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The Sounders should feel very fortunate to come away with a point on Saturday vs Toronto. TFC should have been going into the half with at least 2 goals in their column—maybe three. And the Sounders lack of scoring is getting very difficult to watch. So, how long is Sigi going to give our front men? Should he start the same pair next line-up? I say no. Maybe it's time to put Zakuani up front with LeToux (or even try Ljungberg or Levesque). The fact is, something has to change or we'll find ourselves out of the playoffs. What do you think?

It's not like they played bad—they had several chances. It appeared the effort was there. They simply couldn't get the ball in the net.

What can I say that hasn't already been written today about the lack of effort the Sounders showed vs San Jose?  The Sounders were heavily out-played in the 4-0 thumping, loosing Riley in the 33rd minute to a Bobby Convey Academy Award and a straight red card.  Yes, the officiating was terrible once again, but the best game calling in the world wouldn't have saved the Sounders today.

The Sounders played a strong match against the MLS leaders Houston Dynamo today under a beautiful blue sky in Seattle. Just after the start of the second half, a corner from Ljungberg landed in front of defender Patrick Ianni who made a fantastic bicycle kick for the GWG. I'm really happy for Ianni as he's played well lately in MLS and USOC matches.

Sounders looked good last night vs the Quakes. Attitudes were good, teamwork was nice, hustle was great. Here's a few things that stood out to me...

After a few days to cool off, here's a few notes on Saturday's match... That was one of the most lopsided games I've watched where the dominant team looses. All things considered, Sounders played a pretty good match. They just couldn't find the back of the net. Meanwhile, Chivas gets a couple of chances and finishes one. I guess this is just a lesson in the sport of soccer.

A 2-2 draw doesn't seem so bad considering it could have been a 5-2 loss if not for the heroics of Sounders' keeper, and Man of the Match, Kasey Keller. The Sounders, down three midfield starters after Alonso's early exit due to injury, played a tough match tonight for the point.  It was also nice to see Fredy Montero back in good form.

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Unfortunately today's match epitomizes what I hate about the all-too-often style of MLS soccer. 27 fouls, 9 cards, stalling, diving, way too much whining, and sloppy play.

Sounders played a hard fought match against an undefeated Fire side in Chicago tonight earning 1 point with a draw. The Fire struck first in the 68th minute with a nice Blanco pass to Marco Pappa who slipped it by Keller. Tyrone Marshall provided SSFC with a 74th minute GTG in the form of a left-footed flick to the far post coming from a Ljungberg corner. Montero was sent off with a red in the 49th minute for throwing an elbow. LeToux will most likely get the start next week at home vs the Galaxy.

After tonight's 4-1 thrashing of RSL led by Seba's brace and two assists, I think it's fair to say he deserves a shot up front in the next league match.

It's great to be back in the win column. Sounders played a solid match on Saturday night. It was no suprise to see Zakuani in the starting 11, and he didn't dissapoint. Here's some notes...

Well that was a hard one to watch. The Sounders seemed to be outplayed in just about every aspect of the match on Saturday night. Passing was a bit off, the ball was being held way too long, and there was a lot one-on-one at the expense of moving the ball quickly.

"He's cut. He's cut. The Russian's cut!"

For those familiar with the Rocky series, you'll remember these famous lines from the fourth installment as Balboa finally lands a good one on the seemingly invincible Dolf Lundgren.  First a gasp from the crowd—then silence as they try to comprehend what just happened—followed by a moment of denial. Well, this is what I felt as Arnaud's 25 yard bullet deflected off substitute keeper, landing in the back of the net. Read the match notes...

I'm a pretty new soccer fan.  No, not jump-on-the-bandwagon new - I started watching the 2006 World Cup and was immediately hooked.  Soccer, when played well, is a thing of beauty and I was first exposed to it at the highest level.

This may sound a bit presumptuous of me, but is it possible the Sounders dominate the MLS this year? I know it's very early, but here's the facts so far. We easily beat, if not destroyed, last year's 2nd best in the MLS on opening night 3-0. We continued with oustanding play on week two, defeating a supposedly good RSL side on their opening game of the season. But the real test came came today...

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The Sounders played solid tonight in front of 28,000+ cold, but excited fans. The highlight of the night was once again provided by the 21 year-old Columbian, Fredy Montero, as he struck one from about 30 yards out that sailed over the goalie into the back corner of the net. It was world-class. The bad news... he's not going to be a Sounder for too long, so enjoy watching him while it lasts.  More notes on the match...

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Kitsap Soccer Club announced it's first player, teamwear partner, kit, and crest on Teusday. If you've ever read my blog you may know I have a passion for soccer crest/kit design and I was fortunate enough to take part in the "design our crest" competition for the new club. A few weeks ago I was contacted by the front office with the welcoming news that I had won. David Faulk of GoalSeattle and Seattle Soccer Examiner documented the press conference held on Teusday. See the new crest and old-school kit the Pumas will be wearing...

I know many more qualified writers about the game will report on tonight's match, but here's a few things I saw... The atmosphere was amazing-it's what I would imagine a mid-table Premiere League match would feel like (and I'm not joking here). The crowd, electrified from the start, stood the entire 90 minutes. When the scarves went up, it was a sea of Rave Green. It was a lot of fun.

A few days ago Houston, the only remaining MLS team in the CONCACAF CL, was eliminated. This is a real disappointment. Three of the final four clubs are from the Mexican Premier league, while USL-1 Puero Rico is the fourth. This doesn't do a lot for MLS' reputation in North America let alone the rest of the world. What's going on here? Are MLS clubs just not good enough? Why were two of the final eight teams from USL-1, and only one from MLS?

Thanks to Soccer by Ives, I was just made aware this video clip of yesterdays CONCACAF Champions League match of Montreal vs Santos Laguna in front of a, get this, crowd of 55,571. WOW! If this doesn't get you excited as a SSFC fan, nothing will. Just imagine the day when we'll play in front of a capacity crowd at Qwest Field vs a Mexican side giant. Does this get your blood going? Think Montreal has a case for becoming an MLS team?

Based on some interesting discussions about the Sounders recently sporting the all green kit (read the forum thread), I thought I'd play around with my dream home kit for the 2010 season. Let me know what you think. Here it is...

Wow! Ok, this has been rumored for a couple months or so, but today it's official. What a lineup of superstars—Lampard, Terry, Deco, Anelka, Drogba, Balack, and on and on... This is the perfect opportunity to get more people in the Puget Sound hooked on the sport. When you see this level of skill and talent you have to appreciate the game. So tell your all your friends. Tell your co-workers. Tell your family. Tell people walking down the street. Save the date JULY 18. Here's who better be making the trip...

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By the suggestion of several long-time fans out there, here's a retro SSFC kit concept. This design is based off the late 70s/early 80s style. It's also a nice refreshing white kit that we so desperately need in our closets. As in my 3rd kit concept, it's based off a new adidas template causing it to be a potential reality. We just need the ownership and Alliance to get it over to adidas.

I haven't been this fired up about a match for quite a while. Our office is "shutting down" at 3:30 pm just to watch it. These are the types of matches international soccer is all about. I am a bit nervous though, only because we've had so much success over El Tri for a past several years. I hope we don't go in over-confident. Here's my starting lineup and a few questions...

Support your Sounders in style. Introducing the SSFC Urban Collection line of apparel. Take a look at what we offer...

As reported by Soccer By Ives, Sounders FC finalized the deal today with the 21-year-old goal-scoring Columbian International Fredy Montero. This comes as little surprise as he's been in town for the last severals days and has been training with the team, but it's still exciting news for Seattle fans. Watch a highlight video...

I've recently come across the new 2009 kits for New York, Houston, Colorado, Chivas, and others only to say I'm even more upset about the kits we've been dealt by adidas. In particular, the Colorado home and Chivas away are very nice (kudos to adidas). Having been inspired by these, I'd love to get the ball rolling about a 3rd kit option for the SSFC Inaugural season.

For some reason LD brings out a lot of emotion in American soccer fans. Typically they either hate him or love him. I really like him. I appreciate what he's accomplished and love to watch him play. When he's on the pitch you never know what he's going to do-he's an extremely dangerous player. I'm writing this because he's recently scored four goals, including a brace today, for his new "temporary" squad, Bayern Munich. Granted these matches are just friendlies, as FCB is on break, but it's still great to see him doing well.

I have to admit I don't follow college soccer very well, and not until recently have even heard the name Steve Zakuani (ZAK-uh-WHA-nee) thanks to all the mock drafts going on. But after watching him on YouTube, I'm pretty excited about our pick. I'm also a big Arsenal fan and knowing he grew up in the Gunners youth system makes it even sweeter.

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Twenty-four year old Chris Eylander, former keeper for the USL-1 Sounders and Auburn WA native, is the second local standout keeper to sign with the SSFC. Read the full press release...