Madison McCord

Madison is a 23-year-old journalism and broadcast media student at the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho. Originally from Spokane, Madison is a die-hard Seattle Sounders FC and USMNT fan. Madison is also the play-by-play broadcaster for Idaho Vandals football and basketball and loves single-malt scotch.

Red, White and Brad — Sounders midfielder called into USMNT camp

Published May 21, 2013 | By Madison McCord | Posted in Sounders

Brad Evans has gone from a guy Sounders fans hated seeing on the pitch, to a guy creating goals at a torrid pace. Dare I say we will actually miss Evans while he’s gone?

Brad Evans getting called into a US Mens National Team camp is nothing new — in fact he’s been called up as recently as January and has seven caps to his name. What makes the news of today’s call from US coach Jurgen Klinsmann different is the fact that Evans has never been on the squad during World Cup qualifications.

Brad Evans, like Eddie Johnson, is expected to leave the Sounders for the USMNT after Sunday’s road game against the Galaxy.

— Joshua Mayers (@joshuamayers) May 21, 2013

The move to bring in Evans makes sense, he’s having possibly his best year as a professional and doing so while being moved around the pitch on a weekly basis for the Seattle Sounders. Evans’ versatility allows him to play every midfield position along with both left and right back positions — areas where the USMNT is currently lacking much depth.

Evans will leave the Rave Green for the stars and stripes following Sunday’s match at LA Galaxy. He’ll join forward Eddie Johnson in the US camp, leaving Sounders manager Sigi Schmid with a few holes to fill for the time EJ and Evans are gone. The two players could be away from the club as long as June 18, the final qualifier in this camp against Honduras in Salt Lake City.

During the nearly month-long camp, the US will play three friendlies and two qualifiers, one of which will take place June 11 in Seattle against Panama (tickets still available). This long run of matches in a short period of time means that Evans will not… Continue reading →

Sonics to stay in Sacramento

Published May 15, 2013 | By Madison McCord | Posted in Sonics

This sight will be seen again — just not right now.

The city of Seattle didn’t lose today — the city of Sacramento won.

There’s nothing that the fantastic ownership group of Chris Hansen and Steve Ballmer could have done differently in their quest to bring the NBA back to the Emerald City today.

The goal of getting the Sonics back in town was defeated a month ago when the Sacramento group lead by billionaire Vivek Ranadive did what the NBA asked of them — match the Seattle offer.

But there still seemed to a be a glimmer of hope in Sonics fan’s eyes, especially when Lord Hansen raised the offer to buy the team from the Maloof family for far more than Ranadive will last week. Even then though, we all knew how the vote would end today.

In fact, I was surprised to hear that eight owners voted for the relocation — my money was on a near-unanimous decision, not a 22-8 split.

But now the focus is how to move on. Commissioner David Stern made it clear that any talk of expansion won’t happen until the end of the current television deal in 2015-16, and even then a new team in Seattle is far from guaranteed.

Another option is finding another team that is in a poor market and is just cash strapped enough to want to sell — because the one thing the fans of the Sonics must know is that the Hansen/Ballmer group will not quit until a team is back in Seattle.

And finally there’s still the hope that the Maloof’s keep their word and don’t sell the team to the Ranadive group, sell 20 percent of the team to Hansen (after an NBA approval), sit and wait for Sacramento to bail… Continue reading →

Sounders seek second straight in Philly – Preview

Published May 4, 2013 | By Madison McCord | Posted in Sounders

Jeff Parke was a rock in the back for the Rave Green for three seasons. Now that he’s in Philly it might be a bit harder to love him — but we can try.

Welcome to what may be the best day of sports so far this year.

Not only are the Seattle Sounders FC looking for their second straight/overall MLS win of the young season against the Philadelphia Union, but the Kentucky Derby also takes place.

So before you get your suit and mint juleps ready for the “greatest two minutes in sports,” remember that you must first give your full 90 to a team that is actually healthy and could start to look and play very different than what we’ve seen this season.

Welcome to the day we may meet the Sounders side we’ve imagined all off-season.

Keys to the match -

Stop Jack Mcinerney-

The Union goal scoring machine has been on an absolute tear to start the campaign, already notching six goals and the April MLS Player of the Month award.

Despite the Rave Green’s record, their defense lead by goalkeeper Michael Gspurning and Djimi Traore has been one of the best in the league, allowing only three goals in six matches.

Mcinerney brings a different dynamic to the field though for the Union. A classic, do-it-all style forward, Mcinerney is the type of guy that can finish from anywhere inside the box. Beside him though, the Union’s attack shouldn’t been nearly enough to worry Seattle.

How are ya feeling today? -

Although we won’t see the “first choice” starting XI for the Sounders today, manager Sigi Schmid said that striker Eddie Johnson is back and with the team, while new DP Obafemi Martins is close to 100 percent.

Beside the two forwards, the rest of… Continue reading →

History on the Horizon — Sounders/Santos Leg Two Preview

Published April 9, 2013 | By Madison McCord | Posted in Sounders

Jane G Photography via Sounderatheart.com
Mario Martinez’s free role in the attack last week lead to a few good chances for the Sounders. Much like Fredy Montero used to do for the Rave Green, maybe tonight is the night for Martinez’s flare and skill to step into the limelight.

History is meant to be repeated.

Tonight, Seattle Sounders FC will attempt to do just that as they look to get only their second victory on Mexican soil as they face off against Santos Laguna in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals.

This feat — as unlikely as it sounds — is not impossible. In fact the Sounders are one of only two MLS clubs to win a game in Mexico (FC Dallas being the other) when they defeated a full-strengh Monterrey club in the group stages of the last CCL cycle. Unfortunately in the “what have you done for me lately” column, the Rave Green’s last trip south of the border resulted in a 6-1 drubbing at the hands of the very team they’ll face tonight in last season’s CCL quarterfinal.

The bottom line though is that Seattle have tasted success in Mexico before, and will need to do so again tonight to continue this magical run through arguably the third most difficult continental club tournaments in the world.

The result for manager Sigi Schmid and Co. is a simple one — any win whatsoever and there’s no way Santos can win on aggregate after 90 minutes. One week ago, Santos walked out of Seattle with the 1-0 first leg victory — if the Sounders can match that mark, the match will go into extra time (two 15 minute periods with no “Golden Goal”). On the other hand if the Sounders win by any score other than… Continue reading →

CONCACAF leg one preview — Slaying Santos at home is vital

Published April 2, 2013 | By Madison McCord | Posted in Sounders

Mike Fiechtner Photography
Herculez Gomez will cause a lot of problems for the Sounders back four tonight, the question is — how will this group of youth and veterans handle the pressure.

For clubs around the globe, mid-season cup ties are an inconvenience. For Seattle Sounders FC though, tonight’s first leg semifinal match against Mexican powerhouse Santos Laguna is a chance for a fresh start — a new outlook on what has been a depressing season start.

A win tonight would not be historic — the Sounders defeated Santos at home last season before falling badly in the road leg — nor would it give the club, city or supports that overwhelming lift of support needed to run the table on the remaining 30 or so MLS matches. What a victory tonight would do though is give the Sounders and MLS as a whole an opportunity to make a massive splash on a global scale. This is a chance that the LA Galaxy will also have tomorrow in their home leg against C.F. Monterrey. Heading down to Mexico for a second leg is one of the most difficult tasks in American soccer — so getting off on the right foot is vital for the Rave Green.

Here’s a nice video preview that MLS threw together for tonight’s match, featuring analysis from Starfire, the MLS studios and a little look at Santos star and American forward Herculez Gomez.

Along with the video, here’s a few extra notes to keep an eye on in tonight’s match — the first half of a 180-minute battle.

The health, and therefore availability, of both Eddie Johnson and Obafemi Martins are in question for tonight’s match making manager Sigi Schmid’s job a little tougher heading into the first leg. If either or both are… Continue reading →