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Played
July 25, 2010 10:30 PM EDT
Qwest Field, Seattle, Wash.
Referee: Yader Reyes
July 25, 2010 10:30 PM EDT
Qwest Field, Seattle, Wash.
Referee: Yader Reyes
Seattle Sounders FC Vs Colorado Rapids: Head To Head Preview
By John Zielonka and Julian Kersh
On Form
Seattle Sounders FC: The Sounders beat D.C. United 1-0 on a last minute goal for their first win in five MLS games. Forward Fredy Montero continues to be the primary offensive threat for the Rave Green. The Colombian leads the team with six goals and earned his seventh assist on Roger Levesque's header in the 89th minute. It was Levesque's first goal of the year. Back after his World Cup stint, Blaise Nkufo saw first half action as a Seattle player in Sunday's friendly against Celtic FC. With Nate Jaqua continuing to recover from his groin injury, the former Dutch league striker should be on the pitch for his MLS debut. Against D.C., Kasey Keller's confidence should be increasing after getting his fifth shutout of the year. He continued to play on despite suffering a foot sprain in the 65th minute.
Colorado Rapids: Conor Casey and Omar Cummings have netted 11 of Colorado’s 17 league goals and will look to do add to their tallies against Seattle. Casey in particular is on stride, tied for fourth in scoring in the league, and always looked dangerous against Kansas City last weekend when he netted the equalizer and was robbed the game winner by the top corner of the post.
Off Target
Seattle: Just when he thought his defensive starting four were starting to be consistent, head coach Sigi Schmid now needs to find a replacement for Leo Gonzalez. The Costa Rican native is required to sit out the Colorado match after receiving his fifth yellow card in the D.C. United game. Look for veteran defender Tyrone Marshall to return to the starting lineup. He entered last week's match in the second half as a substitute for Jeff Parke.
Colorado: The Rapids’ mentality. In their last five outings, the Rapids have earned only four points by way of four draws – a stat that doesn’t make them the most daunting opponent in this stretch of the season. Despite strong years thus far from their two front men, the Rapids are currently in a rut that sees them having trouble closing out games, which has seen them drop to the middle of their conference.
Tactics
Seattle: The Sounders always struggle against their Western Conference opponents at Qwest Field. Sigi Schmid has mentioned on several occasions that visiting teams go into a defensive shell. With Nkufo in the rotation, Schmid gets a physical forward to complement the nimble Fredy Montero. The veteran coach will likely stay with 4-4-2 formation to determine the chemistry between Montero and Nkufo. If the game enters the latter part of the match with Seattle behind or tied, he could insert Levesque as a third forward to help secure the win.
Colorado: Head coach Gary Smith often switches his sides formation between a 4-4-2 and a 4-5-1, leaving the work up to Casey up top. However, against a shaky Sounders backline that has dug the ball out of its net 23 times this year, look for Smith to press the issue with both Casey and Cummings starting up top.
Intangibles
Seattle: The severity of Keller's ankle sprain may dictate a last minute change between the pipes. Should Keller's ankle not improve by game time, Terry Boss could be the starting goalie for the Sounders. Freddie Ljungberg's true status remains a mystery. The former Arsenal player is supposedly out with an "ankle injury." Media rumors say he's played his last game as a Seattle Sounder. The distractions and speculations about Ljungberg don't seem to be having a negative impact on the rest of the squad. His absence does provide playing time and experience for some of the newcomers and bench players.
Colorado: Casey and Cummings were mentioned earlier as the bright spots of this Colorado side. If their goal count isn't convincing, try this: The Rapids are undefeated in games when either Casey or Cummings get their names on the score sheet.
Outcome
Seattle: The Sounders gain three points at home to remain in the playoff hunt. Seattle Sounders FC 2 (Montero, Nkufo) - 0 Colorado Rapids.
Colorado: Neither club is playing its best soccer right now. To be fair, the Rapids have looked the better side in a couple of their recent draws. The Sounders can always count on a rocking crowd at Qwest Stadium, and that'll help against the Rapids which cant seem to get three points right now despite solid showings. 1-1 draw.
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
Seattle Sounders FC: The Sounders beat D.C. United 1-0 on a last minute goal for their first win in five MLS games. Forward Fredy Montero continues to be the primary offensive threat for the Rave Green. The Colombian leads the team with six goals and earned his seventh assist on Roger Levesque's header in the 89th minute. It was Levesque's first goal of the year. Back after his World Cup stint, Blaise Nkufo saw first half action as a Seattle player in Sunday's friendly against Celtic FC. With Nate Jaqua continuing to recover from his groin injury, the former Dutch league striker should be on the pitch for his MLS debut. Against D.C., Kasey Keller's confidence should be increasing after getting his fifth shutout of the year. He continued to play on despite suffering a foot sprain in the 65th minute.
Colorado Rapids: Conor Casey and Omar Cummings have netted 11 of Colorado’s 17 league goals and will look to do add to their tallies against Seattle. Casey in particular is on stride, tied for fourth in scoring in the league, and always looked dangerous against Kansas City last weekend when he netted the equalizer and was robbed the game winner by the top corner of the post.
Off Target
Seattle: Just when he thought his defensive starting four were starting to be consistent, head coach Sigi Schmid now needs to find a replacement for Leo Gonzalez. The Costa Rican native is required to sit out the Colorado match after receiving his fifth yellow card in the D.C. United game. Look for veteran defender Tyrone Marshall to return to the starting lineup. He entered last week's match in the second half as a substitute for Jeff Parke.
Colorado: The Rapids’ mentality. In their last five outings, the Rapids have earned only four points by way of four draws – a stat that doesn’t make them the most daunting opponent in this stretch of the season. Despite strong years thus far from their two front men, the Rapids are currently in a rut that sees them having trouble closing out games, which has seen them drop to the middle of their conference.
Tactics
Seattle: The Sounders always struggle against their Western Conference opponents at Qwest Field. Sigi Schmid has mentioned on several occasions that visiting teams go into a defensive shell. With Nkufo in the rotation, Schmid gets a physical forward to complement the nimble Fredy Montero. The veteran coach will likely stay with 4-4-2 formation to determine the chemistry between Montero and Nkufo. If the game enters the latter part of the match with Seattle behind or tied, he could insert Levesque as a third forward to help secure the win.
Colorado: Head coach Gary Smith often switches his sides formation between a 4-4-2 and a 4-5-1, leaving the work up to Casey up top. However, against a shaky Sounders backline that has dug the ball out of its net 23 times this year, look for Smith to press the issue with both Casey and Cummings starting up top.
Intangibles
Seattle: The severity of Keller's ankle sprain may dictate a last minute change between the pipes. Should Keller's ankle not improve by game time, Terry Boss could be the starting goalie for the Sounders. Freddie Ljungberg's true status remains a mystery. The former Arsenal player is supposedly out with an "ankle injury." Media rumors say he's played his last game as a Seattle Sounder. The distractions and speculations about Ljungberg don't seem to be having a negative impact on the rest of the squad. His absence does provide playing time and experience for some of the newcomers and bench players.
Colorado: Casey and Cummings were mentioned earlier as the bright spots of this Colorado side. If their goal count isn't convincing, try this: The Rapids are undefeated in games when either Casey or Cummings get their names on the score sheet.
Outcome
Seattle: The Sounders gain three points at home to remain in the playoff hunt. Seattle Sounders FC 2 (Montero, Nkufo) - 0 Colorado Rapids.
Colorado: Neither club is playing its best soccer right now. To be fair, the Rapids have looked the better side in a couple of their recent draws. The Sounders can always count on a rocking crowd at Qwest Stadium, and that'll help against the Rapids which cant seem to get three points right now despite solid showings. 1-1 draw.
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
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Seattle Sounders FC 2-0 Colorado Rapids
- 40 %
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Seattle Sounders FC 1-1 Colorado Rapids
- 20 %
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Seattle Sounders FC 1-0 Colorado Rapids
- 20 %
| USA - Major League Soccer (MLS) | Apr 14, 2012 | Seattle Sounders FC 1 - Colorado Rapids 0 |
|
| USA - Major League Soccer (MLS) | Jul 16, 2011 | Seattle Sounders FC 4 - Colorado Rapids 3 |
|
| USA - Major League Soccer (MLS) | Apr 22, 2011 | Colorado Rapids 0 - Seattle Sounders FC 1 |
|
| USA - Major League Soccer (MLS) | Jul 25, 2010 | Seattle Sounders FC 2 - Colorado Rapids 1 |
|
| USA - Major League Soccer (MLS) | May 29, 2010 | Colorado Rapids 1 - Seattle Sounders FC 0 |
|
Seattle Sounders FC
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| May 26, 2012 | Chivas USA 1 - Seattle Sounders FC 1 | MLS |
| May 23, 2012 | Seattle Sounders FC 0 - Columbus Crew 2 | MLS |
| May 19, 2012 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 - Seattle Sounders FC 2 | MLS |
| May 12, 2012 | Seattle Sounders FC 0 - Real Salt Lake 1 | MLS |
| May 9, 2012 | FC Dallas 0 - Seattle Sounders FC 2 | MLS |
Colorado Rapids
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| May 26, 2012 | Colorado Rapids 3 - Montreal Impact 2 | MLS |
| May 19, 2012 | Colorado Rapids 2 - Sporting Kansas City 2 | MLS |
| May 16, 2012 | D.C. United 2 - Colorado Rapids 0 | MLS |
| May 6, 2012 | FC Dallas 0 - Colorado Rapids 2 | MLS |
| May 2, 2012 | New England Revolution 2 - Colorado Rapids 1 | MLS |
| 1 | Kasey Keller | Goalkeeper |
| 4 | Patrick Ianni | Defender |
| 31 | Jeff Parke | Defender |
| 11 | Steve Zakuani | Striker |
| 10 | Blaise Nkufo | Striker |
| - | Nathan Sturgis | Defender |
| 11 | Sanna Nyassi | Midfielder |
| 20 | Zach Scott | Defender |
| - | James Riley | Defender |
| 6 | Osvaldo Alonso | Midfielder |
| 17 | Fredy Montero | Striker |
| - | Terry Boss | Goalkeeper |
| 5 | Tyson Wahl | Defender |
| 32 | Miguel Montano | Midfielder |
| 22 | Michael Seamon | Midfielder |
| 24 | Roger Levesque | Striker |
| 34 | Tyrone Marshall | Defender |
| - | Nate Jaqua | Striker |
| 18 | Matt Pickens | Goalkeeper |
| 22 | Marvell Wynne | Defender |
| 3 | Drew Moor | Defender |
| 21 | Julien Baudet | Defender |
| 4 | Jeff Larentowicz | Midfielder |
| 20 | Jamie Smith | Midfielder |
| 2 | Danny Earls | Defender |
| 25 | Pablo Mastroeni | Midfielder |
| 10 | Mehdi Ballouchy | Midfielder |
| 9 | Conor Casey | Striker |
| 14 | Omar Cummings | Striker |
| 17 | Ian Joyce | Goalkeeper |
| 15 | Wells Thompson | Midfielder |
| - | Claudio Javier López | Striker |
| 12 | Quincy Amarikwa | Striker |
| 29 | Scott Palguta | Defender |
| 27 | Kosuke Kimura | Defender |
| 23 | Colin Clark | Midfielder |
| Blaise Nkufo | |
| Position: | Striker |
| Squad Number: | 10 |
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Omar Cummings | |
| Position: | Striker |
| Squad Number: | 14 |
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
1 
4 
31 
11 
10 
0 
11 
20 
0 
6 
17 
18 
22 
3 
21 
4 
20 
2 
25 
10 
9 
14
Results
Times In EST
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Kenny Cooper
Striker NY Red Bulls |
11 | 2 |
|
Chris Wondolowski
Striker San Jose Earthquakes |
11 | 1 |
|
Thierry Henry
Striker NY Red Bulls |
9 | 0 |
|
Saer Sene
Striker New England |
7 | 1 |
|
Maicon Santos
Striker D.C. United |
7 | 0 |