Sounders FC Hosts Columbus Crew Saturday Night

After securing three points in its first road match of the season, Seattle Sounders FC returns home for Saturday’s clash with the Columbus Crew. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. PT on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field.

Saturday’s match will be televised locally on Q13 FOX with Ross Fletcher and Kasey Keller on the call, and can be heard on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM. THIS-TV (KOMO2) will televise the match live in Spanish with Jaime Mendez and Diego Arrioja calling the action, and Spanish radio is available on ESPN Deportes 1490 AM with Rene Aleman and Noe Menendez.

Sounders FC (2-1-0, 6 points) sits second in the West following a 2-nil road win over the Montreal Impact on Sunday afternoon. Lamar Neagle and Obafemi Martins each scored their first goals of the 2014 campaign, marking the first multi-goal game of the season for Seattle. Goalkeeper Stefan Frei recorded his second shutout of the season, as Seattle’s 0.67 goals against average is tied for fifth in MLS.

Seattle’s three-game start to the season is tied for the second-best in club history, and a win on Saturday would match the club’s best-ever four-game start.

Saturday’s match will be the lone meeting of the season with the Columbus Crew (2-0-0, 6 points), who sit in a three-way tie atop the Eastern Conference standings, winning the opening two matches of the season for the first time in club history. Midfielder Bernardo Anor earned MLS Player of the Week honors after scoring twice in a 2-1 home win over the Philadelphia Union last Saturday.

Seattle and Columbus have met nine times across all competitions, with Sounders FC holding the advantage at 5-1-3, including a 2-1 win in the 2010 U.S. Open Cup final. Sounders FC defender Chad Marshall will face his former team for the first time, where he won the 2008 MLS Cup with Head Coach Sigi Schmid, Assistant Coach Ezra Hendrickson and midfielder Brad Evans.

Sounders FC will continue to celebrate 40 years of professional soccer in Seattle on Saturday afternoon by honoring former NASL Sounders defender Mike England.

Following Saturday’s contest, Sounders FC will play its first Cascadia Cup match of the season against the Portland Timbers. The April 5 match at Providence Park will kick off a three-game road trip, including visits to FC Dallas and Chivas USA. Seattle will return to CenturyLink Field on April 26 to host the Colorado Rapids.

Tickets for Sounders FC home matches, including the Tottenham Hotspur friendly, are available now at www.SoundersFC.com and 1-877-MLS-GOAL. The 6-Match ticket package is also available now with expanded seating to include the upper bowl at CenturyLink Field.

Competition Schedule (All times Pacific; subject to change)

March 29, 7 p.m. – Sounders FC vs. Columbus Crew, CenturyLink Field

April 5, 12 p.m. – Sounders FC at Portland Timbers, Providence Park

April 12, 5:30 p.m. – Sounders FC at FC Dallas, Toyota Stadium

April 19, 7:30 p.m. – Sounders FC at Chivas USA, StubHub Center

April 26, 1 p.m. – Sounders FC vs. Colorado Rapids, CenturyLink Field

Back Home (For Now)

Sounders FC returns home for Saturday’s match against the Columbus Crew before going back on the road for three-straight games, starting on April 5 at Portland. Seattle is 1-1-0 at home this season with two goals scored and two conceded. Seattle has won 11 of its past 16 (11-2-3) regular-season home matches, dating back to May 11, 2013. Sounders FC matched its best home point total (35) in 2013, highlighted by a 14-game (10-0-4) home unbeaten streak and a league-best six-game home winning streak. Following Saturday’smatch against the Crew, Seattle’s next game at CenturyLink Field is April 26 against the Colorado Rapids.

Second in the West

With Sunday’s road win at Montreal, Sounders FC has earned six points through the first three games of the season, sitting second in the West behind FC Dallas (2-0-1, 7 points). Seattle’s average of two points per game ranks fifth in MLS behind Houston, Columbus, Toronto (3 PPG) and Dallas (2.33 PPG). Sounders FC is one of five teams with two victories in the opening three weeks of the 2014 regular season.

The six points through the opening three games is tied for the second-best start in club history, ranking behind the three-straight wins to start the inaugural campaign. In 2012, Sounders FC earned six points in the opening three contests, and continued to go unbeaten over the next six matches (5-0-1), including a five-game winning streak to post the best nine-game start in club history. If Seattle takes all three points against Columbus on Saturday, the team would match its best four-game start in club history.

Club Record through Opening Three Games

Year Record Points

2009 3-0-0 9 pts.

2014 2-1-0 6 pts.

2012 2-1-0 6 pts.

2010 1-1-1 4 pts.

2011 0-2-1 1 pt.

2013 0-2-1 1 pt.

Scoring Goals, Playing to Zero

Seattle’s two-goal effort last Sunday against the Montreal Impact marked the team’s first multi-goal game of the 2014 season. It was the first multi-goal game since the 3-2 road loss at Portland in the 2013 MLS Cup Playoffs (11/7/13) and Seattle extended its scoring streak to three-straight games to start the season. When Sounders FC netted its first multi-goal of the 2013 season (2-2 at PHI, 5/4/13), the team went on to score 11 goals over a four-game stretch, going 3-0-1.

Sounders FC has also held strong on defense, posting its second shutout in three games. It was the team’s first road shutout since the 1-0 win at Columbus on August 31, 2013. Seattle faced a club record 26 shots against Montreal and was out-possessed (45-55) for the first time this season after holding the advantage against Kansas City (55-45) and Toronto (68-32).

Pushing Forward

With Obafemi Martins and Lamar Neagle each netting their first goal of the season at Montreal, the Seattle forward group has continued to contribute at a high rate. Over three games, Chad Barrett, Kenny Cooper, Martins and Neagle have accounted for three of the team’s four goals and three assists. Clint Dempsey has added one goal and one assist from a withdrawn forward position and newcomer Gonzalo Pineda recorded his first assist eight minutes into his first MLS start last Sunday.

Over Seattle’s first five seasons in MLS, just over 52-percent of the team’s 217 all-time goals had been scored by forwards, with the highest output in 2012 when the forwards scored 33 of the 48 goals.

All-Time Goals by Position in MLS

Year FWD MID DEF Tot.

2009 21 13 4 38

2010 17 18 3 38

2011 18 33 3 54

2012 33 13 2 48

2013 25 12 2 39

2014 3 1 0 4

Totals: 117 90 14 221

*Own goals not included

Martins & Neagle Lead the Way

Obafemi Martins and Lamar Neagle started up top together at Montreal for the first time this season, resulting in goals for both players. Neagle staked Seattle to an early lead when he flicked a header from a free kick that deflected off the underside of the crossbar and into the net. Martins added a second goal in the 58th minute when he nodded in Kenney Cooper’s cross.

The duo was similarly productive last season. Martins and Neagle both started at forward eight times during the 2013 campaign, with Martins recording three goals and four assists and Neagle netting four goals and two assists. Martins assisted on three of Neagle’s eight goals last year while Neagle assisted on one of Martins’ goals. In their eight starts at forward together in 2013, the team went 6-1-1, outscoring opponents 14-9.

Frei Off to Career-Best Start

Goalkeeper Stefan Frei and the Seattle defense has had a solid start to the 2014 season, recording two shutouts in three games with the only two goals conceded to English international Jermain Defoe. It is the first time in Frei’s career that he has begun a season with two shutouts in the opening three games, and first time in Seattle since Kasey Keller had three-straight shutouts to start the 2009 season. Frei’s five saves last Sunday were the most by a Seattle goalkeeper since the beginning of last season when Michael Gspurning stopped seven shots in a loss at Real Salt Lake (3/30/13).

Fourth-Straight Eastern Conference Opponent

Saturday’s match against the Columbus Crew marks the fourth-straight game against an Eastern conference opponent. It is the first time in club history that Seattle has played the opening four games of the season against teams from the same conference. FollowingSaturday’s match, Seattle will have six remaining regular-season games against the East, with the next coming on May 3 against the Philadelphia Union. Sounders FC went 5-2-2 against the East in 2013.

Series Notes

Sounders FC holds the advantage in the all-time series with Columbus, going 4-1-3 in the eight regular-season meetings. Seattle is 1-1-2 at home, falling 2-nil in the previous home meeting on May 23, 2012. Sounders FC went unbeaten through the first six (3-0-3) regular-season meetings against the Crew, including a 1-0 win in 2009 that snapped Columbus’ 22-match home unbeaten streak. In the previous meeting between the two sides on August 31, 2013, Sounders FC earned a 1-nil road win, despite playing down a man for the final 83 minutes. Seattle also ousted the Crew in the 2010 U.S. Open Cup final to win its second of three-straight titles, a 2-1 comeback win at CenturyLink Field in front of 31,111 in attendance.

* Sounders FC has outscored the Crew, 15-7, including 11-3 in the opening 45 minutes.

* Despite holding the advantage in goals scored, Seattle has been outshot by Columbus, 96-112.

* Sounders FC has scored in seven of the eight all-time meetings, including one four-goal and one six-goal game.

* Two of Seattle’s four all-time hat tricks came against the Crew, including Blaise Nkufo in a 4-0 road win (9/18/10) and Lamar Neagle in a 6-2 home win (8/27/11).

* Sounders FC has held Columbus scoreless on three occasions for a goals against average of 0.88.

About Columbus

The Columbus Crew have won the opening two games of the season for the first time in club history, downing D.C. United 3-0 on the road and beating Philadelphia 2-1 in the home opener last Saturday. The Crew are one of three teams (Houston and Toronto) to claim all available points and sit atop the Eastern Conference standings in a three-way tie. The team has scored five goals, tied for second-most in MLS, and the one goal conceded is tied for second-fewest. Following Saturday’s match in Seattle, Columbus will host Toronto FC onApril 5 and will play three of its four April matches at Crew Stadium.

Crew Notables

The Columbus attack is led by the 2012 MLS Newcomer of the Year Federico Higuain. The Argentine midfielder has scored two goals with one assist in the opening two games of the season, and has tallied 18 goals with 17 assists in his 44 career appearances for the Crew. Midfielder Bernardo Anor earned MLS Player of the Week honors for his two-goal effort against Philadelphia last Saturday, including a stunning strike from 35-yards to win the match. The only other player to score for Columbus this season is Costa Rican forward Jairo Arrieta, who scored the club’s first goal of the season in the 18th minute against D.C. United. Arrieta has scored 13 goals with eight assists in 46 career appearances for the Crew following six years (2006-12) with Costa Rican powerhouse Saprissa.

On the defensive side, the Crew are led by newcomers Michael Parkhurst and goalkeeper Steve Clark. Parkhurst, the 2005 MLS Rookie of the Year and 2007 MLS Defender of the Year, has 24 caps for the U.S. National Team. He returned to MLS in the offseason following six years in Denmark and Germany. Parkhurst has started all 117 appearances in his five-year MLS career, playing for New England from 2005-08. Columbus acquired Clark in a trade with Sounders FC on December 16, 2013, in exchange for a 2015 fourth round SuperDraft pick. Clark played four seasons with Honefoss BK of the Norwegian First Division before joining MLS for the 2014 season. He has made four saves in his first two starts, allowing 0.50 goals per game.

SEA-CLB Connections

Sounders FC has several connections to the Columbus Crew’s 2008 MLS Cup winning team. Defender Chad Marshall spent the previous 10 seasons (2004-13) with the Crew, making 253 appearances with 16 goals and 10 assists. He scored the game-winner in the 2008 MLS Cup final against New York and also won three Supporters’ Shields (2004, 2008 and 2009) with Columbus. Marshall was twice named MLS Defender of the Year and Best XI (2008 and 2009). Midfielder Brad Evans began his professional career with the Crew after he was drafted with the 15th overall pick in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft. He made 30 appearances in his two seasons with the Crew, scoring five goals with two assists.

Seattle Head Coach Sigi Schmid spent three seasons (2006-08) at the helm of the Crew, going 34-33-25 while winning the 2008 MLS Cup and Supporters’ Shield and earning MLS Coach of the Year honors. Sounders FC Assistant Coach Ezra Hendrickson was a member of Schmid’s MLS Cup winning team in 2008. He made 60 appearances with two goals and two assists in his three seasons (2006-08) with the Crew. Sporting Director Chris Henderson played one season (2005) with Columbus, scoring two goals with three assists in 21 appearances.

Tottenham Hotspur Tickets on Sale Now

Single-game tickets for the Tottenham Hotspur match are on sale now, and can be purchased by visiting www.SoundersFC.com or by phoning 1-877-MLS-GOAL. Sounders FC hosts Tottenham Hotspur on July 19 at 1 p.m. PT on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field. The match will be presented by Target, and nationally televised on ESPN2.

U.S. National Team Faces Mexico on April 2

The U.S. Men’s National Team plays Mexico in a friendly on April 2 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. PT on ESPN2, WatchESPN and UniMas. The match is the final game before the World Cup preparation camp starts in late May.

Three Sounders FC players have recently played for the USMNT. Team captain Clint Dempsey has played in one match this year, earning his 102nd cap. Dempsey ranks second all-time with 36 goals and scored a career-high six goals with two assists in 10 appearances last year. Brad Evans has 17 caps and one goal for the national team, including one appearance this year. DeAndre Yedlin earned his first cap against Korea on February 1, playing 17 minutes in a 2-0 win.

Throw-ins

Lamar Neagle was credited with the eight minute goal against the Montreal Impact. Gonzalo Pineda was credited with his first MLS assist…Sounders FC will wear its Rave Green kit on Saturday and Columbus will wear all white…The referee for Saturday’s match is Allen Chapman, with assistants Jeff Muschik and Jeremy Hanson and fourth official Alejandro Mariscal…Eriq Zavaleta, on loan at Chivas USA, made his first appearance of the season, playing 90 minutes at center back in the team’s 3-1 loss at FC Dallas.



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