Sanna Nyassi Called Into Action By Gambia

Seattle Sounders FC announced Friday that the Gambia National Team has called in midfielder Sanna Nyassi for an African Cup of Nations qualifier against Burkina Faso in Burkina Faso on Saturday, Oct. 9. Nyassi, 21, leaves on Wednesday, Oct.6.  He will miss Seattle's match at Kansas City on Oct. 9. Nyassi has three caps for Gambia's senior team with two goals. He has 20 appearances this season for Seattle, starting 10 matches.  Nyassi has three assists. Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Seattle Sounders Seek To Reach Sigi Schmid’s 45-Point Plateau

Back when the Seattle Sounders were struggling to stay afloat in the MLS race and beset by injuries, coach Sigi Schmid anticipated a later surge and with it the prospect for entering the playoffs in the manner that the team did in its first year of existence in 2009. “I think it will take 45 points to ensure a playoff berth,” Schmid said.Gradually Seattle Sounders FC went to work bettering its position and now it stands on the threshold of achieving Schmid’s goal.  The team stands currently at 11-9-6, which is good for 39 points.Saturday at 12:30 pm on the familiar Xbox Pitch of Qwest Field, Seattle can take a large step toward playoff status by surmounting the challenge of Toronto FC, one of its closest rivals for an MLS postseason wild card slot.  The Canadian club stands at 8-11-7 with 31 points.  Saturday’s match will be the Sounders’ 30th consecutive sellout.  After the team’s Thursday workout Schmid commented on the Sounders’ road to the playoffs:“You sort of catch yourself wanting to look ahead [to the U.S. Open Cup final] but Toronto is a big game. We know we still want the points there. We are playing at home. ...

Mike Fucito’s Two Goals Push Seattle Sounders Past Marathón, 2-0

The Bulldogs might be the nickname for Yale University, but rival Harvard has a bulldog of its own who made a big impact on visiting CD Marathon of Honduras Wednesday night.Stocky and tenacious bulldog Mike Fucito scored two goals as Seattle Sounders FC beat Marathón  2-0 in round five of the CONCACAF Champions League group stage on Wednesday night on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field before 11,768, the smallest crowd in franchise history.The reason for the small crowd stemmed from the Sounders coming into the match with an 0-4 mark in CONCACAF play and out of competition for the knockout round.  Despite the victory and its first points earned in Champions League play, Seattle had been eliminated from competition Tuesday night when CD Saprissa drew with CF Monterrey, 2-2. Marathón with a 2-3 mark will contend for the second and final spot in Group C when it faces Monterrey October 20.After Miguel Montano and Mike Seamon made fervent early goal efforts, it was Fucito, a former Ivy League scoring champion while at Harvard, who achieved a breakthrough in the 21st minute.  The goal resulted after Fucito chased down a bouncing ball and chested it through the Marathón ...

Seattle Sounders Goalkeeper Terry Boss Called In By Puerto Rican National Team

Seattle Sounders FC announced Tuesday that the Puerto Rico National Team has called in goalkeeper Terry Boss for Caribbean Championship Stage One matches against Anguilla on Saturday and versus Saint-Martin on Monday. Both games will be played in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Boss, 29, will miss Seattle's MLS game with Toronto FC on Saturday in Seattle at 12:30p.m. PT. To replace Boss, Sounders FC will use the MLS emergency goalkeeper pool to select a backup for starter Kasey Keller.Boss has four previous caps with Puerto Rico. He will return to Seattle on Tuesday.Boss has made three starts in all competitions, the most recent being at Monterrey on September 22 in a CONCACAF Champions League group stage match. He has appeared in one MLS match, as a second-half substitute in a 2-2 draw at Dallas on April 22.Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Seattle Sounders Face Three Key Matches In Three Different Frameworks

Seattle went the distance last week.  The team logged 18,000 miles of travel: to Monterrey, then Chicago for a 1-0 win over the Fire Saturday, and finally their return to Seattle.  The good news for Seattle Sounders FC is that an enduring traveling schedule has given way to three home matches at Qwest Field.  The challenging news is that the Sounders face three teams in separate frameworks.Seattle went the distance last week.  The team logged 18,000 miles of travel: to Monterrey, then Chicago for a 1-0 win over the Fire Saturday, and finally their return to Seattle.  The good news for Seattle Sounders FC is that an enduring traveling schedule has given way to three home matches at Qwest Field.  The challenging news is that the Sounders face three teams in separate frameworks.The current home stand begins Wednesday night at 7 p.m. PT against CD Marathon of Honduras in Round Five of the CONCACAF Champion's League group stage.  The match will be telecast nationally on the Fox Soccer Channel.  While the Sounders, at 0-4 in CONCACAF play, have scant hope of making the final knockout round without a good deal of help, the remaining matches retain great importance to Seattle ...

Blaise Nkufo Tallies Late To Give Seattle Sounders a 1-0 Win Over Chicago Fire

Sigi Schmid and his Seattle Sounders like reruns just as long as a happy ending is produced.Last week in Columbus it was the Blaise Nkufo show as the Swiss National Team star and celebrated prolific Dutch League striker scored a hat trick with his three goals leading the Sounders to a stunning 4-0 victory over the first place leading Crew.  The accomplishment resulted in Nkufo being named MLS Player of the Week.As Saturday’s match with the Chicago Fire wound to its close it appeared as if the home team, while not achieving the three points it desperately needed to stay in the playoff hunt, would at least garner a scoreless draw and a single digit for its effort.  At this stage Nkufo made his presence felt as the Sounders went home happy and the Fire felt snake bitten as its losing woes continued.Nkufo in the 88th minute dribbled toward the scoring area after taking a pass from Steve Zakuani. As he approached the end line he delivered a shot that, as the saying goes, appeared to have eyes.  It deflected off a Fire defender and slipped past goalkeeper Sean Johnson at the far post for the match’s only and ultimately ...

Seattle Sounders Lock Horns With Freddie Ljungberg’s Chicago Fire

The Seattle Sounders FC concludes a long and winding series of road matches in Chicago on Saturday before settling in at home for the majority of its remaining matches. The Sounders tackle the Chicago Fire at 5 p.m. PT at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois. Saturday’s confrontation is not only an important match for both teams regarding MLS playoff implications in a season that has reached its late crucial stage.  It is also round two in the competition pitting the Sounders against its former star midfielder, Sweden’s international star Freddie Ljungberg.Round one of the competition, August 28 in Seattle, against Ljungberg and his mates went to the Sounders 2-1 on an exciting game winning header by Fredy Montero two minutes into stoppage play.  The Fire is now poised to return the favor on its home pitch.Saturday’s match features teams heading in separate directions in recent MLS play.  Sounders FC come into action with a 10-9-6 league mark and 36 points.  The Sounders stand sixth in the West on goal difference, but have lost only once in their last 10 league matches with an impressive 6-1-3 mark. Chicago, conversely, is struggling to remain in the postseason hunt. The Fire come into play ...

Seattle Sounders Defeated By Late CF Monterrey Surge, 3-2

Seattle Sounders faithful knew that it was a huge mountain to climb, but for a large part of Wednesday night’s road match against potent CF Monterrey, it appeared as if a gigantic upset was in the making. Seattle had grabbed a 2-0 halftime lead against the favorites and did a good job of withstanding numerous Monterrey charges for a good part of the second half.  Ultimately, though, the form chart prevailed and Group C leader CF Monterrey answered with three goals in a swift and decisive four-minute span as Seattle lost 3-2, in round four of the CONCACAF Champions League group stage at Estadio Tecnologico on Wednesday night.  The match drew 19,617 spirited fans who continued to loudly sing and cheer for the home team throughout the evening’s play. The teams began and ended play as mirror image reversals of one another.  Monterrey stands atop Group C standings with a spotless 4-0 mark and 12 points, a cinch to advance to the quarterfinal round.  Seattle sits at the bottom of the ladder at 0-4 with two more opportunities to break out of the winless column, both of which are at home at the X-Box Pitch of Qwest Field.In earlier CONCACAF play, Seattle had been shut ...

Blaise Nkufo of Seattle Sounders Named MLS Player of the Week

After considering Blaise Nkufo’s stature as one of the great goal scorers in Dutch football history and a Swiss national team World Cup performer, it appeared only a question of time before he would begin finding the net for the Seattle Sounders. In his period of time with the Sounders, Nkufo previously had some near misses. In the interim he played excellent soccer as a distribution factor, delivering the ball to teammates for scoring opportunities. A clue to his effectiveness lies in the statistic that Seattle is a spotless 5-0-1 in games in which the Swiss star started at forward.Saturday night was Nkufo’s breakthrough game. Exercising a deft touch, he became the first players in Sounders history to score a hat trick, the fourth in the 2010 MLS season. His three goals led the Sounders to a devastating 4-0 shutout over Eastern Conference leader Columbus on the Crew’s pitch. Sounders coach Sigi Schmid addressed the subject of Nkufo following his team’s Monday workout. “MLS is a difficult league,” Schmid began. “It’s not an easy league like some people necessarily think overseas at times. It’s difficult because of the travel and it’s also difficult because the quality of play and the athleticism ...

Blaise Nkufo Hat Trick Pushes Seattle Sounders Past Columbus Crew 4-0

Was it an impressive evening for the Seattle Sounders?  It was the team’s most impressive performance of the season and arguably the best overall in the history of its MLS franchise. The broad-shouldered player served as the evening’s catalyst scoring the first three goals of his Sounders career in a stunning 4-0 shutout win. What made it all the more impressive was that he did it against the Eastern Conference leader, the Columbus Crew, and on its home turf before 17,144 patrons.The Swiss World Cup performer Blaise Nkufo shot home three goals and silenced his impatient critics.  What they should have realized was that it was just a question of time before he secured his breakthrough.  His midfield work was steady as his physicality and presence combined with an astute role as a facilitator aided the team’s effort.  Consider this fact—the Sounders are 5-0-1 in matches Nkufo started at forward.Prior to joining the Sounders for active duty Nkufo received the supreme honor of having a statue of him unveiled in Enschede, where he set a scoring record with 111 goals in seven years for FC Twente in Eredivisie, Holland’s first division.  When one adds the additional goals that he secured during that ...