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Seattle soccer fans might have particular interest in the UEFA Champions League Final this Saturday at 11:45 am PT as Chelsea takes on Bayern Munich for all the marbles. Both clubs took winding routes to reach the final - you can find full analysis for Chelsea's surprising surge here and that of Bayern Munich's here - but adding intrigue to the match is the fact that FC Chelsea will be making a visit to the Emerald City this summer for a friendly against the Sounders.
The event will see the vaunted English Premier League club make its fifth visit to Seattle and on July 18 both teams will head to CenturyLink Field for the first match between the two teams since 2009. Chelsea defeated the Sounders 2-0 here in that match. Said Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay, in a news release: "We're delighted to be returning to Seattle to kick off our summer tour in the U.S. The right preseason preparation is vital to us, and there's no better place to start. Seattle's facilities are second to none, and the Sounders are quality opponents who enjoy great support."
For those of you still undecided which team may win your loyalty on Saturday, I would guess a good number will lean towards Chelsea at this point - getting a chance to see the Sounders host the Champions League winners might be a once-in-a-decade treat.
Our own Aaron Campeau will be covering the UEFA Champions League Final live this weekend so make sure to check back to SB Nation Seattle in the morning, and in the meantime it's absolutely essential you head to SB Nation's 2012 UEFA Champions League Final StoryStream for full previews, match breakdowns, and live news updates in the run-up to the final.
For more on Bayern, head over to Bayern Munich blog Bavarian Football Works. For more on the Blues, check out Chelsea FC blog We Ain't Got No History. For more on the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on twitter.