Sounders FC Kicks Off Preseason Competition in Arizona

After 10 days of training, Seattle Sounders FC opened its preseason competition schedule on Wednesday morning with a 2-1 win against the San Jose Earthquakes. Obafemi Martins scored twice in the first half and newcomer Stefan Frei played the full 90 minutes in goal in his first appearance for Sounders FC.

The competition continues with three matches against Cascadia rivals. On Thursday, Sounders FC visits the Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Grande Sports World in Casa Grande, Ariz. The match is set for 10:30 a.m. PT. Fans are encouraged to follow @LiveSounders on Twitter for live updates.

The trip concludes with a pair of Cascadia matches over the weekend. Seattle plays the Portland Timbers on Saturday at 5 p.m. PT and will face the Whitecaps for a second time on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. PT. Both matches will be played at the North Stadium at Kino Sports Complex and will be streamed live on MLSsoccer.com and SoundersFC.com.

Several key players will join Sounders FC in the finals days of the Tucson leg of preseason training. U.S. Men’s National Team defenders Brad Evans and DeAndre Yedlin are set to rejoin the team on Thursday. Both players have been with the USMNT since Seattle opened training camp on January 25. Midfielder Marco Pappa has also joined the team while in Tucson, arriving last Saturday.

Following the Tucson leg of preseason training, the team will return to Seattle for nine days before departing for Charleston, SC, onFebruary 19. Sounders FC will play in the Carolina Challenge Cup against the Charleston Battery (February 22), Houston Dynamo (February 26) and DC United (March 1).

Sounders FC returns home to Seattle for the final time on March 2, just six days before the season opener. Overall, Sounders FC will play seven matches with nearly 20 training sessions before hosting the defending MLS Cup champions Sporting Kansas City on March 8.

Competition Schedule (All times local; subject to change)

February 6, 11:30 a.m. – Sounders FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Francisco Grande Sports World

February 8, 6 p.m. – Sounders FC vs. Portland Timbers at Kino Sports Complex

February 9, 11:30 a.m. – Sounders FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Kino Sports Complex

February 22, 4:15 p.m. – Sounders FC vs. Charleston Battery at Blackbaud Stadium

February 26, 2 p.m. – Sounders FC vs. Houston Dynamo at Blackbaud Stadium

March 1, 2 p.m. – Sounders FC vs. DC United at Blackbaud Stadium

March 8, 12 p.m. – Sounders FC vs. Sporting Kansas City at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Wash.

Two Start Times Confirmed

Sounders FC confirmed start times for two regular season matches. The match at San Jose on August 2 will kick off at 7:30 p.m. PT on NBC Sports Network. The home match against Chivas USA on September 27 is set for 1 p.m. PT.

Games in Bunches

With the first 10 days of preseason training complete, Sounders FC now shifts its attention to competition, playing four matches over the final five days of the Tucson trip. The team opened its preseason competition schedule on Wednesday with a 2-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes. Seattle will visit Grande Sports World on Thursday to take on the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Seattle will hold a training session on Friday morning and return to game action on Saturday, facing the Portland Timbers at Kino Sports Complex. The trip will end with another match against the Whitecaps on Sunday morning.

Seattle’s match against the Portland Timbers is part of the 2014 Desert Friendly Pre Cup on February 8. Tickets are available for purchase at https://fctucson.ticketsocket.com/. The two games against Vancouver are free admission. Two of the team’s remaining matches (February 8 and 9) will be streamed live on MLSsoccer.com and SoundersFC.com.

Cascadia Preseason Preview

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Seattle’s Cascadia rivals to the north have made several key changes to its 2014 squad, most notably the 2013 Golden Boot winner Camilo Sanvezzo. Overall, 11 players from last season’s squad are no longer with the team, including retired defender Lee Young-Pyo, midfielders Jun Marques Davidson and Daigo Kobayashi, and goalkeepers Brad Knighton and Joe Cannon. Vancouver has brought in four new players in SuperDraft picks Andre Lewis and Christian Dean, midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy and defender Steven Beitashour. Seattle has played the Whitecaps six times in the past five preseasons, including two occasions when the teams met twice. Overall, Sounders FC has gone 2-1-2, outscoring Vancouver 11-6. Thursday’s match will mark the second of the preseason for the ‘Caps, who face Indy 11 on February 5 in Carl Robinson’s first game as head coach.

Portland Timbers

Following a successful run in the 2013 MLS Cup Playoffs, the Portland Timbers continued to build a strong team during the offseason, adding seven players to an already solid squad. Two former Sounders FC players now don the Timbers kit, as former No. 1 SuperDraft Pick Steve Zakuani was selected in the Re-Entry Process and goalkeeper Andrew Weber was signed on January 10. The Timbers also added a pair of Argentine footballers in forward Gaston Fernandez and defender Norberto Paparatto. Among the 11 players who are no longer with the team are forwards Sebastian Rincon and Jose Valencia, midfielder Sal Zizzo and defenders Andrew Jean-Baptiste and David Horst. Seattle and Portland have met three times in preseason play, with the Timbers winning all three matches. Saturday’s match will be Portland’s third game this preseason after drawing Sporting Kansas City, 1-1, on February 1 and a match against the Houston Dynamo set for February 5.

Roster Notes

A total of 34 players traveled with Sounders FC to the preseason training camp in Tucson, Ariz. Overall, Seattle’s roster includes 28 players who are currently under contract, plus an additional three unsigned SuperDraft picks and eight training camp invitees. Five players are currently not with the team: Brad Evans and DeAndre Yedlin (joining on February 6), Clint Dempsey (on loan with Fulham until March), Will Bates (rehab in Seattle) and Shalrie Joseph (no longer with team).

Sounders FC Preseason Roster

Goalkeepers (4): Stefan Frei, Marcus Hahnemann, Josh Ford, John McCarthy#

Defenders (9): Jalil Anibaba, Leo Gonzalez, Damion Lowe, Chad Marshall, Jimmy Ockford*, Dylan Remick, Zach Scott, Djimi Traore, DeAndre Yedlin+

Midfielders (14): Osvaldo Alonso, Michael Azira#, Alex Caskey, Dzenan Catic#, Clint Dempsey^, Brad Evans+, Shalrie Joseph-, Aaron Kovar, Tarek Morad#, Jason Morrison#, Lamar Neagle, Marco Pappa, Fabio Pereira*, Stefano Rijssel*, Andy Rose

Forwards (11): Chad Barrett, Will Bates=, Tristan Bowen, Kenny Cooper, David Estrada, Miguel Gonzalez#, Obafemi Martins, Sean Okoli, Kevin Parsemain#, Long Tan#, Eriq Zavaleta

^On Loan

+USMNT Camp

*Unsigned SuperDraft picks

#Training Camp Invitees

=Rehab in Seattle

-Not with Team



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Pappa in Camp

Sounders FC continued to bolster its attack with the addition of two-time MLS All-Star Marco Pappa. Seattle acquired the former Chicago Fire midfielder on January 31 via the Allocation Ranking Order, using its No. 1 selection, which Sounders FC acquired in the Mauro Rosales trade.

After arriving in Tucson on Saturday afternoon, Pappa joined the group for his first training session on Monday morning. He has participated in all three training sessions since arriving, and may be available for preseason game action by Saturday.

A native of Guatemala City, Pappa, 26, played 11 matches for SC Heerenveen of the Dutch Eredivisie in the 2012/13 season. He previously played for the Chicago Fire from 2008-12, making 112 appearances with 26 goals and 16 assists. Pappa has also been capped 30 times by the Guatemalan National Team.

Evans and Yedlin to Rejoin Sounders FC

Brad Evans and DeAndre Yedlin will rejoin their Sounders FC teammates on Thursday after spending the past four weeks with the U.S. Men’s National Team. Both players participated in the full January camp, including the team’s trip to Brazil and friendly against South Korea. Evans started and played the first 74 minutes before being replaced by Yedlin, who earned his first cap.

Dempsey Nears 215th Appearance

An eight-year veteran of the English Premier League, Clint Dempsey is nearing his 215th appearance in the English Premier League. Currently on loan with Fulham, Dempsey has appeared in 214 league matches (261 across all competitions), with the next match scheduled against Manchester United on Sunday. Dempsey has made four league appearances since joining Fulham in January, logging 265 minutes. He has also made two appearances in the FA Cup, playing 210 minutes. Dempsey is scheduled to rejoin Sounders FC when his two-month loan ends in the beginning of March.

Academy Teams Return to Action

The Sounders FC Academy teams return to USSDA play this weekend after a two-month break. The teams will travel to California to play Arsenal FC on Saturday at Riverside Community College. The U-18 team will play Arsenal FC at 11 a.m. while the U-16s will follow at 1:30 p.m. On Sunday, the teams will face Real So Cal at Oak Park High School, with the U-18s kicking off at 11 a.m. and the U-16s set for 1:30 p.m.