Sounders
Keys to success and Sounders facts

DEAN RUTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES The Sounders begin their second full season at Seahawks Stadium on May 8 after opening at Portland on Saturday.

E-mail this article Print this article Search archive Most e-mailed articles

KEYS TO SUCCESS

1. Can free-agent signee Welton, a two-time MLS All-Star, and Roger Levesque boost the team's scoring punch?

2. Will the Sounders' offensive flow be the same without MF Andrew Gregor, who signed with the Vancouver Whitecaps in the offseason?

3. Will goalkeeper Preston Burpo flourish after missing much of last season with a broken jaw?

4. Will the tough Sounders defense continue to shut teams down?

5. Can the Sounders break through in the playoffs after stumbling short of the A-League title game the past two seasons?

Home field: Seahawks Stadium (8,500 soccer capacity).

SOUNDERS FACTS

League: Plays in A-League's seven-team Western Conference. A-League has 16 total teams, three fewer than 2003.

2003: Finished 16-7-5 in A-League, first in Pacific Division with 53 points. Beat San Jose Earthquakes 1-0 in third round of Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup before losing to reigning MLS champion Los Angeles 5-1. Lost to Minnesota in Western Conference finals 2-0.

TV/Radio: All regular-season games on KKNW (1150 AM), with Thom Beuning calling play-by-play. Home games in Spanish on KXPA (1540 AM), with Noe Menendez and Rene Alleman. Sounders vs. Milwaukee, July 2, on Fox Sports World, 5 p.m.

Tickets: Single games $12-22, season packages $140-$280; six-game packages $66-126. To order, call team office at 206-622-3415 or Ticketmaster at 206-628-0888.

Coaches: Brian Schmetzer, third year as coach. Assistant coaches are Jim Gabriel, Dick McCormick, Bernardo Ruiz, Chuck Granade.

What's new: The Sounders will use both a more defensive 4-4-2 lineup in most games and last year's 3-5-2 formation.

Cascadia Cup: The Sounders, Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers will compete for the inaugural Cascadia Cup, with the 2-foot silver cup given to the team with the best record in games against its Northwest rivals.

Sounders women: The Sounders share home doubleheaders with the Sounders women's team May 15, May 28, July 7, July 17 and July 25.

— Matt Massey