Here’s some reaction from coach Sigi Schmid after the Sounders 5-2 win in a training match at Atlante FC:

(On the last second changes) “We’re disappointed because the agreement or understanding between ourselves and Atlante was one thing, and today everything sort of changed. From the field to who we were playing, etc. Our expectation is certainly that Jaguares de Chiapas is not going to do that, they’re going to be professional, which we know they are. We’re just disappointed that the opposition and the circumstances were not as we understood them.”

(On how they handled the odd circumstances) “With everything, our philosophy as a club has been, ‘Okay, it is what it is, and now we’re going to make the best of the situation.’ We were going to go out and make the best of the situation, get our fitness in, play soccer. I thought we did a good job, it’s just tough when you know you’re better than the opposition. You lose that little bit of four, five percent of concentration sometimes. But overall, I thought our guys did a pretty good job.”

(On David Estrada) “I thought David did well. I thought he showed, he Read more »

The Sounders will meet Atlante FC in Cancun this evening in a closed friendly that will serve as preparation for their CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series against Santos.

Here’s a preview from the club:

A week of fun in the Florida sun concluded on Monday as Seattle Sounders FC began the transition to the final phase of preseason preparations. With just two weeks until the showdown with Santos Laguna in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals on March 7, the Rave Green will travel to Cancun, Mexico to meet Atlante FC on Wednesday night.

Seattle spent 10 days in the Sunshine State, continuing to build fitness and develop style of play with four training games. Sounders FC (3-0-2) remains unbeaten in preseason play as they rattled off three straight wins after earning an early draw in Florida.

The club also made noise off the field late last week with the acquisition of U.S. international Eddie Johnson. The 27-year-old forward joined Sounders FC in Florida on Saturday and will travel with the team to Mexico.

Seattle wraps up preseason travel on Thursday with a late night flight back to the Pacific Northwest, where they will stay for nearly three weeks until they travel to Torreon, Mexico, for the away leg of the CCL quarterfinals on March 14.

Seattle will host Mexico’s Jaguares de Chiapas in the annual Community Shield match on Wednesday, February 29 on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field. There is no charge for admission, but the Sounders are accepting donations to benefit the club’s community partners.

Here’s some of what coach Sigi Schmid had to say about the match:

On his goals: “One is the grass surfaces always are a little different in Mexico, so Read more »

Before the Sounders left for Florida last week I got a chance the local media got a chance to speak with new Sounders defender Adam Johansson.

Here is what he had to so:

On training so far) I think it’s fine. Arizona was really good. The pitches might be a little bit hard, but the training was good.

On why he came to MLS and Seattle) It’s a long trip for me from Sweden. It’s a big step, but it was the best move for me at this time, I think. I’d been in Gothenburg (Sweden) for seven years. …

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We got to speak to Sounders coach Sigi Schmid and general manager Adrian Hanauer today, for the first time since the Sounders revealed their series of preseason friendlies leading to the start of CONCACAF Champions League and the MLS seasons.

Here’s some of what they had to say:

HANAUER on making the Community Shield a free event:
You know we always like to shake things up and do things a little differently and keep our partners around the league on their toes. We wanted to raise money for our charity partners, and it just seemed like it’s easier …

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Here’s the news from the club:

The Seattle Sounders FC announced plans for the club’s third annual “Community Shield” match which will take place on Wednesday, February 29 at 7 p.m. on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field. The Sounders FC will face the Jaguares de Chiapas of the Primera División de México in a preseason match. This year’s match will be free of charge but the team is encouraging fans to pay it forward. Donations will be accepted at the gates for the team’s charity partners.

Proceeds from the match will benefit the team’s five community partners: America SCORES Seattle, Boys & Girls Clubs (King Co. & Bellevue), Special Olympics Washington, Washington Global Health and Washington Youth Soccer.

The Community Shield match is presented by adidas. During a halftime presentation, adidas will make a $2,000 donation to Sounders FC community partners and will host many of their youth soccer clubs at the match.

Gates will open at 6 p.m. Seating is first come, first serve throughout the lower east bowl.

The model for the event is based upon the “Charity or Community Shield” matches in England, where they are a long standing tradition featuring the champions of the FA Premier League against the winners of the FA Cup with all proceeds going to charity.

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The Sounders are returning home after concluding the Arizona portion of their schedule. We’ll get a look back and a look ahead from coach Sigi Schmid in the early afternoon.

Meanwhile, here’s an update from the club on their next portion of preseason training, including the training game against Atlante FC in Mexico:

With another Arizona training camp under their belts, Seattle Sounders FC returns home to rest and recuperate before travelling across the country for nine days of training at IMG Soccer Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

The anticipation for one of the biggest matches in club history

…

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The Sounders have nailed down that hoped for friendly with a Mexican club: Atlante FC of Cancun. Here’s the news from the club:

In preparation for the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series against Santos Laguna, Sounders FC will travel to Cancun, Mexico to play Atlante FC on February 22. The style of play and atmosphere are two key factors in Seattle’s decision to travel south of the border, where they will return three weeks later for the second leg against Santos on March 14.

Atlante is tied with Tigres for second in the Mexican Clausura, three points behind leaders Santos. Atlante is currently 3-1-1 and is the league’s highest scoring team with nine goals through the first five matches.

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According to Reuters:

Seventy-four people were killed and at least 1,000 injured on Wednesday when Egyptian soccer fans staged a pitch invasion in the city of Port Said, in what a deputy minister called the biggest disaster in the nation’s soccer history.

Angry politicians decried a lack of security at the match between Port Said team al-Masry and Cairo’s Al Ahli, Egypt’s most successful club, and blamed the nation’s leaders for allowing – or even causing – the tragedy.

Here are the tragic details. And here is a timeline of soccer stadium disasters.