By Paul Kennedy What lessons can we draw from another year of MLS participation in the Concacaf Champions League? The good news isthat the Mexican home-field advantage is shrinking. Even if the LA Galaxy and Seattle Sounders didn’t get the wins they needed to advance, they played their opponents evenly. The closest thing to ano-contest […]
seattle sounders
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Close but no cigar for resilient Sounders
[CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] The Seattle Sounders are out of the Concacaf Champions League, but they sure made it a lot more exciting than anyone could haveimagined. After losing the first leg at home, 1-0, the Sounders looked doomed when Darwin Quintero scored on a free kick in the 21st minute. But sub Lamar Neagle‘s goal […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS clubs face long odds
[CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] Following losses at home, MLS clubs Seattle and Los Angeles face long odds in the second legs of the Concacaf Champions Leaguesemifinals on the road in Mexico. The Seattle Sounders trail Santos, 1-0, while the Galaxy carries a 2-1 deficit into the return game against two-time defending champion Monterrey at the EstadioTecnologico. […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
More bad news for Sounders
[MLS SPOTLIGHT] The Seattle Sounders got a break when MLS agreed to postponed Sunday’s match against Chivas USA. Their Concacaf hopes may have dimmed aftertheir 1-0 loss at home to Santos, but they have a more pressing issue: getting their injured players healthy again. Seattle went through all kinds of hoops to sign Obafemi Martins […]
Posted inSoccer America Confidential, Story
MLS teams balance ambition with reality in CCL
By Ridge Mahoney To take a metaphor from another sport, MLS Commissioner Don Garber is trying to playboth sides of the net when it comes to the Concacaf Champions League. Though the CCL is not confined to teams from MLS and Liga MX, matches between the border rivals count the most in theAmerican league’s quest […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Stunned Sounders aim to reverse fortunes against Santos
[CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] The Seattle Sounders have won just one of six competitive games in 2013, but it was a historic triumph. The 3-1 win gave theSounders a 4-3 series triumph over Tigres, marking the first time an MLS club had beaten a Mexican team in the knockout phase of the Concacaf Champions League. Unlike […]
Posted inSoccer Business Insider, Story
A matter of trust
By Paul Kennedy The Seattle-Portland match caps MLS’s schedule of seven Saturday games during Rivalry Week — and concludes 10 hours of consecutive coverage on NBC and NBC Sports Network. MEDIA NOTES. Jeff Bradley has joined MLSSoccer.com as a senior writer. He worked as the MetroStars’ first mediadirector and later covered soccer for ESPN The […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Teenagers lead LA Galaxy into semifinals
[CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] For the first time since the launch of the Concacaf Champions League, two MLS teams will be in the semifinals. Justlike the Seattle Sounders, who got a key goal from homegrown rookie DeAndre Yedlin in their comeback win over Tigres on Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Galaxygot goals from teenagers Jose Villarreal […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Ferretti: 'Playing against 12 is harder than usual'
[REACTION: Seattle Sounders-Tigres] MLS coaches are notorious for lashing out at Concacaf referees, so it was interesting to see how the shoe was on the otherfoot after the Seattle Sounders’ 3-1 win over Mexican leader Tigres that sent the MLS club into the semifinals, 3-2, on aggregate. Tigres coach Tuca Ferrettihad no problem with the […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Seattle Sounders make history
[CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] The Seattle Sounders became the first MLS team to beat a Mexican club in a knockout series since the launch of the ConcacafChampions League in 2008 when it defeated Liga MX leader Tigres, 3-1, in the second leg of their quarterfinal series to win, 3-2, on aggregate before 20,520 fans at CenturyLink […]