Sounders
A-League Championship: Seattle Sounders at Montreal Impact

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When: Today (Saturday, Sept. 18), 4 p.m. PT

Where: Claude Robillard Stadium (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)

Radio/Internet: KKNW 1150 AM / www.newschannel1150.com, broadcast begins 15 minutes before kickoff with announcer Thom Beuning.

TV: Fox Sports World.

Sounders: 18-12-5 overall, No. 4 seed into playoffs from seven-team Western Conference;

Montreal Impact: 20-6-6 overall, No. 1 seed in Eastern Conference.

Probable starting lineups: Sounders (4-4-1-1) — GK — Preston Burpo; Ds — Marco Velez, Danny Jackson, Ryan Edwards, Zach Scott; MFs — Billy Sleeth, Jason Farrell, Kevin Sakuda, Ben Somoza; Fs — Jonathan Bolanos, Roger Levesque (up front). OR Sounders (4-4-2) — GK — Preston Burpo; Ds — Danny Jackson, Ryan Edwards, Zach Scott, Billy Sleeth; MFs — Jason Farrell, Kevin Sakuda, Ben Somoza, Jonathan Bolanos; Fs — Darren Sawatzky, Roger Levesque.

Impact (4-4-2) — GK — Greg Sutton; Ds — Mauricio Vincello, Nevio Pizzolitto, Gabriel Gervais, Adam Braz. MFs — Mauro Biello, Jose Gomes-Santana, Sandro Grande, Patrick Leduc. Fs — Joel Bailey, Eduardo Sebrango-Rodriguez.

Notes: The two finalists have never met in the A-League playoffs. The Sounders last made the A-League championship when winning back-to-back titles in 1995 and '96. The Impact won the league's bid to host as the second choice behind Vancouver, but the Sounders eliminated the Whitecaps in the Western Conference finals 2-1 in aggregate goals. The two franchises last met on Aug. 12, 2001 with Montreal emerging with a 2-1 home victory in double overtime.

Current Impact midfielder Mauro Biello tallied the game-winning goal in the 108th minute and added an assist earlier in the match. Biello is the club's all-time leading scorer on 57 goals and 57 assists for 171 points in 12 seasons. The Sounders lead the all-time A-League series with Montreal 11-3-1 since joining the league in 1994. In their second season in the A-League, the Impact captured the 1994 league crown with a 1-0 triumph over the Colorado Foxes. Montreal finished first in its division or conference five times, including this season. The other regular-season titles came in 2003, 1997, 1996 and 1995.
 
Seattle has won division or conference titles in 2003, 2002, 2000 and 1994. Montreal places five players on the 2004 A-League all-star teams, including first-team Biello. Seattle didn't place a single player on the all-league squads, but D Danny Jackson, GK Preston Burpo and F Welton could be considered glaring omissions. The Sounders are led in scoring by Fs Welton and Roger Levesque with 24 points. Welton finished the season with a team-best 12 goals, but won't play in the championship after being hit with a pair of yellow cards in Sunday's Game 2 of the Western Conference finals. The Sounders appealed to the league office to overturn Welton's second yellow, which was issued in the 72nd minute for delay, but were denied on Wednesday.

Sounders GM Adrian Hanauer contends that the referee Tiger Liu was quick draw the card amidst a confusing situation. Hanauer said the Sounders initially submitted a substitution card with MF Chad Brown entering for Welton, but the Sounders bench noticed MF Jason Farrell hurt and wanted to sub him out instead of Welton. Levesque, on loan from the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer (MLS), has tallied nine goals and six assists. The Impact comes in 10-2-4 at home in 2004. Seattle enters 6-8-2 on the road in 2004. Montreal is led in scoring by F Eduardo Sebrango-Rodriguez with 24 points on 10 goals and four assists. F Frederick Commodore sparks the Impact off the bench with 10 goals and one assist for 21 points.

— Matt Massey