Hey everybody,

The frustration continues!  Once again we can’t seem to find the back of the net.  With two big chances at the end to win the game and blow the roof off the stadium, we just couldn’t make it happen.  Things could have been worse, we could have been down by three in the first half.  On the positive, we kept a clean sheet and got a point out of a game where we could have been dead and buried in the first half hour.  Now on to the Cup Final!  No better time to break out of this funk we are in than this Wednesday.  We are breaking up the normal routine and flying to DC in the morning.  Normally we train first and fly later.  Tomorrow we fly first and train after we land in DC.

I have many fond memories of games in RFK and I am looking forward to adding one more.  I still feel the competition would have benefited greatly from hosting this event at Qwest.  It’s not and that is ok, lets hope the fans show up.  I know we would have sold it out, lets hope they have done their job and sold the tickets.  Wish us luck, we know you’ll be there in spirit if you can’t be there in person.  Even though you should be, and in our stadium!

Had a lot of fun today at a Call of Duty 4 tournament at The War Room on Capital Hill.  Some of the best CoD4 players in the world came to Seattle to take home the prize.  Players flew in from as far as New York and Detroit.  With a few Pro’s playing it was cool to see some of the local kids holding their own.  Over all just a good time, thanks for having me.

Tune in Wednesday while we do our best to bring home the first silverware for the franchise.

Kasey

Hey everybody,

It’s been a good couple of days of training in preparation for the Toronto game.  It was a  little shorter week than normal with our last game on Sunday, but a good week none the less.  What has been nice is that we don’t have any new injuries, and what is the most amazing thing is that we don’t have any suspensions!  Let’s hope we are done with the red cards.  

Toronto has really gotten their act together from the last time we played them in the third week of the season.  With a change in coaches and their team having more time to gel, they have steadily moved up the table.  Even with Toronto in pretty good form, I still feel if we play to our potential we have too much for them to handle.  Let’s hope we broke our goal draught last week and open the flood gate on Saturday.  If not, I’ll be just as happy with a 1-0 win.

I hate looking ahead to games, but the cup game is around the corner.  I was asked if I’ve been following the comments between the two ownership groups.  I haven’t followed it too much, but it will definitely make for a better atmosphere.  It still won’t compare to what the atmosphere would have been if the game was being played at Qwest.  I’m sure some of our fans will make the trip and will be very vocal.

Back to the next game, lets have a great day Saturday.  I’m ready for a blow out!  What about you guys?

Kasey

Hey everybody,

After a very hot and humid night in Houston and many missed chances, we got the goal that got us a good point on the road.  The best part of the result is that we won the season series against Houston.  This should continue to improve the confidence of the team knowing we can take 4 points off the first place team.  For quite awhile I wasn’t sure we were going to get the goal to get the result.  We missed so many good chances and some of the best goal scoring chances you can create without scoring.  One of these days we are going to score goals on all the chances we create in one game and really put up a big number on someone.   I’ll take a 1-0 this weekend, but 4 or 5 would be a lot nicer.  

Once again the travel department at MLS needs to get their act together.  For the flight out we were two tickets short and on the way back we had plenty of middle seats.  I don’t understand how this is possible, the schedule has been out for 6 months.  If the  league can’t afford charter flights then at least try to make it as comfortable as possible flying coach.  With the team having several east coast trips in a row lets hope they get this figured out a little better.  Since the Cup Final isn’t a league match, the ownership has been able to charter a flight for the team back to DC.  It means a lot to the team that the owners care about helping us prepare for our first silverware as a franchise.

Last night was team bowling night at Lucky Strike Bellevue.  Taylor Graham wore his best “Big Ern” suit.  All he needed was the rose bowling ball and a comb-over.  He had a pretty good game to go along with the outfit.  Some of the others players weren’t quite as talented!  Thank God they are better soccer players.

Keep living the dream Seattle!

Kasey

Hey Everybody,

Talk about a frustrating night.  Where do I begin, I feel we could have played three games last night and not scored a goal.  We had some very good chances throughout the game, but at no real time did we force Matt Reis, the New England goalkeeper, into a difficult save.  In fact, I don’t think we had one shot on target.  We couldn’t even score from the penalty spot.  Not our night.  I was happy with the defensive effort.  After the bad game in San Jose we have conceded only two goals in three games.  Now we just need to put it all together.   

We have a difficult trip to Houston this weekend, but so was the game in LA last week.  We know its going to be hot and humid and against the top team in the league.  That’s the cool thing about this league.  Everyone is close enough that anybody can beat anybody on their day.  Lets make it ours and erase the disappointment of last night.

After a game like last night its difficult to unwind and get some sleep.  I’m not a big drinker so usually a glass of fine scotch is about all I need.   Sometimes I end up watching the most random shows while I’m waiting to become tired.  Last night was no exception.  After the last half of Armageddon, which America helps save the world as always, it was on to that generational favorite,  Planet of the Apes.  You know you are having a hard time getting to sleep if you are watching Planet of the Apes for the 10th time at 2 in the morning.  

Thanks again for the great support last night, sorry we couldn’t get the result we all wanted.  Wish us luck on Sunday!

Kasey

Hey Everybody,

It had been a long time coming, all the way back to our first away game in Toronto, but we won again on the road.  We also won our first game on natural grass to remove that monkey from our back as well.  We had a little help from the Beckham red card in the 16th minute, but we still had to score the goals and not lose our concentration at the back with LA taking more and more risks going forward.  It was great to take advantage of the man advantage so quickly.  A very good passing move in midfield sprung Brad Evans down the right to put in a perfect low cross for Steve Zakuani to sweep into the goal at the far post.  

I was a little nervous after we scored because I felt we took our foot of the pedal a little bit.  When you have a man advantage you can sometime fall into a false sense of security.  Everybody thinks someone else will mark the runner or close down the shooter, etc.   I tried to stay very demanding and vocal throughout the game to make sure guys didn’t take breaks in the game because we had the extra man.  

The start of the second half, I felt we started very positive.  We created some good scoring chances,  but without the goal that could give us that little bit of security that another goal would give us.   The second goal came from what can be described as a “goal scorers goal”  Montero in the right spot at the right time to smash home after the original cross off the corner wasn’t cleared.

Game got a little scrappy after that with Tyrone getting a second yellow for what looked to me like a little acting on Landon’s behalf.  The 10 v 10 didn’t last long.  Another little tussle resulted in Eddie Lewis of LA being shown the red for clipping Riley around the head.  I’m not a fan of the red card count the refs in MLS seem to dish out.  I hope in the future they try to lessen what they deem as a dismiss-able action.  

Great to be back to winning ways and moving back up the table.  All focus now on Thursday and winning once more in front of the best fans in the league!  

Kasey

Hey everybody,

A week of good training is coming to an end.   After a couple of hard days on Monday and Tuesday, a good day off was well received on Wednesday.  In today’s training the team looked rested and focused,  ready for the challenge down in LA.  No time like the weekend to get our second away win of the season.  I’m sure Sigi is willing us to do a number on his old employer who unceremoniously dismissed him a few years back.  I for one would love to help him achieve this goal.  Having played a few times against my old teams I can relate to wanting to do well in these games.

Made an appearance today for Puma out at the Snohomish United tournament.  Helped judge a great skills comp and signed a lot of autographs.  It was great to get out and see the kids in their element on the pitch.  Sounders fans everywhere!  Thanks for the great reception and good luck in your games over the weekend.

Lets hope the next update is full of praise for all the goals we scored against LA.

Have a great weekend Seattle.

Kasey

P.S.   Be on the look out for some great singing coming out of SSFC

Hey everybody,

Sorry I’ve been away for a few days, still trying to work out all the bugs with the new site.  Looks to be up and running better than ever, so let’s keep our fingers crossed everything works the way it is supposed too.

Things haven’t quite been going as well as planned the last couple of games.  Three league games with only one point, a good butt kicking by the last place team, and no goals.  Not exactly what we like to see.  On a positive,  a great night at Qwest was had by all against last year’s best team in the World FC Barcelona.  We did lose 4-0, but I think everyone who played, watched the game in the stadium, or on tv had a great time.  For the Seattle fans to see some of the best players in the world up close and in person can only continue to raise the profile of the Sounders and the sport in America.

A couple days later and we were back on the road to Salt Lake.  We seemed to clean up our defensive problems that we had against San Jose to still be frustrated at the other end.  We just couldn’t seem to breakdown RSL.  Credit to the home team, they defended well as a team, worked hard and waited for us to make a mistake.  A quick kick from the RSL goalkeeper, a great finish and we find ourselves a goal down.  We tried hard, pushed for the equalizer and were unlucky not to be awarded a late penalty for a clear hand ball in the Salt Lake box.  Sometimes the calls go your way (Montero’s goal against Houston) and sometimes not.

Now we have a good full week of training to prepare for another away game in LA against a very inform Galaxy.  It will be nice to see some old friends and get that elusive second away win of the season.  Everyone is fully committed to put this bad run behind us and get back to winning ways.  

I want to thank all the great fans who stood in line and waited at the Qwest Pro shop tonight for the autograph session.  You are the reason why we are the envy of the league.  See  you next Thursday against New England.

Remember Seattle: Always look out for number one and don’t step in number two.  Stay classy.

Kasey

Hey Everybody,

What a bad game!  When you are playing the last place team in your division and you are fighting for first, you don’t expect to lose 4-0.   About everything that could go wrong did.  It started with a very unfortunate own goal in the second minute, followed by a red card around the 30th minute. We went into the half only a goal down, but bad went to worse when San Jose scored their second goal early into the second half.  At that point the game is all but over, you still hope to pull something out, but never want to lose the way we did.  San Jose continued to take advantage of the extra man.  They were able to run the score up with out having to take too many risks themselves.  Hopefully this is the first and the last game we don’t compete from start to finish.

Maybe this is the little wake up call that we needed at this time of the season.  With so many of our last games on the road, hopefully we can learn from this terrible display and go into the last half of the season with a new focus.  If you want to do well at the end of a season and into the playoffs you need to up the energy.  San Jose played like a desperate team and we played right into their hands.  Granted we did create a lot of our own problems.  I would like to have seen the outcome without the own goal and the sending off.  Would have, could have, should have. It was one of those days where everything that could go wrong did.  Learn and move on.

Now on to Barcelona.  The Chelsea game fit perfectly into our schedule with us having the weekend off.  This game falls at a bad time, after a bad loss, and with us having to go back on the road to Salt Lake on Friday.  When you get the opportunity to play one of the world’s biggest clubs you have to take it!  It is going to be a fun night for the players and the fans.  One more big night of soccer in the Northwest.  Thanks for filling the stadium and giving the world a great picture of soccer in Seattle.

See you tomorrow!

Kasey

Hey everybody!

What a crazy week.  Monday started like every other week, except  this Monday I got to go for a ride in the back seat of the number 7 jet of the Blue Angels.  A tremendous honor that through the help of my marketing company Rezin and the generosity of the the United States Navy I had the most fun I have ever had getting completely sick to my stomach.  I don’t have the strongest equilibrium so I had a pretty good idea that I would lose what light breakfast I did have, but it was  worth every minute and more.  

Having a pretty good feeling that Lt. Ben Walborn was about to rock my world, I left the path of my experience in his more that capable hands.  After the best take off you can imagine we headed out over the Olympic Mts. to show me what he and the F18 Hornet were capable of doing.  After several maneuvers it was time for a high G turn.  I would like to tell you all how much fun that turn was, but halfway through I blacked out for a couple of seconds.  Next thing I remember is Lt. Walborn saying “Welcome back”.  After that I was struggling, but had a great time.  When we landed I was physically exhausted and nauseous.  Not a great feeling when in a couple of hours I had to board another plane to fly down to Salt Lake City for the All-Star game.

By Wednesday I was feeling much better and ready to take on Everton FC of the English Premier League.  Salt Lake’s great new stadium in Sandy, Utah was the venue.  A good crowd, no comparison to our own, but good just the same for a fun night.  After a shaky first 15  minutes and a goal that we gave Everton, our team started to take control of the game.  We got our reward before the half with the equalizer.  After being slated to play only the first half I took my place on the bench.  After 15 minutes of the second half an old friend ESPN reporter Rob Stone asked if I could give an interview behind the bench.  Just before we were to start, Rob said Zach, (Thorton, the Chivas gk), looked to be injured and I might be going back in!  Sure enough, I’m back in the game. Obviously had this been a game where we absolutely played by the rules, I never would have been let back on the field, but David Moyes,the Everton manager, was adamant that the ref let me back on so we didn’t have to play with a field player in goal.  After we dominated a majority of the second half without being able to score , we found ourselves in penalties.  I make a save, Tim Howard the Everton Goalkeeper makes a save, it goes back and forth but Everton eventually win in 6 shooters.  Fun night.

Tomorrow we fly down to San Jose for a big league match.  With the Earthquakes at the wrong end of the table we need to try to take advantage and bring 3 points home. With us fighting with Houston for the top spot all points are crucial at this juncture of the season.

Have a great Seafair and when you see those blue jets flying above your head, think of me getting sick in the back of the number 7 and have a little laugh at my expense.

Kasey