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.)