Sounders FC Hosts San Jose Wednesday, Visits Portland Sunday

Following a busy three-game week, Seattle Sounders FC returns to the Pacific Northwest for a pair of matches against Western Conference opponents, beginning Wednesday night against the San Jose Earthquakes. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. PT on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field.

Wednesday’s match will be televised locally on JOEtv (KZJO, channel 22/cable 10) and regionally on ROOT Sports with Ross Fletcher and Taylor Graham on the call, and can be heard on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM. Spanish radio is available on ESPN Deportes 1490 AM.

The action continues on Sunday when Sounders FC visits the Portland Timbers in a nationally televised Cascadia Cup match. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. PT at Providence Park in Portland. The match will be broadcast on ESPN2 with Adrian Healey, Taylor Twellman, Alexi Lalas and Monica Gonzalez on the call. The match can also be heard on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM and in Spanish on ESPN Deportes 1490 AM.

Sounders FC (13-7-2, 41 points) fell out of the top spot in the Western Conference for the first time since April 26, falling at Real Salt Lake last Saturday, 2-1. The defeat capped a successful week that saw Sounders FC down the Houston Dynamo, 2-0, before advancing past the Chicago Fire, 6-0, to reach its fifth U.S. Open Cup final in six years.

Sitting one point out of the pole position for the Supporters’ Shield, Sounders FC can reclaim to top spot on Wednesday night against the San Jose Earthquakes (6-9-6, 24 points). The match marks the third and final meeting of the season between the two sides after splitting a pair of 1-nil home decisions. The Earthquakes currently sit eighth in the West and will look to bounce back from the worst defeat in club history, a 5-0 loss to FC Dallas on Saturday.

Sounders FC will then travel down Interstate-5 to visit the Portland Timbers (7-7-10, 31 points) for the final derby match of the season between the two rivals. The Timbers are sixth in the Western Conference, just two points out of the fifth and final playoff position, and have gone 3-1-1 over the past five matches.

Sunday will be the penultimate Cascadia Cup match of the season for Sounders FC, who can overtake Vancouver for first place, as the competition concludes in Seattle on October 10. Dating back to 1975, Seattle and Portland soccer teams have met 86 times, with Seattle holding the advantage at 43-31-12.

Following the two-game week, Sounders FC will conclude the month with a home match against the Colorado Rapids on August 30.

Tickets for Sounders FC home matches are available now at www.SoundersFC.com and 1-877-MLS-GOAL.

Competition Schedule (All times Pacific; subject to change)

August 20, 7:00 p.m. – Sounders FC vs. San Jose Earthquakes, CenturyLink Field

August 24, 2:00 p.m. – Sounders FC at Portland Timbers, Providence Park

August 30, 1:00 p.m. – Sounders FC vs. Colorado Rapids, CenturyLink Field

Sept. 3, 7:30 p.m. – Sounders FC at Chivas USA, StubHub Center

Sept. 12, 7:30 p.m. – Sounders FC vs. Real Salt Lake, CenturyLink Field

Sounders FC Aims to Regain Top Spot

Despite dropping out of the top spot with Saturday’s road defeat, Sounders FC remains in the hunt for the 2014 Supporters’ Shield. Seattle sits one point behind Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake with two games in hand, and leads the league with 1.86 points per game and 13 wins. Sounders FC currently sits second in the West after holding the top spot for 14 consecutive weeks, dating back to April 26. Overall, Seattle has been first place in the Western Conference for 15 of 22 weeks this season, and has not dropped below the fourth spot.

A Dozen to Go

Sounders FC has 12 remaining regular season games, beginning with Wednesday’s matchup against the San Jose Earthquakes. Seattle has more remaining games than 16 teams. Eleven of the 12 matches feature a Western Conference opponent, including a pair of games each against Colorado, Chivas USA and LA Galaxy, with the visit to New York being the lone Eastern Conference matchup. Sounders FC will play six home and six away matches to conclude the campaign, with nine games on the weekend (Friday, Saturdayand Sunday) and three Wednesday matches.

Two-Game Week

Sounders FC is faced with another multi-game week with matches set for Wednesday against San Jose and Sunday at Portland. It marks the third time this season that Sounders FC has played two or more regular season matches in one week. In the first stretch, Sounders FC played three games from May 3-11, downing Philadelphia and Dallas at home before dropping a road match at New England. Seattle recently fell twice in one week to Los Angeles and San Jose. Following this week’s stretch, Sounders FC will have two more busy weeks this season, including games against Colorado (August 30) and Chivas USA (September 3) as well as a three-game stretch from September 20-27 with games against New York, Dallas and Chivas USA.

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At Home versus San Jose

Wednesday’s match features one of the league’s top home teams against a struggling away side. Sounders FC has gone 8-3-0 in 11 home games this season, earning the third-highest home point total (24) while winning the most home games (8). Seattle’s 24 goals scored at home ranks fifth in MLS and its 10 goals against are the third-fewest. Sounders FC set the league record this season with a six-game home winning streak from April 26-July 13, and earned a 2-nil home victory in the last outing against Houston on August 10.

San Jose has struggled on the road this season, going 1-4-3 for the third-fewest points (6) in MLS. The lone away victory came at FC Dallas on May 31, a 2-1 win with a man advantage for the final 53 minutes. San Jose’s seven goals scored on the road is the fewest this season, but the team has held strong on defense, allowing a league-low 10 goals. Sounders FC holds the all-time series advantage at CenturyLink Field with a record of 5-3-0, including wins in the past two meetings.

On the Road against Portland

In addition to its strong home form, Sounders FC has also found success on the road this season, securing the second-highest away point total (17) in MLS. Seattle’s five away wins rank second this season, already surpassing the season total from 2012 and matching the total from the 2009 and 2013 seasons. The 18 goals scored away from home ranks second this season – just six goals from Seattle’s club record of 24 road goals. Despite dropping its past three road outings, Sounders FC has strung together two impressive away streaks this season, going four games unbeaten from March 23-April 19 and three games unbeaten from May 24-June 28.

Portland has scraped for points at home this season, earning 16 points in 12 outings – the second-fewest total in the Western Conference. The Timbers began the campaign with a seven-game home unbeaten run from March 8 through May 17, and two of the team’s three home wins have come in the past two home games. Portland holds the all-time series advantage at Providence Park at 2-1-3, with Seattle’s win coming in the first-ever visit on July 10, 2011. Sounders FC has earned consecutive draws in the past two trips, including a late 4-4 draw on April 5.

SEA-SJ Fast Facts

* Sounders FC trails San Jose in the all-time regular season series at 6-8-1

* San Jose holds the scoring edge at 17-16

* Seattle has scored multiple goals five times and has been held scoreless six times

* Sounders FC has posted four shutouts, allowing three goals over the past five meetings

* At 5-3-0, the teams have never tied at CenturyLink Field

* Lamar Neagle is the only player to score multiple goals in a single game against San Jose (5/11/13)

* Chris Wondolowski leads all players with six goals in the all-time series

About San Jose

San Jose currently sits eighth in the Western Conference, nine points out of a playoff position. With the most remaining games (13) in MLS, the Quakes look to reach the MLS Cup Playoffs for the third time in five years, falling in the 2010 semifinals and the 2012 quarterfinals. The Earthquakes saw its four-game (2-0-2) unbeaten run snapped last Saturday in a 5-0 home loss to FC Dallas, marking the largest defeat in club history and the team’s first loss since July 12.

Earthquakes Notables

Forward Chris Wondolowski leads the Earthquakes attack with eight goals and three assists in 15 starts this season. In his 12 games against Sounders FC, he has tallied six goals, including four game-winners, and one assist. Newcomer Yannick Djalo has tallied three goals with two assists, but has been sidelined since suffering an injury on August 2. Four other players (Atiba Harris, Khari Stephenson, Cordell Cato and Victor Bernardez) have scored multiple goals. Goalkeeper Jon Busch has started all 21 matches this season, posting a 1.29 goals against average with five shutouts.

SEA-SJ Connections

Seattle’s Brad Evans and Chad Marshall played with San Jose’s Steven Lenhart on Sigi Schmid’s 2008 Columbus Crew team. Marshall was also teammates with Shaun Francis with the Crew from 2010-12. Kenny Cooper played with Clarence Goodson in Dallas from 2006-07. Cooper was also teammates with Atiba Harris in 2009 and Brandon Barklage in 2012. Chad Barrett and Quakes goalkeeper Jon Busch were teammates at Chicago in 2007-08, and Marco Pappa also played with Busch from 2008-09. Forward Mike Fucito played for Sounders FC from 2009-11, scoring three goals in 23 appearances. Forward Cordell Cato made eight appearances for Seattle in 2012, and scored the game-winner against San Jose in the 2012 U.S. Open Cup. Goalkeeper Bryan Meredith played for Seattle from 2011-12. Rookies Aaron Kovar and JJ Koval were teammates at Stanford from 2012-13.

2014 Cascadia Cup

Sounders FC will enter Sunday’s match at Portland with an opportunity to overtake the top spot in the 2014 Cascadia Cup standings. Seattle currently sits two points behind Vancouver and has played the most games of the three teams. Sounders FC secured its first rivalry win of the season on July 13 against the Portland Timbers, and will conclude the competition on October 10 against Vancouver.

Sounders FC won the Cup in its 2011, and the Timbers won the 2012 edition. Overall, Seattle has won the Cascadia Cup three times, including the USL era (2006, 2007 and 2011). The regional competition was founded in 2004 by the largest supporters groups of the three Pacific Northwest clubs: the Emerald City Supporters, Timbers Army and Vancouver Southsiders.

Standings

Team Record Points Goal Differential (GF/GA) Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2-0-1 7 pts. +2 (7/5) Seattle Sounders FC 1-1-2 5 pts. +1 (8/7) Portland Timbers 0-2-1 1 pt. -1 (7/8)

Schedule and Results

Date Teams Location April 5 Sounders FC 4 at Portland Timbers 4 Providence Park, Portland May 24 Sounders FC 2 at Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 BC Place, Vancouver June 1 Portland Timbers 3 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC 4 Providence Park, Portland July 5 Sounders FC 0 at Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1 BC Place, Vancouver July 13 Sounders FC 2 vs. Portland Timbers 0 CenturyLink Field, Seattle August 24 Sounders FC at Portland Timbers Providence Park, Portland August 30 Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Portland Timbers BC Place, Vancouver September 20 Portland Timbers vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC Providence Park, Portland October 10 Sounders FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC CenturyLink Field, Seattle

SEA-POR Series Notes

Sounders FC holds the advantage in MLS regular-season play at 4-2-4, outscoring Portland 17-12. The two rivals have already met three times this season as Seattle earned a 4-4 road draw on April 5 before ousting the Timbers from the U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals on July 9 and winning 2-0 at CenturyLink Field four days later. In MLS regular season play, Sounders FC is unbeaten at home with a record of 3-0-2, outscoring the Timbers 8-2.

* Seattle has scored 12 of its 17 all-time goals in the second half while seven of Portland’s 12 goals have been scored in the final 45 minutes. Both teams have scored three goals in the final 15 minutes.

* Sounders FC has scored in nine of its 10 meetings against the Timbers, including three or more goals on four occasions.

* In the 2014 series, Sounders FC has recorded six goals with eight assists in regular season games and added three tallies in the U.S. Open Cup, averaging 2.7 goals per 90 minutes.

All-Time Records

Year Competition Record 1975-82 NASL Sounders 13 wins; Timbers 8 wins 1985-90 WSL FC Seattle 5 wins; FC Portland/Timbers 13 wins; 2 draws 2001-08 USL-1 Sounders 20 wins; Timbers 13 wins; 5 draws 2009-10 U.S. Open Cup Sounders FC 1 win; Timbers 0 wins; 1 draw 2011-present MLS Sounders FC 4; Timbers 4 wins; 4 draws Totals: 86 matches played Seattle 43 wins; Portland 31 wins; 12 draws

About Portland

Portland currently sits sixth in the Western Conference with 31 points from 24 games, just two points behind Vancouver for the fifth and final playoff position. They rank second in MLS with 39 goals scored and fourth with 1.63 goals per game, but have an even goal differential and rank 16th with 1.63 goals allowed per game. The Timbers have won their past two road games against Chivas USA and Colorado, but have earned just 16 points (3-2-7) in 12 matches at home this season. Head Coach Caleb Porter’s aggressive attack ranks in the top 10 in goals (2nd), assists (7th), shots (8th), shots on goal (4th), fouls suffered (1st), and offsides (1st).

Timbers Notables

Porter’s attack is led by the Argentine duo of Diego Valeri and Maximiliano Urruti, who have combined for 15 goals and nine assists this season. Valeri, who signed as a designated player prior to the 2013 season, has 17 goals and 21 assists in 55 career MLS appearances. Urruti, in his first season as a regular MLS player, leads the club with eight goals in just 11 starts. Captain Will Johnson has added six goals and two assists while starting all 24 games this season, and has four goals since the start of June. New Nigerian Designated Player Fanendo Adi has four goals and three assists in nine starts since joining Portland in May.

Midfielders Darlington Nagbe (22 appearances) and Diego Chara (21 appearances) have been staples in the lineup this season, combing for two goals and six assists. Defending MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Donovan Ricketts has been consistent between the posts again this season, holding a 1.47 goals against average in 22 appearances this season.

SEA-POR Connections

Kenny Cooper played the 2011 season with the Portland Timbers, scoring eight goals with two assists in 34 matches. DeAndre Yedlin (2011-12) played for Timbers Head Coach Caleb Porter at Akron. Portland’s Darlington Nagbe (2008-10), Michael Nanchoff (2007-10), Steve Zakuani (2007-08) and Ben Zemanski (2006-09) attended Akron as well. Zakuani spent the previous five seasons with Sounders FC after he was selected with the top overall pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft. Zakuani scored 17 goals with 14 assists in 80 career appearances for Seattle. Portland selected former University of Washington defender Taylor Peay with the 26th overall pick in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft. Sounders FC midfielder Aaron Long was originally selected by Portland with the 36th overall pick in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft before he was released and signed by Seattle in July.

“In the 18” Airs Wednesday on JOEtv

Q13 FOX will premiere an exclusive Seattle Sounders FC special titled “In the 18” on August 20th at 6pm on JOEtv (channel 22, cable 10). Produced by LEVYfilms, this 30-minute program will bring viewers closer than ever to Sounders FC by providing extraordinary insider access to the players, the preparation and the game. The special will be followed at 6:30pm by the Sounders FC match against San Jose.