As Toronto FC fights toward a playoff spot, GOL TV Canada and GOLTV.ca commentator Lee Godfrey will be looking at other aspects of the playoff race. Today he focuses on the expansion team that punches above its weight, Seattle Sounders FC, and why Toronto should focus its sights elsewhere.
At the beginning of the season many people laughed at the Seattle Sounders FC part-owner and comedian Drew Carey's assertion about his club not being a MLS expansion team, and that the Los Angeles Galaxy should have that title instead. Of course, Bruce Arena has straightened things out in the City of Angels and as of Tuesday the Galaxy were only one of three teams to qualify for the playoffs.
<p style="font-size:10px; margin:0 auto;">Drew Carey stops for the cameras on his April visit to Toronto. (Getty)</p> |
Funny enough, Carey may not have been far off the mark about how his side would perform at Qwest Field in their first year in the league, and how they really were not an expansion team in the typical sense like Toronto FC was in 2007. As the Reds look to climb above teams ahead of them in the standings, Seattle should be in and Toronto does not have to worry about anyone except themselves - least of all the Sounders.
Seattle is a club with a lot of history in the old North American Soccer League and the United Soccer Leagues. In the USL Seattle held the league's best record in the regular season in '94, '02, and '07. They went to the Championship match in '04, '05 and '07 winning the last two. Five current members of the Sounders also played on the USL franchise.
Unlike Toronto FC, this was not a team starting from scratch. The addition of Designated Player Freddie Ljungberg, two-time MLS Coach of the Year Sigi Schmid and some Keeper by the name of Kasey Keller, probably made the league's established teams a little envious for what they managed to build before a ball was kicked. Let's also not forget Colombian sensation Fredy Montero who has notched 12 goals so far this season and will no doubt be nominated for MLS Newcomer of the Year.
Toronto FC set the bar as far as fans are concerned in Major League Soccer and Seattle may have taken it to another level. Average attendance has been well over 30,000 every game and Qwest is really the only stadium outside BMO Field with any atmosphere in Major League Soccer. This is a side that stormed out of the gates, faltered somewhat in mid-season, but coming down the stretch may have just come off their most important win in club history. Drew Carey could not have scripted it any better.
<p style="font-size:10px; margin:0 auto;"> Levesque's goal earned Schmid a triumphant return to Columbus.</p> |
This was Sigi Schmid's first trip back to Columbus since winning the League and Cup Championships with the Crew last season. For 22 straight games no team had gone into Crew Stadium and walked away with three points and Columbus was once again top of the East heading into Saturday's encounter. Seattle's Roger Levesque scored his first career MLS goal in the 36th minute, former Toronto FC Defender Tyrone Marshall saved a ball off the line in the 70th minute and reigning MLS MVP, Columbus' Guillermo Barros Schelotto missed on a penalty kick in the 83rd minute giving the Sounders a one-nil win, and moving them one step closer to the playoffs. Kasey Keller earned his tenth shutout of the season.
Seattle's two remaining matches of the season are ones they should come away with points. They are away to Kansas City who have struggled this season, but did spoil the party at Qwest this season handing Seattle their first home loss, one of only two matches so far this year the Sounders did not come away with points at home.
Their final match is in the friendly confines of Qwest Field against FC Dallas. Despite Dallas playing well as of late as they are still mathematically alive for the play-offs, I just don't see Seattle faltering in that match. A win and a draw in their final two matches would give Seattle 45 points and I think that would be enough for Seattle fans to see their side in the play-offs in their first season. With his funny little grin I could just see Drew Carey saying "the price really is right!"
