Ian Joy and Mamadou Dansu anchored a Timber defense that continually shut down the Seattle offense throughout the night. 

Steve Cronin played brilliantly in goal for the Timbers.

The Timbers' goal was made on an excellent pass from Ryan Pore to Gabriel Obatol, just out of the outstretched hands of Kasey Keller. Pore had stolen the ball from bumbling Seattle defender Tyrone Marshall, who gave away the ball just outside the Seattle 18-yard box.

The loss was especially embarrassing for the Sounders, considering they play in the MLS, a league—on paper anyway—that is thought to be superior to the United Soccer League (USL) where the Timbers play.

The Sounders, already reeling from a tumultuous offseason that saw their star player, Freddie Ljungberg, pining for a way out of town, didn't look like a top tier MLS team.

In fact, if the Sounders played the way they did tonight during the regular season, they'll be lucky to win a game.

No heart, no chemistry, and no teamwork seem to be the Sounders' motto these days.

I have to wonder if they were simply a johnny-come-lately squad their first season that will now languish at the bottom of the MLS tables?

Seattle is notorious for their fair-weather fans, and attendance will surely suffer if the Sounders can't keep their winning ways. It will be interesting to see how long the Seattle ownership suffers along with low attendance before they move the team?

Just ask the Sonic ownership, who were forced to move the NBA team when they couldn't draw fans to fill the mostly empty arena.

The Timbers, on the other hand, looked sharp and together all night long playing in front of their fans who ventured to Seattle to root them on. Most of the night, the Timbers' fans chanting and yelling drowned out the mostly subdued, and sober Seattle crowd.

In fact, a visitor could have easily mistaken the Timbers for the home team.

Another interesting footnote in the rivalry between the two Northwest cities.

This one clearly went in favor of the Portland Timbers.

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Kickoff is 6 p.m. PST.

The Sounders will be looking to extend its preseason shutout streak which is up to 293 minutes after the 0-0 draw against the Vancouver Whitecaps last weekend.

More than 13,000 tickets have been sold to Thursday's game. Qwest Field gates open at 5 p.m.

In the Vancouver game, the speed of the Sounders attack was obvious and Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid spoke about that yesterday when he met with reporters.

“Obviously we are a team that is built around quickness and speed, especially on the offensive part of field. The essence of our game with Ljungberg, Montero, and Zakuani and people like that is their ability to get isolated and use their quickness and use their individual skills and abilities to create space and make plays that way. When things are going well for us it means the ball is moving quickly and it means we are getting the ball early to our front runners and giving them some time and space to take people on.”

For the Timbers game, Schmid spoke about getting some playing time for Brad Evans, Patrick Ianni, and Roger Levesque, who all returned to training yesterday after recovering from injuries.

"It's good obviously to get those guys back in. We have been a little cautious with [Brad] Evans because of the type of injury it was. He probably didn't need to get held out as long as we did but he's back. [Patrick] Ianni looks like he is full-throttle. And Roger [Levesque] getting back in there is a big plus for us. It gives us more options and also when you get more options you get more competition and then everybody's game picks up a little bit."

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FC Dallas did their fine tuning by making a deal to acquire four-time MLS All-Star keeper Kevin Hartman, one of the league’s most formidable back-stops. In exchange for Hartman, Kansas City received a second-round pick in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft.

Hartman appeared in all 30 regular season games for the Wizards in the 2009 season, earning a 1.40 goals against average and collecting an impressive 105 saves. Hartman's all-time regular season record is 146-120-64 and his postseason record is 22-15-7.

The former U.S. National team member holds all the major goalkeeping records in MLS history. He owns the record in games played in goal with 333, games started in goal with 328, minutes played in goal with 29,835, wins in goal with 146, saves in goal with 1,235 and shutouts with 84.

"I'm excited to be in Dallas," said the 35-year-old Hartman. "It's the place where I won the 2005 championship with the Galaxy and it's always held a place in my heart. I'm excited to be here to play in front of the Dallas fans and excited to start a new chapter in my soccer career."

Meanwhile, the expansion Philadelphia Union announced the signing of Colombian midfielder Roger Torres on loan from América de Cali of the Columbian First Division.

Torres has been with the club in training camp and will be officially added to the roster pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC).

Torres, 18, debuted with América de Cali last year, starting all 15 games in which he played. In 2008, he played his first professional game with Colombian First-Division-B club Alianza Petrolera.

Note: Hartman quote courtesy of FC Dallas.

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One can only speculate at this point, but there has been quite a buzz the past few weeks surrounding Jamaican National team midfielder Lovel Palmer.

Palmer, now in his second one week trail with Houston, has been somewhat impressive so far, his biggest moment to date coming in a friendly back on Feb. 27, when he scored a spectacular long range 35 yard goal in the 16th minute of a 2-1 win over FC Dallas.

"He obviously scored a great goal that stood out, but it was also the way he worked on and off the ball," Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear said. "He tried to get on the ball, he broke up plays, and he tackled—sometimes very hard—which we like in that position. He was clean with the ball and made good decisions."

In addition to his role with the Reggae Boyz (Jamaican National Team), the 25-year-old Palmer is also captain of the Jamaican Premier club Harbour View.

Granted, Palmer is currently under contract with Harbour View, but the Premier League Clubs Association in Jamaica has been in the market to sell some of its players to Major League Soccer to raise money.

Last February, Palmer had a trial stint with Norwegian club IK Start, so he is no stranger to the audition process, but maybe this time he has finally found a home. We will know for sure Tuesday afternoon.

Palmer, by the way, is also scheduled to see more action Thursday, March 11 in a 7 p.m. scrimmage against the Chicago Fire.

Houston will then play friendlies on March 17 and March 20 in California against MLS opposition before opening the season March 27.

The Dynamo's home opener is scheduled for Thursday, April 1 against defending MLS Cup champion Real Salt Lake.

Note: Coach Kinnear’s quote courtesy of Houston Dynamo.

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Kasey Keller looking to extend his contract: It looks like once the MLS Labor Situation is resolved that Sounders keeper Kasey Keller will extend his contract for another year.

"We've talked about it," Keller said this week upon return from Spain, where Sounders FC held part of preseason training. "We've started talking about it, about extending my contract one more year. We're trying to get the CBA sorted out right now, make sure things goes off without a hitch this year, and then we should have plenty of time to talk about [his contract] through the season. The way I feel right now about the club and myself and everything, I'd be real surprised if I wasn't playing in 2011."

Keller was one of the Sounders stars last season placing second behind Chivas USA's Zach Thornton in league goals against average and earning an All-Star start.

Rivalry Week Continues: Up next up for the Sounders is a home game against the Portland Timbers this Thursday at 6pm at Quest Field.

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I’m actually going to love it even more this spring and summer now that we finally have not one, but two professional soccer teams to root for.

Unfortunately, while the new teams in town continue to spread their branches and bury their roots deeper into the soccer rich environment here in the Delaware Valley, there are still those non believers who think soccer is a waste of time and won’t succeed here.

I’ve got news for you; it already has succeeded and in many cases at the youth level surpassed several other sports in participation numbers.  Trust me when I tell you,  there are more kids playing soccer year round in the tri-state area (Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) than any other youth sport.

As a matter of fact, the United States Youth Soccer Association boasts over three million players between the ages of five and 19, while the American Youth Soccer Organization has more than 300,000 players between the ages of four and 19.

Then factor in the USL (United Soccer League), which offers a number of youth leagues, including the Super-20 and Super Y-Leagues, amongst them a thousand teams and tens of thousands of players from the ages of 13 to 20. This makes soccer one of the most played sports by children in the United States.

Part of the reason for soccer’s increased popularity here in the United States over the last 10 years or so has a lot to do with the success of Major League Soccer (MLS).

I know, this is where you tell me that the North American Soccer League (NASL) back in the '70s and early '80s failed miserably, despite the presence of such big names as Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Giorgio Chinaglia,  Johan Neeskens, and Carlos Alberto, just to name a few.

By the way, those players all played for the same team, the New York Cosmos, who at the time were the Yankees of their respective league and the only NASL team to actually make a profit from the sport.

I get it, America was not ready for a professional soccer league at that period of time, but now the timing couldn’t be better, and there is plenty of evidence to support that theory.

For starters, the current MLS business model works. From the salary structure to the size of its stadiums, professional soccer is not only surviving, but thriving.

Granted, there is a bit of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that needs to be taken care of between the owners and the players' union, but the players have already said they don’t want to strike, and the league certainly can’t afford a lockout. For this reason, MLS will figure out a way to restructure and sign a new CBA.

As a matter of fact, MLS and the Players' Union have agreed to meet next week in Washington, D.C. to continue CBA negotiations through a mediator.

The other major factor that has helped MLS thrive is soccer specific stadiums. These venues are cozy confines that seat between 18-30 thousand fans, which allows for lower overhead and better cost control.

As a matter of fact, some MLS clubs became profitable for the first time in the mid 2000s, and Forbes magazine found that three clubs were already valued at $40 million or more, with the Los Angeles Galaxy worth about $100 million.

During the NASL era, teams played in NFL (national football league) sized stadiums. Heck, the Cosmos sold out 73,000 plus seats at Giants Stadium for their 1978 championship game. Unfortunately the Cosmos were the exception, not the norm when it came to game attendance. The overall average attendance of the entire league never reached 15,000 with some teams averaging even less than 5,000.

This much I do know; once the Philadelphia Union opens its new 18,500 seat PPL Park this June, their attendance will rank third here in the home of the Liberty Bell right behind the Eagles and Phillies and ahead of the Flyers and 76ers.

FYI, the Wachovia Center where the 76ers and Flyers play has a seating capacity in excess of 19,000 for both teams.

Oh and did I mention the television coverage? Today, the U.S. soccer fan has several different viewing options; Fox Soccer Channel, Gol TV, ESPN Deportes, and MLS Direct Kick just to name a few.  Five years ago, the 24/7 soccer channel didn’t even exist here in the US.

Would you like me to continue? 

How about the increased support for both the United States Men’s and Women’s National teams? As a matter of fact, when it came to fan participation at the last two Men’s World Cup Tournaments (2002, 2006), more tickets were purchased by Americans than any other nationality, despite the tournament being on foreign soil.

Speaking of foreign soil, there are currently over 50 American players scattered on soccer rosters all over the globe, most mainly in Europe.

The trend of American born players signed by European clubs actually started to heat up in the early '90s, thanks in part to the U.S. National teams' advancement  into the 1994 World Cup round of 16, where they lost a tough 1-0 decision to eventual World Cup Champ Brazil.

At the 2002 World Cup in Seoul, South Korea the USMNT advanced to the round of 8, losing another 1-0 decision to that year's World Cup runner up, Germany. So the men have made some noise at this event, question is can they better their efforts in South Africa this summer?

Meanwhile, the success of the Women’s National team during the 1999 World Cup played here in the United States led directly to the creation of the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA), the world's first women's soccer league in which all the players were paid professionals.

Founded in February 2000, the league began its first season in April 2001 with eight teams here in the United States. Unfortunately the league suspended operations on Sept. 15, 2003, following its third season. The league was not able to withstand cumulative losses that ventured into the neighborhood of $100 million.

Enter the fledgling WPS (Women’s Pro Soccer), a restructured women’s league hoping to learn from the failures of its predecessor. The business model of lower salaries, smaller stadiums, and a more entertaining product should help give the league more staying power, especially with the world’s best women players wanting to play here in America.  

Now entering its second season, the WPS currently features eight teams: Atlanta, the Bay Area (San Francisco/Oakland), Boston, Chicago, New Jersey/New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. The average salary range is $20,000-$30,000, and soccer specific stadiums are already in the works.

So please, don’t tell me soccer can’t survive here in the United States. Oh, and to the gentleman I heard on the radio the other day who said he would rather watch Olympic Curling over soccer, I think it’s time to move out of your parent’s basement and get a new life. I’m just saying.

By the way, the rant you have just read is dedicated to all those soccer ignorant fans who always question why I write about the beautiful game.

Look, I grew up playing soccer as a kid in Europe, and I am involved as a coach on both the youth and adult level, and while I love me some NFL, NCAA Football, and NCAA hoops, I have never bought season tickets for any sport until the ones I recently purchased for the Philadelphia Union.  

I was also very fortunate to have been offered the position of game day announcer for all Philadelphia Independence home games. Hey, I don’t discriminate. The men and women have my undivided attention this season.

Oh Yeah! Professional soccer can and will survive this time around. Stick that in your upper right hand corner. 

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The Seattle Sounders FC are set to once again be the hottest ticket in Seattle this summer.

The Sounders announced earlier this week that the home opener on March 25 against first—year side, the Philadelphia Union, has been sold out.

Additonally, the Sounders May 8th game against the Los Angeles Galaxy is sold out as well.

With a capacity of 35800 set for MLS games and with 32,000 season tickets already sold, the Sounders have a very good chance of selling out every home game this season.

While the Sounders have the best fans in MLS, the question is whether the second year Sounders can be as successful on the park as they are off it?

Making the playoffs again is expected and the addition of Dutch FC Twente and Swiss international star, Blaise Nkufo, will help with that.

Nkufo, who will join Seattle in mid—July after this summer’s World Cup, where he will be playing for Switzerland, will bring some maturity and experience to the Sounders' attack. At six—foot—two inches, Nkufo has scored over 200 career goals in club and international play.

“He’s a proven goal—scorer who has had a good run with the Swiss National Team in their qualifying for the World Cup,” head coach Sigi Schmid said. “He’s had a tremendous run at Twente and is a player that knows how to find space in the box at appropriate moments.”

The Sounders will have 14 games left in their MLS schedule when Nkufo arrives and his first game could be the July 15 match at DC United. Additionally, the Sounders will be involved in the CONCACAF Champions League beginning in late July and Nkufo will be a welcome addition to the squad for those games.

For those looking to see the Sounders in action before the home opener, they will be playing two games against former and future rivals, the current USL Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Portland Timbers.

Seattle plays at Vancouver this Saturday March 6th at four pm at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, B.C.

The following Thursday, March 11th, Seattle hosts Portland in the inaugural Sounders FC Community Shield match. Kickoff is at six pm on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field.

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In other words, Seattle Sounder supporters should get their kicks out of this Congolese born striker, who now claims Swiss Citizenship.

The Sounders announced today that they have signed the Swiss National Team forward on a free transfer, but before booking passage to the Pacific Northwest, Nkufo must fulfill commitments to his National Team and Dutch Club side, FC Twente.

The 34 year old Nkufo has scored over 200 goals for club and country and has capped 27 times for the Swiss, scoring seven goals. Five of those goals came during the qualification process for the 2010 World Cup and, as a result, Switzerland will join Honduras, Chile and reigning European champion Spain in Group H when World Cup play begins in June.

Nkufo, now in his seventh season with FC Twente, has led the club in scoring each of the past six seasons and last summer became the club's career scoring leader and, to date, has scored 129 goals in 260 appearances for the Dutch club.

"I am really motivated. It is a big challenge because as a player and as a man, I wish to settle and live in Seattle," said Nkufo. "For now, I remain totally committed, totally focused on Twente, and doing whatever I can to help them win the league and the cup."

FC Twente has lost only once in 25 matches and currently trails PSV Eindhoven by one point in the Eredivisie, Holland's first division. Twente has also advanced to the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) round of 32.

"When I arrive in Seattle, I'm not just coming to play, I'm coming to succeed," added Nkufo. "That is my goal. I feel I can contribute because of my experience, my spirit, my commitment and my goals. Of course, that's the key, goals and assists. I've contributed that before and wish to do the same for the Sounders."

"When I came last winter to visit," he said, "I was impressed with the organization, the stadium and the training facilities. The Sounders showed that they want me and I have a very good feeling about our future."

"We're obviously very excited because we've had our eyes on Blaise for quite a while now," said Adrian Hanauer, Sounders FC general manager. "He's a big, strong presence in the middle, and he gives us a slightly different look. He is also a player of tremendous character, and will contribute his knowledge and leadership to our team."

Seattle supporters can expect to see Nkufo in a Sounders kit sometime after World Cup Play.

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Nkufo will play out the rest of the season in Europe before heading out to the World Cup in June, and he is expected to join the Sounders by the middle of July, halfway through the MLS campaign.

Even though the Sounders knew they would only have the veteran striker for 15 or 16 games in 2010, they were not reluctant in pulling the trigger on the deal. 34-year-old Nkufo said he will be ready and raring to go when he lands on the West Coast, but I have serious concerns about him burning out.

Nkufo has played in 213 league games for FC Twente in the last seven seasons, an average of 30 a year, including 122 games in the last four-and-a-half seasons since turning 30 years old.

That’s not including other club competitions or international matches.

This season alone, he has appeared in 10 games in the UEFA Europa League, two Champions League qualifying games, and five matches for Switzerland.

Twente have eight fixtures left in Holland’s Eredivisie, including a crunch match on March 20 against league leaders PSV Eindhoven, and regardless of whether Nkufo and his club wins the Dutch championship, he will have at least three more games this summer for Switzerland in the World Cup in June.

While Spain are clear favorites to top Group H, Switzerland and Chile will essentially be competing for second place and a quarterfinal contest with the Group of Death winner—which could be any one of Brazil, Portugal, or Ivory Coast.

What this means is that Nkufo could have played in 31 league games, 12 games in club competitions, five international matches, and at least three more World Cup matches before he even makes his first start for the Sounders.

Assuming Switzerland does not make the knockout stages of the World Cup in South Africa, Nkufo could be available for the Sounders for their trip to LA Galaxy on July 4.

He will have missed 14 league games for Seattle, but he could still theoretically rack up 69 games this year. Don’t even think about the fact that the Sounders will be playing in the Open Cup and Champions League, too.

He says he played enough matches last year to know his body can cope with the stress of that many games, but the fact is, he hasn’t.

How many players, even players in their mid-20s, do you know who can play in upwards of 70 competitive games in 13 months?

He will turn 35 years old before the World Cup starts, and the Sounders should be worried about the miles he will have racked up before he even throws on his new green and blue jersey.

There is no doubt that Nkufo is a proven goalscorer: He has scored 111 league goals in the Eredivisie—an incredible strike rate of more than one every other game—and he netted 20 goals in 51 games in the top two flights of the Bundesliga before his move to Twente.

In fact, prior to the 2009-10 season, Nkufo was the top scorer on the club in each of his first six years. He scored 22 goals in back-to-back seasons in 2006 and 2007 and he has never failed to net double-digit goals since his move from German side Hannover in 2003.

But it is unrealistic to expect Nkufo to come in to a new team, surround himself with new personnel and a new system midway through an unfamiliar season, and perform to the best of his abilities.

Freddy Montero will no doubt benefit from Nkufo’s presence up top, as will Nate Jaqua, who showed he is more than capable in front of goal from his time at Chicago and, more recently, Houston. The duo will carry the bulk of the scoring workload until Nkufo arrives, at which point Sigi Schmid will then have to tweak his roster.

It will also give Freddie Ljungberg and Steve Zakuani more attacking options from the midfield, and while Nkufo hasn't got blazing speed, he knows how to hold the ball up, create space, and—most importantly—put the ball between the posts.

Blaise Nkufo is an exciting addition to the team and his veteran presence will be a welcome asset to the club. But temper your expectations for the 2010 season—his true value will come in 2011 when, with fresh legs under him, he will shine in front of appreciative fans at Qwest Field.

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I honestly believe that is the case.

A few months ago, I posted about Armando Gutierrez and his attempt to bring Major League Baseball to Orlando. But thinking more deeply on the idea, I’ve come to the conclusion that MLB in Orlando just will not work.

The reason: Tampa Bay.

Tampa Bay relies on Orlando to help get more attendance for the Rays. Orlando would need to rely on Tampa Bay even more. The problem is, that just isn’t possible.

If we stole the Rays, who have made no secret of their desire for a new stadium, away from Tampa Bay, it would undoubtedly alienate the market. Back in 1991, they boycotted Blockbuster Video when CEO and then-Marlins owner H. Wayne Huizenga vetoed the already-agreed-upon move of the San Francisco Giants to St. Petersburg.

Don’t think for one moment they won’t act in anger against the Rays and Orlando if the Rays moved here.

And if we moved a different team, like the Oakland Athletics, to Orlando, we still would not have the support of Tampa Bay. Only then, the Rays will lose the necessary support of Orlando, and both teams would suffer economically.

We need to support the Rays in Tampa Bay if we want baseball in Orlando. The only scenario where I see MLB baseball becoming viable in Orlando is if the Rays move out-of-state.

But as foolhardy as MLB may seem in the current conditions, there is another interesting possibility: Major League Soccer.

I have already expressed my opinions and ideas to Mr. Gutierrez, but I wanted to share them here as well. First, quite simply, is cost.

An expansion slot in Major League Soccer—which is currently available for as early as 2012—costs $40 million. That’s far and away less than the cost to get the Rays out of their lease at Tropicana Field. And there are a couple MLS teams that are currently in bad stadium situations.

In addition, a stadium tailor-made for soccer, such as Toyota Park in Chicago, The Home Depot Center in Los Angeles, or even Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Denver, costs one-third to one-half as much as an MLB-class stadium.

In fact, it may even cost less than the $175 million they have earmarked to (someday) remodel the Citrus Bowl. Toyota Park, a standalone stadium with a capacity of 27,000, only cost $100 million to build in 2006. In Chicago. Dick’s (capacity 18,000) cost $131 million in 2007, but that included the 24-field soccer practice complex built around it. I can’t imagine a similar facility here in Orlando would cost much more, especially considering our real estate market these days.

The market is better suited for soccer than baseball. Orlando can support putting 25,000 people at a soccer match 15-20 times a year a lot better than 35,000 at a baseball game 81+ times a year.

In addition, a soccer-specific stadium will bring far greater economic benefit than an MLB stadium. Especially with the changes at the Citrus Bowl. As you recall, the Citrus Bowl was cut out of the U.S. bid for the 2018/2022 World Cups. This, despite our successes hosting the 1994 World Cup.

We need to face facts: The Citrus Bowl sucks. It is way too old, and the prospects for the overhaul originally planned in 2007 are growing dimmer. Now that they are laying artificial turf, our chances of ever hosting world-class soccer again will be extinguished.

At best, an MLB-class stadium can host a team and maybe the World Baseball Classic every three years—assuming we aren’t looked over in favor of the Marlins’ new ballpark or any of the other baseball shrines erected or remodeled in the last 20 years.

A soccer-specific stadium will not only host 15-20 team games, but a litany of other matches and tournaments: The men’s and women’s national soccer teams in both friendly and World Cup qualifying matches, expositions featuring international teams, continental tournaments, you name it.

With Orlando being a premier foreign tourist destination already, it would become instantly attractive to the big leagues of Europe: the Premier League in England, La Liga in Spain, Serie A in Italy, 1.Bundesliga in Germany and many more.

A soccer-specific stadium can also host a lot more than soccer. A soccer pitch can also accommodate American football. It would never be a replacement for the Citrus Bowl itself, but it just might be able to steal away the Florida Tuskers, who would be better suited for the intimate nature of a soccer-specific stadium.

It could also attract the annual FHSAA state high school football championships. On top of that, the growing (in America, anyway, already popular worldwide) sport of rugby would be put in exhibition at a soccer stadium.

Finally, unlike a baseball team, it would not make it economically prohibitive to also drop an MLS team in Tampa Bay. And any new branch of the War on I-4 is a good thing for both of us.

I think we have an interesting opportunity here, if we are willing to take advantage of it.

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