SOUNDERS PRESS RELEASE:The surge of the Seattle Sounders FC continues as the Rave Green returns from 3,000 miles away in San Salvador to the friendly confines of Qwest Field for a match against the Houston Dynamo. Seattle can further climb up the Western Conference of MLS when it hosts the Dynamo on Sunday night at 8 p.m. PT.
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Seattle advanced Tuesday night, by way of aggregate goals scored, to the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League with a 1-1 draw in San Salvador. Sounders FC had defeated Metapán, 1-0, in the first leg of the preliminary series, played on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field last week. The team then won at San Jose, 1-0, before continuing its journey to San Salvador.
Undefeated in its last four MLS matches and in seven games over all competitions, Sounders FC (7-8-4, 25 points) has vaulted from seventh to fourth in the West, two points behind FC Dallas. Seattle has won three straight and has not lost in its last four MLS starts dating back to July 11. The seven-game unbeaten run (5-0-2) in all competitions began with a 2-0 win over the L.A. Galaxy in a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal on July 7.
Seattle and Houston (5-8-5, 20 points) are sowing the seeds of a true rivalry, having already met five times with some memorable outcomes. Houston is coming off its fourth draw in the last five, a 2-2 result at home against the New York Red Bulls. It is winless since May 22.
This will be the first meeting since the Dynamo eliminated Sounders FC from the MLS Cup Playoffs last November. The two-game postseason series was extended to extra time after the second leg at Robertson Stadium in Texas. Earlier in 2009, Seattle had beaten Houston, 2-1 after extra time, in the semifinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Rave Green won at home and drew on the road in two regular season matches with the Dynamo.
Sounders FC vs. Houston Dynamo - August 8, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. PT on Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field; Seattle, Washington
Reach Jane Gershovich at janeg5@gmail.com
