Sounders Insider

Sounders begin training games against Orlando City

Don Ruiz — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:56:58 +0000

Sounders coach Sig Schmid has said that his club’s time in Florida this week is about games.

Well, the games start this afternoon, as they face Orlando City SC (with it’s very cool crest). Judging from what Schmid said last week, it’s like that it will mostly be Sounders reserves going against the USL Pro side.

Unfortunately, I’m going to be out of the office this week. However, you can get good updates from the SoundersFC.com website. And even in my absence, our sports editor will try to keep this blog fresh. So we should have a game …

33 Sounders begin training in Florida

Don Ruiz — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 03:36:54 +0000

Here’s a report from the club as training gets going in Florida:

BRADENTON, Fla. – Seattle Sounders FC boarded an early morning flight on Saturday and traveled across the country for the next phase of preseason training. Sounders FC will train at the IMG Soccer Academy in Bradenton, Fla. for the next 10 days. The club also trained in Florida during the 2011 preseason.

The coaching staff and 33 players were met by 40-degreee weather and a strong wind as they took the fields at IMG Soccer Academy for the first time on Sunday morning. The morning session began with

…

Almost half of MLS clubs share markets with pro football, baseball, basketball and hockey

Don Ruiz — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:16:54 +0000

Picking up on the post below …

If Seattle lands NBA and NHL franchises, it would join roughly half (remembering two MLS teams in LA, and depending on how you do the counting) of the MLS markets in hosting the four other major-league sports:

Here’s how the other MLS markets share their territory:

Four other major pro sports:
Chicago: NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL
Colorado: NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL
Washington DC: NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL
Dallas: NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL
New England: NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL
New York: NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL
Philadelphia:

…

Estrada, Johansson, Burch draw praise; No. 2 GK race unsettled

Don Ruiz — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:34:35 +0000

The Sounders fly off today for Florida, so I’m not sure we’ll be getting any club news today.

However, here are a few interesting thoughts from coach Sigi Schmid, left over from the Friday media session:

Coach Sigi Schmid

On if the rookies have to adjust from being on the college schedule) “It’s always a little more difficult because they get in their rhythm of the seasons that they’ve had in college. So now you’ve got guys that are in here, [who], by the time we get back from Florida they’re about seven games into their regular season at that …

GM says Sounders would need to “rise to the occasion” of NBA and NHL coming to Seattle

Don Ruiz — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:23:16 +0000

With rumors of a new arena in Sodo, and the potential re-entry of the NHL and an NHL team into the market, we asked general manager Adrian Hanauer today what two new major sports teams in town might mean to the Sounders.

“I don’t know,” he said. “But thankfully, it’s not in my hands. Generally as a Seattle guy, anything that improves the quality of life in the region, the development in the city, I’m in favor of. And if there’s competition, we just have to rise to the occasion and be good competitors and good partners.”

Hanauer was asked …

Hanauer/Sigi talk Sounders preseason friendlies

Don Ruiz — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:10:24 +0000

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 …

Catching up on Sounders games/switches/events

Don Ruiz — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:10:40 +0000

There’s been a recent flurry of Sounders news regarding games — newly scheduled games, re-scheduled games — here’s a quick reminder:

*The club leaves Saturday for Florida, where these games await: Monday, February 13 – 1 p.m. Training Game v Orlando City SC; Wednesday, February 15 – 8 a.m. Training Game v Columbus Crew; Thursday, February 16 – 7 a.m. Training Game v U17 U.S. National Team;Sunday, February 19 – 1 p.m. Training Game v Florida Gulf Coast University; Wednesday, February 22 – 4 p.m. Training Game v Atlante FC, Cancun, Mexico

*Jaguares de …

Sounders host Jaguares in Community Shield match

Don Ruiz — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:16:24 +0000

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

…

Morning reading: USA-Brazil set; Rapids, Eastern update, Le Toux settles in, Huskies’ pipeline to MLS

Don Ruiz — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:44:53 +0000

Th Sounders have one more day off before returning to practice tomorrow at Starfire and then flying off to Florida on Saturday.

While awaiting local developments, here are a few items of note:

* The USA men’s national team has announced that it will face five-time World Cup champion Brazil in Landover, Md., on May 30. The match will be shown on ESPN2.

* Colorado traded MLS Cup hero Macoumba Kandji to the Houston Dynamo for a conditional draft pick in a move that is seen as opening space for a potential big addition. Click here. (For all …

Date change for Real Salt Lake home game

Don Ruiz — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:34:12 +0000

This just in from the club:

The Seattle Sounders FC announced today that the match versus Real Salt Lake scheduled for July 18 at CenturyLink Field has been moved to Wednesday, October 17. Start time and broadcast information will be announced at a later date.

The Saturday, September 8 Sounders FC match versus Chivas USA will have a start time of 1 p.m.