Sounders Preview: Who Will Step up as Fredy’s Partner? (Forwards)
Today is part 3 of the 7 day countdown to the first match of the 2012 Sounders season. Yesterday I looked at the players in the midfield. Today will highlight the search for a striking partner for Fredy Montero.
Last season the Sounders led the MLS in goals with an astonishing 56, good for the second highest total in league history (behind the 2007 DC United squad’s 58 goals). The team played the type of attacking soccer fans love to see, with a fast-paced, fluid offense that produced 15 different goal scorers and shot counts often in double… Continue reading
Sounders Preview: Can the Team’s Strength Continue to Flex Its Offensive Muscle? (Midfielders)
Today is part 2 of the 7 day countdown to the first match of the 2012 Sounders season. Yesterday I highlighted the new players on the defensive side and in goal. Today I’ll take a look at the team’s midfield.
After a season in which the Sounders rose to the top of the league in scoring led by some surprise names in the midfield, the hope around Seattle is that they can again provide offense, despite coming in as known quantities in 2012.
The Sounders entered 2011 with a midfield so stacked with talent that some fans (myself included) were wondering how they were going to… Continue reading
Sounders Preview: Who are these guys (Goalkeepers and Defense)?
Today is the one week mark until the 2012 Sounders season kicks off, so I’m doing a 7 part series that will highlight 7 questions the Sounders face heading into the campaign. Part 1 will focus on the new players on the defensive side.
You’ve heard the saying “the best defense is a good offense.” The 2011 Sounders put that theory to the test early and often. While the offense blazed its way to a league-high 56 goals, the defense routinely gave up easy chances and relied on the offense to dig itself out of holes early in games. With the loss of goalkeeper Kasey Keller to retirement, starting left back Tyson Wahl in a trade with Montreal, and starting right back James Riley leaving in… Continue reading
Eddie Johnson is the Striker the Sounders Have Been Seeking
The offseason of change for the Seattle Sounders continued yesterday with the shocking trade of fan favorites Mike Fucito and Lamar Neagle to the Montreal Impact in exchange for 27 year old former US International Eddie Johnson.
The Sounders had a need for a consistent partner for Fredy Montero at forward, and the combination of Fucito, Sammy Ochoa, and Roger Levesque only had a total of seven MLS goals between them last season. Last year the Sounders had to count on goals coming from all over the field to make up for the lack of secondary production up top. While having that many scoring options at other positions… Continue reading | 1 Comment
Welcome to NASORB, Brad Colyer
I took this picture. I drank this beer. This is a post about Brad, and I'm trying to steal the show.
We’d like to welcome Brad Colyer to the mix here at North and South of Royal Brougham. I used to work with Brad on my college newspaper, where his smart ass sense of humor was much appreciated, and where his apparent man crush on Sean Casey made Sean Kramer and me pretty weirded out. That he kept reminding anyone that Casey’s nickname was “The Mayor” was only annoying when I was trying to run my no-huddle offense on the Playstation 2 that I donated to the journalism program there.
Brad has eclectic interests, but for… Continue reading
Sounders sign goalkeeper with cool last name, among other desirable attributes
There was once a man in Sounders lore who was quite big. Others might describe him as tall. But they will all, at the end of the day, fondly remember him as a MotherF*cking wall.
That man was of course, the legend Kasey Keller.
But looking at the new kid on the block, 6 foot 5 inch, 209 pound Michael Gspurning with a resume to boot, it might be easy to get the two confused on paper.
The Sounders announced a deal with the 31-year old keeper this morning. His resume is impressive, for an MLS player… Continue reading
Put up or shut up for Sounders in Champions League
It all started with the forgettable romping the Sounders took against Manchester United. A Wayne Rooney hat trick and seven goals that seemingly came with ease is all it took for the Sounders to actually have to explain themselves and their tactics following a meaningless game.
The explanation Sigi gave to the press for taking his starters out at halftime when the game was only one-nil?
‘We have to save our guys for Champions League next week, too many games coming up,’ is something along the lines of what coach said, and he was right to do so in my opinion. Hanauer elaborated that the goal of the franchise was to win trophies, which is what the team is committed to doing right now.
Great, awesome, that’s… Continue reading
Even non-soccer fans in Seattle should dig Cascadia Cup
When I first got into the sport of soccer the most appealing about the sport is still what is most appealing about it to me today: The hatred factor.
I remember watching the United States epic victory over the Mexican national team in the 2002 World Cup that saw frustrations boil over late in the match with Rafa Marquez’s red card.
I remember the United States’ gritty and ugly draw against an Italian side known for their dirty tactics and overly physical play.
And when I jumped on the soccer bandwagon full time going into 2009 it was a match against the Mexicans again in 2009… Continue reading
Sounders draw in Los Angeles reason to celebrate, yearn for more
Is there such thing as a statement tie?
The Sounders FC unceremoniously drew with the Los Angeles Galaxy last night, their second straight 4th of July at the Home Depot Center.
It wasn’t without storylines, such as Landon Donovan’s first MLS match since the Gold Cup, David Beckham starting on the bench, LA’s third string keeper, and the Sounders horrendous Penalty Kick luck continuing.
We can all sit here and lament the fact that if Fredy Montero was a little more inconspicuous in where he was going with his penalty maybe we’d be talking about Seattle as legitimate Supporters Shield contenders at the moment.
Then again we can all sit here and remember how the Sounders got smashed by the Galaxy in four matches last season by a… Continue reading
I don’t even really hate the Vancouver Whitecaps
For the sake of not trying to be too cute or try to hard to be witty I think it would be best for me to just get to the point, besides, I’m in a writing funk right now as it is anyways.
The Sounders FC are doing a horrible job of marketing the rivalry with the Vancouver Whitecaps. It’s almost like they don’t even really want there to be one.
Let’s be real here, the vast majority of the 36,000 people that go to Qwest Field weren’t there in the Kingdome in the mid to late 70′s when the old NASL rivalries were formed with Vancouver or Portland. Hell, I’d bet most of those fans didn’t even know the Sounders existed before this decade. And most weren’t… Continue reading









