All season, Sounders FC has been honoring the 40th Anniversary of the launch of pro soccer in Seattle and celebrating the players and teams that have worn the crest across the three different eras of the NASL, A-League/USL and MLS.
On October 10 when Sounders FC meets Vancouver Whitecaps FC at CenturyLink Field, it will mark the club’s biggest celebration of that history when the club honors the All-Time Best XI and hosts an Alumni Match prior to the main event when the Cascadia Cup is on the line.
Sounders greats like Jimmy McAllister, Pepe Fernandez, Scott Jenkins, Chance Fry, Darren Sawatzky and Kevin Sakuda are all scheduled to take part in the match which will kick off at 4 pm at CenturyLink Field.
Fans are encouraged to arrive early for the Alumni Match, with the NW Gate opening prior to the exhibition. Fans will be asked to sit in the east bowl and after the match, they can stay in the stadium or scan out and return later for the MLS clash, scheduled for a 7 pm start.
MONTERO NEARLY SCORES IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
On Tuesday, former Sounder Fredy Montero made his second appearance in the UEFA Champions League as a late substitute for Sporting Lisbon in a 1-0 loss at home against Chelsea. The Portuguese club was vying for an equalizer when Montero came on in the 81st minute. He managed a header in stoppage time that missed just wide for his only shot of the match as Sporting dropped its first match in the group stage.
Sporting will face Schalke 04 on October 21 in its next Champions League affair. Montero came on as a stoppage-time sub in the first match of the group, a 1-1 draw against Maribor in Slovenia.
Montero has started in two of his five appearances for Sporting this season after finishing the 2013-2014 season as the club’s leading scorer with 13 goals.
INJURY REPORT
Three regular Sounders FC starters missed Saturday’s match with Chivas USA due to injury and Sounders FC Head Coach Sigi Schmid has since given updates on the health of his squad. Zach Scott, Leo Gonzalez and Gonzalo Pineda all were making progress toward a return to the field and could be available as soon as Sunday against the Colorado Rapids.
Scott suffered a bone contusion against FC Dallas last week in his 300th career match with the Sounders across all competitions dating back to his debut with the A-League club in 2002. Schmid wouldn’t rule him out of Sunday’s match, saying that if he continues to make the rapid progress he has seen since suffering the injury last Wednesday, he could be available for the match at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
Pineda suffered an ankle injury against the New York Red Bulls and also showed positive progress this week while Gonzalez missed Saturday’s match with a slight hamstring strain and is easing his way back into training.
