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2004 News Archive

Nov 10 - Following their annual general meeting, USL announced the changes for 2005, and they are substantial:

• The A-League has been renamed USL First Division and the Pro Soccer League has been renamed USL Second Division. This may cause some minor confusion because the first division in the US is Major League Soccer, the second division in the US is the USL First Division, and the third division in the US is the USL Second Division. Of course, the USL First Division is the first division in Canada. Canada doesn't have any teams in the USL Second Division. Canada does have one team in the USL Premier Development League, which is the fourth division in the US and who knows what division in Canada. We hope that is perfectly clear now.
• USL 1st Div (it is too long to spell out all of the time) will consist of last year's A-League minus Milwaukee, Calgary, Edmonton and Syracuse. That leaves 12 teams.
• Highly balanced schedule! Each USL 1st Div team will play every other team home and away. That will account for 22 matches out of a 28-match schedule, with the remaining 6 matches probably on a nearest neighbor basis. That should make a dozen Cascadia Cup matches between Portland, Vancouver and Seattle next season.
• The USL 1st Div will have a single table. The regular season champion will get a trophy, to be called the Commissioner's Cup.
• No overtime! Unless needed for a knock-out match in the playoffs, in which case it will be two 15-minute periods, no golden goal, per FIFA's 2004 decision.
• Playoffs in 2005 will include 6 teams, with the top 2 receiving a bye for the first round.

Nov 9 - Milwaukee Wave United announced that they have dropped out for the 2005 season and left options open for 2006.

Oct 26 - The league announced that Calgary, Edmonton and Syracuse will not return to the A-League next year.

Oct 18 - Joining the 10+ Club in the United Soccer Leagues Hall of Fame were nearby PDL clubs Spokane Shadow, Yakima Reds and Cascade Surge.

Sep 18 - In the A-League Championship Match the host Montreal Impact claimed the trophy, beating the Seattle Sounders 2 - 0.

Sep 14 - From the Times: Farrell seeks title in finale. The article reports that captain Jason Farrell will retire after this season.

Sep 12 - The Sounders won the Western Conference Championship Series 2-1 on aggregate over the Vancouver Whitecaps. First leg was 1 - 0 to the Sounders at home. Second leg in Vancouver was a 1 - 1 draw.

Sep 5 - The Sounders beat the Portland Timbers in the first round of the playoffs with a golden goal by Welton in extra time. The series ended up 2-2 on aggregate, with Portland winning at home 2 - 1, then Seattle winning their home match 1 - 0.

Aug 28 - The Sounders finished the regular season in fourth place in the Western Conference.

Aug 27 - The Sounders clinched a spot in the playoffs.

Aug 5 - From the P-I: A-League team on hold to mull MLS bid.

Jul 31 - The Seattle Sounders Women lost at the Vancouver Whitecaps Women 1 - 0 in the Western Conference Championship match.

Jul 30 - Midfielder Michelle French was named to the W-League All-League Team. French led the league in assists. She was credited with 13 assists officially, but we counted 16.

From the KCJ: Sounders still kicking around '05 plans.

Jul 25 - The Sounders Women finished second in the W-League Western Conference.

Jul 23 - From the Seattle Times: Sounders' Sawatzky announces retirement. Darren Sawatzky got close to being the all-time leading goal scorer for the Sounders, but has gotten little playing time up front the past two years and has decided to make this season his last.

Jul 21 - The league has taken over the Edmonton franchise after the owners bailed out.

Jul 19 - The Edmonton Aviators have thrown in the towel after less than a year.

From the Times: Seattle at "top of list" for MLS team in 2006.

Jul 14 - Excellent coverage from the local papers clarifies the current state of pro soccer in Seattle:

• King County Journal: Seattle must wait longer for MLS bid: League to expand to Salt Lake City in '05
• Seattle Times: Seattle group plans for MLS in 2006
• Tacoma News Tribune: MLS shuns Seattle for '05 expansion

The Sounders issued a news release confirming what was said in the Times and KCJ.

The latest on MLS Seattle, from the P-I, continues rumors that Seattle are out for 2005, probable for 2006.

From the P-I: Sounders await MLS expansion decision.

Jul 1 - Robbie Aristodemo was released by the club yesterday.

Jun 30 - More on the possibility of MLS Seattle, from the Times: Hanauer ready if MLS wants Seattle in 2005.

Jun 28 - Today's TNT has an article on MLS Seattle.

Jun 24 - Today's weekly Sounders piece in the P-I focuses on on prospects for MLS Seattle: Major League Soccer looking closely at Seattle. A Seattle Times article says think 2006 rather than 2005: MLS in Seattle unlikely for 2005.

Jun 21 - Another article on the questions surrounding MLS and Seattle, this one from MatchNight.com.

The Times has more on the addition of Jonathan Bolaños.

Jun 18 - A surprise -- the P-I reports that the Sounders have signed an attacking midfielder from Costa Rica, Jonathan Bolaños. The Times has more.

The KCJ has another good Q&A with the Sounders GM on prospects for an MLS side.

Jun 10 - This week's Sounders Notebook from the P-I has more on the possibility of an MLS franchise and on the additional suspension the coach gave Billy Sleeth for an avoidable red card.

Jun 7 - A Soccer365 interview with Sounders GM Adrian Hanauer gives a frank discussion of prospects for MLS Seattle.

They sure keep dangling this carrot in front of Seattle soccer fans: MLS commissioner discusses expansion in visit to Seattle.

May 29 - Fresh talk about a possible MLS franchise for Seattle, but as always a major investor is still needed. From the Times: Seattle in running for MLS franchise.

The Virginia Beach Mariners scored against the Atlanta Silverbacks with three minutes left in extra time to grab the last wild card berth in the US Open Cup. The Sounders failed to qualify for the Cup.

May 6 - Ex-Sounder Andrew Gregor, who was signed by the Whitecaps for three years, has been released after just one match!

Opening day coverage from the KCJ spotlights Billy Sleeth. Also a 2004 Sounders overview. From the SeaTimes, a capsule preview of the opener in Portland. The Tacoma News Tribune has an article that includes discussion of current prospects for MLS in Seattle.

Apr 30 - Preseason coverage from the Bremerton Sun.

Apr 29 - Season kickoff coverage from the Seattle Times:

• Brazilian player Welton could provide scoring boost
• Notebook: Team eager to fulfill its coach's promise
• Keys to success and Sounders facts
• 2004 schedule
• 2004 roster
• Fans guide (what, no link to this or other Sounders fan sites?)

Apr 28 - The Sounders have announced the re-signing of defender Kevin Sakuda. Also re-signed is midfielder Shawn Percell, who was on the roster last season but did not play in any A-League matches. Some newcomers have been added to the roster: rookie goalkeeper Danny Waltman from the University of Washington, midfielder Jake Vaughn who played early last season for the Portland Timbers, and midfielder Kei Kinoshita who played for the Sounders in 2001. This brings the roster to 24 players, which seems about full. The Sounders have enough midfielders to play a 0-10-0 formation!

Apr 27 - Midfielder Ben Somoza has been signed. Somoza is recovering from an ankle or foot tendon injury and will probably be on the injured list until mid May.

Apr 20 - The Sounders held their annual media day today and put out a news release introducing the 2004 version of the club. A theme this year will be the 30th anniversary of the first Sounders team.

Apr 9 - The San Jose Mercury News report that forward Roger Levesque is likely to again be loaned to the Sounders from the San Jose Earthquakes. Levesque was loaned to the Sounders late last season and scored the Sounders' last 3 goals of 2003. Levesque moved into the role of developmental player at San Jose after they acquired forward Chris Brown.

Apr 8 - Midfielder Alex Bengard, a Sounder last season, has been signed by the Portland Timbers.

Apr 6 - Re-signed: forward Kyle Smith.

Apr 5 - Some welcome news for the front line -- the Sounders announced that they have signed ex-MLS forward Welton, who played last year for Fredrikstad FK in Norway's first division. In his 5-year MLS career, Welton notched 43 goals and 34 assists.

Mar 29 - Supporters groups for the Sounders, the Portland Timbers, and the Vancouver Whitecaps have combined efforts to create and fund the Cascadia Cup, to be awarded annually to the team that finishes the regular season with the most points from matches between these rivals. For 2004 each of the three teams will host each rival twice. The Sounders have signaled their approval of the cup with a news release.

Mar 26 - Today's announcement is the re-signing of defender Zach Scott.

Mar 25 - Defender/forward Marco Velez, a rookie last year, has been re-signed.

Mar 24 - Forward Darren Sawatzky is re-signed for 2004.

MLS today announced that they are abandoning extra time for their 2004 season. USL, on the other hand, announced that they will retain extra time this season and reconsider for next season. Since FIFA recently banned "golden goal" overtime as a tie-breaking procedure effective for seasons that kick off after this coming June 30, we predict that this will be the last season for extra time in the A-League.

Mar 23 - Team captain Jason Farrell has been announced as being re-signed.

Mar 19 - Goalkeeper Preston Burpo has signed on for three years.

Mar 8 - Midfielder Robbie Aristodemo, 2001 A-League Rookie of the Year, has been signed by the Sounders. Aristodemo played the last three seasons for the Toronto Lynx. News release.

Mar 1 - The Sounders announced that they will use the new Starfire Sports Soccer Complex at Fort Dent in Tukwila as their 2004 training grounds.

Feb 20 - The Sounders announced the re-signing of Danny Jackson, a fan favorite from 2003.

Feb 19 - In the press regarding Gregor's signing with Vancouver:

• Seattle Times: Ex-Sounder signs with Vancouver
• Vancouver Sun: 'Caps ink volatile midfielder
• The Province: Fiery Gregor warms to 'Caps

Feb 18 - Rumor confirmed! Andrew Gregor has been announced as signed by the Vancouver Whitecaps. Last season Gregor had 7 goals, 8 assists, and 11 yellow cards for the Sounders. Gregor signed a 3-year contract with Vancouver.

Feb 17 - Midfielder Viet Nguyen and forward Craig Tomlinson have been re-signed. Details in today's Sounders news release.

Feb 7 - The Seattle Times confirms that Leighton O'Brien will continue at Bodens BK for the 2004 season, on loan from the Sounders.

Feb 6 - Billy Sleeth is the first new signing announced by the Sounders for 2004. Sleeth is a solid D/M type who is a Spokane native, a UW alum, a past member of the Sounders Select, and another in a series of Sounders with MLS experience.

Jan 30 - Redmond native Nick Downing has signed with the Charleston Battery, joining ex-Sounders Dusty Hudock and Mark Watson. Downing played for the Portland Timbers last season, on loan from the New England Revolution.

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