Matchday Magazine: Sounders FC vs. LA Galaxy - July 9, 2016 by Seattle Sounders FC

Seattle Sounders FC vs. LA Galaxy

July 9, 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 Scenes from Pride Day 23 Pillars of the League 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

Unbeaten in three straight matches across all competitions – including a 3-0 friendly win over English Premier League side West Ham United on Tuesday – Sounders FC (5-9-2, 17 points) takes on Western Conference rival LA Galaxy Saturday afternoon on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field. Saturday’s match is the first of three meetings with the Galaxy this month, including a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal match on July 20 in LA and a second MLS meeting in Seattle on July 31. The two sides meet for a third and final time in league action on September 25 at the StubHub Center. The two most successful MLS teams since the Rave Green entered the league in 2009, Seattle and LA have met 18 times in regular season action, with the Galaxy holding an 8-4-6 advantage. They have also faced-off in four separate instances in the MLS Cup Playoffs, including last season in the Knockout Round when Sounders FC took down the Galaxy 3-2 thanks to a late wonder-goal from Erik Friberg.

DID YOU KNOW??? Saturday’s coaching matchup features the two winningest Head Coaches in MLS history. Seattle’s Sigi Schmid holds the record with 227 career victories, and earlier this season became the first to eclipse the 500-match mark in his MLS coaching career. LA’s Bruce Arena ranks second with 196 career wins, but does hold the all-time mark with 30 career postseason victories, while Schmid sits four behind with 26. MATCHDAY · 3

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MATCHDAY Â· 5

Everything you need to know about Saturday’s clash with LA Galaxy The Seattle Sounders return home Saturday to face off against the LA Galaxy for the first time this year. Here’s a breakdown of everything you need to know about the game. by Cam Rizzardini

WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is Saturday at 12:00 p.m. PT at CenturyLink Field, and limited tickets are still available here. WHERE TO WATCH: The game

will be telecast on ESPN.

WHERE TO LISTEN: The game

will be aired on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM with a pregame show beginning at 11:30 a.m. PT. You can also listen live on El Rey 1360AM in Spanish.

RECORDS AND STANDINGS:

Sounders (5-9-2, 17 pts., 9th in Western Conference), Galaxy (6-3-8, 26 pts., 4th in Western Conference)

ALL-TIME HISTORY: In a persistently contentious series, the LA Galaxy seem to have the Sounders’ number. Throughout 18 matches since 2009, the Sounders have gone 4-8-6 when playing against LA. The Galaxy also hold a 4-3-0 series advantage in the postseason, but Seattle knocked LA out of the MLS Cup Playoffs 3-2 at home in the Western Conference Knockout Round last year. GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER: The Sounders and Galaxy

will get very friendly with each other over the next month. Between the MLS regular season and U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals, the two sides will

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square off three times in 23 days before meeting for the final time in the regular season in Los Angeles on Sept. 25.

BUILDING CONFIDENCE: After a tough loss at home to New York City FC on June 25, the Sounders are now unbeaten in three straight across all competitions, including a confidence-boosting 3-0 win over English Premier League side West Ham United in an international friendly on Tuesday. Forward Jordan Morris scored a brace as a second-half sub within three minutes, racking up a total of three goals in four days across all competitions. With the halfway point of the season here and the summer transfer window now open, is the time right for the Sounders to hit their stride and make a run at the playoffs? DEMPSEY TO RETURN?: Clint

Dempsey has not made an appearance yet for the Rave Green since returning from the Copa America Centenario. While it is no surprise he didn’t play in Tuesday’s friendly against West Ham United, the star forward did not travel to Toronto last Saturday. Head coach Sigi Schmid said last week he expects Dempsey to be available vs. LA, his first match with the club since May 21. Dempsey has two goals and an assist in five games against the Galaxy since joining the Sounders in 2013.

INJURY UPDATE: With Dempsey healthy and defender Brad Evans returning from a minor calf strain, the Sounders appear to be in full health for Saturday’s match. The Galaxy will be without defender Robbie Rogers, who underwent ankle surgery last month, and goalkeeper Dan Kennedy is questionable with a leg injury. DE JONG SUSPENDED: Galaxy midfielder Nigel De Jong saw red in Monday’s match against the Vancouver Whitecaps for an unquestionably unsportsmanlike tackle on ‘Caps forward Blas Perez. Head coach Bruce Arena supported the referee’s decision in his post match comments, and De Jong will miss Saturday’s match against the Sounders. CLINICAL FINISHERS: The

Galaxy come in to this match with

the best shot conversion rate in MLS (19.87). They’re tied for most goals scored at 30, and at a rate of one goal every 51 minutes, the Galaxy are the deadliest team in the league in front of net. However, they’ve actually created less chances than the Sounders (147155) and they’re below the league average in total shots. With Giovani Dos Santos at seven goals, Keane and Magee both at five, and Zardes at four, the Sounders’ defense will be put to the test at home.

SIGI VS. BRUCE: It’s a showdown of the league’s two winningest coaches of all-time. Between them are 423 regular season wins, seven MLS Cups, six Supporters’ Shields, six U.S. Open Cups and eight NCAA Championships. As longtime friends and competitors, these two titans of soccer will relish any opportunity to top the other.

MATCHDAY · 7

MATCHDAY STORYLINES Radio Play-by-Play Commentator Matt Johnson tells you his three storylines to follow in this afternoon’s match vs. LA Galaxy. vs. a West Ham squad that have just started preseason can help push the squad to feel good about themselves. Wouldn’t we feel different if we were bounced out of the U.S. Open Cup, lost 1-0 to Toronto, and were beat by an English Premier League team in its offseason? Onward and upward.

their 3-2 victory at Houston on April 15. Their road record this season of 1-3-4 suggests that Bruce Arena, like most coaches, has no problem playing for the tie on Saturday. We’ll see if any of the Galaxy veterans are involved with the Thierry Henry rule of not playing turf (that’s what I think we should call it moving forward).

Get to know them And so it starts Well, here we are. Five straight matches vs. the Western Conference that will help shape the rest of the season. If you want to go big picture, 16 out of the last 18 MLS matches are against our own conference. With that thought, maybe the next five are not as important as my mind is telling me. But I can’t get away from the fact that the time is right to take advantage of the positive feelings around the club. The gutty performance in Salt Lake (where a handful of players literally collapsed after the match), the quick answer from Jordan Morris in Toronto, and the 3-0 win

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Is LA making their annual run? LA have been a bit inconsistent this year. Once you think that they are making their annual run up the table they stub their toe. In their last 10 matches they are 3-2-5, not too bad. Their last road match vs. Portland (a 1-0 win on June 29) was their first win since

Do you follow a team in Europe? I love the English Premier League. If you follow another league other than MLS, you know that sometimes teams can face-off a few times in a couple weeks. In England it might be the League Cup or the FA Cup that adds a bit of congestion. For the Sounders this year, the U.S. Open Cup adds matches to an already full July. With this being said, Seattle will face LA three times this month. This Saturday at Century Link Field, July 20 in Carson, and then back to Seattle at the end of the month. It is a quirk in the schedule but will definitely add fire to an already explosive rivalry.

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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 M/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 M/D 5-9 155 24 F 5-11 167 24

No. 1 2 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 17 18 20 21 22 24 25 27 31 32 34 36 37 38 40 44

Name Dan Kennedy Ashley Cole Jose Villareal Baggio Husidic Robbie Keane Steven Gerrard Alan Gordon Giovani dos Santos Gyasi Zardes Brian Rowe Robbie Rogers Ariel Lassiter Sebastian Lletget Mike Magee A.J. DeLaGarza Jeff Larentowicz Leonardo Emmanuel Boateng Rafael Garcia Dave Romney Clement Diop Jack McBean Nigel de Jong Oscar Sorto Jelle Van Damme Bradford Jamieson IV Raul Mendiola Daniel Steres

Pos. Height Weight Age GK 6-1 200 33 D 5-9 146 35 F 5-8 160 22 M 6-1 172 29 F 5-9 160 35 M 6-0 183 36 F 6-1 190 34 F 5-10 157 27 F 6-2 175 24 GK 6-1 185 27 M 5-10 165 29 F 5-10 155 21 M 5-10 165 23 M 5-10 160 31 D 5-9 150 28 M 6-1 175 32 D 6-2 185 28 F 5-6 150 22 M 5-6 150 27 D 6-2 190 23 GK 6-1 165 22 F 6-0 175 21 M 5-9 160 31 D 5-8 155 21 D 6-3 198 32 F 6-1 165 19 F 5-8 150 22 D 6-0 175 25

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: MATT MILLIGAN Matt Milligan has been drawing since the age of 8 and hasn’t stopped since. With 16 years of experience, Matt is currently a Graphic Designer for Red Canoe Credit Union in Longview, Washington. His poster design started as a funny t-shirt idea, until he realized that the spaceship/light beam mimicked the Space Needle. Matt’s love of soccer is evident in his art and in his life, he continues to play competitively and coaches his children. See more of Matt’s work at BUY NOW: Saturday’s http://milligandesign.weebly.com/ 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 world’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!

Stop by The NINETY from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. to join the experts from Starbucks’ sustainability team for an exclusive coffee tasting. Starbucks, a Sounders FC partner and our favorite hometown coffee company, has been a pioneer in business practices that reduce environmental impact – from building sustainable coffee farms, to increasing recycling and reducing waste, to building LEED certified retail stores. Fans can also enjoy activities provided by the Sounders FC Forever Green Kids Club, including a meet and greet with the Delta Dental Tooth Fairy. Hit the photo booth and grab a printed copy of your photo by uploading it to Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #SFCsmiles. All fans who upload photos to Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #SFCsmiles on matchday will be entered to win a Sounders FC team autographed jersey. CHI Franciscan will be on site with a scarf pickup for those that purchased their exclusive package. As always, we’ll have FIFA 16 on our big screens and food and beverage available for purchase, with proceeds benefitting the club’s community partners.

MATCHDAY · 15

SCENES FROM PRIDE DAY Sounders FC held its second annual Pride Day on June 25, as the club celebrated LGBTQ community with a full-stadium match against New York City FC.

Pre-match ceremonies included members of the LGBTQ community displaying rainbow flags and banners on-field, with participants wearing a special Sounders FC Pride Day shirt.

Sounders FC honored Seattle Mayor Ed Murray with a Golden Scarf prior to the match. Murray was elected Mayor of Seattle in 2013, becoming the first openly gay mayoral leader of the Emerald City.

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Saturdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s national anthem singer is singer / songwriter Vicci Martinez, a Tacoma native who finished third in the NBC singing competition The Voice in 2011. Prior to the anthem, a moment of silence was observed to honor the victims of the June 12 shooting in Orlando and their families.

Sounders FC captain Brad Evans wore a Pride-themed armband throughout the match against New York City FC.

MATCHDAY Âˇ 19

Biking burns calories not gasoline. Bike to the Match on July 9, 2016 as the Sounders FC take on the LA Galaxy. A complimentary bike valet will be available and free Northwest Healthy bike lights will be handed out to those that bike to the match (while supplies last).

PARTNERS IN HEALTH

Northwest Healthy Outdoor Adventure Guide Get your FREE commemorative matchday poster after the match. The reverse side features 10 of the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top trails and outdoor recreation spots selected by Sounders FC players and Season Ticket Members. Join the Northwest Healthy movement at NWhealthy.org.

Pillars of the League By Will Parchman The history of MLS is etched in stone on the resumes of Sigi Schmid and Bruce Arena. The two MLS coaching monoliths were there for the tenuous days of the first MLS Cup, the spasmodic contraction of the league around the turn of the century, the subsequent growth, the David Beckham era, the modern rules alterations, the influx of foreign players and, putting it mildly, the shaping of the professional game on these shores. Schmid and Arena are practically walking American soccer museums. And so LA Galaxy-Seattle Sounders matches these days are as much about the clash between two coaching titans as it is about the players themselves.

The Galaxy visit CenturyLink Field at noon on Saturday for a vital Western Conference clash that most likely means more for the struggling Sounders. Seattle is currently tied for last place in the conference, and with the summer hitting full stride it needs points to begin climbing back toward playoff solvency before the hole gets any deeper. Players tend to take center stage in these matters, and there is good reason. As Jurgen Klinsmann is wont to say, it is a players’ game, the coaches’ largely relegated to the odd bit of yelled instruction and a tweak or two at halftime. Otherwise, the coach is more or less a baker, preparing the ingredients beforehand and setting the oven before stepping back to watch it cook.

MATCHDAY · 23

From a practical standpoint Saturday’s match might follow those lines, but it’s the only matchup in MLS where the coaches are generally a larger presence than the players. To wit, 24 current or past MLS coaches owe their careers in some fashion to Arena, whose coaching tree stretches and twists and vines into the mist overhead. Right now, six head MLS coaches are branches on Arena’s tree: Jesse Marsch, Ben Olsen, Gregg Berhalter, Greg Vanney, Pabl0 Mastroeni and Wade Barrett. Schmid’s tree is smaller, but 15 head coaches or assistants either played or coached under the Sounders skipper at one point. Indeed, with the lone exception of 2005, when Arena headed up the U.S. Men’s National Team and Schmid guided the U.S. U20 team, either Schmid or Arena has coached in MLS every season since the league’s foundation in 1996. Arena even has a tie to the

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region. In 1975, Arena briefly moved to Tacoma to play for the Tides in the American Soccer League. The move first introduced Arena to coaching, and he got his first taste of the profession that would become his life coaching the University of Puget Sound that year. Between them, since the league’s foundation, Arena and Schmid have five MLS Coach of the Year honors, six Supporters Shields and a whopping seven MLS Cups. They’ve also coached some of the finest players to ever filter through the league, including two of the best American players in history in Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey. And then there’s this; no MLS coach has ever won more MLS Cups than Arena, and no MLS coach has ever won more games than Schmid. Historically, Arena and Schmid are both of the American old school of adaptability largely through the 4-4-2 formation. The U.S. made the 4-4-2 something of a bedrock formation

through its renaissance period of the 1990’s, and when Arena took over the U.S. national team in 1998, he made it a habit that lasted through Bob Bradley’s ensuing five-year tenure. This season has marked the first major consistent departure from the 4-4-2 for Schmid, who’s lined up his side in a nominal 4-3-3 to start every match this season. Still, Arena and Schmid are far more tactically alike than they are different. Both value a single stern, veteran voice guiding the side both on and off the field. For the Galaxy, that’s been Robbie Keane, and the Sounders obviously have had Brad Evans as the emotional talisman since their inaugural MLS season. Both are tactically adaptable while being largely committed to playing into the strengths that got them this far. And both are no nonsense leaders who aren’t afraid to delegate and inspire confidence by their vast wealth of experience.

While Arena’s side looks as strong as any in MLS, Schmid is currently facing one of the most challenging periods of his tenure in Seattle. The Sounders have never missed the playoffs under Schmid, a run of seven consecutive seasons, and they’ve never been this low in the standings at this point in a season under his command. What’s more, if reinforcements do arrive in the recently opened transfer window, it’s anyone’s guess when they’ll be up to MLS playing speed. In that sense, this particular ArenaSchmid clash has a bit more edge to it than most. While Arena seeks to pull together his many disparate pieces that suddenly look all too comfortable together, Schmid is leveraging the full weight of his coaching experience in an attempt to pull the Sounders back into a straight line toward the postseason. Whatever happens, don’t miss the significance of a sideline shared by the two most luminous giants in the league’s history.

MATCHDAY · 25

MATCHDAY Â· 27

2016 MLS REGULAR SEASON STATS UNF POS Player

13 F Jordan Morris

16 15 1324 6 1 32 18 11/14 9 0 0/0

MIN G A SHT SOG

FC/FS OFF CK C/E

14 D Chad Marshall

13 13 1131 2 0 14 7

2 F Clint Dempsey

10 10 888 2 0 36 12 18/15 2 0 1/0

23 M Andreas Ivanschitz 15 13 1054 1 3 19 9 6 M Osvaldo Alonso

8/11 0 0 1/0 6/17 5 60 3/0

16 16 1440 1 2 20 6 26/39 0 0 4/0

33 D Joevin Jones

16 13 1169 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

15 10 1029 0 1 8 0

8/16 1 0 0/0

8 M Erik Friberg

9 785 0 1 9 1

10/4 1 6 3/0 0/1 0 0 0/0

24 GK Stefan Frei

15 15 1350 0 0 0 0

4 D Tyrone Mears

15 15 1350 0 0 1 0 13/10 1 0 1/0

3 D Brad Evans

12 12 1025 0 0 4 0

20 D Zach Scott 16 F Nelson Valdez

7 600 0 0 3 0

4/6 0 0 1/1 4/11 0 0 1/0

4 457 0 0 12 4

5/9 6 0 1/0

9 F Herculez Gomez

5 445 0 0 10 4

9/8 1 16 0/0

D Dylan Remick

39 F Oalex Anderson 11

441

2 270 0 0 7 2

5/4

1/0

5/12 0 0 0/0

50 D Tony Alfaro

0 139 0 0 1 0

1/1 0 0 0/0

1 GK Tyler Miller

0/0 0 0 0/0

90 0 0 0 0

91 D Oniel Fisher

41 0 0 0 0

2/1 0 0 0/1

17 F Darwin Jones

22 0 0 0 0

1/0 0 0 0/0

Team totals

16 1440 14 9 208 73 162/206 26 86 20/2

Opponent totals

1440 20 17 199 66 206/162 24

64 30/17

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

15 15 1350 62 43 18 1.20 4 6 5-8-2 4

1 GK Tyler Miller

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

Team totals

16 16 1440 66 45 20 1.25 4 6 5-9-2 4

Opponent totals

16 16 1440 73 57 14 0.88 0 0 9-5-2 5

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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

Jordan Morris records second-half brace and Herculez Gomez adds a goal in lone international friendly of 2016 at CenturyLink Field 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. 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.

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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. 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).