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."