MATCH: Seattle Sounders FC (12-6-7, 43 points, 2nd, West Conf., MLS; 1-0 CCL) at Caledonia AIA (TTT Pro League). TYPE: CONCACAF Champions League. WHEN: Thursday, 5 p.m., Couva, Trinidad. MEETING: 2nd. TV: FOX Soccer. RADIO: None.
The Sounders take yet another break from MLS action Thursday when they play the second of two 2012-13 CONCACAF Champions League matches with Caledonia AIA, this one in Couva, Trinidad. The Sounders won the inaugural meeting Aug. 2 at CenturyLink Field, 3-1 on goals by Sammy Ochoa, Fredy Montero and Alex Rose.
For this tournament, held annually, CONCACAF has slotted the Sounders into the three-team Group Four. DC Marathon of Honduras is also in Group Four and Seattle will play that club twice, once in September and again in October. The winner of each matchup is determined by aggregate goals.
The winner of Seattle’s group advancea to the Champions League quarterfinals in March 2013. The Sounders, Los Angeles Galaxy and Toronto FC are the only MLS teams to play in the CONCACAF tournament in each of the past three years.
PROBABLE LINEUP (Seattle): Goalkeeper — Michael Gspurning. Defenders — Leo Gonzalez, Patrick Ianni, Jeff Parke, Adam Johansson. Midfielders — Alex Caskey, Osvaldo Alonso, Mauro Rosales, Brad Evans. Forwards — Eddie Johnson, Fredy Montero.
2012 Sounders CONCACAF Schedule (1-0)
- Thursday, Aug. 2: Sounders FC 3, Caledonia 1 (CenturyLink)
- Thursday, Aug. 30: Sounders at Caledonia AIA (Trinidad)
- Wednesday, Sept. 19: Sounders at CD Marathon (Honduras)
- Wednesday, Oct. 24: CD Marathon at Sounders (CenturyLink)
Coming off a 6-2 shellacking of Chivas USA in MLS play, Sounders have played 19 CCL games, going 8-9-2 with 26 goals scored vs. 28 goals allowed. The Sounders lead Group Four with three points through one match.
Montero leads Seattle with five goals and five assists in CCL play. Montero and Mike Fucito share the franchise record for most goals scored in CCL. Montero is also the club’s all-time leader with 1,164 minutes played in the international tournament.
The Sounders’ trip to Trinidad (and a game in Dallas en route back to Seattle) will cover 11,150 miles.
Sounders Champions League Results
| Date | Site | Opponent | W/L/D | Rec. | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7/28/10 | Seattle | Metapan | W | 1-0-0 | Sounders 1-0 |
| 8/3/10 | El Salvador | Metapan | D | 1-0-1 | Draw 1-1 |
| 8/19/10 | Honduras | Marathon | L | 1-1-1 | Marathon 2-1 |
| 8/25/10 | Seattle | Monterrey | L | 1-2-1 | Monterrey 2-0 |
| 9/14/10 | Costa Rica | Saprissa | L | 1-3-1 | Saprissa 2-0 |
| 9/22/10 | Mexico | Monterrey | L | 1-4-1 | Monterrey 3-2 |
| 9/29/10 | Seattle | Marathon | W | 2-4-1 | Sounders 2-0 |
| 10/19/10 | Seattle | Saprissa | L | 2-5-1 | Saprissa 2-1 |
| 7/26/11 | Panama | San Francisco | L | 2-6-1 | San Francisco 1-0 |
| 8/3/11 | Seattle | San Francisco | W | 3-6-1 | Sounders 2-0 |
| 8/16/11 | Seattle | Comunicaciones | W | 4-6-1 | Sounders 4-1 |
| 8/23/11 | Mexico | Monterrey | W | 5-6-1 | Sounders 1-0 |
| 9/14/11 | Costa Rica | Herediano | W | 6-6-1 | Sounders 2-1 |
| 9/20/11 | Seattle | Herediano | L | 6-7-1 | Herediano 1-0 |
| 9/27/11 | Guatemala | Comunicaciones | D | 6-7-2 | Draw 2-2 |
| 10/18/11 | Seattle | Monterrey | L | 6-8-2 | Monterrey 2-1 |
| 3/7/12 | Seattle | Santos | W | 7-8-2 | Sounders 2-1 |
| 3/14/12 | Mexico | Santos | L | 7-9-2 | Santos 6-1 |
| 8/2/12 | Seattle | Caledonia | W | 8-9-2 | Seattle 3-1 |
SOUNDERS STATS / NOTES
- Seattle is 8-9-2 all-time in Champions League play, including 6-4-0 at CenturyLink Field.
- The four-goal margin in the 6-2 win over Chivas USA tied a franchise record. Sounders, with 43 points, are tied for the second in MLS West and are seven points behind the Supporters’ Shield leaders San Jose with one game in hand.
- In four August MLS games, Seattle is 3-1-0 with a plus-seven goal differential, including three multi-goal games and two games of four or more goals.
- Fredy Montero’s hat trick vs. Chivas was the first of his MLS career. Sounders are the only MLS team to feature two hat tricksters this season. David Estrada, currently injured, scored one March 17.
- Sounders are 12-0-1 when scoring first.
- Montero’s 11 league goals are tied for the team lead with Eddie Johnson (fourth in MLS), and each is one goal from tying Montero’s club record (12, set in 2009). He has scored six goals in his last four games.
- Mauro Rosales needs one more assist to set the franchise record of 14. Rosales assisted on all of Montero’s goals against Chivas. Rosales leads MLS.
- Goalkeeper Michael Gspurning leads MLS with a 0.70 goals-against average (the all-time single-season record is 0.62 GAA set by Kevin Hartman in 2010). No goalkeeper from outside of the CONCACAF region has ever lead MLS in single-season goals-against average.
- Newly acquired Mario Martinez has been called up by the Honduran national team for FIFA World Cup qualifiers Sept. 7 and 11. Sweden also called up Adam Johannson for its World Cup qualifier Sept. 11 in Malmo, Sweden. Both figure to miss only the Sounders’ Sept. 8 vs. Chivas.
- Osvaldo Alonso this week was voted U.S. Open Cup Player of the Tournament by The Cup.us and a panel of voters.
- Sounders have loaned Michael Tetteh to NASL side Fort Lauderdale Strikers. Tetteh has yet to make a competitive appearance for the Sounders this season.
HEAD COACH: Sigi Schmid became first head coach of Seattle Sounders FC Dec. 16, 2008, and is in his fourth year. Born in Tübingen, Germany, Schmid relocated with his family to the U.S. in 1956, and to Torrance, CA., in 1962. He was a four-year starter at UCLA (1972-75) and graduated with a B.S. degree in economics in 1976.
Schmid later earned a M.A. in business administration from Southern California. A certified public accountant, Schmid coached the Los Angeles Galaxy from 1999 through 2004, winning four major competitions: 2002 MLS Cup, 2002 MLS Supporters Shield, 2001 U.S. Open Cup and the 2001 CONCACAF Champions Cup. He coached the Columbus Crew from 2006-08, winning the MLS Cup in his final season.
In 2009, under Schmid’s direction, the Sounders became the first expansion team to reach the MLS playoffs since the 1998 Chicago Fire. The Sounders also won the U.S. Open Cup in Schmid’s first season. They added their second and third U.S. Open Cup titles in 2010 and 2011.
ABOUT CONCACAF
The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is one of six continental confederations of FIFA. CONCACAF serves as the governing body of soccer/football in this part of the world and is composed of 40 national associations, from Canada in the north to Guyana, Surinam and French Guyana in the south.
The winner of the CONCACAF tournament becomes eligible to play in the FIFA Club World Cup. Monterrey is the defending CCL champion, having defeated Santos Laguna 3-2 on aggregate goals in the 2011-12 tournament (Santos eliminated Seattle from the tournament in March).
ABOUT CALEDONIA
Caledonia is making its first appearance in CCL after winning the CFU Club Championship for the first time. The Malabar-based club edged another Trinidadian club, W Connection, on penalty kicks, 4-3, after tying 1-1 June 21. It marked the first Caribbean championship in the club’s 32-year history.
Caledonia captured three of five domestic titles last year, winning the First Citizens Cup, FA Trophy and the Lucozade Sport Goal Shield. The club won six of its last eight league games and finished third in the 2011-12 TT Pro League with 38 points (12-7-2), just two points behind league champion W Connection.
Caledonia is led by Trinidad and Tobago international Devorn Jorsling and U-23 teammates Jamal Gay and Trevin Caesar.
- Caledonia AIA is a Trinidad and Tobago team playing at the top level in the TT Pro League. Its home city is Malabar.
- Caledonia plays home matches at Hasley Crawford Stadium, but CCL matches will be held at Manny Ramjohn Stadium, which has a seating capacity of 10,000.
- The club was founded in 1979. In 2005 Caledonia AIA merged with Arima/Morvant Fire and was renamed Caledonia AIA Fire. In 2006 the club parted ways with the Fire and took up a new name again, Neal and Massy Caledonia AIA.
- In 2008, Caledonia won the Trinidad and Tobago Cup.
HEAD COACH: Jamaal Shabazz: Caledonia’s coach is also guiding the Guyanese national team in the third round of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
COMING UP: The Sounders play at FC Dallas Sunday (Frisco, TX.) and return to CenturyLink Field Sept. 8 for a third meeting with Chivas USA. Sounders will have a week until their next match, Sept. 15 vs. Portland in a Cascadia Cup match at CenturyLink Field.
Seattle Sounders FC 2012 Schedule / Results
(12-6-7, 43 points, MLS; 1-0 CCL; 4-1 U.S. Open Cup)
| Date | Opponent | Time | TV | W/L | Score | Rec. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3/7 | *Santos | 7:00 | Fox Soccer | W | 2-1 | 1-0 |
| 3/14 | *Santos | 5:00 | Fox Soccer | L | 6-1 | 1-1 |
| 3/17 | ^Toronto FC | 7:00 | KONG | W | 3-1 | 1-0 |
| 3/23 | ^Houston | 7:00 | NBCSN | W | 2-0 | 2-0 |
| 3/31 | ^San Jose | 7:00 | KONG | L | 1-0 | 2-1 |
| 4/7 | ^at DC United | 4:30 | KING | D | 0-0 | 2-1-1 |
| 4/14 | ^Colorado | 1:00 | KING | W | 1-0 | 3-1-1 |
| 4/28 | ^at Chicago | 5:30 | KING | W | 2-1 | 4-1-1 |
| 5/2 | ^LA Galaxy | 7:00 | KING | W | 2-0 | 5-1-1 |
| 5/5 | ^Philadelphia | 1:30 | NBCSN | W | 1-0 | 6-1-1 |
| 5/9 | ^at FC Dallas | 5:30 | KONG | W | 2-0 | 7-1-1 |
| 5/12 | ^Real SL | 7:00 | KONG | L | 1-0 | 7-2-1 |
| 5/19 | ^at Vancouver | 1:00 | KING | D | 2-2 | 7-2-2 |
| 5/23 | ^Columbus | 7:00 | KONG | L | 2-0 | 7-2-3 |
| 5/26 | ^at Chivas | 7:30 | KONG | D | 1-1 | 7-3-3 |
| 5/30 | &Atlanta | 7:30 | Webcast | W | 5-1 | 1-0-0 |
| 6/5 | &Cal FC | 7:30 | Webcast | W | 5-0 | 2-0-0 |
| 6/16 | ^at Montreal | 4:30 | KING | L | 4-1 | 7-4-3 |
| 6/20 | ^Sport KC | 7:00 | KING | D | 1-1 | 7-4-4 |
| 6/24 | ^at Portland | 2:00 | ESPN | L | 2-1 | 7-5-4 |
| 6/26 | &at San Jose | 7:30 | Webcast | W | 1-0 | 3-0-0 |
| 6/30 | ^at New England | 4:30 | KONG | D | 2-2 | 7-5-5 |
| 7/4 | ^at RSL | 7:00 | KONG | D | 0-0 | 7-5-6 |
| 7/7 | ^Colorado | 8:00 | NBCSN | W | 2-1 | 8-5-6 |
| 7/11 | &vs. Chivas | 8:00 | Web | W | 4-1 | 4-0-0 |
| 7/15 | ^at New York | 1:00 | ESPN | D | 2-2 | 8-5-7 |
| 7/18 | #Chelsea FC | 6:30 | ESPN2 | L | 4-2 | 0-1-0 |
| 7/28 | ^at Colorado | 6:00 | KING | W | 2-1 | 9-5-7 |
| 8/2 | *vs. Caledonia | 7:00 | FOX | W | 3-1 | 3-1 |
| 8/5 | ^vs. LA Galaxy | 6:00 | ESPN2 | W | 4-0 | 10-5-7 |
| 8/8 | &at Sport KC | 6:00 | GolTV | L | 2-1 | 4-1 |
| 8/11 | ^at San Jose | 7:30 | KONG | L | 2-1 | 10-6-7 |
| 8/18 | ^vs. Vancouver | 1:00 | KING | W | 2-0 | 11-6-7 |
| 8/25 | ^at Chivas | 7:30 | KING | W | 6-2 | 12-6-7 |
| 8/30 | *at Caledonia | 5:00 | FOX | — | — | — |
| 9/2 | ^at FC Dallas | 4:00 | KING | — | — | — |
| 9/8 | ^Chivas | TBD | KING | — | — | — |
| 9/15 | ^at Portland | 12:30 | NBC | — | — | — |
| 9/19 | *at Marathon | 7:00 | None | — | — | — |
| 9/22 | ^San Jose | 7:30 | KONG | — | — | — |
| 9/29 | ^at Vancouver | 6:00 | NBCSN | — | — | — |
| 10/7 | ^vs. Portland | 6:00 | ESPN | — | — | — |
| 10/21 | ^vs. FC Dallas | 6:00 | ESPN | — | — | — |
| 10/24 | *vs. Marathon | 7:00 | None | — | — | — |
| 10/28 | ^at LA Galaxy | 6:00 | ESPN | — | — | — |
*=CONCACAF; ^=Major League Soccer; #=International friendly; &=U.S. Open Cup
