Matchday Magazine: Sounders FC vs. FC Dallas - July 13, 2016 by Seattle Sounders FC

Seattle Sounders FC vs. FC Dallas

July 13, 2016 Â· CenturyLink Field

PRESENTED BY

3 Matchup

4 Sounders FC Central 6 Match Preview 8 Storylines 10 Team Rosters 12 Posters by the People

15 The NINETY 18 Familiar Foes 23 Seattle, Dallas Set For Midweek Clash 26 2016 Season Stats 32 Rave Green Roll Over West Ham

Seattle Sounders FC Editorial Offices 159 South Jackson, Suite 200 Seattle, WA 98104 (206) 512-1200 Editorial · Sounders FC Communications Advertising · JT Newton Program Design · Janet Jensen, Jensen Graphics Photography · Corky Trewin, USA TODAY Sports Images, Rod Mar, Jane Gershovich, Josh Weisberg, Jeff Marsch and Dan Poss

MATCHDAY · 1

Sounders FC (5-10-2, 17 points) continues its homestand on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field to take on FC Dallas on Wednesday evening. Last Saturday, the Rave Green fell to the LA Galaxy by a score of 1-0 on a first-half goal from Robbie Keane. It will be the second match against FC Dallas in the 2016 MLS season, as the Sounders fell

to the side from North Texas by a score of 2-0 in Frisco, Texas on May 14. FC Dallas currently sits in first place in the Western Conference with 37 points. The club comes off a 1-0 victory at the San Jose Earthquakes on July 8. Designated Player Mauro Diaz leads the team in assists with nine, which ranks second in MLS.

DID YOU KNOW???

On July 5, Sounders FC collected its first friendly win over an English Premier League team by toppling West Ham FC 3-0, with rookie forward Jordan Morris grabbing two goals in two minutes after coming on as a substitute. With the brace, Morris becomes the first Sounder to score two goals in a friendly since Fredy Montero did the same against Chelsea FC in 2012. Since 2009, Sounders FC has played four other matches against sides from the Premier League, including three losses to Manchester United and Chelsea FC (twice), as well as a 3-3 draw against Tottenham Hotspur in July 2014. The Sounders all-time record in friendly matches now stands at 3-5-2 since the clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inception.

MATCHDAY Âˇ 3

SOUNDERS FC CENTRAL Click on the photos below for the latest news, videos, photos and more!

Latest News

Videos

Photos

Audio Soundbytes

Social Media

S2 Central

Sounders FC Academy

4 Â· MATCHDAY

D N LA S T R ER O P MB TI

E V S Y 17 L T T F C JUL :30A A S E R S DAY, AT 11 E SUN TS D UN TAR

R E V O

E AG

MATCHDAY Â· 5

Everything you need to know about Wednesday’s clash with FC Dallas The Seattle Sounders welcome FC Dallas to CenturyLink Field on Wednesday for the first time this season, and the second of three matchups between the teams this year. Here’s a breakdown of everything you need to know about the game. by Cam Rizzardini

WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. PT at CenturyLink Field.

WHERE TO WATCH: The game will be telecast on Q13 FOX.

WHERE TO LISTEN: The game will be aired on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM with a pregame show beginning at 11:30 p.m. PT and El Rey 1360AM in Spanish. RECORDS AND STANDINGS: Sounders (5-10-2,

17 pts., 10th in Western Conference), Dallas (11-5-4, 37 pts., 1st in Western Conference).

ALL-TIME HISTORY: The Sounders own a comfortable 9-45 record all time against FC Dallas, but the winds of change seem to be blowing in this conference rivalry. The Sounders fell at the hands of FC Dallas in last year’s Western Conference semifinals and again on May 14 in Frisco. LOST AT HOME: After

going goalless on Saturday against the LA Galaxy, the Sounders are now scoreless in their last three home matches, all losses. In fact, the Rave Green have not scored at home in 271 minutes, dating back to a late goal from Jordan Morris on May 7 against San Jose. In addition, they have

6 · MATCHDAY

now amassed five home losses this season, a franchise record for the MLSera Sounders.

SHOTS, SHOTS, SHOTS: The

Sounders put up a season high of 22 shots on the LA Galaxy on Saturday. As a reward for their efforts? Zero goals and zero points. It’s been the story all season in Seattle who consistently out-possess, out-pass, and out-shoot their opponents, and yet somehow leave empty-handed. The team’s shot conversion rate is the lowest in the league at eight percent.

WRONG END OF THE WHISTLE: A questionable penalty

call stole the headlines the last time these two teams met, as FC Dallas rode to a 2-0 victory in Frisco. It’s an occurrence that has become a borderline pattern this season for the Rave Green, who have conceded a league-leading six penalty kicks this year. They’ve also been awarded zero PKs this season, tied for fewest in the league.

INJURY UPDATE: Defender Brad Evans was absent again from the Sounders’ Starting XI on Saturday with a calf strain. Evans’ availability for Wednesday is uncertain, but if he is unable to go, defender Zach Scott is the likely replacement. On the Dallas side, defender Zach Loyd is out with a concussion. His status for Wednesday is uncertain as well.

YOUTH IN NUMBERS: Only two of the 10 outfield players in the FC Dallas lineup against San Jose on July 8 in San Jose were over the age of 26 - defender Atiba Harris is 31, fellow defender Maynor Figueora is 33. Although the Sounders have made a concerted effort this year to lean on younger players - Morris (21) midfielder Cristian Roldan (21), forward Aaron Kovar (22) and forward Oalex Anderson (20) have all picked up regular minutes this season – FC Dallas’ focus on youth under head coach Oscar Pareja has paid dividends, with postseason appearances each of the past two years and a likely run for the Supporters’ Shield this year.

FOUR FOR TOROS: Following their 1-0 win over San Jose last week, FCD have four wins away from home this year, tops in the Western Conference. They’ve won just one regular season game over the years at CenturyLink Field in eight tries (1-6-1), and lost in the first leg of the Western Conference semis last year. A FRIEND AND FOE: Former

Seattle fan favorite Mauro Rosales now wears Dallas red and will ride into CenturyLink Field for the first time as a Toro on Wednesday since being traded from the Vancouver Whitecaps in exchange for Blas Perez in February. Rosales has 13 appearances off the bench so far this season, with one goal and one assist.

MATCHDAY · 7

MATCHDAY STORYLINES Radio Play-by-Play Commentator Matt Johnson tells you his three storylines to follow in this evening’s match vs. FC Dallas.

DIAZ

Dallas is more than Mauro Diaz A couple years ago, if you shut down Mauro Diaz you would shut down Dallas. Unfortunately for the Western Conference, the Dallas squad that visits CenturyLink Field on Wednesday is much more than that. Diaz still has the keys to the car, but this team is much deeper and dangerous than Dallas teams in the past few years. Currently there are five players that have been involved in at least seven or more goals. Diaz is second in the league in assists with nine, Michael Barrios leads the squad with six goals, but both Tesho Akindele and Fabian Castillo have five each. Maxi Urruti is starting to heat up last weekend, scoring a goal while hitting the post twice

8 · MATCHDAY

vs. San Jose. Bottom line, a balanced attack with plenty of speed will be on display on Wednesday evening.

Hang in there You’re a Sounders fan and you’re wondering how I’m going to spin positive. Easy. Look at Saturday vs. LA. The Rave Green had 22 shots with 16 of them coming from inside

BARRIOS

the box. On top of that, Clint Dempsey had seven of those. As I watched training this week, I just kept scratching my head on how and why the ball has not gone in the back of the net for this team. The Sounders have dominated games, yes I said dominated, and get nothing from them. Having watched the NY Red Bulls game over again (okay, just the first half), it is preposterous how the Seattle haven’t scored more than 14 goals in the 17 games played. When is the luck going to turn? When is the blowout coming? When will a team face Dempsey, Morris, and company and wonder what just happened? Hang in there…it will.

July still critical The next four matches are against Western Conference teams and where the Sounders sit that makes ALL of them sixpointers. Dallas, Portland, Sporting Kansas City and again LA at the end of the month makes this run of four matches critical for playoff positioning. The effort is still there. The fight is definitely still there. And the points are there for the taking.

10 · MATCHDAY

No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 20 22 23 24 25 29 31 33 39 80 91 99

Name Tyler Miller Clint Dempsey Brad Evans Tyrone Mears Jimmy Ockford Osvaldo Alonso Cristian Roldan Erik Friberg Herculez Gomez Aaron Kovar Michael Farfan Jordan Morris Chad Marshall Dylan Remick Nelson Valdez Darwin Jones Nathan Sturgis Zach Scott Charlie Lyon Andreas Ivanschitz Stefan Frei Tony Alfaro Román Torres Damion Lowe Joevin Jones Oalex Anderson Victor Mansaray Oniel Fisher Andy Craven

Pos. Height Weight Age GK 6-4 195 23 F 6-1 170 33 D 6-1 170 31 D 5-11 163 33 D 6-1 185 23 M 5-11 155 30 M 5-8 165 20 M 5-11 154 30 F 5-10 160 34 M 5-10 155 22 M 5-19 160 27 F 6-0 185 21 D 6-4 190 31 D 6-0 165 25 F 5-10 160 32 F 5-10 175 24 M 5-10 160 29 D 5-11 175 34 GK 6-2 215 24 M 6-0 180 32 GK 6-3 195 30 D 6-2 190 23 D 6-2 195 30 D 6-3 175 23 D 5-11 160 24 F 5-8 155 20 F 5-11 180 19 D 5-9 155 24 F 5-11 167 24

No. 1 2 3 7 8 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 20 21 22 23 24 25 28 30 31 33 34 37 77

Name Jesse Gonzalez Aubrey David Moises Hernandez Carlos Gruezo Victor Ulloa Mauro Diaz Fabian Castillo Ryan Hollingshead Tesho Akindele Atiba Harris Timo Pitter Coy Craft Zach Loyd Chris Seitz Juan Esteban Ortiz Michael Barrios Carlos Lizarazo Kellyn Acosta Matt Hedges Walker Zimmerman Colin Bonner Ryan Herman Maynor Figueroa Aaron Guillen Agustin Jara Maximiliano Urruti Mauro Rosales

Pos. Height Weight Age GK 6-4 180 21 D 6-2 175 25 D 6-0 155 24 M 5-7 148 21 M 5-11 165 24 M 5-7 137 25 M 5-8 150 24 D/M 6-1 180 25 M/F 6-1 170 24 D/M 6-3 185 31 D/M 5-9 150 23 M/F 5-11 175 19 D 5-9 160 28 GK 6-3 236 29 M 5-10 163 20 M/F 5-4 132 25 M/F 5-7 158 25 M 5-10 150 20 D 6-4 190 26 D 6-3 185 23 F 6-4 215 22 GK 6-7 220 23 D 5-11 187 33 D 6-3 160 23 D 5-10 180 24 F 6-0 165 25 M 5-8 165 35

Make URBANE part of your game day ritual. Featuring sustainable and farm-to-table fresh ingredients found locally in the Pacific Northwest, Urbane is the perfect location for pre and post match gatherings. Offering easy access to the Link Light Rail, join us for our daily happy hour specials. Urbane is located in Hyatt at Olive 8, the official hotel of Seattle Sounders FC and the only dual LEED and Green Seal certified hotel in town. Happy Hour 4p â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 6:30p (daily) 1639 8th Ave (at Olive) 206.676.4600 urbaneseattle.com

Presented by:

ARTIST: JEFF OKINO Jeff Okino is a local Seattle artist and die-hard Sounders fan. A graduate of the UW, Jeff grew up drawing cartoons and playing soccer in Bellevue, WA. He attends as many Sounders games as he can, especially when his brother Scott (a season ticket member since 2009) is gracious enough to invite him. Clint Dempsey’s insanely intense focus and steely-eyed resolve to win inspired this piece. Jeff wanted to capture and pay tribute to not only the Dempsey ferocity but also the commitment and loyalty of the Emerald City Supporters. See more of Jeff’s work at http://jokino.deviantart.com/. BUY NOW: Wednesday’s Matchday Poster

12 · MATCHDAY

MATCHDAY Â· 11

What is THE NINETY? THE NINETY, located at 406 Occidental Avenue S., is a cultural hub of soccer and a gathering place for all soccer fans to celebrate the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s game.

What type of events are held at THE NINETY? Be on the lookout for new events every week! We will host radio shows and podcasts, Sounders FC player autograph sessions, chalk talks, speaker series and more. THE NINETY is also open before every home match and hosts away match viewing parties while the team is on the road. Follow along at #TheNINETY and check our calendar frequently to plan your next visit!

MATCHDAY Âˇ 15

FAMILIAR FOES Although Sounders FC and FC Dallas are not considered natural rivals – Portland Timbers, Vancouver Whitecaps FC and LA Galaxy tend to come to mind – the enmity between the two sides has risen after meeting in each of the past two postseasons. Both instances featured nail-biter scorelines and the heartbreak of elimination in the Western Conference Semifinal Round, with Seattle advancing in 2014 and the Hoops sending the Sounders home in 2015. On the heels of a Supporters’ Shieldwinning campaign that featured an MLS-modern era record of 20 wins and a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup trophy, Sounders FC faced FC Dallas in its first barrier of reaching the MLS Cup. In the first leg at Toyota Stadium, FC Dallas midfielder Michel began the scoring with a penalty kick in the 34th minute, but Sounders FC midfielder Osvaldo Alonso equalized in the 54th minute for the 1-1 draw. Six days later, Seattle needed to either win or a scoreless

18 · MATCHDAY

draw to secure advancement, while a 1-1 result would force an overtime period. After a 0-0 scoreline held through 90 minutes, the Rave Green moved on to the Western Conference Championship for the second time in club history. The following postseason, the two clubs met again in the Semifinal Round, but in different positions. First-place FC Dallas earned a bye into the match, while Sounders FC grinded out a 3-2 win over the defending champion LA Galaxy in the Knockout Round at CenturyLink Field. In the first leg, visiting FC Dallas struck first with a goal from Fabian Castillo in the first half, but Seattle’s Andreas Ivanschitz and Clint Dempsey netted second-half goals for the 2-1 advantage. In the second leg, FC Dallas led by a score of 2-1 through 120 minutes to force a penalty-kick shootout. The host side won the shootout 4-2 to eliminate the Sounders from the postseason.

MATCHDAY Â· 19

Seattle, Dallas Set For Midweek Clash By Will Parchman Oscar Pareja wants you to chase him. Not in a literal sense, of course, but in youth development and in pushing young players into the first team and tactically, too. Pareja, FC Dallas’s forward-thinking head coach, has taken pains since arriving back in Frisco in 2014 to craft a lineup that takes MLS’s rampant athleticism and pits it against itself. Among other things, FC Dallas is young and fast and terribly dangerous in open space. The thing about speed is that it isn’t necessarily coachable and it isn’t always about flat foot races. FC Dallas has so many players who think fast – to say nothing of their out-and-out

speed – that they can work possession upfield with its players hardly running much at all. The Sounders can relate. A 2-0 loss in Frisco against FC Dallas earlier this year bore all those hallmarks. The Sounders dominated possession, chances and just about everything. FC Dallas cashed in on its few chances and that was that. FC Dallas comes to Seattle for a midweek tilt on Wednesday without history at its back. They haven’t won at CenturyLink Field since 2011, and even on its bad days Seattle’s done well defensively at home. The problem, of course, has been Seattle’s attack. The Sounders are now in the midst of a 271-minute scoreless streak at home,

MATCHDAY · 23

and with the No. 1 team in the Western Conference visiting the shockingly lastplace Sounders, a win has never been more paramount. The story for the Sounders has been largely the same for the past two months. The 4-3-3 has not been producing fruit in the final third, and Seattle coach Sigi Schmid is still trying to work a handful of seemingly incongruous pieces into an attack formation that works consistently. Even when the Sounders do pepper the goal with shots - as they did in a 1-0 loss against the LA Galaxy last weekend they haven’t finished many of them. The disparity for the Sounders has never been greater. Nobody attempts more passes per game than the Sounders at 489, but their shot conversion ratio is around eight percent, easily the worst in MLS. A mountain of passes and no summit to crown them.

24 · MATCHDAY

FC Dallas has been far more judicious with its chances with far fewer possession. They’ve scored 19 goals from open play this season, eight more than Seattle, and their pass success rate is a mere 75 percent, good for 16th in the league. Seattle’s? A soaring 83 percent, the best total in MLS. What that tells us is that Seattle is remarkably tight with its passing in the middle third but wanton once moving it downfield. It enumerates FC Dallas’ usage of Mauro Diaz, one of the best central creatives in the league, and puts into glaring contrast Seattle’s lack of a similar playmaker. And it shows a lethality around the goal that Seattle has not yet glimpsed this season since the preseason departure of Obafemi Martins. Spice in the fact that FC Dallas has more road wins (four) than any other team in the Western Conference and Seattle has its work cut out on Wednesday night.

Notably, Clint Dempsey made his triumphant return to the lineup on Saturday against the LA Galaxy after a six-week layoff with the U.S. National Team at the Copa America Centenario. And it was never more obvious that Dempsey’s role without a No. 10 is still the most confusing in the current 4-3-3 construct. At the Copa America, Dempsey operated as the center forward in Klinsmann’s shifting 4-3-3 that ultimately ended up as a globular 4-4-2. Schmid did something similar against the Galaxy, but instead of shifting a Bobby Wood type next to Dempsey, he moved Dempsey back as the creator behind Nelson Valdez and Jordan Morris, who operated as the two strikers. This made a kind of sense, considering neither Valdez or Morris can play deeper and Dempsey is arguably the team’s most dangerous player and unarguably its most versatile in the final third.

Dempsey took 83 touches against the Galaxy, and you’ll notice only eight of those were in the box (the only one in the six-yard box was a point blank shot he dinged off the post in the 90th minute). With so many of his touches deep, you’d expect Dempsey to either run at defenders or play in forwards for chances. That’s not Dempsey’s game, and only nine percent of his 83 touches came in the box. Dempsey largely flitted around the area looking for openings and finding few. The overall deployment is tough, though. Morris has scored almost all of his goals as a center forward blitzing under long balls through the central channel. Valdez, at this point in his career, has turned into a backto-goal holdup striker whose lack of goals this season is partly down to not having an immediate strike partner. And in the midst of that is Dempsey, the most versatile of the three and the only player really capable of playing in between the lines, even if it takes him out of what he does best. How do you reconcile those three pillars? Schmid has tried a bit of everything: Morris on the wing, Valdez on the wing, Morris in the middle off Valdez, Dempsey as the center forward, Dempsey as the left winger, Dempsey as the attacking midfielder. Even with players like Oalex Anderson, Herculez Gomez and Aaron Kovar rotating into the lineup, nothing’s stuck. Schmid will continue tinkering as the season progresses, because it’s the only thing to do. Until reinforcements arrive, Schmid’s only option is to keep stoking the coals, moving pieces and hoping the gears finally click. Because until they do, the Sounders are still outside the playoff picture hoping for a crack of daylight.

MATCHDAY · 25

MATCHDAY Â· 27

2016 MLS REGULAR SEASON STATS UNF POS Player 13 F Jordan Morris

MIN G A SHT SOG

FC/FS OFF CK C/E

17 16 1414 6 1 36 19 12/14 9 0 0/0

14 D Chad Marshall

14 14 1221 2 0 14 7

2 F Clint Dempsey

11 11 978 2 0 43 13 18/19 2 0 1/0

23 M Andreas Ivanschitz 15 13 1054 1 3 19 9

M Osvaldo Alonso

1530

8/12 0 0 1/0 6/17 5 60 3/0 28/41

4/0

33 D Joevin Jones

17 14 1259 1 1 9 4

17/5 0 0 2/0

11 M Aaron Kovar

13 10 732 1 0 21 5

9/7 0 9 1/0

7 M Cristian Roldan

16 11 1112 0 1 12 1 11/18 1 2 0/0

8 M Erik Friberg

12 10 875 0 1 10 1

11/4 1 12 3/0

24 GK Stefan Frei

16 16 1440 0 0 0 0

0/1 0 0 0/0

4 D Tyrone Mears

16 16 1440 0 0 1 0 14/10 1 1 1/0

3 D Brad Evans

12 12 1025 0 0 4 0

20 D Zach Scott

9 8

690 0 0 4 1

4/6 0 0 1/1 4/12 0 0 1/0

16 F Nelson Valdez

11 5

521 0 0 13 4

9/11 6 0 1/0

9 F Herculez Gomez

11 5

457 0 0 11 5

9/10 1 19 0/0

D Dylan Remick

39 F Oalex Anderson

441

5/4

1/0

12 2

296 0 0 7 2

5/13 0 0 0/0

50 D Tony Alfaro

3 0

139 0 0 1 0

1/1 0 0 0/0

1 GK Tyler Miller

1 1

90 0 0 0 0

0/0 0 0 0/0

91 D Oniel Fisher

1 1

41 0 0 0 0

2/1 0 0 0/1

17 F Darwin Jones

2 0

22 0 0 0 0

1/0 0 0 0/0

Team totals

1530 14

Opponent totals

1530 21 19 206 70 220/174 28

9 230 78 174/220 26 103 20/2 71 33/17

GP-games played; GS-games started; MIN-minutes; G-goals; A-assists; P-points; SHT-shots; SOG-shots on goal; FC/FS-fouls committed/fouls suffered; CK-corner kicks; OFF-offsides; C/E-cautions/ejections

GAME-WINNING GOALS: Morris (3), Dempsey (2) GAME-WINNING ASSISTS: Ivanschitz (2), Morris (1), Friberg (1) PENALTY KICK GOALS/ATTEMPTS: None

SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC INDIVIDUAL GOALKEEPING UNF POS Player

GP GS MIN SHTS SV GA

24 GK Stefan Frei

16 16 1440 66 46 19 1.19 4 6 5-9-2 4

1 GK Tyler Miller

1 1 90 4 2 2 2.00 0 0 0-1-0 0

Team totals

17 17 1530 70 48 21 1.24 4 6 5-10-2 4

Opponent totals

17 17 1530 78 61 14 0.82 0 0 9-10-2 6

28 Â· MATCHDAY

GAA PG PA W-L-D SO

MILK ISNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T ORANGE. SO WHY IS YOUR CHEESE?

NATURALLY

WHITE

Cheddar.

RAVE GREEN ROLL OVER WEST HAM

Sounders FC secured a 3-0 win over English Premier League side West Ham United on Tuesday evening on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field in front of 38,585 fans. Herculez Gomez scored a first-half penalty-kick, while Jordan Morris added two goals within a twominute span in the second half to seal the victory for Seattle. With the win, Sounders FC is now unbeaten in its last three international friendlies, and Tuesday’s match marks the first victory over Premiership opposition in the club’s MLS era.

Two minutes later, Morris ran onto the end of a Joevin Jones through ball down the left flank, bursting through West Ham’s backline and finishing smoothly at the opposition’s far post. For Morris, the strike marked his third goal in two games across all competitions having just scored at BMO Field against Toronto FC on July 2. With his second-half brace, Morris becomes the second player in Sounders FC history to score two goals in an international friendly. Fredy Montero struck twice in a 4-2 loss to Chelsea FC in 2012.

After entering the match in the 62nd minute of play, Morris quickly left his mark on the match by recording a brace within two minutes of action. In the 70th minute, Morris converted a rebound off of an Oalex Anderson attempt inside West Ham’s area after Zach Mathers sent in a free-kick from midfield. The Mercer Island native smoothly buried his attempt to make the score 2-0.

Tonight was the 10th international friendly in club history and the fifth instance in which Sounders FC has hosted an English Premier League side at CenturyLink Field. The victory was the first against an English side, as the Rave Green move to 3-5-2 all-time in international friendly competition. Sounders FC is now unbeaten in its last three international friendlies, following draws against Club Tijuana (2015) and Tottenham Hotspur (2014).

32 · MATCHDAY