Sounders FC continues Postseason Push at Colorado on Saturday

Faced with the final stretch of the MLS regular season, Seattle Sounders FC continues its chase for the 2013 Supporters’ Shield on Saturday night with a visit to the Colorado Rapids. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. PT at Dick’s Sporting Good Park in Commerce City, Colo.

Sounders FC can clinch a berth in the 2013 MLS Cup Playoffs with a win on Saturday night. A draw or a loss for Seattle would force the club to wait another week for an opportunity to qualify for the playoffs.

Saturday’s match will be nationally televised on NBC Sports Network with John Strong and Kyle Martino on the call. The match will also be available on 97.3 FM with Ross Fletcher and Kasey Keller calling the action, and can be heard in Spanish on La Gran D 99.3 FM.

Sounders FC (15-8-6, 51 points) currently sits even with Real Salt Lake atop the Western Conference standings, and is tied-second in the Supporters’ Shield race – one point behind the league-leading New York Red Bulls.

MATCH PHOTOS: Sounders v. Red Bulls by WILSON TSOI

Seattle extended its unbeaten streak to seven (5-0-2) games with a 1-1 draw against the Red Bulls on Sunday, marking the longest active unbeaten streak in MLS. Brad Evans returned to the starting lineup and converted his seventh career penalty kick as Sounders FC continued its home dominance in 2013.

The scene now shifts to the Rocky Mountains where the upstart Rapids (12-9-9, 45 points) hold the fifth and final playoff spot in the West, just one point clear of sixth-place San Jose. Following a nine-match unbeaten run from the end of June through August, the Rapids have dropped two of the last four outings, including a 1-nil defeat at Portland in Colorado’s last match on September 20.

Sounders FC is riding an eight-game unbeaten run against the Rapids, including seven straight wins until a 1-1 home draw on July 20. In Seattle’s last visit to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Obafemi Martins notched his first career MLS goal in a 1-0 win on April 20.

Seattle will then return to the Pacific Northwest for back-to-back Cascadia Cup games. Sounders FC hosts the Vancouver Whitecaps FC on October 9 and visits the Portland Timbers on October 13. Seattle will conclude the regular-season campaign with a road match at FC Dallas on October 19 followed by the finale against the LA Galaxy on October 27 on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field.

Tickets to all remaining Sounders FC home matches are available through SoundersFC.com, all Ticketmaster Outlets, the CenturyLink Field Box Office or by calling 800-745-3000.

Sounders FC Competition Schedule (all times Pacific; subject to change)

Saturday, October 5, 7 p.m. – Sounders FC at Colorado Rapids

Wednesday, October 9, 7 p.m. – Sounders FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Sunday, October 13, 6 p.m. – Sounders FC at Portland Timbers

Saturday, October 19, 12 p.m. – Sounders FC at FC Dallas

Sunday, October 27, 6 p.m. – Sounders FC vs. LA Galaxy

Sounders FC Fast Facts

* 1.80 – Seattle’s average of 1.80 goals per game in October is the highest monthly average in club history.

* 2nd – Sounders FC currently sits second in the Western Conference and third in the race for the 2013 Supporters’ Shield

* 3 – Sounders FC will play three games in eight days for the third time this season, going 5-0-1 in the previous two stretches.

* 5 – Seattle has the most games remaining (5) in MLS.

* 7 – Sounders FC holds the longest active unbeaten streak in MLS at seven (5-0-2) games.

* 8 – Sounders FC is unbeaten in its past eight (7-0-1) games against the Colorado Rapids.

* 12 – Seattle has scored in a club record 12 consecutive games, marking the longest active scoring streak in MLS.

* 14 – Seattle’s 14-game (10-0-4) home unbeaten streak is tied for the longest in MLS this season.

* 27 – Sounders FC has earned the most points (27) in MLS since the midway point of the regular season.

* 34 – Mauro Rosales’ 34 career assists is tied with Fredy Montero for the club record.

* 48 – Sounders FC is unbeaten in 48 straight games (38-0-10) when scoring first, marking the longest active streak in MLS and second-longest streak in league history.

* 54 – A win for Sounders FC on Saturday would put the club at 54 points, clinching a spot in the 2013 MLS Cup Playoffs for the fifth consecutive year.

Win and You’re In

Sounders FC could become the first team to clinch a berth in the 2013 MLS Cup Playoffs. Seattle would qualify for the playoffs with a win at Colorado on Saturday. A draw or a loss for Seattle would force the club to wait another week for an opportunity to qualify for the playoffs.

Sounders FC is one of three teams (LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake) to qualify for the playoffs the past four seasons. Last year, Seattle became the first expansion team to qualify for the playoffs in its first four seasons since the Chicago Fire qualified in its first six seasons from 1998-2003. Since MLS expanded in 2005, only one of the eight other expansion teams (Real Salt Lake) has qualified for the playoffs more than Sounders FC.

Expansion Teams Since 2005

Team (inaugural season) MLS Cup Playoffs Years in MLS

Real Salt Lake (2005) 5* 9

Seattle Sounders FC (2009) 4* 5

Chivas USA (2005) 4 9

San Jose Earthquakes (2008) 2 6

Philadelphia Union (2010) 1* 4

Vancouver (2011) 1 3

Portland Timbers (2011) 0* 3

Montreal Impact (2012) 0* 2

Toronto FC (2007) 0 7

*Teams currently in position for 2013 MLS Cup Playoffs

Sounders Riding League-best Unbeaten Run

Sounders FC extended its unbeaten streak to seven games (5-0-2) with last Sunday’s home draw against the New York Red Bulls. The seven-game unbeaten streak is the longest active streak in MLS and marks Seattle’s longest streak of the 2013 season. Just four other teams have held unbeaten streaks longer than seven games this season: Portland Timbers (15), Colorado Rapids (9), FC Dallas (9) and Real Salt Lake (8).

Sounders FC has posted two unbeaten streaks of six or more games this season, previously going undefeated over six games from April 13 to May 18. Only one other team (Colorado Rapids) has posted two unbeaten streaks of six or more games this season. Ten MLS teams have not had an unbeaten streak of six or more games this season.

Longest Active Unbeaten Streaks – MLS

Team GP Record Start Date

Seattle Sounders FC 7 5-0-2 August 25

New York Red Bulls 5 4-0-1 August 31

Portland Timbers 4 3-0-1 September 7

San Jose Earthquakes 4 3-0-1 September 8

Columbus Crew 3 3-0-0 September 14

Houston Dynamo 3 2-0-1 September 14

Sounders Continue Second-half Surge

Sounders FC has been the top team in MLS since reaching the midway point of the 2013 regular season. Despite playing the fewest games (12), Seattle has posted the most points (27), the highest points per game average (2.25) and the most wins (8). Sounders FC is the only team in MLS to drop just one match in the past two months.

Seattle’s average of 2.25 points per game in the second-half of this season is the top mark in club history, besting the 2011 average of 2.24 points per game. Over the past four years, Sounders FC has averaged 1.97 points per match over the second-half of the season, which is 0.59 points per match better than the first-half average (1.38). The most outstanding second-half runs came in 2010 when the team won 10 of its final 15 games and in 2011 when the team won 12 of the final 17 games.

Top Records in Second-half of Season – 2013

Team GP PTS Record

Sounders FC 12 27 8-1-3

New York 14 27 8-3-3

San Jose 14 26 8-4-2

Colorado 13 25 7-2-4

Kansas City 13 22 7-5-1

LA Galaxy 13 21 6-4-3

Houston 13 21 6-5-2

Salt Lake 14 21 6-5-3

Final Five: Sounders Seek another Strong Finish

As Seattle readies for the final five matches of the 2013 season, the team will look to replicate the endings of years past. In three of the previous four seasons, Sounders FC averaged at least two points per game over the final stretch of five games, including 12-point outputs in 2011 and 2010. The team has only been held scoreless six times in those 20 matches, and has earned 42 of the 60 available points.

This season, three of Seattle’s final five opponents currently hold a playoff spot, while Vancouver and Dallas sit on the bubble. Seattle’s record against its remaining opponents is 6-1-2, and the team already has at least one win against four of the five teams. Overall, Seattle is 4-5-5 this season against teams currently in a playoff position.

Final Five Matches – Club

Year Record (points) GF/GA

2011 4-1-0 (12 points) 10/6

2010 4-1-0 (12 points) 9/6

2009 3-1-1 (10 points) 7/5

2012 2-1-2 (8 points) 6/2

In A Rhythm: Three Games in Eight Days

Sounders FC will play three games in eight days, beginning at Colorado on October 5 followed by consecutive Cascadia matches against Vancouver (October 9) and at Portland (October 13). It will be the third time this season that Seattle will play three games in eight days. In the previous two stretches, Seattle went a combined 5-0-1 with 11 goals scored and three conceded. The three stretches of three games in eight days this season is the second-most in club history. Seattle had four such stretches in the 2012 season. Overall, Seattle has played three regular-season games in eight days on 11 occasions in club history, going 18-7-8 and outscoring opponents 47-33. Seattle has scored at least one goal in 28 of those 33 games, including 14 multi-goal games while posting 12 shutouts.

Three Games in Eight Days – MLS only

Date Record Goal Differential (GF/GA)

Aug. 31-Sept. 7, 2013 3-0-0 +3 (4/1)

May 5-11, 2013 2-0-1 +5 (7/2)

June 16-24, 2012 0-2-1 -4 (3/7)

May 19-26, 2012 0-1-2 -2 (3/5)

May 5-12, 2012 2-1-0 +2 (3/1)

April 28-May 5, 2012 3-0-0 +4 (5/1)

June 18-26, 2011 3-0-0 +4 (7/3)

May 21-28, 2011 2-1-0 +1 (3/2)

April 17-25, 2010 1-1-1 -1 (3/4)

August 15-23, 2009 1-1-1 +1 (3/2)

June 13-20, 2009 1-0-2 +1 (6/5)

Seattle in October

October has historically been an exciting month of soccer for Sounders FC. The team has gone 11-3-1 in 15 all-time October games, outscoring opponents 27-16. Seattle has dropped just one match in each of the past three Octobers.

The final month of the regular season also marks Seattle’s top scoring month, averaging 1.80 goals per game in October, besting the June average of 1.70 as well as the team’s all-time average of 1.42 goals per game. October is the only month in which Sounders FC has scored at least six goals each season, and Seattle has been held scoreless just three times in the 15 all-time October matches.

Goals per Month – Club

Month 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Totals

March 5 2 1 5 2 15 (1.15)

April 4 5 9 3 1 22 (1.16)

May 6 2 6 8 11 33 (1.18)

June 9 6 9 5 5 34 (1.70)

July 2 6 8 6 5 27 (1.35)

Aug. 3 4 9 13 8 27 (1.68)

Sept. 3 6 7 5 7 28 (1.40)

Oct. 6 8 7 6 – 27 (1.80)

Totals 38 39 56 51 39 223 (1.42)

MLS Cup Playoffs Notes

Who Qualifies

* 10 clubs will qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs – the top five in points from each conference at the end of the regular season.

* The 4th- and 5th-place teams will play a single knockout game, the winner of which will advance to the Conference Semifinals and face the 1st-place team in the conference.

* The Conference Semifinals will be decided by a two-game, aggregate-goal format.

* The Conference Championships will be decided by a two-game, aggregate-goal format.

* MLS Cup will be hosted by the finalist that finished the regular season with the most points in the standings.

Tie-Breaking Procedures

The team awarded the highest position in the MLS standings will be the team with the greatest number of points. In the event that two teams finish the regular season with an equal number of points, the following system will be used to break the tie:

1. Most Wins

2. Goals For

3. Goal Differential

4. Fewest Disciplinary Points

5. Road Goals

6. Road Goal Differential

7. Home Goals

8. Home Goal Differential

9. Coin Toss (2 teams) or Drawing of Lots (3 or more)

Colorado Rapids Series Notes

Sounders FC has been dominant in the series with the Colorado Rapids, going 8-1-2 in the 11 all-time meetings. Seattle is currently riding an eight-game (7-0-1) unbeaten streak, including seven straight wins from July 25, 2010 to April 20, 2013. The two sides have met twice in the 2013 regular season as Seattle earned a 1-nil away win on April 20 followed by a 1-1 home draw on July 20.

* Seattle has recorded a clean sheet in two of its last three games at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

* Sounders FC holds a 19-10 goal advantage, including 11-5 in the second half of games.

* Seattle has scored the bulk of its goal in the middle interval of each half, including five goals from the 16-30 minute mark and six goals from the 61-75 minute mark.

* Eddie Johnson leads all active players with six career goals against the Colorado Rapids, including two goals in the Seattle-Colorado series. Overall, seven active Sounders FC players have scored in the series.

* Mauro Rosales leads all active players in the series with five assists, including two in a 2-1 win at CenturyLink Field on July 7 last season.

* Despite out-shooting Sounders FC 124-123, the Rapids have managed just 37 shots on goal to Seattle’s 52.

* Saturday’s matchup marks the latest in the season that the two teams have met. The previous latest matchup was July 28 last season.

Rapids Offense Full of Fresh Faces

A large part of Colorado’s bounce-back season is attributed to their group of newcomers in the attack. Overall this season, 27 of Colorado’s 35 goals (not including own-goals) have been scored by players who played for a different team a season ago. Rookie Deshorn Brown leads the team with seven goals and has added four assists, while fellow rookie Dillon Powers has four goals and ranks second on the team with five assists. Veteran off-season acquisitions Edson Buddle and Atiba Harris have added five goals apiece, while former Sounders FC midfielder Nathan Sturgis has scored four goals. In addition, Christopher Klute leads the team with seven assists. Klute was signed late in 2012 and made just one appearance for the Rapids last season.

Irwin Impressive in Debut Season

Goalkeeper Clint Irwin has been impressive in his first MLS season, ranking among the league-leaders in nearly every goalkeeping category. The 24-year-old ranks second in MLS with a 1.00 goals against average, tied-third with 10 shutouts, tied-fifth with 12 wins, and 10th with 77 saves. The Elon University product has the 10th longest shutout streak this season, a 282-minute run from April 28 to May 18. Irwin recorded five saves-his second highest total of the season-to preserve a 1-1 draw with Sounders FC at CenturyLink Field on July 20.

Throw-ins

Real Salt Lake hosts D.C. United in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final on Tuesday, October 1 at 6 p.m. PT on GolTV. This is the first time in club history that Sounders FC has not participated in the Open Cup Final… On October 5, 2010, Sounders FC won its second straight U.S. Open Cup title with a 2-1 home win over the Columbus Crew. On October 4, 2011, Sounders FC became the fourth three-peat winner with a win over the Chicago Fire in the U.S. Open Cup Final…On October 3, 2009, Sounders FC ended the Columbus Crew’s then-MLS record 22-game home unbeaten run…On October 7, 2012, Sounders FC hosted a crowd of 66,451 in 1 3-nil home win over the Portland Timbers. The club also held the first-ever General Manager Vote in American professional sports history…Defender Zach Scott will be eligible for Saturday’s match after serving a one-game suspension for his red card ejection at Los Angeles. Scott has received four yellow card cautions and will receive a suspension on his next yellow card. He has three remaining games before receiving the good behavior incentive…Leo Gonzalez has four yellow cards and is one game from receiving his good behavior incentive. Djimi Traore will be suspended on his next yellow card. He can no longer use his good behavior incentive…The University of Washington men’s soccer team (6-0-2) visits Stanford on Thursday night on the Pac-12 Network. Several players on both teams have connections to the Sounders FC Academy.