SB Nation Seattle - Seattle Sounders vs. Sporting Kansas City: Chippy, Physical Match Ends 1-1https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48997/seattle-fave.png2012-06-20T21:53:57-07:00http://seattle.sbnation.com/rss/stream/28688832012-06-20T21:53:57-07:002012-06-20T21:53:57-07:00Sounders Get A Point From Chippy Game Against Sporting Kansas City
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<p>All of the scoring was out of the way early on in this one, with Jacob Peterson's 8th-minute deflected shot cancelled out seven minutes later by Patrick Ianni's stunning scissored volley. From there on out it was a war of attrition, with the Sounders crafting the better chances but Sporting KC equal to the challenge with some excellent last-ditch defending and both sides mixing things up with some very physical play. The culmination came with the sending off of Alvaro Fernandez in the 91st minute, and the red card was well deserved; the Sounders Designated Player went into a retaliatory two-footed scissor challenge that was all but short of a dare to referee Jair Marrufo. </p>
<p>While Fernandez's actions are inexcusable, it's far from a surprise that things came to such a head. Marrufo lost control of the game very early on, and that was plainly evident in the physicality of the play from both sides. It's unfortunate how often MLS games devolve into discussions about the officiating, but it's far too often impossible to ignore the contributions made by the referees. Seattle and Kansas City are, on their day, two of the league's most exciting teams. Having the match devolve into something resembling a a street fight serves no one.</p>
<p>The officiating and loss of Fernandez for Sunday's game against Portland (and likely more) aside, this was an encouraging performance for the Sounders. A month ago, this would have felt like a strong performance that was wasted due to points having been left on the table. After the team's recent struggles, putting in a solid performance against one of the league's best teams felt almost like a win. That's not, ultimately, where a team of Seattle's quality wants to be. But it is at the very least a step in the right direction. </p>
https://seattle.sbnation.com/seattle-sounders/2012/6/20/3105090/sounders-get-a-point-from-chippy-game-against-sporting-kansas-cityAaron Campeau2012-06-20T19:47:55-07:002012-06-20T19:47:55-07:00VIDEO: Sounders Defender Patrick Ianni Scores A Golazo
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.sounderatheart.com/">Seattle Sounders</a> are in need of something special right now. Mired in a five game winless streak and trailing 1-0 to <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thebluetestament.com/">Sporting Kansas City</a> in the early going, they got just that from a somewhat unlikely source. Ianni got onto the end of a free kick from <span>Mauro Rosales</span> and leveled the terms with a stunning scissored volley. </p>
<p>Feel free to allow your jaw to drop from a mix of awe and confusion when you see the video after the jump. </p>
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https://seattle.sbnation.com/seattle-sounders/2012/6/20/3104929/patrick-ianni-golazo-video-seattle-soundersAaron Campeau2012-06-20T19:04:07-07:002012-06-20T19:04:07-07:00Steve Zakuani Returns To The Sounders First-Team Squad
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<p>For the first time since suffering a severe broken leg on April 22nd of 2011, <span>Steve Zakuani</span> will make his return to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.sounderatheart.com/">Seattle Sounders</a> squad after being named to the substitutes bench for tonight's game against <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thebluetestament.com/">Sporting Kansas City</a> by head coach <span>Sigi Schmid</span>. Zakuani's recovery has been mired by complications such as nerve damage and compartment syndrome, and the winger has admitted to struggling mightily with the psychological and emotional side of things; though being named to the substitute's bench is no guarantee that Zakuani will play, it does represent a massive step that's far closer to the end of the process than the beginning.</p>
<p>If Zakuani makes an appearance tonight, it will most likely be as a striker; though his technical skills are a major part of what has in the past made him such a dangerous winger, they are also one of the most difficult things to regain without significant playing time. That's less of a concern if Zakuani is stationed up top as a late-game substitution, and it's also where he played when starting for the reserves last month and has spent most of his time in training. Still, at this point it doesn't matter where he plays or for how long Zakuani is on the pitch; just seeing him back where he belongs will be enough for now.</p>
https://seattle.sbnation.com/seattle-sounders/2012/6/20/3104844/steve-zakuani-seattle-sounders-returns-from-injuryAaron Campeau2012-06-20T08:00:27-07:002012-06-20T08:00:27-07:00Sounders Look To Stop The Bleeding Against Sporting Kansas City
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<p>Winless in five straight MLS games and reeling after an embarrassing 4-1 loss to the Montreal Impact over the weekend, the Sounders will host Eastern Conference powerhouse Sporting KC in a bid to get their season back on track.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.sounderatheart.com/">Seattle Sounders</a> enter Wednesday night's game against Sporting Kansas City mired in one of the worst slumps in the team's history. The Sounders best-ever MLS start has been largely negated, and Seattle now finds itself smack-dab in the middle of the Western Conference standings and eight points adrift of Supporters Shield leaders <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.rslsoapbox.com/">Real Salt Lake</a>. With concerns beginning to mount regarding the team's performance heading into the break, the Sounders performance in a 4-1 drubbing at the hands of a less than stellar <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mountroyalsoccer.com/">Montreal Impact</a> team on Saturday has the alarm bells ringing at full blast. There's not a great deal of agreement about what's causing the problems and what Seattle needs to do in order to correct them, but there's near universal agreement that the Sounders need a result and a strong performance in this game to prevent a slump from becoming a trend.</p>
<p>Unfortunately for Seattle, Sporting Kansas City is not really the best team against which to try and right the ship. There's been no better team in MLS this season, and after a minor blip at the beginning of May KC has gotten back on track and look primed for a serious run at the Supporters Shield. They've gotten to where they are by being one of the league's most well-balanced teams; KC scores goals at a decent clip, keeps the opposition from scoring goals at an even rate and seems to have a knack for turning one point into three. An explosive and young attacking core is backed up by an unassuming but beyond solid back line, and coach <span>Peter Vermes</span> has seemingly made all of the right moves so far this season. While it's true that KC has not been nearly as strong on the road as at home, with a 6-1-0 record at LiveStrong against a 3-2-1 mark away, this is as good a team as the Sounders will face all season.</p>
<p>Despite <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thebluetestament.com/">Sporting Kansas City's</a> undeniable quality, however, there is a very real sense that the Sounders most difficult competition in this game will be themselves. This is not a team that is playing as though they have a great deal of confidence at the moment, and they are desperately in need of that swagger if they are to be at their best. There will be changes made; <span>Osvaldo Alonso</span> will be the most welcome addition as he returns from suspension, while <span>Jhon Kennedy Hurtado</span> will take his place on the naughty list. The best case scenario for Seattle is that <span>Patrick Ianni</span> is fit and ready to slide into central defense by gametime; otherwise <span>Sigi Schmid</span> will have to get very creative while filling out the team sheet. <span>Andrew Weber</span> is rumored to be the new first-choice keeper, with <span>Bryan Meredith's</span> performance having gotten progressively worse and his confidence appearing to be on its last legs. Perhaps most intriguing will be what Schmid chooses to do on the wings; <span>Mauro Rosales</span> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110948/alvaro-fernandez">Alvaro Fernandez</a> are quite clearly not themselves at the moment, and the team may well be better off should Schmid choose to sit one of them. Fernandez seems the more likely of the two to be pulled from the starting XI, but with his struggles seemingly having more to do with form as opposed to Rosales and his struggles to regain full fitness, it's impossible to know for sure.</p>
<p>While it's a bit early to be thinking of games in terms of "make-or-break" it's likely fair to say that will be the most important game the Sounders have played all season. Genuinely good teams sometimes have bad seasons, and when that happens it's typically because they were unable to shake themselves from a sustained funk early in the going. We're still a long way from reaching that point, but each time the Sounders have a poor showing and leavee points on the table it gets a little bit closer and the inclination to panic becomes a little bit more defensible. This team is far too talented and capable to let it get any closer. They're not going to be able to turn things around overnight, but this game would be a pretty excellent place to start.</p>
https://seattle.sbnation.com/seattle-sounders/2012/6/20/3098660/seattle-sounders-sporting-kansas-city-match-previewAaron Campeau