2009 Seattle Sounders FC season

The 2009 season was Seattle Sounders FC's debut in Major League Soccer. The inaugural game was on March 19, 2009 at Qwest Field in Seattle, Washington against the New York Red Bulls. Sounders FC beat the Red Bulls 3–0 in front of a sell-out crowd.

Seattle Sounders FC

2009 season
Match ticket for the Sounders' first game in Major League Soccer
General manager	Adrian Hanauer
Head coach	Sigi Schmid
Major League Soccer	Western Conference: 3rd Overall: 4th
MLS Cup	Quarterfinals
U.S. Open Cup	Winners
Top goalscorer	Fredy Montero (12)
Highest home attendance	66,848 (vs FC Barcelona, August 5, 2009)[1] MLS: 33,108 (vs FC Dallas, October 24, 2009)
Average home league attendance	30,943[2]
Home colors Away colors

On August 5, 2009, Sounders FC set a stadium and Washington record for most people watching a soccer game against FC Barcelona with an attendance of 66,848.

Background

In a press conference on November 13, 2007, MLS announced the award of an MLS expansion team franchise to Seattle.[3] In 2008, Sounders FC developed the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila and the USL team played most of the 2008 season at the updated facility. At the time, the USL team's management thought that practicing and playing at Starfire could provide more continuity and a smoother transition for those hoping to play for the new MLS franchise.[4]

In early December 2008, Seattle Sounders FC reportedly offered a coaching contract to Sigi Schmid, who led the Los Angeles Galaxy to a MLS Cup in 2002 and the Columbus Crew to a MLS Cup in 2008. However, before Schmid could respond to the contract offer, the ownership of the Columbus Crew filed a tampering complaint with the MLS that put the offer on hold. The Crew's ownership complained that Schmid had communicated with Sounders FC during the 2008 season, despite being denied permission to do so, and that he shared confidential information with Sounders FC after leaving the Crew.[5] The MLS ruled that no tampering occurred, but ordered Sounders FC to financially compensate the Crew before signing Schmid.[6] Sounders FC officially introduced Schmid as their first coach on December 16.[7] Former USL Sounders player and head coach Brian Schmetzer was retained as the top assistant coach, and Tom Dutra was selected as goalkeeper coach.[8][9] Retired Major League Soccer veteran defender Ezra Hendrickson joined the Sounders as an assistant coach in January, 2009.[10] Former MLS player and Everett, Washington, native Chris Henderson was named technical director on January 24, 2008.[11] Joining Henderson in the front office is longtime Seattle Seahawks VP Gary Wright as the senior vice president of business operations.[12] Drew Carey was named the chairman of the Membership Association.[13]

Signings and drafts

Swedish midfielder Freddie Ljungberg was signed as Sounders FC's first Designated Player.

Seattle Sounders FC was given first negotiation rights to any player that was not drafted in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft and joined the USL Sounders for the 2008 season. The team was also allowed to promote as many players from the 2008 USL Sounders squad as they'd chose, as long as the player's rights were not controlled by another team.[14] Seattle Sounders FC officially announced the 2007 USL First Division MVP and former USL Sounder Sébastien Le Toux as its first signing on May 7, 2008.[15] On August 14, 2008, the Sounders announced in a press conference their second signing for the 2009 season, former United States men's national team goalkeeper Kasey Keller, a Washington native.[16] On September 5, 2008, Seattle Sounders FC announced the third signee for the franchise to be Sanna Nyassi from Gambia. Nyassi, a 19-year-old midfielder, was a member of the Gambia U-20 national team at the 2007 FIFA Championship. Sanna's twin brother, Sainey Nyassi, was signed by the Revolution and is a regular starter in MLS this season.[17] On October 28, 2008, it was officially announced that the Sounders had signed Swedish midfielder Freddie Ljungberg using the Designated Player Rule. He signed a two-year contract reported to be worth $2.5 million per season.[18]

Team building continued with the 2008 MLS Expansion Draft and the 2009 MLS SuperDraft. In the expansion draft, held on November 26, 2008, Seattle Sounders FC selected the following players from other MLS teams: Nate Jaqua (Houston), Brad Evans (Columbus), Stephen King (Chicago), Jeff Parke (RBNY), James Riley (San Jose), Khano Smith (New England), Jarrod Smith (Toronto FC), Nathan Sturgis (Real Salt Lake), Peter Vagenas (LA Galaxy) and Tyson Wahl (Kansas City).[19] As the 2009 expansion team Sounders FC was given the first pick in each round of the SuperDraft. With the number one pick of the first round of the draft, Seattle Sounders FC selected University of Akron forward Steve Zakuani. As the first picks of the second round (16th overall), third round (31st overall), and fourth round (46th overall), Seattle selected Wake Forest University defender Evan Brown, Azusa Pacific University defender Jared Karkas, and Harvard University midfielder/forward Michael Fucito respectively.[20]

The team lineup was adjusted throughout. Defender Jeff Parke was selected in the expansion draft, and reported for training camp after tryouts with teams in Belgium.[21][22] After training with the club for less than a week, Parke was unable to reach a contract agreement and left to train with the Vancouver Whitecaps of the USL.[23] FC traded a conditional draft pick to Houston in order to acquire defender Patrick Ianni, who had worked with Seattle's coach Schmid on the under-20 US national team.[24] Seattle also traded allocation money to Toronto FC in exchange for Tyrone Marshall in order to increase their depth on defense.[25] The Sounders also traded away midfielder Khano Smith, another expansion draft selection, to Red Bull New York for allocation money.[26]

Review

Preseason

Seattle's preseason was broken up into four stages. The team started in southern California, then moved back to the Northwest, then to Argentina, and then finished back in Seattle.[27] On February 9, 2009 in their first ever exhibition game, Sounders FC beat the Los Angeles Galaxy 3–1 on a practice field beside The Home Depot Center in Carson, California. Fredy Montero, Roger Levesque and Sanna Nyassi all scored goals in the win.[28] The next day, Sounders FC had their second training match in Ventura, California against Chinese club Shandong Luneng. They won 2–0 with both goals provided by midfielder Sanna Nyassi.[29] The following day, February 11, Sounders FC defeated the Ventura County Fusion of the USL Premier Development League 6–1 in their third preseason match in three days. Steve Zakuani and Nate Jaqua both scored two goals while Fredy Montero and Roger Levesque added one each.[30] On February 14, Sounders FC experienced their first loss of the preseason falling 3–2 to the San Jose Earthquakes while playing on the campus of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California. Fredy Montero scored both of the Sounders FC goals in the loss.[31]

Following their activities in southern California, Sounders FC's returned to the Pacific Northwest to continue their training. On the evening of February 20, 2009, Sounders FC defeated the University of Portland Pilots 4–1. Nate Jaqua and Kasey Keller received a pregame ovation because they both had played collegiate soccer with the Pilots. Jaqua, along with trialist Jeff Clark, Fredy Montero, and Brad Evans scored goals for Seattle.[32] Two days later, the club played their first preseason match at Qwest Field as they defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps 4–0. Forwards Nate Jaqua and Fredy Montero scored two goals apiece.[33]

Next the club traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina where they continued training and played 4 more preseason matches. Seattle played the first of these matches against Estudiantes de La Plata on February 27, who they lost to 1–3.[34] On February 28, Sounders FC had their first tie of the preseason, 1–1 against CED, a team made up of local free agent players.[34][35] The club defeated Argentine second division opponents Tristán Suárez 5–0. Michael Fucito, Fredy Montero, Brad Evans and Zach Scott and Sebastian Le Toux all scored in the victory.[36] One day later, due to heavy rain, an exhibition match against Gimnasia La Plata was canceled.[37] In the club's final preseason match in Argentina, they faced reserve players of River Plate on March 5. They were held scoreless by River Plate with a final score of 1–0.[38]

After completing training exercises in Argentina, the club returned to Seattle for the remainder of the preseason. On March 9, Designated Player Freddie Ljungberg joined practice for the first time. Ljungberg had missed most of the preseason due to hip surgery he had undergone in December.[39] On March 12, Sounders FC played their final preseason match against the Colorado Rapids of the MLS at Qwest Field. Seattle lost 1–0 on a penalty kick by Colorado's Conor Casey.[40] Seattle finished preseason exhibition play with a record of 7 wins, 3 losses, and 1 tie.

March

Red Bull New York kick-off to start the 2009 MLS season against Seattle

Prior to the first game of the season, all 22,000 season ticket packages offered by the team were sold, giving the team the most season ticket holders in Major League Soccer.[41] On March 19, Seattle Sounders FC began their first regular season with a 3–0 win over the New York Red Bulls. Fredy Montero scored the first regular season goal in team history, finishing a movement from Sebastien Le Toux and Osvaldo Alonso in the 12th minute. Montero assisted Brad Evans' goal, and also scored the team's third goal. Kasey Keller, a veteran American goalkeeper who had played his entire career abroad, made his MLS debut at 39 years of age, and made two saves to register the team's first regular season shutout.[42]

On March 24 Seattle signed Kevin Forrest as a Senior Developmental player after he was released by Colorado.[43] On March 28 Sounders FC continued the success of their fast start with a second consecutive home shutout, defeating Real Salt Lake 2–0. Designated player Freddie Ljungberg made his first regular season appearance as a substitute in the 61st minute of play. Nate Jaqua scored in the 17th minute, and Fredy Montero scored his league leading third goal of the season in the 77th minute.[44][45]

March saw Montero winning Player of the Week honors for week 1 and Keller for week 2.[46][47] Montero won Goal of the Week for the first two games and was named the Player of the Month.[48]

April

After their first two victories at home, Sounders FC played their first away game in history against Toronto FC. The Sounders expected a challenging away environment but were victorious were able to win in another 2–0 shutout. Montero missed the match due to illness. Soon after, reports out of Seattle linked Montero to a sexual assault case with an unidentified woman. In a statement made by Sounders publicist, Montero asserted that the allegations stemmed from a disagreement in which he sought to end the relationship.[49] and a police inquiry resulted in no charges being filed.

After winning their first three games, Seattle Sounders FC suffered their first competitive loss at home against the Kansas City Wizards. Kasey Keller was sent off in the 29th minute for a handball outside the 18-yard box, as the Sounders fell 1–0 to the Wizards. The following week they lost at Chivas USA. Chris Eylander was scored on twice while covering the goal during Keller's suspension. The Sounders again failed to score.

The Sounders returned to their winning ways in a 2–0 home win versus the San Jose Earthquakes.

April 28 was the beginning of the team's Open Cup campaign. Schmid asserted that the competition was important and won the first of two qualifying rounds 4–1 against Real Salt Lake.[50] The Sounders have played home games at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila. The facility is older and smaller than Qwest Field but the Sounders say the atmosphere is better for smaller cup matches.[51]

May

The following 5 weeks the Sounders managed to gain 5 points in the standings as they tied each game. First, a 1–1 tie at the Chicago Fire in which striker Fredy Montero was sent off in the 48th minute for an elbow to the face of Gonzalo Segares while both players went up for a ball in the air.[52] Then another 1–1 tie the next week at home against the Los Angeles Galaxy in which yet another red card was issued, to James Riley this time, in the 57th minute for a "phantom blow" to Mike Magee as the two got into a scrum.[53] Two more away ties followed, first against FC Dallas 1–1 and then another at Colorado, 2–2. Ljungberg missed three games during this period due to migraine headaches.[54] May 31, 2009 Sounders FC then returned home for their 5th consecutive tie in league play, this time 1–1 against the Columbus Crew in which Tyrone Marshal was ejected in the 92nd minute when he threw what the referee believed was a punch at Steven Lenhart in retaliation for an elbow. The Sounders accumulated another three yellow cards throughout the match.[55] Jaqua's goal received Goal of the Week honors.

On May 26, the Sounders qualified for the U.S. Open Cup by defeating the Colorado Rapids 1–0 at Starfire.

June

Seattle started June with a 1–0 loss at Chivas. Their penalty woes continued as Jhon Kennedy Hurtado accumulated his fifth yellow card and Nate Jaqua received two yellow cards resulting in them both being suspended for the next game. After the first 12 games of the season, Sounders FC were in 5th place overall and were tied for the league lead with 5 red card ejections and 6 disciplinary suspensions.

On June 13, in a rematch with San Jose, Sounders FC began a stretch where 4 of their next 5 games would be played in front of their home crowd at Qwest Field. The match was the first to be counted for the supporter sponsored Heritage Cup. Ljungberg and Montero both scored as the Sounders prevailed with a 2–1 victory.

On June 10 Lamar Neagle was signed as a Senior Developmental player on the official roster.[56]

On June 17, the Sounders blew a 3–1 lead to tie against D.C. United by a score of 3–3. The match was the sixth draw in eight regular season matches.[57] They drew again with a goal a piece at New York the following week.

In week 23, the Sounders defeated the Rapids who had been undefeated in the previous eight games. Jaqua set up the first goal by Montero. Jaqua then scored twice off of assists from Montero to end the game 3–0.[58] Jaqua's performance earned Goal of the Week and Player of the Week.

July

On July 1, Sounders FC traveled to Portland and eliminated the Timbers of the USL in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup. The game was played in front of an emotionally charged sold-out crowd.[59] Roger Levesque — a player Portland fans have had a particular dislike for – scored Seattle's first goal within the opening minute.[60] The following week, in a quarterfinal match, Sounders FC defeated visiting Kansas City on a penalty kick in the 89th minute by Sebastien Le Toux.[61]

It was announced in early July that the Sounders had signed left-footed Costa Rican defender Leonardo González to help at the left back position. The position had been a weak spot in Seattle's defense and filled by three separate players throughout the season.[62]

On July 11, the Sounders hosted the Houston Dynamo at Qwest Field. Brian Schmetzer filled in for Schmid who was at his son's wedding. Ianni scored his first goal of the season on bicycle kick that would earn him the MLS goal of the Week.[63] On the following Tuesday, the Sounders defeated the Dynamo at Strfire in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals. Houston led when Jaqua scored in the 89th minute. King scored a goal five minutes into extra time, thus sending the Sounders FC to the Open Cup finals against D.C. United.[64]

On July 18, 2009 the Seattle Sounders lost 0–2 in a friendly with Chelsea. All sections of the stadium were open and sold out with a crowd of 65,289 in attendance.[65] The game was the first with the team for Chelsea's new manager, Carlo Ancelotti, and their new forward Daniel Sturridge.

Seattle finished July at home with a scoreless draw against Chicago. The Fire went a man down in the 54th minute but Ljungberg was ejected minutes later after protesting a yellow card for what the referee saw as diving in the penalty area.[66]

Keller and Ljungberg were named to the 2009 MLS All-Star Game by votes from fans. Ljungberg lead the MLS in total votes. Hurtado and Montero were later selected for the game held on July 29. Ljungberg missed the final shot in the loss which was decided by penalty kicks. He was later hospitalized due to another migraine.

August

Kasey Keller making a save against Toronto FC

On August 2, the Sounders were shut out 4–0 by last-place San Jose. Riley received a red card in the 39th minute while the Earthquakes scored three times in the second half.[67] Although Seattle had won the previous two matches, San Jose won the Heritage Cup by goal differential since the first game was not included in the supporter created competition.[68]

In the second international friendly of the season the Sounders lost against FC Barcelona 0–4 on August 5. The attendance set the state's record for a soccer match at 66,848. Thierry Henry compared the crowd to those in Europe and called the fans "amazing". Schmid expressed his hope that the fans were not disappointed by the loss and said "I hope they realize they got to watch a great team".[69]

On August 8, Sounders FC received their third straight shutout in regular season play in a 1–0 loss at Salt Lake. Schmidt called it "a silly loss".[70]

At Los Angeles on August 15, Seattle won for the first time on the road since April 4. Along with the Marshall, the match saw the Galaxy's Beckham and Lewis ejected in a two-goal shutout. Zakuani won Goal of the Week for his goal made after a run into the box and cross from Evans.[71]

Seattle lost at New England 1–0. Ljungberg did not travel with the team due to what would be diagnosed as hypoglycemia.[72]

September

When D.C. United won the US Soccer bidding process to host the tournament's final match,[73] Sounders FC general manager Adrian Hanauer expressed skepticism that D.C.'s bid to host the final had been better than the Seattle bid. He further noted that if Seattle had hosted the match, it likely would have sold out.[74] This prompted a pointed reply from D.C. United president Kevin Payne in which he argued that D.C. United had won the bidding process fairly and that he was offended by Hanauer's comments.[75] On the heels of this public disagreement, D.C. United launched a marketing campaign to sell more tickets to the match which included a web site heralding the club's history of titles as an original MLS franchise, WeWinTrophies.com; an open letter placed in local newspapers declaring that D.C. fans set the standard for support in the league and that Sounders FC and its fans did not think D.C. deserved to host; videos on the team's official blog from local celebrities urging fans to attend and ticket and concession specials for the game.[76] On September 2, 2009 the U.S. Open Cup final was played in Washington D.C.'s RFK Stadium. Sounders FC prevailed 2–1 becoming the second MLS expansion team in league history (Chicago being the first) to win the Cup in their inaugural MLS season.[77]

Significance

Sounders FC recorded the highest average attendance during the 2009 season (regular and overall).[78]

• League attendance record[79]
• Fan culture and demographics[80]
• Economic impact[81]
• Leiweke recognized for successful expansion launch in a recession[82]
• State Senate resolution[83]

Match results

  Win   Tie   Loss

Preseason

February 9, 2009	Los Angeles Galaxy	1–3	Seattle Sounders FC	Carson, California USA
15:00 PST	Lewis  2'	Report	Montero  28' (pen.) Levesque  84' Nyassi  90'	Stadium: The Home Depot Center

February 10, 2009	Shandong Luneng	0–2	Seattle Sounders FC	Ventura, California USA
16:00 PST		Report	Nyassi  56', 75'	Stadium: Ventura College

February 11, 2009	Ventura County Fusion	1–6	Seattle Sounders FC	Ventura, California USA
19:00 PST	Aghasyan  13'	Report	Montero  7' Zakuani  9', 21' Jaqua  43', 44' Levesque  83'	Stadium: Ventura College

February 13, 2009	San Jose Earthquakes	3–2	Seattle Sounders FC	San Luis Obispo, California USA
19:00 PST	Johnson  7', 22' Amarikwa  46'	Report	Montero  11', 44'	Stadium: Alex G. Spanos Stadium

February 20, 2009	Portland Pilots	1–4	Seattle Sounders FC	Portland, Oregon USA
19:00 PST	Emory  61'	Report	Jaqua  4' Ianni  32' Montero  70' (pen.) Evans  75'	Stadium: Merlo Field

February 22, 2009	Seattle Sounders FC	4–0	Vancouver Whitecaps	Seattle, Washington USA
12:00 PST	Jaqua  37', 39' Montero  66', 67'	Report		Stadium: Qwest Field Attendance: None (closed to the public)

February 27, 2009	Estudiantes de La Plata	1–3	Seattle Sounders FC	Buenos Aires, Argentina
11:00 UTC-2	Marshall  20' (o.g.)	Report	Jaqua  46' Montero  54', 58'

February 28, 2009	CED Rosario	1–1	Seattle Sounders FC	Buenos Aires, Argentina
16:00 UTC-2	CED No. 11  53' (pen.)	Report	Ferrerya  43'

March 3, 2009	Tristán Suárez	0–5	Seattle Sounders FC	Buenos Aires, Argentina
10:30 UTC-2		Report	Fucito  25' Montero  33' Evans  38' Scott  43' Le Toux  89'

March 5, 2009	River Plate	1–0	Seattle Sounders FC	Buenos Aires, Argentina
9:30 UTC-2	Lizio  89'	Report

March 12, 2009	Seattle Sounders FC	0–1	Colorado Rapids	Seattle, Washington USA
19:00 PDT		Report	Casey  38' (pen.)	Stadium: Qwest Field Attendance: None (closed to the public)

MLS regular season

March 19, 2009	Seattle Sounders FC	3–0	New York Red Bulls	Seattle, Washington USA
18:00 PDT	Montero  12'  75' Alonso  13' Evans  25' Hurtado  32' Nyassi  67'	Report	Goldthwaite  21'	Stadium: Qwest Field Attendance: 32,523 Referee: Jair Marrufo

March 28, 2009	Seattle Sounders FC	2–0	Real Salt Lake	Seattle, Washington USA
19:30 PDT	Jaqua  17' Alonso  21' Montero  77'	Report	Beckerman  10' Morales  22' Olave  45'	Stadium: Qwest Field Attendance: 28,548 Referee: Baldomero Toledo

April 4, 2009	Toronto FC	0–2	Seattle Sounders FC	Toronto, Ontario Canada
15:00 EDT	Brennan  44' Cronin  51'	Report	Ljungberg  15' Hurtado  29' Zakuani  45' Riley  61' Scott  86'	Stadium: BMO Field Attendance: 20,658 Referee: Mark Geiger

April 11, 2009	Seattle Sounders FC	0–1	Kansas City Wizards	Seattle, Washington USA
19:30 PDT	Evans  4' Keller  29'	Report	Jewsbury  4' Kraus  71' Arnaud  80' Hartman  91'	Stadium: Qwest Field Attendance: 28,746 Referee: Abiodun Okulaja

April 18, 2009	Chivas USA	2–0	Seattle Sounders FC	Carson, California USA
19:30 PDT	Lillingston  20' Riley  32' (o.g.) Chijindu  84' Trujillo  86'	Report	Scott  45' Montero  47'	Stadium: The Home Depot Center Attendance: 15,463 Referee: Alex Prus

April 25, 2009	Seattle Sounders FC	2–0	San Jose Earthquakes	Seattle, Washington USA
19:30 PDT	Alonso  30' Zakuani  42' Evans  50'	Report	Convey  4' Garcia  41'	Stadium: Qwest Field Attendance: 28,838 Referee: Kevin Stott

May 2, 2009	Chicago Fire	1–1	Seattle Sounders FC	Bridgeview, Illinois USA
19:30 CDT	Soumare  55' Pappa  68' Rolfe  95+'	Report	Marshall  1'  74' Montero  48' Riley  95+'	Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 10,288 Referee: Jasen Anno

May 10, 2009	Seattle Sounders FC	1–1	Los Angeles Galaxy	Seattle, Washington USA
12:00 PDT	Le Toux  22' Evans  45' Riley  57'  57' Ljungberg  58' Jaqua  80'	Report	Gordon  32'  35' Magee  59' Sanneh  61' Miglioranzi  83'	Stadium: Qwest Field Attendance: 29,025 Referee: Tim Weyland

May 16, 2009	FC Dallas	1–1	Seattle Sounders FC	Frisco, Texas USA
19:30 CDT	Rocha  20'  48+' Saragosa  75' Guarda  80'	Report	Hurtado  18' Zakuani  48+' Marshall  64'	Stadium: Pizza Hut Park Attendance: 8,247 Referee: Terry Vaughn

May 23, 2009	Colorado Rapids	2–2	Seattle Sounders FC	Commerce City, Colorado USA
19:30 MDT	Clark  26' Casey  47' Ihemelu  67'	Report	Montero  17' Jaqua  28'  76' Hurtado  57' Vagenas  61'	Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 16,528 Referee: Hilario Grajeda

May 30, 2009	Seattle Sounders FC	1–1	Columbus Crew	Seattle, Washington USA
19:30 PDT	Vagenas  37' Jaqua  58' Hurtado  68' Ljungberg  89' Marshall  92+'	Report	Moreno  12' Schelotto  73'	Stadium: Qwest Field Attendance: 29,126 Referee: Michael Kennedy

June 6, 2009	Chivas USA	1–0	Seattle Sounders FC	Carson, California USA
19:30 PDT	Lillingston  26'  38' Trujillo  90'	Report	Ianni  48' Jaqua  54'  88' Hurtado  81'	Stadium: The Home Depot Center Attendance: 13,117 Referee: Kevin Stott

June 13, 2009	Seattle Sounders FC	2–1	San Jose Earthquakes	Seattle, Washington USA
19:30 PDT	Ljungberg  42'  94+' Evans  43' Montero  59'  74'	Report	Pitchkolan  16' Corrales  34' Ribeiro  50' Huckerby  68' Wondolowski  92+'	Stadium: Qwest Field Attendance: 28,999 Referee: Silviu Petrescu

June 17, 2009	Seattle Sounders FC	3–3	D.C. United	Seattle, Washington USA
19:30 PDT	Alonso  38' Burch  45' (o.g.) Montero  57'	Report	Pontius  34' Gomez  63' Jakovic  84' Marshall  87' (o.g.) Namoff  92+'	Stadium: Qwest Field Attendance: 29,104 Referee: Ricardo Salazar

June 20, 2009	New York Red Bulls	1–1	Seattle Sounders FC	East Rutherford, New Jersey USA
19:30 EDT	Kandji  11' Goldthwaite  36' Angel  40'	Report	Montero  48+' Marshall  83'	Stadium: Giants Stadium Attendance: 14,313 Referee: Paul Ward

June 28, 2009	Seattle Sounders FC	3–0	Colorado Rapids	Seattle, Washington USA
13:00 PDT	Ljungberg  19' Montero  23' Jaqua  48'  68' Evans  71'	Report	Ihemelu  17' Mastroeni  29' Palguta  41'	Stadium: Qwest Field Attendance: 32,526 Referee: Alex Prus

July 11, 2009	Seattle Sounders FC	2–1	Houston Dynamo	Seattle, Washington USA
13:00 PDT	Montero  32' Hurtado  43' Ianni  46' Vagenas  64' Wahl  66'	Report	Davis  12' Waibel  71' Kamara  90'	Stadium: Qwest Field Attendance: 32,404 Referee: Mark Geiger

July 25, 2009	Seattle Sounders FC	0–0	Chicago Fire	Seattle, Washington USA
12:00 PDT	Hurtado  28' Ianni  57' Ljungberg  59'  59'	Report	Segares  39' Thorrington  40'  54'	Stadium: Qwest Field Attendance: 32,405 Referee: Baldomero Toledo

August 2, 2009	San Jose Earthquakes	4–0	Seattle Sounders FC	Santa Clara, California USA
12:00 PDT	Alonso  2' (o.g.) Hernandez  27' Huckerby  37'  78' Glen  54' Wondolowski  84'  85'	Report	Ianni  22' Riley  33' Montero  35'	Stadium: Buck Shaw Stadium Attendance: 9,919 Referee: Paul Ward

August 8, 2009	Real Salt Lake	1–0	Seattle Sounders FC	Sandy, Utah USA
19:00 MDT	Mathis  11' Findley  62' Beckerman  65'	Report	Hurtado  76'	Stadium: Rio Tinto Stadium Attendance: 14,193 Referee: Kevin Stott

August 15, 2009	Los Angeles Galaxy	0–2	Seattle Sounders FC	Carson, California USA
20:00 PDT	DeLaGarza  14' Beckham  17' Lewis  79' Kirovski  94+'	Report	Zakuani  22' Montero  54'  81' Marshall  65'  76'	Stadium: The Home Depot Center Attendance: 20,162 Referee: Ricardo Salazar

August 20, 2009	Seattle Sounders FC	0–1	New England Revolution	Seattle, Washington USA
19:00 PDT	Gonzalez  40' Montero  54' Nyassi  86'	Report	Joseph  21' Ralston  43' Jankauskas  47+' Heaps  49+' Reis  65'	Stadium: Qwest Field Attendance: 32,705 Referee: Baldomero Toledo

August 23, 2009	Houston Dynamo	1–1	Seattle Sounders FC	Houston, Texas USA
19:30 CDT	Boswell  19' Cameron  36'	Report	Levesque  13' Jaqua  70'	Stadium: Robertson Stadium Attendance: 17,063 Referee: Alex Prus

August 29, 2009	Seattle Sounders FC	0–0	Toronto FC	Seattle, Washington USA
13:00 PDT	Ljungberg  73'	Report	Attakora  41' Gomez  67' De Rosario  67'	Stadium: Qwest Field Attendance: 32,679 Referee: Jorge Gonzalez

September 12, 2009	D.C. United	1–2	Seattle Sounders FC	Washington, D.C. USA
19:30 EDT	Wallace  54'  57' Quaranta  62' John  93+'	Report	Zakuani  5' Montero  84'	Stadium: RFK Memorial Stadium Attendance: 19,592 Referee: Silviu Petrescu

September 19, 2009	Seattle Sounders FC	0–0	Chivas USA	Seattle, Washington USA
12:00 PDT	Alonso  40' Marshall  78' Jaqua  86'	Report	Jazic  34' Nagamura  43' Saragosa  71' Trujillo  76' Santos  77'	Stadium: Qwest Field Attendance: 32,719 Referee: Terry Vaughn

September 26, 2009	New England Revolution	2–1	Seattle Sounders FC	Foxborough, Massachusetts USA
19:30 EDT	Joseph  51' (pen.)  87'	Report	Montero  5' Jaqua  92+'	Stadium: Gillette Stadium Attendance: 15,961 Referee: Steven DePiero

October 3, 2009	Columbus Crew	0–1	Seattle Sounders FC	Columbus, Ohio USA
19:30 EDT	Moreno  55' O'Rourke  65' Lenhart  95+'	Report	Levesque  36' Marshall  84'	Stadium: Columbus Crew Stadium Attendance: 14,372 Referee: Ricardo Salazar

October 17, 2009	Kansas City Wizards	2–3	Seattle Sounders FC	Kansas City, Kansas USA
19:30 CDT	Hercegfalvi  51' Wolff  53'	Report	Marshall  27' Vagenas  45' Levesque  69' Jaqua  76'	Stadium: CommunityAmerica Ballpark Attendance: 10,135 Referee: Mark Geiger

October 24, 2009	Seattle Sounders FC	2–1	FC Dallas	Seattle, Washington USA
19:30 PDT	Alonso  57' Evans  60'  84' Jaqua  61'	Report	Harris  14'  38' Pearce  26' Ihemelu  70'	Stadium: Qwest Field Attendance: 33,108 Referee: Baldomero Toledo

MLS playoffs

October 29, 2009 Conf. Semifinals	Seattle Sounders FC	0–0	Houston Dynamo	Seattle, Washington USA
19:00 PDT	Montero  16' Alonso  64' Evans  68'	Report	Onstad  16' Mullan  71' Chabala  75'	Stadium: Qwest Field Attendance: 35,807 Referee: Ricardo Salazar

November 8, 2009 Conf. Semifinals	Houston Dynamo	1–0 (a.e.t.) (1–0 agg.)	Seattle Sounders FC	Houston, Texas USA
15:00 CST	Chabala  44' Cameron  94+' Ching  96'	Report	Marshall  24' Riley  120' Ljungberg  121'	Stadium: Robertson Stadium Attendance: 27,465 Referee: Jorge Gonzalez

U.S. Open Cup

April 28, 2009 Qualification	Seattle Sounders FC	4–1	Real Salt Lake	Tukwila, Washington USA
19:00 PDT	Ianni  20' Le Toux  25' (pen.)  55' Nyassi  27'  71' King  53'	Report	Johnson  32' Olave  41'	Stadium: Starfire Sports Complex Attendance: 3,890

May 26, 2009 Qualification	Seattle Sounders FC	1–0	Colorado Rapids	Tukwila, Washington USA
19:00 PDT	Forrest  62'	Report	Harvey  78'	Stadium: Starfire Sports Complex Attendance: 4,007 Referee: Tony Russo

July 1, 2009 Third round	Portland Timbers (USL-1)	1–2	Seattle Sounders FC	Portland, Oregon USA
19:00 PDT	Hayes  26' Mandjou  43' McManus  61'	Report	Ianni  5' Levesque  1' King  26' Nyassi  59' Riley  93+'	Stadium: PGE Park Attendance: 16,382 Referee: Yeder Reyes

July 7, 2009 Quarterfinals	Seattle Sounders FC	1–0	Kansas City Wizards	Tukwila, Washington USA
19:00 PDT	Montero  79' Le Toux  89' (pen.)	Report	Hirsig  76'  92+'	Stadium: Starfire Sports Complex Attendance: 4,352 Referee: Abiodun Okulaja

July 21, 2009 Semifinals	Seattle Sounders FC	2–1 (a.e.t.)	Houston Dynamo	Tukwila, Washington USA
19:00 PDT	Jaqua  62' Hurtado  67'  110' Marshall  80' Jaqua  89' King  95'	Report	James  30' Boswell  30' Akinbiyi  32' Davis  43' Mullan  70' Chabala  90'	Stadium: Starfire Sports Complex Attendance: 4,895 Referee: Edvin Jurisevic

September 2, 2009 Final	D. C. United	1–2	Seattle Sounders FC	Washington, D.C. USA
19:30 EDT	Wicks  69' Simms  89'	Report	Ianni  25' Gonzalez  49' Montero  67' Vagenas  79' Levesque  86'	Stadium: RFK Stadium Attendance: 17,329 Referee: Alex Prus

Friendlies

July 18, 2009	Seattle Sounders FC	0–2	Chelsea	Seattle, Washington USA
		Report	Sturridge  12' Lampard  35'  91+'	Stadium: Qwest Field Attendance: 65,289 Referee: Carlos Vences

August 5, 2009	Seattle Sounders FC	0–4	FC Barcelona	Seattle, Washington USA
	Fucito  83'	Report	Messi  21'  41' Busquets  31' Jeffrén  75' Pedro  89'	Stadium: Qwest Field Attendance: 66,848 Referee: Mark Geiger

Competitions

Standings

Western Conference

Western Conference
Pos	Club	Pts	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD
1	Los Angeles Galaxy	48	30	12	6	12	36	31	+5
2	Houston Dynamo	48	30	13	8	9	39	29	+10
3	Seattle Sounders FC	47	30	12	7	11	38	29	+9
4	Chivas USA	45	30	13	11	6	34	31	+3
5	Real Salt Lake	40	30	11	12	7	43	35	+8
6	Colorado Rapids	40	30	10	10	10	42	38	+4
7	FC Dallas	39	30	11	13	6	50	47	+4
8	San Jose Earthquakes	30	30	7	14	9	36	50	−14

	2009 MLS Cup Playoffs
	2009 MLS Cup Playoffs (Wild Card)

Overall

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	D	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Columbus Crew (SS, E1)	30	13	7	10	41	31	+10	49	2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage ^2
2	LA Galaxy (W1)	30	12	6	12	36	31	+5	48	2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round ^2
3	Houston Dynamo	30	13	8	9	39	29	+10	48	2010 North American SuperLiga ^3
4	Seattle Sounders FC	30	12	7	11	38	29	+9	47	2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round ^2
5	Chicago Fire	30	11	7	12	39	34	+5	45	2010 North American SuperLiga ^3
6	Chivas USA	30	13	11	6	34	31	+3	45
7	New England Revolution	30	11	10	9	33	37	−4	42
8	Real Salt Lake	30	11	12	7	43	35	+8	40	2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage ^2
9	Colorado Rapids	30	10	10	10	42	38	+4	40
10	D.C. United	30	9	8	13	43	44	−1	40
11	FC Dallas	30	11	13	6	50	47	+3	39
12	Toronto FC	30	10	11	9	37	46	−9	39	2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round ^1
13	Kansas City Wizards	30	8	13	9	33	42	−9	33
14	San Jose Earthquakes	30	7	14	9	36	50	−14	30
15	New York Red Bulls	30	5	19	6	27	47	−20	21

Source:

(SS) = Supporters Shield winner; (E1) = Eastern Conference champion; (W1) = Western Conference champion

• ^Note 1 - Toronto FC cannot qualify for the U.S. Open Cup, as it is a Canadian-based team. If they qualify for an automatic berth into the U.S. Open Cup, the next highest placed team not already qualified will be given a berth. Similarly, they cannot qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League through MLS. Rather, they can qualify through the Canadian Soccer Championship. If they qualify for the Champions League through MLS, then the highest placed team not already qualified will qualify.
• ^Note 2 - The winner of the 2009 MLS Supporters' Shield (Columbus Crew) and the winner of MLS Cup 2009 (Real Salt Lake) qualified for the 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage. The runner-up of MLS Cup 2009 (Los Angeles Galaxy) and the winner of the 2009 U.S. Open Cup (Seattle Sounders) qualified for the 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round.
• ^Note 3 - SuperLiga 2010 berths are awarded to the top 4 finishing teams from MLS who do not qualify for Champions League (Houston, Chicago, Chivas USA and New England).

Summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	Pts	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD
30	47	12	7	11	38	29	+9	7	2	6	21	10	+11	5	5	5	17	19	−2

Last updated: October 24, 2009
Source: MLSNet.com
Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30
Ground	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	H	H	A	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	A	H
Result	W	W	W	L	L	W	T	T	T	T	T	L	W	T	T	W	W	T	L	L	W	L	T	T	W	T	L	W	W	W
Conference	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	3	3	3	3	3	3	2	2	2	4	2	3	4	3	3	3	5	4	4	3
Overall	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	3	4	5	5	4	4	3	2	3	4	6	4	5	6	5	5	5	6	5	5	4

Updated to match(es) played on October 25, 2009. Source: MLS Results
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; L = Loss; T = Tie

Squad

Statistics are from all MLS matches. Ages are as of March 19, 2009 (the date of their season opener).

Source: MLSNet.com Sounders FC Stats. Last updated: October 4, 2009.

Nat	No	Player	Age	Pos	Starts	Apps	G	A			Acquired
USA	2	Mike Fucito	March 29, 1985 (aged 23)	FW	0	0	0	0	0	0	SuperDraft
USA	3	Brad Evans	April 20, 1985 (aged 23)	MF	23	25	2	2	4	0	Expansion Draft
USA	4	Patrick Ianni	June 15, 1985 (aged 23)	DF	10	17	1	2	3	0	Trade
USA	5	Tyson Wahl	February 23, 1984 (aged 25)	DF	9	11	0	0	1	0	Expansion Draft
CUB	6	Osvaldo Alonso	November 11, 1985 (aged 23)	MF	24	25	1	3	4	0	Signed
USA	7	James Riley	October 27, 1982 (aged 26)	DF	26	26	0	4	3	2	Expansion Draft
USA	8	Peter Vagenas	February 6, 1978 (aged 31)	MF	8	13	0	2	3	0	Expansion Draft
FRA	9	Sébastien Le Toux	January 20, 1984 (aged 25)	FW	15	26	1	3	0	0	Signed from USL Sounders
SWE	10	Freddie Ljungberg	April 16, 1977 (aged 31)	MF	19	20	2	5	6	1	Signed Designated Player
COD	11	Steve Zakuani	February 9, 1988 (aged 21)	FW	22	27	4	4	1	0	SuperDraft
USA	12	Nathan Sturgis	July 6, 1987 (aged 21)	DF	5	9	0	0	0	0	Expansion Draft
JAM	14	Tyrone Marshall	November 12, 1974 (aged 34)	DF	23	24	1	1	6	2	Trade
USA	15	Stephen King	March 6, 1986 (aged 23)	MF	3	10	0	0	0	0	Expansion Draft
USA	16	Evan Brown	May 1, 1987 (aged 21)	DF	0	0	0	0	0	0	SuperDraft
COL	17	Fredy Montero	July 26, 1987 (aged 21)	FW	25	25	12	6	5	1	Signed On Loan
USA	18	Kasey Keller	November 29, 1969 (aged 39)	GK	27	27	0	0	0	1	Signed
CRC	19	Leonardo González	November 21, 1980 (aged 28)	DF	9	9	0	0	1	0	Signed
USA	20	Zach Scott	July 2, 1980 (aged 28)	DF	6	9	0	0	2	0	Signed from USL Sounders
USA	21	Nate Jaqua	October 28, 1981 (aged 27)	FW	25	26	7	7	6	1	Expansion Draft
GAM	23	Sanna Nyassi	January 31, 1989 (aged 20)	MF	2	14	0	0	2	0	Signed
USA	24	Roger Levesque	January 22, 1981 (aged 28)	FW	2	12	1	0	1	0	Signed from USL Sounders
Puerto Rico	26	Taylor Graham	June 3, 1980 (aged 28)	DF	0	0	0	0	0	0	Signed from USL Sounders
COL	34	Jhon Kennedy Hurtado	May 16, 1984 (aged 24)	DF	24	25	1	1	8	0	Signed
							33	40	56	8

Goalkeepers

Nat	No	Player	Age	Starts	Apps	GA	GAA	CS	Acquired
USA	1	Chris Eylander	March 14, 1984	1	1	2	2	0	Signed from USL Sounders
USA	18	Kasey Keller	November 29, 1969	27	27	23	0.87	10	Signed
USA	22	Ben Dragavon	December 31, 1983	0	1	1	1.53	0	MLS goalkeeper pool[84]
PUR	28	Terry Boss	September 1, 1981	0	0	0	0	0	Signed
						26	0.93	10

Transfers

In

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 19 FW  USA Kevin Forrest (from Colorado Rapids, Free[43]) 27 MF  USA Lamar Neagle (Free[56])

No. Pos. Nation Player 28 GK  PUR Terry Boss (Free) 19 DF  CRC Leonardo González (from Liberia Mia, Free[62])

Out

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF  USA Jeff Parke (to Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Free[23])

No. Pos. Nation Player 19 FW  USA Kevin Forrest (Released on waivers) 13 FW  NZL Jarrod Smith (Released on waivers)

Recognition

MLS All-Stars

• Kasey Keller – GK – First XI
• Freddie Ljungberg – MF – First XI
• Jhon Kennedy Hurtado – DF – Coach's selection
• Fredy Montero – FW – Coach's selection

U.S. Open Cup

• Sebastian Le Toux – Player of the Round (Semifinals)[85]
• Fredy Montero – Player of the Round (Final)[86]
• Kasey Keller – Player of the Tournament[87]

MLS Player of the Week

• Fredy Montero – Week 1 – 2 G (12', 75') GWG, 1 A (25')
• Kasey Keller – Week 2 – SHO, 5 SVS
• Nate Jaqua – Week 15 – A (23') GWA, 2 G (48', 68')

MLS Player of the Month

• Fredy Montero – March – 3 G, 1 A, Sounders 2–0–0 in March

MLS Goal of the Week

• Fredy Montero – Week 1 – 12'
• Fredy Montero – Week 2 – 77'
• Nate Jaqua – Week 11 – 58'
• Nate Jaqua – Week 15 – 48'
• Patrick Ianni – Week 17 – 46'
• Steve Zakuani – Week 22 – 22'
• Nate Jaqua – Week 23 – 70'

MLS Save of the Week

• Kasey Keller – Week 10 – 34'
• Kasey Keller – Week 21 – 47'
• Tyrone Marshall – Week 29 – 70'

Golden scarf recipients

Before each home game, Sounders FC honors a member of the community or special guest with a Golden Scarf.

Date	Opponent	Recipient	Notes
March 19, 2009	New York Red Bulls	Don Garber[88]	MLS Commissioner
March 28, 2009	Real Salt Lake	Jimmy Gabriel[89]	NASL Sounders legend
April 11, 2009	Kansas City Wizards	Robbie Bach[90]	Microsoft executive
April 24, 2009	San Jose Earthquakes	Jimmy McAlister[91]	NASL Sounders legend
May 10, 2009	Los Angeles Galaxy	Meredith Teague	2009 NCAA Div II soccer National Player of the Year
May 31, 2009	Columbus Crew	Jim Mora[92]	Seahawks head coach
June 13, 2009	San Jose Earthquakes	Fred Mendoza[93]	Seattle Public Stadium Authority (Qwest Field) chairman
June 17, 2009	D.C. United	Sue Bird & Swin Cash[94]	WNBA Seattle Storm team
June 28, 2009	Colorado Rapids	Lorenzo Romar[95]	UW Men's Basketball coach
July 11, 2009	Houston Dynamo	Doug Andreassen	Washington Youth Soccer President
July 18, 2009	Chelsea	Dale Chihuly[96]	Glass artist, creator of the sculpture presented to friendly opponents
July 25, 2009	Chicago Fire	Mike Ryan[97]	First U.S. women's national soccer team coach
August 5, 2009	FC Barcelona	Bill Russell[98]	NBA Hall of Famer and Seattle resident
August 20, 2009	New England Revolution	John Nordstrom[99]	NASL Sounders co-founder
August 29, 2009	Toronto FC	Michelle Akers[100]	Former US Women's National Team striker
September 19, 2009	Chivas USA	Alan Hinton[101]	Former coach of NASL Sounders

References

1. "FC Barcelona – Seattle Sounders Football Club". Archived from the original on June 29, 2009. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
2. "Sounders FC set all-time attendance mark" (Press release). MLSNet.com. October 25, 2009. Archived from the original on January 19, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2009.
3. "It's official: Seattle to get MLS team in 2009". The Seattle Times. November 14, 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2009.
4. Massey, Matt (May 10, 2008). "USL Sounders to make Starfire their home base". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on June 18, 2008. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
5. Shawn, Mitchell (December 11, 2008). "Crew: Separation anxiety". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
6. Washburn, Gary (December 15, 2008). "Sounders to introduce Coach Sigi Schmid Tuesday". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
7. Romero, José Miguel (December 16, 2008). "Sigi Schmid becomes Sounders FC's first coach". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved December 16, 2008.
8. "Schmid Names Schmetzer As First Assistant Coach" (Press release). Seattle Sounders FC. December 22, 2008. Archived from the original on January 16, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
9. "Tom Dutra Named Goalkeeper Coach" (Press release). Seattle Sounders FC. December 29, 2008. Archived from the original on January 16, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
10. Romero, Jose (January 20, 2009). "It's official: Ezra Hendrickson is in". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on April 30, 2009. Retrieved May 25, 2009.
11. Romero, José Miguel (January 24, 2008). "Henderson named technical director for Seattle's MLS team". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 30, 2009.
12. "Longtime Seahawks VP moves to MLS team". Puget Sound Business Journal. March 24, 2008. Retrieved March 30, 2008.
13. Gaschk, Matthew (May 16, 2008). "Sounders FC owner caters to fans". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved May 19, 2008.
14. Romero, José Miguel (January 19, 2008). "Sounders scouting players with MLS potential". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on March 27, 2009. Retrieved January 30, 2008.
15. Gaschk, Matthew (May 7, 2008). "Present and future Sounders". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved October 12, 2009.
16. Gaschk, Matthew (August 13, 2008). "Keller to join Sounders FC, adding to club's local flavor". Seattle Post Intelligencer. Retrieved October 12, 2009.
17. "Gambia Youth International Becomes 3rd Signee". Seattle Sounders FC. September 5, 2008. Retrieved October 12, 2009.
18. "Sounders sign Freddie Ljungberg". Major League Soccer. October 28, 2008. Archived from the original on November 1, 2008. Retrieved November 4, 2008.
19. Goff, Steven (November 26, 2008). "Seattle Selects..." The Washington Post. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
20. "SuperDraft 2009 Tracker". Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on February 20, 2009. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
21. Romero, Jose (January 28, 2009). "Stuck in Parke". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
22. Romero, Jose (March 23, 2009). "Jeff Parke finally comes home to Sounders FC". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on April 27, 2009. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
23. Galarcep, Ives (March 27, 2009). "Parke leaves Seattle, will train with Vancouver as Sounders shop his rights". SoccerByIves.net. Archived from the original on April 30, 2009. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
24. Romero, Jose (January 27, 2009). "Sounders trade for Patrick Ianni". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on May 3, 2009. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
25. Romero, Jose (February 10, 2009). "Looking inside the Marshall trade". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on May 5, 2009. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
26. Romero, Jose (February 13, 2009). "Sounders FC trades Khano Smith to New York". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on April 19, 2009. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
27. Romero, José Miguel (January 28, 2009). "Sounders FC signs Alonso, releases exhibition schedule". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
28. Romero, José Miguel (February 9, 2009). "Sounders FC beats Galaxy in exhibition". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
29. Gaschk, Matt (February 10, 2009). "Sounders FC defeats Chinese Champs". Seattle Sounders FC. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
30. Romero, José Miguel (February 11, 2009). "SSFC 6, VC Fusion 1". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 24, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
31. Romero, José Miguel (February 14, 2009). "Final game report vs. San Jose". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 24, 2009. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
32. Gaschk, Matt (February 20, 2009). "Seattle downs Pilots, 4–1". Seattle Sounders FC. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
33. Gaschk, Matt (February 22, 2009). "Jaqua scores two in 4–0 victory over Whitecaps". Seattle Sounders FC. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
34. Romero, José Miguel (February 27, 2009). "Sounders FC moves to 6–1 in exhibition season". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on May 3, 2009. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
35. Romero, José Miguel (February 28, 2009). "First tie of the preseason". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on March 2, 2009. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
36. Romero, José Miguel (March 3, 2009). "SSFC moves to 7–1–1". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on May 25, 2009. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
37. Romero, José Miguel (March 4, 2009). "Sounders FC v. Gimnasia La Plata rained out". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 24, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
38. Romero, José Miguel (March 5, 2009). "River Plate 1, Sounders FC 0". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 24, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
39. Romero, José Miguel (March 10, 2009). "Freddie Ljungberg likely to miss opener and possibly more". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
40. Romero, José Miguel (March 12, 2009). "Rapids 1, Sounders FC 0". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on May 23, 2009. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
41. Sounders FC Public Relations (March 2, 2009). "Sounders FC Sells Out Home Opener". Seattle Sounders FC. Archived from the original on March 5, 2009. Retrieved March 3, 2009.
42. Gaschk, Matt (March 19, 2009). "Sounders FC win inaugural game". Seattle Sounders FC. Archived from the original on April 6, 2010. Retrieved April 11, 2010.
43. "Sounders FC Signs Kevin Forrest". SoundersFC.com. March 24, 2009. Archived from the original on March 27, 2009. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
44. Romero, José (March 29, 2009). "Sounders FC one of only two perfect teams in MLS". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 11, 2010.
45. Gaschk, Matt (March 28, 2009). "Seattle blanks Real Salt Lake". Seattle Sounders FC. Retrieved April 11, 2010.
46. "Seattle's Montero wins Player of Week". Major League Soccer. January 23, 2010. Retrieved April 11, 2010.
47. "Seattle's Keller is Week 2 Player of Week". Major League Soccer. January 23, 2010. Retrieved April 11, 2010.
48. "Forward Montero earns Player of Month". Major League Soccer. January 23, 2010. Retrieved April 11, 2010.
49. "Agent defends Sounders FC soccer star Fredy Montero". The Seattle Times. April 6, 2009. Archived from the original on October 13, 2010. Retrieved February 16, 2010.
50. Romero, José Miguel (April 27, 2009). "Sigi Schmid quotes, 4–27–09". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 24, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2009.
51. Johns, Greg (May 27, 2009). "Colorado coach miffed at Sounders' playing facility". SeattlePI.com. Archived from the original on May 31, 2009. Retrieved July 5, 2009.
52. McDill, Kent (May 3, 2009). "Fire settle for draw with Sounders FC". MLSNet.com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2009. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
53. Romero, José Miguel (May 11, 2009). "Sounders FC sees red in rough 1–1 draw with L.A. Galaxy". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on May 13, 2009. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
54. Romero, Jose (May 31, 2009). "Sounders FC misses chances, finishes with fifth straight draw". The Seattle Times.
55. Romero, José Miguel (May 30, 2009). "Sounders FC misses chances, finishes with fifth straight draw". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on August 14, 2009. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
56. "Sounders FC signs local product Lamar Neagle". SoundersFC.com. June 10, 2009. Archived from the original on June 12, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
57. Johns, Greg (June 18, 2009). "Sounders angered by 3–3 draw with D.C. United". The Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
58. "Seattle 3–0 Colorado: Jaqua and Montero star". ESPN. Retrieved October 15, 2009.
59. Romero, José Miguel (July 2, 2009). "Sounders FC cuts down Portland 2–1 in spirited battle of Northwest rivals". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on July 4, 2009. Retrieved July 5, 2009.
60. "Timbers-Sounders matchup: a 'fight for every ball'". The Oregonian. June 29, 2009.
61. Romero, José Miguel (July 8, 2009). "Sounders FC earns 1–0 victory over Kansas City Wizards in Open Cup". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on July 11, 2009. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
62. Jose, Romero (July 3, 2009). "Sounders FC signs Costa Rican defender Leonardo Gonzalez". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on July 4, 2009.
63. "Seattle 2–1 Houston: Ianni's dramatic winner". ESPN. Retrieved October 15, 2009.
64. Romero, José Miguel (July 21, 2009). "Sounders beat Dynamo in Open Cup semis, 2–1". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
65. Gaschk, Matt (July 19, 2009). "65,000 watch Chelsea FC top Sounders FC 2–0". Seattle Sounders FC. Archived from the original on July 6, 2009. Retrieved July 19, 2009.
66. Romero, Jose (July 26, 2009). "Sounders FC plays the Chicago Fire to a scoreless tie". The Seattle Times.
67. "Earthquakes beat Sounders to snap winless streak". Fox News. May 16, 2008. Retrieved October 15, 2009.
68. Gashk, Matt. "Seattle Falls To San Jose". Sounders FC. Retrieved October 15, 2009.
69. Don, Ruiz (August 7, 2009). "For Sounders, this year's friendlies may be difficult to top". The News Tribune. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
70. Gustavson, Jennifer (August 8, 2009). "Sounders FC shut out again". The Seattle Times.
71. Romero, Jose (August 15, 2009). "Sounders F.C. ends slump with win over Los Angeles". The Seattle Times.
72. Romero, Jose (August 21, 2009). "Sounders FC's Freddie Ljungberg diagnosis: low blood sugar". The Seattle Times.
73. Romero, José Miguel (August 31, 2009). "U.S. Open Cup has been battle, and that's just on final site". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on September 4, 2009. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
74. Ruiz, Don (July 22, 2009). "Hanauer defends Sounders' failed Open Cup bid". The News Tribune. Archived from the original on September 17, 2009. Retrieved September 11, 2009.
75. Steve, Goff (July 23, 2009). "Payne Responds to Sounders". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2009.
76. Romero, Jose (August 31, 2009). "U.S. Open Cup has been battle, and that's just on final site". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on September 4, 2009. Retrieved September 11, 2009.
77. Romero, José Miguel (September 2, 2009). "Sounders FC win U.S. Open Cup". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
78. "USA Major League Soccer – Attendance – 2009". ESPN Soccernet. Retrieved February 16, 2010.
79. Winner, Andrew (October 25, 2009). "Home crowd gives Sounders FC big boost". Major League Soccer. Retrieved April 11, 2010.
80. Brewer, Jerry (December 30, 2009). "Fanatomy | Part 5: Record-setting first season puts Sounders FC fans on world's soccer map". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on January 5, 2010. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
81. Romero, José Miguel (November 4, 2009). "Success story: Sounders FC has been winner on and off the field in first season". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
82. Erb, George (December 2, 2009). "Leiweke named PSBJ Executive of the Year". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
83. Romero, José Miguel (October 9, 2009). "Kevin Forrest gets medal from Sounders FC". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on October 13, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
84. Johns, Greg (April 13, 2009). "Keller's backup ready to step up for Sounders". SeattlePI.com. Retrieved April 29, 2009.
85. Hakala, Josh (August 24, 2009). "Sounders' Le Toux lauded as Player of the Round". TheCup.us. Archived from the original on November 7, 2009. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
86. Hakala, Josh (September 14, 2009). "Kasey Keller named TheCup.us Player of the Tournament, Fredy Montero MVP of Final". Archived from the original on October 26, 2009. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
87. Gaschk, Matt (September 8, 2009). "Keller is Player of the Tournament=". SoundersFC.com. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
88. Romero, José Miguel (March 24, 2009). "Sounders FC fans' passion bowls over commissioner". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on April 30, 2009. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
89. Romero, Jose (April 25, 2009). "Sounders FC vs. SJ Quakes game thread". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on March 30, 2009. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
90. Ruiz, Don (April 13, 2009). "Wizards 1, Sounders 0: Postgame discussion". TheNewsTribune.com. Archived from the original on April 14, 2009. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
91. Romero, Jose (March 28, 2009). "Game thread, Sounders FC-Real Salt Lake". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
92. Romero, Jose (May 31, 2009). "Golden Scarf presentation". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on June 30, 2009. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
93. Romero, Jose (June 13, 2009). "Lineups lineups, tonight's lineups". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on June 17, 2009. Retrieved June 13, 2009.
94. Edelman, Byron (June 18, 2009). "Golden Scarf awarded to Bird and Cash". SeattlePI.com. Archived from the original on June 24, 2009. Retrieved June 18, 2009.
95. Ruiz, Don (June 28, 2009). "Romar receives Sounders' Golden Scarf". The News Tribune. Retrieved July 4, 2009.
96. Romero, Jose (July 18, 2009). "Game thread, Sounders FC vs. Chelsea". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved July 18, 2009.
97. Romero, Jose (July 25, 2009). "The banners at Qwest". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 1, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
98. Romero, Jose (August 5, 2009). "Sounders FC-FC Barcelona game thread". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on August 8, 2009. Retrieved August 8, 2009.
99. Romero, Jose (August 20, 2009). "Game thread, Sounders FC vs. Revs". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
100. Ruiz, Don (August 29, 2009). "Portgame discussion: Sounders 0, Toronto 0". The News Tribune. Archived from the original on January 11, 2010. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
101. Romero, Jose (September 19, 2009). "Honoring the Sounders past, and celebrating the Cup". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved September 20, 2009.