http://SounderCentral.com Fan talk & Recent Samba Press Links: http://soundercentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=16518#16518 Venue: http://www.starfiresports.com/main_photos/galleries.asp
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2005/June/28/sport/stories/01sport.htm Note: Seattle did NOT beat the Bosnian National team 3-0. Rather, they beat a team of local Bosnian's from the Seattle area, 3-0.
LOL, I love the guys from Salinas, but they sometimes get caught up in the hype and the facts get a little twisted. Not intentional, I'm sure. Supposedly the game radio broadcast will be available via the radio station's internet connection. True?
The match will NOT be broadcast via the Sounders radio/internet feed. It's not going to be on radio at all, not a part of the season "package." I'll be back from the match about an hour after it ends. (PK's again, anyone?) Perhaps someone else will jump on the forums at http://SounderCentral.com before I get home and will post the score...
We'll be posting updates at usopencup.com for all the second round matches, including the Sounders-Samba match.
Seattle Times match preview: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sounders/2002351254_sounders29.html Seattle P-I: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/othersports/230443_soundbox29.html
I would like to hear feedback from Sounders fans who go to the game about some of the Salinas players individually, i.e. do any of them show enough talent (in your opinion) to possibly make it onto Seattle's roster as some point in the future (or another A-League team)? Or a reserve/extended roster for an A-League team? Bear in mind some guys are still in college and thus still potentially developing their more advanced skills, while others have been out for one or more years.
I can already tell you about one of them: Mark Hogenhout. He's a UW alum who tried out with the Sounders this spring (see photos below). I was impressed with Mark. He's solidly-built but still can move. He was wide open on the wing several times in the match I saw, and I wish he'd received the ball more in those situations so we could get an idea on whether or not he can finish. Mark was cut about two weeks before the season started. The two shots below are from a Sounders scrimmage in April v. U. Washington. Mark played the first half. (Green, #13) My guess would be that he'll have to convince a coach with his work ethic to get a shot in the USL-1. He should consider a PDL club like Cascade, Spokane or Yakima...simply because they get more scouting by Seattle, Vancouver and Portland (USL-1 clubs.) Perhaps tonight is his chance to impress the Sounders one last time? I'll keep my eyes open for you.
It's too bad all the USL-2 clubs are on the east coast. If some were out here, I could definitely see a number of NPSL players making rosters on that level of club, and then a few of them potentially impressing and stepping up to USL-1 from there.
From the "Feuerstein's Fire" section of US Open Cup .com Good luck to both Salinas Valley & Seattle. Thank you again to the Samba linking my new article to their web site again.
Seattle-3 Salinas Valley-1, Final. I'll have much more at http://SounderCentral.com on Thursday, including a gallery. Samba led 1-0 until around the 60th minute. After the match the guys from Cali were pure class, applauding the Seattle supporters. We responded with chanting "Salinas Samba" back to them. Everyone realised Seattle has just barely escaped.
SounderCentral.com link to reports & gallery: US OPEN CUP: Sounders Silence Samba 3-1 Will be updated with more links as they are published to the net Thursday...
Samba should be proud. They outperformed and/or outlasted all the other USASA clubs and five of eight PDL clubs. Of the three other PDL clubs, Des Moines stands out as the highest achiever, beating two professional sides, including one USL-1 side, albeit both wins at home. PDL's Ocean City did very well, but were at home this round against a USL-2 side which is in the bottom half of its league's standings (and apparently self-destructed with two red cards). Chicago Fire Premier never led in its loss to Minnesota, whereas Samba led for fourteen minutes in the second half and were never behind until the 75th minute, plus kept it a one-goal game for the next fifteen minutes until Seattle scored its third goal in the final 30 seconds of stoppage time. Winning two games in PK's on the road and playing the USL-1 Sounders tightly for 90+ minutes also on the road earns the Samba the title of the 2005 U.S. Open Cup's "road warriors." At least until some other team surpasses their road achievements.