World Laziest Blogger reveals his love for the two newest Sounders.

Credit: Chris Coulter and GoSounders.com

I started this blog not so much as a typical Sounders blog, that gave game reviews and news/notes, but more of being a Sounders fan so far away from Seattle. Sure, sometimes game reviews sneak in, and since nobody reads this damn thing anyway, sometimes its the easiest story to write.

So today, I've broken my silence to discuss two very exciting moments in Sounder history: The debuts of Blaise Nkufo and Alvaro Fernandez, and the clubs Champions League debut.

Other signings may have caught more regional and even worldwide attention for MLS than Nkufo and Fernandez, but in my mind the Sounders have hit back to back home runs. Nkufo is a typical designated player signing for the league age-wise at 35, but there isn't another player in MLS that offers as much as the Senegalese-born Swiss international. The big man (6'2) is perhaps already the best in the league at hold up play and compliments Fredy Montero perfectly. He also has an eye for goal, with his 114 goals for FC Twente the most in club history. He's played for numerous clubs in Europe and even the Middle East at all different levels, but his best performance came at the Dutch club. Nkufo captained them to their first ever league title in his final season there (09-10).

Fernandez is the atypical MLS designated player signing when it comes to age at just 24. This signing represents a massive coup not just for Seattle but the league itself due to that very fact. Getting a young international player to come to MLS is hopefully the beginning of a trend for the league. The midfielder featured four times for Uruguay in this years World Cup, a team that reached the semifinals, and has already put himself in Sounders lore, scoring the goal that clinched Seattle's place in the Champions League group stage.

Since these two players have joined the rave green, and Freddie Ljungberg has departed for Chicago, we've seen another young international player set the league on fire in the Colombian Montero. Fredy had a lengthy points streak snapped in the Sounders last league match, a game he picked up a slight injury in.

All this good news leads me to a crowning achievement in the club's history, be it MLS, USL, or NASL. The CONCACAF Champions League since being revamped a couple of years ago, has gained more respect internationally that its predecessor the Champions Cup. The Sounders may have dropped there first group game, 2-1 away at Honduran champions Marathon, but playing in the event in just the second year of being in MLS is a big deal. Let's hope its the first of many appearances.

Until next time....

(whenever that may be)

Go Sounders!

(next match: vs Monterrey (MEX) in Champions League group play)

The Whirlwind MLS Career of Freddie Ljungberg

(Me and Freddie after the game @ FC Dallas this season)

The rumors have been going strong for over a week now, and while it seems a move/trade to be reunited with former Arsenal teammate Thierry Henry in New York appears unlikely, what is likely is Freddie Ljungberg's career as a Seattle Sounder is over.

The timeline began in October of 2008, when the Swedish midfielder was unveiled to Sounder fans as the franchise's first designated player signing. He spoke of being in America for the right reasons, to win games and help develop the game, hoping to avoid the tag other big name players had received in America of just playing for one last big payday.

Ljungberg's first season went well for the most part. Despite throwing a few tantrums, directly complaining on and off the field about the league's poor level of officiating, and suffering through a string of injuries, FL10 contributed 13 assists and 2 goals for the rave green. Seattle sold out every home game, made the playoffs, won the US Open Cup, and even qualified for the Champions League in its first season.

Life was good.

As all Sounder fans know, season two has been a bumpy road. Freddie still hates the officials and has dealt with injuries, but the results haven't come. While advancing to the semifinals in the Open Cup, Seattle is approaching the point of no return in regards to playoff qualification, and faces a tough tie vs Metapan of El Salvador in the Champions League qualification round. It seemed to me a few games ago that Freddie seemed less and less interested. He'd still put in a moment here and there, but it became obvious his mind was elsewhere. News came of an "ankle injury" that kept him from playing, and later on even traveling with the team on their trip to DC.

Then, the rumor mill kicked into high gear.

Word on the street was a trade to New York with Juan Pablo Angel coming the other way, then it was an outright release which would allow Ljungberg to sign with New York and give Seattle needed cap space to make improvements to salvage its season. This now all seems unlikely, and a trip back to Europe is more and more obvious. The reason for this, in my opinion, is the physical nature of MLS. While officials should protect the name players more, Ljungberg's constant whinging has eroded any chance he had of getting preferential treatment. His size and speed lead him to getting hacked more, and with that come injuries and a reputation of going down easy.

The bottom line is this: Freddie Ljungberg's time in MLS had its ups and downs, and can neither be deemed a boom or bust. The moments of brilliance are equal with the injuries, petulance, and late game fading. I am glad he was here for a season and a half, but am glad to have the cap space to help the team in the long run.

As a personal not, Freddie was kind enough to take the above picture with me after the FC Dallas game at Pizza Hut Park this year, and sign my jersey. The jersey will be framed and given a prominent place in my house one day, just as he should have a (albeit small) place in the early history of the MLS version of the Seattle Sounders.

Until next time...

GO SOUNDERS!

Back from my own World Cup break...

With the Sounders and the rest of MLS off for the group stage of the World Cup, I decided to also step back from Gulf Coast Sounder to enjoy the US Men's National Team and their ride to the knockout stage. Of course, my break also included the round of 16 and two Sounders games have happened, but that's beside the point.

First off, I have never been more proud of the heart and determination our boys showed in South Africa. It wasn't perfect, and we still have many strides to make as a nation both as fans and as players, but Landon Donovan's goal vs Algeria captured the nation for a few days.

As far as the Sounders go, I can think of several things more impressive than their return to action vs Philadelphia Union.

Root canals.

Hemorrhoids.

Vuvuzelas on a continuous loop.

Sure, the Union were opening their new stadium which put the rave green behind the 8-ball from the start, but it was the overall effort that made me physically ill.

Peter Vagenas gets paid six figures to play professional soccer. Allow that to sink in.

Pete wasn't alone in his bad play. Pat Noonan did score a goal in the 3-1 loss, but took the laziest penalty since Berbatov's miss vs Everton two seasons ago in the FA Cup. The defense, as it has been most of the season, was poor, and former Sounder Sebastien Le Toux put out more effort than every person in a Seattle uniform in leading Philadelphia to the win. Many of us were hoping the 2 week break for the World Cup would revitalize the squad, especially after the debacle on the eve of the Cup vs DC United. Sadly, as far as the league goes, it didn't happen.

Of course, there was a built in shot at redemption in the form of arch-rival Portland in the US Open Cup round of 16, and we wore ELECTRICITY again! For the second straight year the two rivals would meet at Portland's PGE Park, which on TV looks horrible by the way. The surface looks like it came from 1978 and soccer just never looks right being played in a baseball stadium. Moving along from trashing the rivals, the game itself was sloppy at best. The highlight was definitely the return to scoring form of big Nate Jaqua, who was on the end of the Sounders only goal after a great play by Sanna Nyassi to put the ball in the box after it appeared Miguel Montano had put it out for a goal kick. The defense again was suspect, although Sigi Schimd did make eight lineup changes from the Philadelphia game. Portland equalized the game on a sloppy job of defending which allowed Timbers forward Bright Dike (hehe) to capitalize and even the score at 1.

After 120 minutes of action, we went to penalty kicks. Kasey Keller came up huge saving two Portland penalties, and defender Zach Scott made up for his shaky outing by sealing the win on the Sounders last kick. Joy and elation rang out in the GCS bedroom, the place where I decided to watch the shootout portion.

Of course being a central time zone Sounder fan, it was nearly 1am. When I tell you I was useless at work today, believe it. I got NOTHING accomplished.

With the win, we are now rewarded with a quarterfinal home game (sort of) vs the league's best team, the LA Galaxy and their returning World Cup stars Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle. Oh by the way, we play them twice in a 4 day span, thanks to a scheduling quirk. They of course embarrassed Seattle 4-0 at Qwest that forced the front office to do the infamous refund to season ticket holders.

What are the chances an English team swoops in and grabs Donovan before Sunday?????

Until next time....

GO SOUNDERS!

Sounders add Michael Seamon to active roster and other notes.

Ok, bad joke. This is Michael Seamon, our newest full-time Seattle Sounder:


Credit: Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The midfielder will wear #22 and head straight to the active roster. He was a 2nd round draft pick from Villanova, and after initially training with Seattle, he returned to Villanova get graduate. He celebrated his diploma with the final goal of the Sounders 3-0 friendly victory over Boca Juniors, the aftermath seen in the picture above.

The roster move brings the Sounders to 26 total players, one more than the 25 allowed. However, with three players on the IR, the Seamon signing actually only brings the active roster to 24, meaning there is one slot open. With injured players Nate Jaqua and Michael Fucito (possibly) expected back on the active roster after the World Cup break, as well as new signing Blaise Nkufo(heard of him?), expect some roster moves to take place. A trade or two would not be out of the question, but Coach Sigi will want the full 25 man roster utilized with US Open Cup and Concacaf Champions League games approaching.

Other Notes:
Speaking of the Champions League, the Sounders opponent is now known. FIFA lifted its ban of El Salvador, so CD Metapan will be the Sounders rival for the CCL qualifier. The first leg is in Seattle, and thankfully the front office has decided it will be played at Qwest Field and not Starfire, home of the Sounders during the US Open Cup.

Two massive games upcoming before the World Cup break, both at Qwest against struggling teams. Let's get 6 boys.

Until next time...

GO SOUNDERS!

Boca game is fools gold, as Sounders lose another league game

Yes, it was a meaningless friendly in the grand scheme of things, but the midweek win vs Boca Juniors offered the hope Sounders fans had wanted so desperately in recent weeks. The lack of goals and questions of how deep the team truly was were seemingly answered, with a 3-0 scoreline and 19 players seeing action. The match also saw solid debuts for CB Jeff Parke and CM Michael Seamon, the latter scoring a nice goal from distance to cap the scoring. The team looked sharp, and wore its new electricity jerseys for the first time. It was exactly what the followers of Sounder Nation needed.

Then came Saturday night at Colorado, and it was back to reality.

It was mostly the same song and dance, with the only difference being the Sounders didn't throw up a bunch of shots that didn't find their way in. The only save Rapids keeper Matt Pickens had to muster was on a long shot from Patrick Ianni. No offense to him, and I love his versatility, but when a team features as many offensive weapons as Seattle does, its bad news when Ianni has the only shot on target. Freddie Ljungberg did his usual routine of complaining about everything and missing every target in the box on set pieces, and Parke was beaten by Rapids forward Conor Casey who then chipped Kasey Keller for the game's only goal. It was the same old fruitless attack, although at least it wasn't 19 shots to 3 in a loss like the San Jose match.

So here we are again. Same old questions, same old non-answers. I've said it before, but Blaise Nkufo will have the weight of Seattle on his shoulders when he finally dons the rave green. At this point, is it enough? With consecutive home games against New England and DC United, teams that have struggled themselves this season, its not out of the question that six points is absolutely necessary before the World Cup break. Is it possible? Yes, but only if this team remembers what made last year so special, and rides the emotion of 40,000 fans at Qwest Field.

A couple of disturbing stats before I go:

Seattle is tied for the second fewest goals scored with 9. Only DC is worse with 7.

Seattle has taken the 4th most shots in the league, but is tied with Toronto for the fewest shots on goal.

At this rate, you'd have to expect some player movement that doesn't include Nkufo when the window re-opens.

Until next time....

Go Sounders!

The Ultimate Sounder Accessory

There's a local dive bar that Kate and I frequent with friends of ours. The beer is cold and cheap, and the karaoke is rocking every weekend. There's even a little plaque by the door with names listed of the regulars that have passed on to the next life. It truly is the bar where everybody knows your name, and is full of southern hospitality. It is known as the "Tiki Tavern". Just behind the bartender at Tiki, is an entire collection of a phenomenon known as the team beer koozy. The regulars leave them there and use them on their various bar nights. Some of them are the Dallas Cowboys, some the New Orleans Saints, and the majority are of the state school, LSU.

I don't know about the Pacific Northwest, but a staple of team loyalty in the Southeast is the team beer koozy. I didn't start using them until dating Kate and seeing her friends use them. I'll use any excuse to show off my team, especially in a social situation, so I ventured into the world of the koozy. Not only does it keep moisture and cold away from your hand, but showing off your team colors is a great conversation starter. I bought my first two that coincide with my two football teams, The University of Texas and the San Diego Chargers, but its my third koozy that I truly love the most:



This piece of art made its debut at the FC Dallas away game this year during the "pitch invasion":


(Unfortunately they don't give you bottles at Pizza Hut Park anymore, so there's a can in there.)

And finally made its Tiki Tavern debut two weekends ago:



(Seen here with Kate, it even comes with little stickers to adorn it with a players name and number. Think I'm ready for Blaise to be here?)

I think its safe to say I'm the only one in these parts that can boast such an item. It got some awkward stares on its Tiki debut, but it even got some comments of intrigue and a compliment or two. Our Houston friends who were there even offered letting us stay with them when the Sounders travel to Houston to close the regular season.

Nothing like the team beer koozy to start up a conversation about a soccer team in Seattle, all the way in Shreveport, Louisiana, and even get us a free place to stay.

Friendly vs Boca Wednesday....and I finally get to watch!!!

Until next time...

GO SOUNDERS!

Beating A Dead Horse

Yes, there is another reason I can't watch the Sounders today. I had even resigned myself to skipping the Champions League Final party I host every year at a local establishment and watching it on DVR, just so I could FINALLY see a live Sounders game.

Then, it happens.

The juice went out.

I look outside and see a crew of electricians working on my building. When asked how long it would be out? This was the response:

"Man, all day long."

No Sounders game, no Champions league Final, and not even the chance to record them.

What have I done to deserve this???????????

Ah, wedded bliss.....and another missed Sounders game

First off, let me say I wish nothing but the best to our dear friends Joey and Megan Hynes on getting married. This blog entry has nothing to do with them and more to do with the universe conspiring against me being able to watch the Sounders play.

This weeks disturbance was the aforementioned wedding and reception that kept me away. The week before, a Direct Kick blackout. The week before that, I watched a choppy streaming version on Kate's laptop. If you're wondering, next week is screwed as well, thanks to my annual Champions League Final viewing party and a fundraising event for my foundation afterward. Of course, this is the first time a Champions League Final has been held on a weekend, and the kickoff time for Sounders v San Jose is at the exact time Inter Milan and Bayern Munich kickoff in Madrid.

For some reason I just can't wait till I can watch on DVR. I MUST know whats going on at all times during Sounder games. I just simply don't have the ability or patience to sit and watch after the fact unless I know what happened. Last night was no different as I wore out my Blackberry's trackball refreshing the Seattle Times gameblog.

What I missed visually was Freddy Montero scoring the winning goal in a much needed 1-0 win for Seattle. After seeing it on my phone, I did give a fist pump and let out a yell that few noticed during the reception, but I wouldn't have cared if the entire room turned around. This was a huge victory over the Eastern Conference leaders, on the road at the fortress that is Red Bull Arena. The loss was new York first ever in the new building.

It was celebration time after. Many beers later we toasted the new couple on their way and I was a little happier knowing Sigi's 4-3-3 had bossed the game and Montero's late strike snatched the win on the road. Happy days are here again.

Nkufo visits practice, no confirmation if he walked on water.

Credit: Seattle Times

The man in the navy blue track suit has a bit of pressure on him. He is Blaise Nkufo, the future Sounders #9. Finishing has long plagued Seattle in their short history, and Nkufo is expected to fill that major void. Nkufo visited practice this week and as you can see above introduced himself to everyone. I personally as a fan haven't eased any of that pressure on him. My first post on this blog was about possibly starting a countdown clock for his arrival, plus after Freddie Ljungberg signed my jersey and I was in need of a new one, I went and ordered a "Nkufo 9" home jersey to replace it. I may be one of the few that has placed such an order for the Swiss international (who was also named to their 23-man World Cup roster as expected), but I'm not alone in pinning massive hopes on him.

Some other notes:

-Nate Jaqua and Pat Noonan have returned to training, Jaqua for the first time since preseason.

-Seattle's maiden voyage into the Concacaf Champions League will begin in late July, which pretty much rules any Sounders out of the All Star game. The opponent will be known on May 19th.

Coming this weekend, how a friend's wedding has interrupted my viewing of Sounders @ Red Bull. The joy of friendship strikes again.

Until then,

Go Sounders!

The Day After

The fallout in Sounder Nation after what was arguably the worst game in the 14 months or so since kicking its first ball as a MLS franchise is everywhere. Even my friends in Louisiana that follow MLS were in on the ribbing. My favorite was this from my friend from England who lives here now:

"Seattle gets beat down by the LA Beckhams!!!!"

Yes, he's aware Beckham is out injured, but him being a Liverpool fan, he likes to take shots at Goldenballs as much as possible. General Manager Adrian Hanauer was so upset with the performance, he's taken a bold step. He and the owners decided a refund to season ticket holders was in order. Next year, those seat holders will get one free game in light of the teams performance in the 4-0 loss to the Galaxy. Hanauer had a few interesting quotes to go with the decision when talking to Joshua Mayers of the Seattle Times:

"I've been on the phone with Joe Roth and Tod Leiweke this morning, and Gary Wright, and some of the people that I run the business with. And that performance last night wasn't good enough. The effort wasn't good enough. The execution wasn't good enough. The heart wasn't good enough. The passion wasn't good enough. The only thing that was good enough was our fans. So we decided that we're going to give our fans their money back for that game. Our season ticket holders. The people who were with us from the beginning, and will be with us in the future. We're in this for the long haul. We need them to be in it for the long haul. That wasn't Sounders soccer. And it was quite frankly embarrassing, humiliating, and they don't deserve that."

I must say this is a pretty interesting step for the front office. The argument on the message boards asks "Is this really necessary?" or "Are they going to give refunds for the next bad home loss?" I, myself, don't think the refund was for the Galaxy match alone. The last few games have all been hard on us, be it our lack of finishing or last second goals that take points away or times we've just been whipped like yesterday, the play has not been good. Hanauer also made comments to Mayers about possible roster changes coming in July post World Cup:

"Maybe losing a guy with a little more talent and gaining a guy with a little more passion and heart is going to be worth the trade. I know that our fans care about heart and passion and results, and again possession is certainly part of the game. And I'm a big fan of the beautiful, but the beautiful game ain't so beautiful for the home team if they're losing. Especially if they're losing like that. I guess the rest of the answer is the July transfer window feels like it's forever from now, but I guess a better way of putting it is the June World Cup break and then the subsequent July transfer window is to some degree around the corner. And that is an opportunity for us to make some changes. If it was easy everyone would be in first place. There are going to be first-place teams and there are going to be last-place teams. This organization just doesn't intend on being a last-place team. And the fact that it's not easy can not be an obstacle. We need to be smarter, work harder, be more creative, scrap, claw, figure out what's going to get us that edge."

I think its safe to say the man does not like his boys in green to be at the bottom of the standings.

With an already long season made longer by the upcoming U.S. Open Cup (of which the Sounders are of course defending champions) and the qualifying and hopefully group stages of the CONCACAF Champions League, squad depth is a must. With the number of players per team capped, its key to make sure those roster moves count. There still seems to be confusion on if Blaise Nkufo will count as the Sounders 2nd designated player (players whose entire salary doesn't count towards the cap) or not. There's also no word on if the Sounders will seek to buy a 3rd DP spot. Not all Sounders fans agree on what positions need the most help, but in my opinion an attacking midfielder is a must. With Nkufo on the way, and youngster Miguel Montano surely to get more playing time, the forward position should be fine. If, however, you look at the central midfield, just where is the creativity? Ozzie Alonso is a holding player, while Brad Evans isn't much of a scoring threat. Ljungberg spends most of his time on the wing, and Pat Noonan is more of a utility player. I'm thinking the best way to solve the problem could be a trade with another MLS club, but have no idea who that is at the moment.

Time will tell if post World Cup what Hanauer decides to do, but something must change. The tone of this blog needs some positivity and it needs it quickly. If Fatman was dropped on Qwest Field Saturday, hopefully Little Boy isn't waiting for us at Red Bull Arena.

Galaxy 4, Sounders 0: When not being able to watch isn't such a bad thing.

The picture above represents what I wanted to do to my television this afternoon, long before Landon Donovan and the Galaxy ripped the Sounders for 4 goals.

Let me explain.

Even though I spent the $80 Directv requires to watch all the MLS games (which means, all the Sounders games, although I will catch the occasional match not involving Seattle), I could not watch today's match. The reason being when a MLS game is shown on a national carrier, the Directv package blacks it out. No problem though right? I have ESPN, ESPN 2, and FSC, so I'll still be able to watch. Not exactly.

The Spanish speaking Telefutura is considered by MLS to be "national". I do not have this channel, as most Americans with Directv, cable, or Dish do not. Many fans of MLS teams HATE this policy, but nothing is done about it. I finally get a free Saturday to watch, and its the damn Telefutura game! I punched the couch, I'm not kidding although I wish I was.

So off I went to follow the blog at the Seattle Times website. The laptop was at my girlfriends, so I couldn't follow a gamecast, or even watch an illegal stream of the game (not that I've ever done that of course). My only choices were to follow the play by play on ESPN Soccernet Mobile or the live game blog the Seattle Times does on my phone. Since Soccernet's mobile play by play of MLS games reminds me of Monty, the color commentator from the Major League movies ("Fly ball....caught."), I went with the Times.

After the Sounders enjoyed a large spell of possession and a couple of half chances the first 20 or so minutes, the Galaxy got a goal completely against the grain when Jovan Kirovski struck from long range in the 22nd minute. That, coupled with Ozzie Alonso leaving the game with an injury, made it a first half to forget, but no reason for panic.

Then, the bottom fell out.

Big time.

Three goals in thirteen minutes for the Galaxy lead to a 4-0 defeat, the worst home defeat ever, and just so happened to be in front of the largest crowd to EVER view a Sounders home league match. Even Joshua Mayers, who covers the Sounders for the Seattle Times and does the game blogs checked out in the 71st minute.

There were hardly any positives to take away from this one. Maybe the debut of 18 year old Colombian forward Miguel Montano was about it. To be fair, the Galaxy are destroying everything in their path and currently hold the league's best record, but this performance is the bow on a package of dismal performances as of late. The Sounders are now without a victory since a 1-0 win at home on April 17th against Kansas City, and it doesn't get any easier next week. If there's one team that has been on par with LA, its Red Bull New York. Not to mention, their new stadium has become something of a fortress, and that's exactly where the game is. The MLS and its strange scheduling format has the Sounders going there after just playing New York at Qwest Field back on April 3rd, a 1-0 defeat. At first glance, the game doesn't appear to be on Telefutura and I should be able to tune in.

Although sometimes, television blackouts can be a blessing.

Sounders 1, Columbus 1-Thinking of starting a Nkufo countdown clock.

Game was at Qwest, so I'm still trying to figure out why the boys had on their all-blue away kit and Columbus was in the home yellow. Oh well, on to the game. Stevie Z got it started early with a 4th minute goal, the quickest in Sounder history, but the same old things got Seattle in a bind. A Columbus goal in first half stoppage time and another display of DREADFUL finishing took away a home win.

While getting a result against a team the caliber of Columbus is admirable, we can't just keep dropping points at Qwest. I felt we were the better team over the entire 90 minutes (even though I had to watch on a laptop while my girlfriend went through her usual E! reality shows on the TV. I HATE not having Direct Kick at whatever house I'm at, but I guess the Kardashians provide better audio than Arlo right? Kill me now.)

Anyway! After 7 games played, Seattle sits on 9 points, good for 4th place in the West, although San Jose is at 9 points having played two fewer games. With LA and New York running away from everyone, the race for the other playoff spots will be neck and neck if this continues. Take away Dallas and DC, and every other team is separated by 3 points. The boys can't afford to slip back in the pack, but if they can just stay close enough until new signing Blaise Nkufo joins up after his stint with Switzerland at the World Cup. He's a classic finisher and its what Seattle needs DESPERATELY right now. I'm hoping for a 3rd designated player signing as well this summer, but I won't be greedy.

Next Saturday, the Galaxy come to Qwest in a match I was hoping to get to go to but plans fell through. Edson Buddle and Landon Donovan are playing as good as any duo in the league, and LA is running away with the West, but Seattle must discover what makes Qwest such a tough place to play. The ECS and the rest of the fans will bring their full 90 as always, and its time for the team to respond!

Pics from the match against FC Dallas hopefully up soon.

Go Sounders.

Hello!

I plan to write about my obsession with my favorite American soccer club, Seattle Sounders FC. I'll go into how I became a Sounders fan living 2,400 miles away from Qwest Field, about my trip there in 2009, how my girlfriend tolerates all this, and my visits to closer matches in Dallas and Houston. I'll also have plenty of pictures to display. Until then....

Go Sounders!