Sounders gameday
MONTREAL IMPACT AT SOUNDERS FC
7:30 p.m., CenturyLink Field
TV: Ch. 5. Radio: 97.3 FM.
Head to head: The Impact won the only previous meeting last season, 4-1, at Montreal. This is the MLS club’s first visit to Seattle.
Notes: The Sounders are 3-1 in season openers – all at home – with an 8-2 goals advantage. ... Montreal finished 12-16-6 last season, and 2-12-3 on the road. Seattle went 15-8-11. ... Sounders’ midfielder Osvaldo Alonso and defender Marc Burch are unavailable due to disciplinary suspensions. ... As of Friday afternoon, the club said “a very limited number” of tickets remained available. ... Stadium gates will open at 6 p.m. and the club encourages fans to arrive early and remember that both directions of state Route 99 between Denny Way and South Spokane Street will be closed from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. ... The assigned referee is Silviu Petrescu.
Quotable: “You always look forward to the first game, getting the season started and getting things behind you. We got through preseason, so the guys are happy that’s over and it starts for real. We’re excited to see our fans. We haven’t seen our fans in a while.” – Sounders coach Sigi Schmid
Next: The Sounders visit Tigres in a CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Monterrey, Mexico. Seattle’s next MLS match is March 16, when the Portland Timbers visit CenturyLink. March
2 SATMLSvs. Montreal 7:30 p.m. Ch. 5
6 WEDCONCACAFat Tigres7 p.m.
12 TUECONCACAFvs. Tigres7 p.m.
16 SAT MLSvs. Portland 5 p.m. NBCSN
23 SAT MLSat San Jose 7:30 p.m. Ch. 5
30 SAT MLSvs. Real Salt Lake 6 p.m. Ch. 6/16
April
7 SUN MLSvs. Chivas USA 8 p.m. Ch. 6/16
13 SAT MLS vs. New England 1 p.m. Ch. 6/16
20 SAT MLS at Colorado 3 p.m.. Ch. 6/16
May
4 SAT MLS at Philadelphia 1 p.m. Ch. 6/16
8 WED MLS at Sporting KC 5:30 p.m. Ch. 6/16
11 SAT MLS vs. San Jose 1 p.m. Ch. 6/16
18 SAT MLS at FC Dallas 7:30 p.m. Ch. 5
26 SUN MLS vs. L.A. Galaxy 8 p.m. ESPN2
June
1 SAT MLS at Chivas USA 7:30 p.m. Ch. 6/16
8 SAT MLS vs. Vancouver 1 p.m. Ch. 6/16
22 SAT MLS at Real Salt Lake 6:30 p.m. Ch. 6/16
July
3 WED MLS vs. DC United 7 p.m. Ch. 6/16
6 SAT MLS at Vancouver 8 p.m. NBCSN
13 SAT MLS at San Jose 7:30 p.m. Ch. 5
20 SAT MLS vs. Colorado 8 p.m. NBCSN
28 SUN MLS vs. Chivas USA 6 p.m. Ch. 6/16
August
3 SAT MLS vs. FC Dallas 7:30 p.m. Ch. 5
10 SAT MLS at Toronto FC 4 p.m. Ch. 6/16
17 SAT MLS at Houston 6 p.m. Ch. 6/16
25 SUN MLS vs. Portland 7 p.m. ESPN2
31 SAT MLS at Columbus 4:30 p.m. Ch. 6/16
September
7 SAT MLS vs. Chicago 7 p.m. NBCSN
13 FRI MLS vs. Real Salt Lake 7 p.m. NBCSN
21 SAT MLS at L.A. Galaxy 7:30 p.m. NBCSN
29 SUN MLS vs. New York 6 p.m. ESPN
October
5 SAT MLS at Colorado 7 p.m. NBCSN
9 WED MLS vs. Vancouver 7 p.m. Ch. 6/16
13 SUN MLS at Portland 6 p.m. ESPN
19 SAT MLS at FC Dallas Noon NBCSN
27 SUN MLS vs. L.A. Galaxy 6 p.m. ESPN Position: Goalkeeper. Age: 31
Hometown: Graz, Austria
Height/weight: 6-5/209
Last season: His 0.73 goals-against average led MLS and was third-best in league history.
Did you know? His last name is pronounced “G’SHPOOR-ning.” Position: Defender. Age: 19
Hometown: Seattle
Height/weight: 5-8/150
Last season: Playing at Akron, he became an all-Mid-American Conference first-team selection for the second time.
Did you know? Yedlin is the Sounders’ first homegrown player — a Seattle native (O’Dea High School) and played with Sounders U-23. Position: Midfielder. Age: 27
Hometown: Phoenix
Height/weight: 6-1/160
Last season: Set career highs with 29 appearances and starts, recording four goals and four assists.
Did you know? Missed part of training camp while on the U.S. national team for its World Cup qualifier at Honduras. Position: Defender. Age: 27
Hometown: Lodi, Calif.
Height/weight: 6-1/183
Last season: Scored the MLS goal of the year in July 20 match against Kansas City.
Did you know? He will miss the start of the season with a foot injury suffered during fitness testing. Position: Defender. Age: 30
Hometown: Gothenburg, Sweden
Height/weight: 5-11/165
Last season: Started 27 of 28 appearances across all competitions.
Did you know? He has made 15 appearances with the Swedish national team. Position: Midfielder. Age: 27
Hometown: San Cristobal, Cuba
Height/weight: 5-11/155
Last season: Was honored as MLS First XI, All-Star and was voted team MVP.
Did you know? Alonso is Sounders’ all-time leader with 12,891 minutes played across all competitions. Position: Forward. Age: 28
Hometown: Palm Coast, Fla.
Height/weight: 6-0/180
Last season: Set club record and ranked sixth in MLS with 14 goals.
Did you know? Has 44 appearances and 14 goals with the U.S. national team. Position: Defender. Age: 28
Hometown: Cincinnati
Height/weight: 6-1/180
Last season: Appeared in 29 MLS games, a career high and fourth most on the team.
Did you know? He played for Sigi Schmid in Columbus in 2006. Position: Midfielder. Age: 32
Hometown: Villa Maria, Argentina
Height/weight: 5-8/160
Last season: Matched his club record with 13 assists.
Did you know? He was upgraded to Designated Player status before last season. Position: Midfielder. Age: 25
Hometown: London
Height/weight: 6-0/160
Last season: Recorded one goal and one assist in eight appearances after recovering from right tibia and fibula fractures suffered the season before.
Did you know? He was the Sounders’ first SuperDraft pick, taken first overall in 2009. Position: Defender. Age: 32
Hometown: San Jose, Costa Rica
Height/weight: 6-1/174
Last season: Started 21 of 26 matches across all competitions.
Did you know? He has 60 appearances with Costa Rica and played in the 2006 World Cup. Position: Midfielder. Age: 24
Hometown: Dunwoody, Ga.
Height/weight: 5-10/152
Last season: As a rookie, he was third on the team with seven assists across all competitions.
Did you know? He scored his first career goal Aug. 5, when he chipped the Los Angeles keeper from 30 yards. Position: Midfielder. Age: 23
Hometown: San Pedro Sula, Honduras
Height/weight: 5-8/154
Last season: He scored the goal at Real Salt Lake that gave the Sounders their first playoff-series win.
Did you know? Missed part of training camp while playing in Honduras national team’s World Cup qualifiers. Position: Midfielder/forward
Age: 25
Hometown: Salinas, Calif.
Height/weight: 5-8/160
Last season: He was third on the team with five goals.
Did you know? He became the third Sounder to record a hat trick, March 17, 2012, vs. Toronto. Position: Defender. Age: 32
Hometown: Haiku, Hawaii
Height/weight: 5-11/175
Last season: He scored his first career goal and set career highs with 20 games played and 16 started.
Did you know? He played with the USL Sounders from 2002-2008. Position: Defender/forward
Age: 20
Hometown: Westfield, Ind.
Height/weight: 6-1/185
Last season: Led the Big Ten and was third in NCAA with 18 goals during his senior season at Indiana.
Did you know? Despite being a goal-scorer in college, he has spent most of training camp as a central defender. Position: Midfielder. Age: 24
Hometown: Tijuana, Mexico
Height/weight: 5-10/175
Last season: Made 15 appearances and six starts across all competitions.
Did you know? He was named MLS humanitarian of the month in October for his work with breast cancer awareness. Position: Goalkeeper. Age: 40
Hometown: Seattle
Height/weight: 6-3/220
Last season: Joined the club in September, returning home after more than 300 appearances over a decade in England.
Did you know? Played for the A-League Sounders from 1994-96, and helped them to the league title in 1996. Position: Midfielder. Age: 23
Hometown: Bristol, England
Height/weight: 6-2/170
Last season: Led all MLS Supplemental Draft picks with 1,156 minutes played over 23 appearances.
Did you know? He was born in Australia, developed his game in England and attended UCLA. Position: Forward. Age: 26
Hometown: Riverside, Calif.
Height/weight: 6-0/195
Last season: He was third on the team with eight goals over all competitions.
Did you know? He played five seasons with Estudiantes Tecos in the Mexican first division. Position: Midfielder. Age: 25
Hometown: Federal Way
Height/weight: 5-11/165
Last season: Was traded to Montreal as part of the Eddie Johnson deal. Had two goals and two assists in 23 appearances with Impact.
Did you know? This is his third stint with the Sounders, after playing in friendlies in 2009 and making his league debut in 2011. Position: Goalkeeper. Age: 25
Hometown: Liverpool, N.Y.
Height/weight: 6-0/175
Last season: Started four reserve league matches and appeared on the 18-man game-day roster for the first time at Real Salt Lake on July 4.
Did you know? He was 2010 Big East goalkeeper of the year and holds UConn career record for shutouts, consecutive starts and wins. Position: Defender. Age: 23
Hometown: Mokena, Ill.
Height/weight: 6-1/160
Last season: Spent much of rookie season on loan to the second-division Atlanta Silverbacks before suffering a knee injury.
Did you know? He was the 15th overall pick in the 2012 SuperDraft after starring at Creighton. Position: Defender
Age: 28
Hometown: Palmira, Columbia
Height/weight: 6-0/183
Last season: Appeared in 37 of 49 matches across all competitions.
Did you know? He was an All-Star and finalist for MLS defensive player of the year in 2009. Position: Defender. Age: 21
Hometown: Inverness, Ill.
Height/weight: 6-0/165
Last season: Was named for the third time to the all-Ivy League team at Brown.
Did you know? He majored in biology at Brown and is considering becoming a doctor after his playing career. Position: Defender. Age: 33
Hometown: Paris
Height/weight: 6-3/191
Last season: Helped Marseille to the Coupe de la Ligue title.
Did you know? He is the first Sounder to have played for a UEFA Champions League champion: Liverpool in 2005. Position: Midfielder. Age: 34
Hometown: Saint George, Grenada
Height/weight: 6-3/180
Last season: Had three goals and four assists while splitting the season between New England (18 appearances) and Chivas USA (12).
Did you know? He is a four-time MLS Best XI player, two-time Grenada footballer of the year, and was 2007 Caribbean player of the year. Coach, Age: 59
Hometown: Manhattan Beach, Calif.
Record: 172-118-94 through 13 MLS regular seasons.
Last season: Seattle went 15-8-11, finishing third in the Western Conference and advancing to the conference finals.
Did you know? Schmid won MLS Cups and Supporters’ Shields with Los Angeles and Columbus, U.S. Open Cups with Los Angeles and Seattle, and three NCAA titles with UCLA.
don.ruiz@thenewstribune.com don.ruiz@thenewstribune.com
