. “But … Seattle played good football, created a few chances, and was unlucky not to score, really.”

“Chelsea finishes their goals,” said Sounders midfielder Freddie Ljungberg, an 11-year veteran of the EPL. “They go 110 percent, and they really concentrate in finishing. … Apart from that, I think we showed we play well. Even some of the Chelsea boys told us after the game that we played good football, and they were impressed how we played.”

“The game was not easy,” Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “The game is difficult, but we put ourselves in good position.”

What clearly impressed Chelsea most was the crowd – its size, knowledge and enthusiasm.

“It was probably the best preseason atmosphere I’ve played in for sure,” Lampard said. “Every year we come (to the United States) the support we get and other teams get bigger and bigger. And today was the best atmosphere I’ve played in here, for sure. Not only a full crowd but the way they reacted, the atmosphere they created before the game and during the game made it very enjoyable to play in.”

I thought the most telling reaction might have come from Steve Zakuani, who grew up in London and therefore should know plenty about the English Premier League.

“Their defenders: their recovery was ridiculous,” Zakuani said. “Their speed and that kind of thing: their movement, their touch. There are no mistakes in the back. That’s the biggest difference. They’re all very good at what they do, and that’s just the next level.”

Attendance: Today's crowd is 65,289: the largest ever to see the Sounders and third-largest ever to see a soccer match in the Northwest.

Transfer rumors: The English press continued to hound Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti about the possible transfer of Blues defender John Terry to Manchester City.

However, they paused Saturday to also ask Schmid about rumors that Sounders forward Fredy Montero has caught the attention of Fulham of the EPL.

“You read things in the paper and you’re not quite sure how (the reports) get there,” Schmid said. “Fredy Montero is with us right now. There have been no official inquiries that we are aware at this stage. He’s a very important player to our team. He’s the second-leading scorer in our league, and he has a bright future. I’m sure one day that opportunity, whether it’s a day soon or later, will present itself, but right now he has a very important game to prepare for.”

That would come at 7: p.m. Saturday, when the Sounders meet Houston in the U.S. Open Cup semifinal at Starfire. That game is sold out.

=> Read more!

Going to the Chelsea game? (Here's my preview from the Saturday paper.) A few things that might help with your planning:

Both upper decks will be opened, creating a capacity of 67,000. With only a few hundred tickets remaining, that means this will be the largest crowd ever to see the Sounders -- probably by a factor of two -- and it might just be the largest crowd ever to see a soccer game in Seattle. (The current record is 66,830, which turned out for the Real Madrid-DC United match on Aug. 9, 2006.) And I imagine that would also be the largest crowd ever to see a soccer match in the Northwest.

Therefore, while the game should be fun, getting to and from the stadium might not be.

One recommendation is to arrive early. And to accommodate those who do, gates will open at 10 a.m. And so you'll have something to do once you're there, soccer celebration activities will begin then at the north plaza.

Fans also are encouraged to avoid South Royal Brougham Way, which will be reduced to one lane and accessible only from Fourth Avenue and only to fans using the Event Center Garage.

Sound Transit is doing its part by running Sounder trains from Tacoma and Everett.

And -- if you're feeling real lucky and have a remarkable amount of faith in government projects -- Saturday also marks the first day that the Link light-rail line will be operating from Tukwila, through the Rainier Valley and into downtown Seattle. However, upwards of 100,000 people are expected to want to be among the first to give light rail a test drive, so good luck with that.

Other things you should know:

March to the Match
Join Sound Wave, the Sounders FC Alliance and fans as they “March to the Match”. The March will depart Occidental Park located in the heart of Pioneer Square at the intersection of Main Street and Occidental Avenue South. The “March to the Match” will depart the park at 10:30 a.m. and finish just outside the Northwest Gate, where fans can enter the stadium.

Soccer Celebration
Soccer Celebration activities are located at the Northwest Gate, inside the stadium at the North Plaza and throughout the Qwest Field Plaza. Activities include inflatable games, face painting, sign making, music and more. Soccer Celebration activities will begin at 10 a.m. and conclude after the match.

Season-ticket-holder tickets
Season ticket holders are reminded that this game shows up as the “A” game on their ticket strip.

And, oh yes, the game:

CHELSEA FC
AT SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC
Noon Saturday, Qwest Field.
TV: ESPN2.
Radio: 97.3 FM (in Spanish on 1210 AM).

Notes: Chelsea is the reigning FA Cup champion. Last season, the Blues finished third in the English Premier League. … This begins a four-game U.S. tour for Chelsea. Sounders FC is their only MLS opponent on the tour. After today, the Blues will meet Mexico’s Club America and Italy’s Inter and AC Milan. Chelsea’s EPL season begins Aug. 15 at home against Hull City. … The clubs have agreed to unlimited substitutions. Chelsea officials indicated the Blues will use most of their roster except for their African players who have just returned from national team duty. … England international Joe Cole (knee) did not travel. Captain John Terry is here, amid transfer rumors that dominated Chelsea’s prematch press conference. … This is Chelsea’s fourth game in Seattle. The Blues beat a local amateur side, 5-0, in 1967 at Memorial Stadium; lost to the NASL Sounders, 2-0, in 1977 at the Kingdome; and defeated Celtic, 4-2, in 2004 at Qwest Field. … A natural-grass pitch has been installed for this game.

Next: Houston Galaxy vs. Sounders, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Starfire Sports Stadium, Tukwila; U.S. Open Cup semifinal.

More information on most of this is available at SoundersFC.com.

Chelsea held a morning workout today at the Seahawks' practice facility in Renton.

Here's an interesting report from the Chelsea website.

Just as I was curious about how tomorrow's Sounders-Chelsea game is being viewed in England (see two posts below), the international media visiting the Sounders training session this morning seemed interested in the state of the game in America.

And that was refelected in some of the questions directed at the two Sounders with EPL experience: Kasey Keller and Freddie Ljungberg. Here's some of what they had to say:

=> Read more!

Chelsea practiced this morning at the Seahawks' training facility in Renton.

Then the team returned to their hotel in downtown Seattle. I happened to be there as the team got off the bus and filed through the lobby. For the most part, they were able to go about their business undisturbed, which Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou said was a refreshing change from their celebrity status in England.

"In London it’s quite different," said Kalou, who seems to be a very nice guy (mostly meaning he was game for an interview and gave thoughtful answers.) "Here it’s more quiet. People won’t bother you much. In London it’s more like people taking pictures every five seconds and signing autographs. Here it’s more quiet and we enjoy more to be here."

Kalou said the team has heard that the Sounders are a good MLS team in the middle of its season, whereas Chelsea is just getting back to training for the coming EPL season. But he said they will take tomorrow seriously because they always want to win, and also because they want to impress their new manager, Carlo Ancelotti.

In a brief interview, Ancelotti said he feels no particular pressure as he is about to coach his first game for one of the world's great teams.

"In this work the pressure is normal," he said. "I am happy to be at Chelsea because Chelsea is a great team. I like the work of the players, they’ve started the season very well and they work with very good mental attitude. Tomorrow is the first game of the season, we want to start well, so it is an important game. We want to win and play well."

The Sounders just workout out on the newly installed grass field at Qwest. (I will give the FieldTurf people this much, they've got the color right. I walked out into the stadium bowl and nothing immediately registered with me as looking different.)

Unfortunately, coach Sigi Schmid decided to watch film after practice at the time he usually talks to the media ... so nothing new from him. And also unfortunately, Adrian Hanauer is watching with the Chelsea folks over at the Seahawks training facility ... so I couldn't get any word from him on the Sounders getting outbid by DC United on the U.S. Open Cup Final.

However, the morning wasn't fully wasted in that I did get a chance to chat a bit with a visiting journalist from England. I wanted to get a little sense from him about what this game means over there.

He said the EPL is watching this Chelsea four-game tour of the U.S. -- mostly it marks the Blues' first games under new manager Carlo Ancelotti. He said its unlikely anyone would be too upset if Chelsea lost tomorrow, given that it's their first game about nine time zones from home and under a new coach.

The Sounders are the only MLS team Chelsea will face on this tour of the States, which continues with friendlies against Mexico’s Club America and Italy’s Inter and AC Milan.

David Beckham wasn't much of a factor in the 2009 MLS debut last night at Giants Stadium. At least, not on the pitch, as he didn't figure much in LA's 3-1 win.

There was at least a bump in the stands, where 23,238 showed up. That's way down from the Beckham debuts of the last two seasons; but its almost double the Red Bulls' pathetic average home attendance of 12,702 ... and presumably way over for a midweek game.

From the Sounders' point of view, the attention-getter is that LA is now up to 27 points on the season, just one behind Seattle.

In fact, while Seattle's 28 points are second-most in MLS, there are nine teams with 24 points or more ... meaning at least one of those clubs won't make the eight-team playoffs. And there are two other teams that have reached 20 points.

D.C. United has won the right to host the U.S. Open championship match if it gets by USL-1 Rochester in its semifinal match Tuesday. That means if United and Seattle both advance, the Sounders would visit RFK Stadium on Sept. 2.

However, if Seattle advances but Rochester defeats D.C., then the Sounders would host the final on Sept. 1.

D.C.'s apparently high bid seems surprising. Just last week Sounders general manager Adrian Hanauer said he would like to give his side home field advantage if it's that close to winning the first trophy in franchise history. Beyond that, United drew fewer than 9,000 fans the last time it hosted an Open Cup final. I would have assumed that the Sounders -- with more than a month to promote the game -- could have drawn two or three times that many fans ... that both clubs would have bid accordingly.

All this means that Sounders fans should not only be rooting for the rave green next week, but also for the Rhinos.

Here's the official release.

Here's the information from SoundersFC.com.

adidas is hosting the ultimate Chelsea FC Fan Fest on Friday, July 17 from 4:00pm to 6:30pm, at Qwest Field in preparation for the team’s match against the Seattle Sounders on Saturday, July 18. By attending the event, fans can gain access to the Chelsea team practice at Qwest Field.

The first 500 fans to arrive will receive Chelsea FC scarves and everyone in attendance will have access to Chelsea’s practice session at 5 p.m. Attendees can enter to win Chelsea FC jerseys and several lucky fans will win ticket packages to the nearly sold-out Sounders vs. Chelsea match.

Fans may enter the stadium through gates on the north end of Qwest Field.

The Sounders trained this morning on the Microsoft campus in Redmond, working on an artificial turf field surrounded by a few hundred fans and curious employees.

The shift from their normal training venues was simply a nod to Microsoft as the jersey sponsor (Xbox).

The players said they enjoyed the break from the routine and especially playing in front of a crowd. Although midfielder Freddie Ljungberg said he had never seen anything like it during the decade he spent in the English Premier League.

"For me it's a little bit weird, but it's nice," he said. "They do a lot for us, and if we can give something back to the company and the community to be honest I think it's great. So much people show up just for the practice, I think it's amazing."

Ljungberg twisted his ankle late in the work. He said it hurts him to walk but expects he will be able to tape it up and play Saturday against Chelsea.

Meanwhile, the Sounders announced they have released forward Jarrod Smith.

Smith, 25, had been taken from Toronto in the expansion draft, but has been on disabled list since March 5. He went through whas was called successful surgert kast week to repair a torn right hamstring tendon. He watched the practice at Microsoft today -- crutches at his side -- and will continue his rehab with the team, which retains his MLS rights.

David Beckham is expected to make his MLS season debut tonight as the LA Galaxy visits New York. The game will be shown on Fox Soccer Channel starting at 5 p.m.

Here's a preview from the MLS website.

Seattle Sounders FC will likely get its first look at Beckham on Aug. 15 in their regular season road game at the Home Depot Center.

MLS commissioner Don Garber selected Real Salt Lake midfielders Kyle Beckerman and Javier Morales as his two “Commissioner’s Picks” for the 2009 MLS All-Star Game coming up July 29 in -- I assume this isn't coincidence -- Sandy, Utah.

Beckerman and Morales join the First XI and one alternate who have already been announced by the League.

The final five members will be named Monday.

The MLS All-Stars face English Premier League club Everton FC in the 14th annual midsummer showcase being played at Real Salt Lake’s Rio Tinto Stadium. The game will be shown on ESPN2.

Details at the MLS website.

Yesterday's news that Freddie Ljungberg plans to play out his two-year contract in Seattle may not be all.

Sounders general manager Adrian Hanauer said this week that he's so pleased with the contributions of his two all-stars that he is already thinking about extending their contracts.

And both stars say they are interested, although apparently no negotiations have begun.

Keller is 39, Ljungberg is 32. Both are already under contract through the 2010 MLS season.

Here are the details from my News Tribune story today.

Cuauhtemoc Blanco of the Chicago Fire has been moced into the MLS First XI, replacing Dwayne de Rosario due to Toronto's conflict with CONCACAF Champions League play.

Here's the release from MLS.

The European papers today are full of rumors that some of the "top clubs in Europe" are interested in bringing Sounders midfielder Freddie Ljungberg back across to ocean to play there.

Today, Ljungberg told me -- and his agent Claes Elefalk of CAA just confirmed from Sweden -- that he is not interested in leaving the Sounders and that he plans to play both seasons of the two-year contract he signed last Oct. 28.

"No. 1, the last few weeks myself and CAA have received plenty of requests and calls from top European teams asking about Freddie," Elefalk said in a phone interview. "My second quote is that Freddie is aware of this, and he is not at all interested whatsoever. His only focus is to play in Seattle, and he will for sure play the entire contract out."

Elefalk said he couldn't name names because requests from specific clubs are confidential. However he did say, "All those teams know Freddie would not even look at anything else but Champions League teams."

After training at Starfire today, Ljungberg said: "I've said that I want to stay in Seattle, and I'm happy here."

Ljungberg is the Sounders' designated player, and their highest-paid player at a reported $1,314,000 per season.

He has two goals and five assists halfway through his first MLS season and was named Monday to the MLS all-star team, along with teammate goalkeeper Kasey Keller.

Ljungberg scored 72 goals in 328 games with Arsenal of the English Premier League. He was Sweden's player of the year in 2002 and 2006. He played with West Ham of the EPL last season before coming to the Sounders.

No surprise, but Patrick Ianni's game-winning bicycle kick is among the nominees for MLS goal of the week.

Here's the list and the ballot.

Sunday, July 19
Tacoma Tide vs Kitsap Pumas

This Sunday at 1:00pm from Curtis HS Stadium, tomorrow's professionals of US Soccer will play for Puget Sound Supremacy. The Kitsap Pumas, a new team to the PDL this season provide a new rivalry with the Tacoma Tide FC. In addition to the bragging rights on the line for two teams separated by the Tacoma Narrows, there is also a special trophy called the Narrows Bridge Bell (pictured above).

For more information, see TacomaTideSports.com

Here's my story from today on the MLS First XI all-star picks. I tell it mostly through the eyes of GM Adrian Hanauer, since Keller and Ljungberg weren't expansion draft guys or SuperDraft guys, but guys that the Sounders picked out from something like a worldwide pool.

Anyway, with 11 all-stars elected and seven more yet to be picked, the obvious question to build on our conversation of yesterday is what Sounders still deserve a spot on the squad?

I think good cases can be made for Fredy Montero, Osvaldo Alonso and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado ... but it's hard to imagine three Sounders out of the final seven roster spots.

So, which one -- maybe two -- Sounders are most deserving to join Ljungberg and Keller on the trip to Utah?

Sounders coach Sigi Schmid ended his time away from work today with a tour of the White House, all part of an honor for the MLS champion Columbus Crew, who Schmid coached last season.

President Barack Obama praised Schmid and current Crew coach Robert Warzycha (a Crew assistant under Schmid), saying: "Under your leadership the team made an incredible turnaround from a losing season in 2007 to the best record in MLS in 2008."

Here's a look from MLSnet.com.

Schmid was scheduled to fly home tonight, and should be back on the pitch Tuesday when the Sounders return to training for their Saturday friendly with Chelsea.

Sounders FC goalkeeper Kasey Keller and midfielder Freddie Ljungberg were named today among the First XI of MLS All-Stars that will face Everton in the all-star game July 29 at Sandy, Utah.

Keller wasn't available at training today, but Ljungberg said: "We don't have all-star games and stuff back in Europe, but it's a nice thing. It's an honor. It will be fun. ... Of course it’s nice for (Keller) to get in it as well -- two teammates -- so it’s great.”

They are among seven first-timers to make the team. The First XI also represent seven nations. And Seattle, Houston and Columbus are the only teams to place two players on the First XI.

“Well deserved," said assistant coach Brian Schmetzer, who led training again today while coach Sigi Schmid toured the White House with last season's MLS champion Columbus Crew. "Kasey was almost a shoo-in because I know Zach Thornton has had a tremendous year and you can’t take anything away from him, (Pat) Onstad had a couple good saves Saturday, but Kasey has been such a tremendous influence on an expansion team and just helping this team get to where we’re at, it’s a no-brainer to me. And then Ljungberg – anybody that knows anything about soccer understands what a dynamic player he can be and we’re just hoping he gets acclimated to being kicked all the time and can stay healthy and he’ll have a good second half of the season as well.”

Online fan balloting comprising 25 percent of the combined First XI vote, with MLS coaches and GMs (25 percent), media (25 percent), and players (25 percent) accounting for the remainder. Players and coaches/general managers could not register votes for players on their own teams.

The rest of the team will be named next Monday.

Here's the full list and the news release from the MLS Website.

Here's an informed and interesting reaction from the Soccer by Ives blog, including some thoughts on some Sounders.

At noon Monday, Major League Soccer will announce the starting 11 that will face Everton in the league's annual All Star Game.

The game will be played July 29 at Salt Lake.

If only one Sounder made the first 11, who do you think is most deserving?

Sounders win, 2-1. Here's my game story. And a secondary piece on Brian Schmetzer's day.

Houston stays at 31 points in the MLS standings, Seattle climbs to 28 heading into a two-week break in their league season. The Sounders are in second place now, passing Chivas, who lost 1-0 to LA on Saturday night.

Lots of interesting pieces to this game.

No. 1 might be that game-winning bicycle kick from Patrick Ianni, who said the move was mostly instinct and admitted that he probably hasn't scored on a bicycle kick since he was 6-year-old.

"I had to just do what the game gave me," he said. "I obviously never practice that or anything, so you just kind of try to do your best to put it on frame, and fortunately it went in. I think we deserved it today, but it came in a not so conventional way."

Acting coach Brian Schmetzer had his say, too.

They’re very rare, especially from Pat Ianni. If you would have told me before the game that we were going to win the game on a bicycle kick and pick one of my players that was actually going to score the bicycle kick, Pat would have been like No. 9.

Next would be Seattle's first goal ... or "goal" depending on who you ask. That's the one where Fredy Montero's shot was swept away just at -- or across -- the goal line. Neither Montero nor Schmetzer said they had the angle to tell if the ball went in. However, Houston coach Dominic Kinnear had no doubt that it didn't.

“I know for a fact it wasn’t in and I know for a fact that the linesman was out of position," he said. "And I know for a fact that it was the same guy that called a goal on us two years ago at Salt Lake and it wasn’t even close to a goal. So I know he’s wrong and I’m sure he’ll watch it and know he’s made a mistake, but it’s too late.”

Actually, Sounders keeper Kasey Keller implied he agreed with Kinnear ... although Keller had no angle and was 110 yards away.

"We got the goal -- well, it was a goal, it was called a goal," he said. "That happens. That’s part of the game."

And then there was the incident between Freddie Ljungberg and Houston defender Craig Waibel in the 79th minute. Ljungberg seemed to bump Waible before he was taking a throw in, and Waibel retaliated by bumping the ball into the back of Ljungberg's head.

From then on, even though Waibel is a former Husky, he was booed every time he touched the ball.

After, he didn't seem to mind the booing, but he did seem to regret the incident:

“I guess, all in all, my job is to entertain and if they have an opinion about me, so be it," he said. "I’ll put it this way, I’m not many opposing team’s favorite player. I’ve been booed once or twice in my career, if not every year.”

But he added: “I gotta be honest, I’m a bit embarrassed. I pride myself on respecting the game and I think I had a brief lack of respect. By no means am I proud of it. I think I play the game well and with good intent and I think that was a little lapse in concentration and judgment.”

A lot going on over 90 minutes. I guess it's why we love the game.

=> Read more!

Not much news from acting coach Brian Schmetzer today as the Sounders wrapped up training. However, he did imply that midfielder Osvaldo Alonso might be ready to go tomorrow against Houston.

And really, the whole idea of who's there and who isn't could be the key theme of the day.

Seattle, of course, will be without Schmid for the first time, as he attends his son Kurt's wedding in northern California. And the Sounders will also be without Brad Evans and Tyrone Marshall due to national team duties ... and maybe without Alonso.

However, Houston is expected to be without eight regulars: Wade Barrett, Eddie Robinson and Cam Weaver due to injury; Bobby Boswell and Geoff Cameron due to yellow-card accumulation; and Brian Ching, Andrew Hainault and Stuart Holden due to duty with their national teams.

A quick look ahead:

HOUSTON DYNAMO (9-3-4; 31 pts.)
AT SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC (6-3-7; 25 pts.)
1 p.m. Saturday, Qwest Field.

TV: KONG 6/16.
Radio: 97.3 FM (in Spanish on 1210 AM).

Head-to-head: This is the first meeting. The teams will meet again July 21 in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals in Tukwila. Seattle visits Houston in a regular-season match Aug. 23.

Team leaders: For Houston – G 5 Brian Ching; A 7 Brad Davis; Sh 30 Kei Kamara; SOG 17 Kamara. For Seattle – G 8 Fredy Montero; A 6 Montero; Sh 49 Montero; SOG 18 Montero.

Schmid scouting report: “I know they’re missing some guys, but there’s a nucleus and there’s a team belief there, and that makes them a very good team. … When you win championships together, when you’ve been through as many things as they’ve been through, whether it was SuperLiga together or CONCACAF Champions League, there’s a resolve that builds within your team that probably no other team that we’ve played this year has.”

Notes: Schmetzer will manage the Sounders while Schmid attends the wedding of his son Kurt. … Houston has the best record in MLS. Seattle is tied for third, six points behind. … Houston goalkeeper Pat Onstad, a native of Vancouver, B.C., leads MLS with a 0.67 goals-against average. … Houston coach Donimic Kinnear, who will coach the MLS all-stars later this month, played with the USL Sounders. Defender Mike Chabala played at UW, and backup keeper Tally Hall is from Gig Harbor. … Seattle forward Nate Jaqua played with Houston over the two previous seasons before being made available in the expansion draft. … The game is sold out.

Next: The Sounders will host a friendly against Chelsea of the English Premier League at noon July 18. They resume league play July 25 vs. Chicago at Qwest Field.

Kansas City coach Curt Onalfo and goalkeeper Kevin Hartman feel the Wizards were robbed in their 1-0 loss to Sounders FC at Starfire on Wednesday.

The lone goal came on a penalty kick by Sebastien Le Toux that followed a called foul in the box when Hartman dived in a one-on-one situation with Fredy Montero.

In the aftermath, the Wizards claimed there was no foul, and that Montero had been offside, anyway.

In this story in the Kansas City Kansan Onalfo goes further, calling Montero a punk.

Because the game wasn't on TV, I saw the play only one: as it happened. But I didn't see the call as especially controversial ... especially since this referee had been ignorning dives all night.

In any case, "punk" is waaay over the line for any coach.

Circle Oct. 17 on your calendar: That's when the Sounders visit Kansas City.

Coach Sigi Schmid announced today that he will turn the coaching responsibilites over to No. 1 assistant Brian Schmetzer on Satuday.

"There's nothing that I'd rather be at than a Sounders game," Schmid said, "With the exception that my son is getting married on Saturday."

That's just the start of a huge week for Schmid, who on Monday will go to the White House where last season's MLS champion Columbus Crew will be honored by President Obama.

Schmetzer was the longtime coach of the USL-1 Sounders.

Schmid on his adventures ahead:
“I will not be available for comments tomorrow or the game Saturday. There’s nothing I’d rather be at than a Sounders game with the exception that my son (Kurt Schmid) is getting married on Saturday. Last year my daughter got married, I ended up missing the Columbus – Chicago game. So I’m going to be missing the game on Saturday because of his wedding.

"And then on Monday, Ezra (Hendrickson) and myself, and I think Brad Evans is going to be allowed to go from the national team as well – the Columbus Crew of last year is going to the White House. They were nice enough to still invite me. I want to meet (President Barack) Obama. (Assistant coach Ezra Hendrickson) wants to know where his first installment is, he’s waiting on his check. So Ezra’s going to ask about the check and I’m supposed to ask for (keeper coach Tom) Dutra because Dutra wants his installment of the stimulus package. So we’re trying to get the stimulus package a little more involved in Seattle.

It’s going to be a lot of traveling. I’m flying down to northern California. He’s getting married in northern California, so I fly down this afternoon. That wedding Saturday, then on Sunday fly to somewhere close to D.C., then get in to D.C. on Monday, do that and then fly back here Monday night, so it’s a lot of time on flights.”

In other Sounders news:

Midfielder Freddie Ljungberg (hamstring) is expected to play Saturday. Midfielder Osvaldo Alonso (groin) practiced Thursday, but his game status hasn’t been determined.

And finally, grandstand tickets for Seattle’s U.S. Open Cup semifinal July 21 vs. Houston at Starfire Sport Stadium in Tukwila sold out within hours of going on sale Thursday. A limited number of tickets for uncovered areas remain.

Tickets have gone on sale for the Sounders-Dynamo U.S. Open Cup semifinal match at 7 p.m. July 21 at Starfire. They're all general admission, but $20 for the covered grandstand, $15 for the uncovered bleachers and berm.

Click here.

It turns out that the Sounders next two non-friendly opponents will be ... the Houston Dynamo.

The Sounders will host Houston on Saturday is a very big league game: the Dynamo leads the West and this is Seattle's chance to cut three points off of that lead.

Then the Sounders will host Houston on July 21 in a big cup game: the winner goes on to the U.S. Open Cup championship.

So, if we knew for certain right now that Seattle was going to win only one of these games, which one would you want it to be?

I asked that question of a few Sounders today. Here are three of their (understandably not-fully-committal) answers:

Nate Jaqua: That’s a tough one. We’re in the semis now, so to get in the finals would be very cool for us. But these are two huge games for us, so I’m looking at them both equally. You get a win right now -- they’re in first place, we’ve been on a little bit of a roll -- if we can keep that going, especially right now in the middle of the season, that would be really crucial for us.

Stephen King: I can’t really pick one because they’re both things that we take very seriously. Obviously, right now our focus is on the league one this weekend and closing the gap between us and them in the standings. But then with the Open Cup game as well, we’re going to take that one as seriously when the time comes.

Coach Sigi Schmid: We want to win them both. I’m selfish and I’m greedy. But you look at them as mutually exclusive events and we’ll take the first one first and then we’ll focus on the second one. Certainly they have some guys missing for this one coming up, they’ll get some of those guys back for the second one. How many of those guys they’ll have back from Gold Cup at that point is up in the air. I don’t prefer one over the other. I don’t like to think that way, because whenever you think that way for sure maybe that’s the way it happens.

Sounders advance to the semis with a 1-0 win, the lone goal coming on a Sebastien Le Toux PK after Fredy Montero was dumped in the box (following a sweet pass from Stephen King). (Here's my game story.)

It all played out before a crowd of 4,352 at Starfire.

“It took long enough for sure,” Sounders coach Sigi Schmid said. “Overall, in the run of play, we created a lot of chances. We were a little bit unfortunate. … I was happy that defensively we didn’t break down. We didn’t give anything away; and that put us in a position when we were awarded the penalty we take advantage and turn it into a win.”

So, why didn't Montero take the kick?

Le Toux is the official kicker in this tournament, and had scored two penalties before," Montero said. "I did ask, I wanted to kick it, but ultimately it’s a technical decision and what’s best for the team. And it was a score, so that’s what counts. ... Sure, I’m always pushing myself to score and would have preferred to, but what counts is that I at least forced a penalty, and that resulted in a score and brought us to the semifinal."

“I was feeling like I had to take it,” Le Toux said. “As the coach tells us, it’s not good to maybe take a shot when you’ve had a foul on you. … Of course, there is a little pressure. I knew I had to score if I decide to take the PK. I was confident.”

The win makes the Sounders one of three Major League Soccer teams advancing to the semifinals of the Open Cup, which is open to all levels of soccer in this country.

Seattle will return to Starfire at 7 p.m. July 21 for its semifinal match against Houston. The Dynamo advanced by beating the Charleston Battery, 4-0, Tuesday in South Carolina.

In the other bracket, D.C. United of MLS will meet Rochester of USL-1.

The championship game will be played Sept. 1 at a site to be determined.

“It’s always about titles, and you always want to win games,” Schmid said. “… It’s something that’s exciting. Word on the street is that it might lead to a CONCACAF Champions League spot as well; so that’s important to the club. I think our guys for sure can smell it now and taste it, and obviously the next round is Houston and that’s going to be another tough game. But I think our team is looking forward to that. We’re basically two steps away from trying to bring a title to Seattle.”

=> Read more!

The Sounders are teaming with famed Tacoma glass artist Dale Chihuly.

On Thursday, general manager Adrian Hanauer, goalkeeper Kasey Keller and Chihuly gather for the unveiling of a commemorative art piece to be presented to visiting international soccer teams.

(Given all the art critics who read this blog -- judging from the comments below on the MLS Cup and logo -- Chihuly must be quaking in his boots.)

The long countdown to that 7 p.m. kickoff has begun.

Meanwhile, little reading material to pass the time:

Here's my preview story from today's paper.

Here are some basics from the MLS site.

Here's a game preview from the Kansas City Kansan, and a player feature from the Kansas City Star.

And finally, a bracket and other basics from the U.S. Open Cup site.

I'll pick up again with our ususal running gameday blog from Starfire tonight ... unless news breaks before then.

Major League Soccer has unveiled the logo for its 2009 MLS Cup, which will be played Nov. 22 at Qwest Field in Seattle.

The logo is hyper-simple: a clean line drawing of the cup. The only nod to Seattle is the city's name in text below and -- I guess -- from a touch of green and blue.

Or perhaps I'm missing something, because here's what MLS has to say about it:

The new logo marks a turning point in the branding of MLS Cup. Past MLS Cup logos integrated strong visual and architectural elements of each host city while the new logo highlights the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy through a simple and elegant glyph of the trophy. This glyph will remain a consistent element in the MLS Cup logo for years to come. In the new design, the host city -- Seattle for the 2009 edition -- is symbolized by a specific typeface and color accents in the handles of the trophy.

Yeah, that's what I meant: a simple and elegant glyph.

In any case, the thing doesn't seem wildly cap- or T-shirt-friendly ... but it's inoffensive, and perhaps I'll warm up to it.

You can get a look by clicking here.

I'll be talking Sounders with Elise Woodward at 7:30 tonight on radio station KJR, 950-AM.

The conversation also will be available live on the KJR website.

The Sounders went through a light practice today at Starfire Sports Stadium. And from whatever you can tell from this distance, they seem to be seeing the light at the end of the U.S. Open Cup tunnel ... and seem to be thinking it might be the first trophy for their case.

The Sounders are now three wins into the cup -- counting the qualifying games -- and also exactly three wins from the title. Game four comes at 7 p.m. Tuesday, when Kansas City visits Starfire.

From what we heard, it seems likely that the Sounders will start fewer reserves than they have in previous Cup games -- partly because they're increasingly serious about winning it, but also partly because a lot of the starters haven't played since June 28 and Sigi Schmid seems to think keeping them fresh has become more important than keeping them rested.

That's one reason Kasey Keller is expected to be in goal tomorrow. And Steve Zakuani also seems certain to return to action after sitting out with an ankle injury.

A couple of quotes from this morning:

Schmid on the timing:
“Obviously it’s a little different than most Open Cup games from the standpoint that we don’t have a league game before it going in. But sometimes it’s like that gets over-rated too, because once you’re in the rhythm of playing, you’re sort of in the rhythm of playing. And like I said the other time we played on a Wednesday guys would much rather play a game than train. From that standpoint hopefully it’ll come to be a plus for us in the second half because we didn’t play. It changes our lineup a little bit because we didn’t play. We want to get guys back in the rhythm. So we hope it’s a plus for us, but sometimes I think it gets more attention than it deserves.”

Zakuani on the team's attitude:
"We’ve done well. I think we’re taking it seriously. We went to Portland and played a very good team against a very tough crowd and won the game. So we don’t want to waste tomorrow night. We want to come here and win the right to play again. We definitely take it seriously. If we keep winning – and we have been winning recently – it just keeps the momentum going. So it’s just about winning games."

Dallas forward Jeff Cunningham scored both goals in his team's 2-1 win over New York on Saturday and was rewarded today with Major League Soccer's Player of the Week honor. They were the 106th and 107th goals of Cunningham's MLS career.

Here's the MLS release.

(Cunningham also was at the top of my ballot, giving me a two-week streak as I also voted for the previous week's winner: Seattle's own Nate Jaqua.)

Here's my story from today's paper, which deals with what I think are the very good chances that the U.S. will be awarded another World Cup by 2022, and that Seattle will be chosen as one of the host cities.

However, here's one additional long paragraph that I liked -- almost poetic really -- from David Downs, executive director of the USA Bid Committee, regarding soccer in the United States:

"You can’t just look at the average attendance for an MLS game and necessarily say that’s where soccer is in America. Because soccer is the group of people who will turn out for the Chelsea and Barcelona games. It’s the Hispanic weekend player on the pickup fields. It’s the family kicking around that may not consume soccer on the MLS level or watch the Mexican League on Univision. It’s the Europhile who watches just the Premiership. But if we can manage to demonstrate to FIFA that all of those groups exist and somehow aggregate them and quantify them, then it’s a heck of a story. We honestly believe that if the World Cup comes back to the United States that we’ll sell five million tickets. We will literally sellout every one of the 64 matches at an average of 80,000."

Here's the story... which I mention because that game/incident was one of the vivid memories of my sportswriting life.

I had just been in the sports department a few days when my editor comes over and asks if I'm free to get down to Pasadena to cover the Women's World Cup final. I decided then that I was really going to like this job.

The assignment was great, the team was wonderful. But then came the game 0-0 through regulation, 0-0 through overtime. So I thinking, Well, this is fun, but how am I going to write 700 words on a scoreless game?"

Then Brandi Chastain hits the winning shot, whips off her shirt and suddenly there was plenty to write about.

If the Sounders beat Kansas City in the U.S. Open Cup match Tuesday at Starfire, they will host the semifinal round match against either the Houston Dynamo of MLS or the Charleston Battery of USL-1.

That game also would be played at Starfire.

Grandstand seating is gone for the Tuesday quarterfinal, but some $10 general admission tickets remain. Details at the Sounders site.

There won't be any radio or TV, however there will be a live audiocast on SoundersFC.com, with Thom Beuning and Peter Fewing doing the honors.

The Sounders practiced today at Starfire. After Sigi Schmid met with the media.

He didn't commit to a starting keeper in Tuesday's U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal game against Kansas City. However, he seemed to imply that it will be Kasey Keller. He also implied that his team's off-weekend could give him an advantage over the Wizards, who played Saturday.

In terms of health, Schmid said Osvaldo Alonso is certainly out for Tuesday, but that Steve Zakuani seems likely. Sebastien Le Toux, who was kicked in the calf last week in Portland, is ready to go.

Schmid said he "saw a little bit" of the USA-Grenada game yesterday and was happy for current Sounder Brad Evans -- who got his first national cap -- and Columbus' Robbie Rogers, who had a goal and two assists.

Schmid also said that before the start of practice, forward Nate Jaqua addressed his teammates about the civil case filed against him in Oregon. The suit alleges a sexual assault two year ago, which Jaqua denies. (See post below.) "It's obviously a difficult thing," Schmid said, concluding "We're supportive of Nate."

We got a little time with Brad Evans yesterday, proudly wearing his red-white-and-blue instead of rave green. Here's a little of what he had to say that didn't quite get into my morning story.

On when he learned he would be in uniform:
This (Saturday) afternoon we found out the starting lineup and the 18-man roster. Obviously it’s special when you put on the national team jersey. Overall it’s a great feeling for sure. Good to get on the field and connect some passes and kind of get into the rhythm of the game."

On playing defense rather than midfield:
"Everyday it gets better, for sure. You learn more and more especailly when you play different opponents. Overall it’s a good position."

On the USA's performance:
"Good. Overall good. We spoke about it before: We’re focusing on one game at a time. If we can get the first result, then hopefully the second and third will come. But the most important thing is to advance out of our group."

On if he's ever seen so many empty seats at Qwest:
"Only that one game, the preseason game that was closed. That’s it. It’s definitely the most empty I’ve ever seen it. But overall good support. The crowd was loud and when we needed them behind us they were there."

On whether this is the best year of his footballing life:
"Yeah, for sure. Coming out of the gate and starting from the beginning things kind of fell into place. Sigi trusted me in the midfield. I’ve played every minute so far for Seattle, except for the games that I’ve missed due to a little bit of injury. So from club standpoint for sure, and obviouly this is one of the biggest honors, putting on this jersey. So for sure this is a good year to remember."

The Houston Dynamo beat the Kansas City Wizards yesterday in MLS action, picking up three points on Seattle in the Western Division standings.

Here's a game report.

The game also paired the Sounders' next two opponents. The Wizards will be in town Tuesday to meet the Sounders in a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal at Starfire. The Dynamo will be at Qwest Field on Saturday for what shapes up as the MLS game of the week.

Grenada is an island nation of about 90,000 and the smallest country ever to qualify for the Gold Cup. The USA -- even with this B roster -- was expected to handle them easily, and they did: 4-0 before a crowd of 15,387 at Qwest Field.

It was the USA’s first soccer victory on the Fourth of July. And it got them off to a sold start toward defending its CONCACAF Gold Cup title.

“(It was) important to start the Gold Cup the right way,” U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. “It was a really good team effort. Four different guys scored tonight.”

Those four guys were Freddy Adu, Stuart Holden, Robbie Rogers and Charlie Davies. Rogers also assisted the first two goals and was selected man of the match.

The USA outshot Grenada 25-3, and USA keeper Troy Perkins was called upon to make only one save.

Among the happiest guys in red, white and blue was Brad Evans, the Seattle Sounder who made his national team debut in the 62nd minute.

“It’s special when you put on the national team jersey,” he said. “Overall, it’s a great feeling for sure: good to get on the field and connect some passes and kind of get into the rhythm of the game. … It was just a special day. My fiancée was in the crowd, some buddies in the crowd as well. For sure, a day to remember.”

Evans’ national team career got off to an awkward start as he actually got a yellow card before his first national cap because he ran onto the pitch before being officially waved in by the referee.

“He told me to wait a little bit going onto the field, but I couldn’t hear him – that’s how loud it was,” Evans said. “I was excited.”
The United States continues Gold Cup group play Wednesday against Honduras at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.

Honduras beat Haiti, 1-0, in the first game.

The U.S. and Honduras will meet Wednesday as group play continues in Washington, D.C.

=> Read more!

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.

Word from Portland this morning that they are within a few hundred tickets of a sellout for the U.S. Open Cup match at 7 tonight. The game also will be on FSN (after the Mariners).

I'm getting an early start down I-5, so I likely won't be posting again for a while. But in the meantime:

Here's my game preview from this morning's paper.

And here's a preview from The Oregonian.

And finally, here's a wrap of last night's U.S. Open Cup action, where MLS sides didn't fare so well. However, you will notice that one of the MLS sides that did advance is Kansas City -- and that's who awaits tonight's Sounders-Timbers winner. And if it's the Sounders, the game will be played Tuesday at Starfire.