Seattle Sounder Defender James Riley Wins MLS Goal Of The Week

Seattle Sounders right back James Riley won Major League Soccer’s final Goal of the Week with his 11th minute goal in Houston last week. Nate Jaqua fed the ball to Riley, lurking on the outside edge of the penalty area. Riley fired home from distance to score his first goal of the season.

While the Sounders went on to lose 2-1 to the Dynamo in their final match of regular-season play, Riley’s goal at least brought a thrill for Seattle fans. These fans cast their votes in the weekly competition to give the honor to a Sounder for the ninth time this season. All Goal of the Week winners will be eligible to win Goal of the Year, giving Seattle a strong shot at clinching the award.

James Riley, Steve Zakuani, Alvaro Fernandez, Blaise Nkufo, Fredy Montero, Roger Levesque and Leo Gonzalez have all won Goal of the Week, with Montero and Zakuani winning twice.

Seattle Sounders Plan Halloween-Themed Playoff Game

With the first leg of the Sounders 2010 MLS playoff campaign beginning on Halloween, the Seattle Sounders are planning plenty of activities for fans both young and old. Costume contests, giveaways, trick or treating and even a haunted house are all in the cards Sunday at Qwest Field.

In a weekly release, the Sounders detailed the plans for fans in attendance (via The Seattle Times’ Joshua Mayers)

Fans are invited to dress up and participate in a costume contest prior to the “March to the Match”. Judging for the costume contest will begin at 2:45 p.m. at Occidental Park. Fans will vote for their favorite costume with the top award winner receiving a trip for two people to the second leg of the series on November 7 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. The prize includes air, ground transportation, hotel and tickets to the match.

But that’s not all. A soccer-themed haunted house will be constructed in the North Lot at Qwest Field. Fans will a ticket to the game will be granted free entry into the structure filled with ghost and goblins.

For the kids, who may be missing out on some valuable trick or treat time during the game, Samsung mobile will be passing out trick or treat bags. At 4:30 p.m., a 500 participation performance of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” will take place in the North Plaza. Fans are invited to join in on the dance.

All of the Halloween activities are appetizers to the main course, the Sounders playoff game against the Los Angeles Galaxy, on Sunday night. The Sounders and Galaxy kick it off on Halloween night at 5 p.m.

Seattle Sounders Playoff Ticket Update: 34,000 Sold

Qwest Field will be packed and rocking on Halloween night when the Los Angeles Galaxy come to town for the first leg of the first round matchup against the Seattle Sounders. The Sounders, who broke their own attendance record this year, will again pack Qwest to create a raucous environment for yet another big game in the Sounders short MLS history. As of today, 34,000 tickets have been sold to the game, with three days left to top that number.

The Seattle Times' Joshua Mayers posted the update on Twitter with details on ordering tickets.

A nice home field advantage can't hurt against the top-seeded team in the West. The Sounders need to pull out a win before heading to LA to finish off the two leg, aggregate goal matchup. Taking a goal, or more, in the first leg is always pivotal in a series like this.

The Sounders take on the Galaxy this Sunday at 5 p.m.

SBN Seattle Commentary: Sounders Drop The Ball With Season Ticket Renewals

Ahead of this weekend's playoff opener, the Seattle Sounders caused an uproar when season ticket renewal notices were sent out on Monday. Season ticket holders experienced sticker shock at the sight of increased prices after being promised no more than a 3 percent hike.

As a season ticket holder myself, I was not given the renewal price because I've only held tickets for a year and a half. After supporting the Sounders and being loyal to the team, I felt betrayed by both the price increase and the lack of a renewal discount.

I'll still renew my tickets, largely because I love the team and environment surrounding games, but I now harbor resentment towards the front office for their actions this week. As someone who has been loyal to the team from the beginning -- buying tickets as soon as I moved back to Seattle -- I should be treated just as any other season ticket holder that renews their tickets for the 2011 season.

SBN Seattle Feature: Playoffs and Cynical Fandom

In her weekly column, Kirsten Schlewitz took a look at the playoffs and the fear of jinxing the team as they move forward. After all the good feelings heading into last year's playoffs, the Sounders found themselves out in the first round, suffering a heartbreaking loss to the Houston Dynamo in extra time. As Seattle sports fans, we've come to expect the worst, and she captures just that in her feature.

But a cynical person crosses her fingers and toes, doesn't wash her lucky jersey and makes sure to wear her scarf all week. Seattle sports may not exactly inspire hope in a person, no matter how much the odds may be stacked in the Sounders favor, but that's no excuse to not pick up as many lucky pennies as possible.

Seattle Sounders To Face L.A. Galaxy In MLS Playoffs: A Week To Prepare

The L.A. Galaxy have won Major League Soccer's Supporters Shield, the trophy awarded to the team with the best record throughout the season. With their win over FC Dallas, the Galaxy become Seattle's first opponents in the MLS playoff race, welcoming the team to Qwest on Sunday, October 31.

After the match in Seattle, the Sounders will travel to the Home Depot Center for the second half of their two-legged tie with the Galaxy. The winner will be the team that scores the most over both legs, something Seattle fans are quite familiar with. Last season, the Sounders went into the playoffs pitted against the Houston Dynamo. The teams left Seattle goalless and traveled to Houston, where the match remained scoreless in regular time, forcing overtime to be played in front of the Houston crowd. The Dynamo scored, Seattle didn't, and Houston went on to be defeated by the Galaxy.

Should the Sounders beat the Galaxy over both legs, they'll likely meet Real Salt Lake next, at Rio Tinto Stadium in a one-match playoff. Salt Lake and FC Dallas meet on Saturday for their first leg , and odds are that the defending MLS champions will knock Dallas out of the race.

Real Salt Lake may not be a team the Sounders want to face at home, but it's better than getting dumped out of the race in the first round. So, Happy Halloween, everyone! Here's a hint: Don't come dressed as Landon Donovan.