Chelsea FC - Seattle Sounders Football Club

Winner	Score	Game Coverage
FC Dallas	W, 4-2	Game Coverage
Earthquakes	W, 4-0	Game Coverage
Sporting KC	W, 1-0	Game Coverage
Union	D, 2-2	Game Coverage
Rapids	W, 1-0	Game Coverage

Game Location

Winner

Score

Game Coverage

FC Dallas

W, 4-2

Game Coverage

Earthquakes

W, 4-0

Game Coverage

Sporting KC

W, 1-0

Game Coverage

Union

D, 2-2

Game Coverage

Rapids

W, 1-0

Game Coverage

MEN OF THE MATCH

65,000 Watch Chelsea FC Top Sounders FC 2-0

By MATT GASCHK
Sounders FC Insider

This morning, Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid saw a fan decked out in full Sounders regalia. To see that before gametime isn’t all that unusual, but this was at eight in the morning, still four hours before kickoff.

“He was already ready for the game,” Schmid said. “You’re not going to find that in any other city in America. It’s unique right now to Seattle.”

65,289 fans packed Qwest Field when the Sounders faced Chelsea on Saturday and many of them were like the fan Schmid saw so early in the morning. What they saw on the field was their local MLS club taking on one of the best clubs in the world and playing them toe-to-toe for 90 minutes.

Chelsea came away with a 2-0 win in the friendly, but the Sounders and their fans made a statement.

“I was very impressed with the way the guys played. They had a world All-Star team out there and until they scored the goal I felt that we were the more dangerous team,” said captain and goalkeeper Kasey Keller, who played 16 seasons in Europe before joining the Sounders.

“It sends a message out that we can play so good against Chelsea,” midfielder Freddie Ljungberg said. “When I speak to my friends back home, there are a lot of questions about the level and how we would play against a great team. I think that message was sent today and I think that it was very important for the European crowd to see that.”

The Sounders controlled the ball for much of the first ten minutes of the match, but Chelsea went on the offensive in the 12th minute. Florent Malouda passed to Daniel Sturridge on the left side of the box and Sturridge slipped a shot past Keller for the 1-0 lead.

The play went back and forth for the next 20 minutes before Chelsea added to their lead. Sturridge found Nicolas Anelka on the right side of the box and Anelka slid it to Frank Lampard in front of the net for a one-touch goal, chipping it over Keller for the 2-0 lead in the 35th minute.

But even though they were out manned by the now-perennial Champions League contenders, the Sounders never chose to play negative soccer and opted instead to keep up the tempo.

“We played soccer,” Schmid said. “We didn’t come to sit back and defend. We came to play soccer.”

According to Ljungberg, that impressed Chelsea’s players.

“It’s not everyday that you play against Chelsea if you’re playing in America so we wanted to enjoy the occasion. We’re one of the teams in America that are trying to play football and we should try to keep on doing that,” said Ljungberg, who played in the Premiership for ten years with Arsenal and West Ham United.

Added Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti, “The players are of good quality. Ljungberg is a great player now. He’s been a great player in the past and he is, again, a great player.”

“That’s great,” Sounders FC owner/GM Adrian Hanauer said. “That’s great for MLS and the Seattle Sounders FC. We know we can’t play with Chelsea in the middle of their season in a league structure but we know that on any given day, we can stay on the field with them. That just shows that heart, that team, that coaching … all those things go a long way in any particular game.”

The second half saw both teams empty their benches, with Michael Fucito, Lamar Neagle, Evan Brown and Terry Boss all seeing first team action for the first time this season.

And they didn’t disappoint.

One of the second-half highlights saw Zach Scott race in from the opposite side of the field to preserve a scoreless second half. Chelsea forward Franco Di Santo got a run up the middle and chipped the ball over Boss when the keeper came out to defend him. Scott flew in and kicked the ball free for the 80th minute stop.

Three minutes later Di Santo had another opportunity from close range and again chipped over Boss, but Scott kept it off the line and knocked it away.

“I owe Zach Scott big time. I’m definitely going to get that man dinner … maybe two,” Boss said. “It was one of those situations where you get caught in the middle and he beat me to the flick.”

For Hanauer, those plays were indicative of a team-wide attitude.

“We know that we can play football. Clearly they have players that are bigger, faster and stronger across 22 players. I was just so proud that we could stick with those guys and play some good soccer,” Hanauer said.

Nearly as impressive as the on-field play was the off-field atmosphere created by the third largest crowd in Seattle soccer history.

“The atmosphere was fantastic and it was a pleasure to play this game in these facilities with these people,” Ancelotti said.

To Keller though, the weekly regular season crowds are more impressive.

“Let’s be honest, America loves an occasion and there’s no problem to come and support that and the fans came out and had a great time in today’s game,” Keller said. “But what I’m so proud of is that it’s every day. When we come to a home game there’s 30-35,000 and the support is tremendous. That, for me, is the biggest message that’s sent out from this club. The occasion was fantastic, everyone had a good time and the players responded well. I’m just so proud of everything that the fans have done every time we step on the field.”

Chelsea will play Italian clubs AC Milan and Inter Milan and Mexico’s Club America to wrap up their US preseason tour. The Sounders will face the Houston Dynamo Tuesday in a US Open Cup semifinal match before returning to Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field to face the Chicago Fire on Saturday.

Play by Play

Time	Event	Description
Final		After two minutes of stoppage time, the referee blows his whistle to end the match. Chelsea FC 2, Sounders FC 0.
92+		Lamar Neagle misses high with a shot form the left side of the box 18 yards out.
91+		Frank Lampard earns a yellow card for a tackle on Sanna Nyassi.
89		Andriy Shevchenko gets out for a shot from 18 yards out, but Terry Boss digs it out of the grass for the save.
88		Sanna Nyassi gets free on the right side, but his cross to Roger Levesque is knocked clear by Ricardo Cavalho.
87		Mikel shoots from 22 yards out on the right, but Terry Boss tips it over the bar for a corner kick.
85		Andriy Shevchenko uncoils on a shot from distance, but misses high for a goal kick.
83		Another great stop by Zach Scott. Franco Di Santo again got clear on the left side and tried to pop it over Terry Boss, but Scott came from the far side to knock it away.
80		Franco Di Santo gets a runout up the middle. Terry Boss tries to stop him, but Di Santo chips it over the oncoming keeper. Zach Scott races down the ball and knocks it away from the open net.
79		Michael Fucito crosses to Roger Levesque in front of the net, but he is stonewalled by Branislav Ivanovic.
74		Michael Fucito subs on for Freddie Ljungberg.
73		Sanna Nyassi gets out on a break up the left side, but his right-footed shot goes just over the crossbar for a goal kick.
72		Sebastien Le Toux rushes goalkeeper Henrique Hilario and nearly knocks the ball off his foot and into the net, but it misses wide right.
71		Evan Brown subs on for James Riley and Lamar Neagle replaces Jhon Kennedy Hurtado.
70		I've just been told that Eatonville High School will get the grass used on the field for today's match.
67		Attendance is announced at 65,289. It's the largest for a Sounders FC match and the third largest crowd for a game in Seattle.
63		Mikel subs on for Michael Ballack. Sanna Nyassi subs on for Steve Zakuani and Roger Levesque comes on fro Fredy Montero.
62		Freddie Ljungberg leads Sebastien Le Toux on a run up the right side, but his left footed shot proves an easy save for Henrique Hilario.
59		Franco Di Santo runs out for a ball but Terry Boss slides out to kick it clear.
57		Freddie Ljungberg swings in the corner kick to Zach Scott for a header at the far post, but he misses just wide to the right for a goal kick.
57		Steve Zakuani races after a ball up the left side, but Juliano Belletti recovers to knock it away for a corner kick.
55		Franco Di Santo gets his foot on a ball within a few feet of the goal, but Terry Boss knocks it clear for the save.
Halftime		Sounders second-half starters are: Terry Boss, Zach Scott, Tyrone Marshall, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, James Riley, Nathan Sturgis, Stephen King, Freddie Ljungberg, Steve Zakuani, Fredy Montero, Sebastien Le Toux. Chelsea second-half starters are: Henrique Hilario, Sam Hutchinson, Ricardo Carvalho, Branislav Ivanovic, Juliano Belletti, Michael Ballack, Andriy Shevchenko, Frank Lampard, Scott Sinclair, Franco Di Santo, Claudio Pizzaro.
45		The first half ends with the score Chelsea FC 2, Sounders FC 0.
44		Freddie Ljungberg gets into a ball from the top of the box, but Alex gets in front of it to defend.
43		Osvaldo Alonso picks of a ball in teh midfield, but his lead pass to Fredy Montero is played by Petr Cech..
42		James Riley plays a ball in from the right side, but it gets played out for a corner kick.
39		Great play by Freddie Ljungberg and Fredy Montero along the right side, but the ball rolls across the endline before Ljungberg can get to it for a chip cross to the middle.
35		Nicolas Anelka slips a pass to Frank Lmapard unmarked in front of the net for a chip shot goal. Chelsea FC 2, Sounders FC 0.
33		Tyson Wahl draws a fould from 25 yards out, just left of the circle. Freddie Ljungberg takes teh strike over a 5-man Chelsea wall while Pete Vagenas draws their attention, but Petr Cech parries it over the bar for a corner kick. Crafty play by Vagenas.
30		Steve Zakuani shakes Jose Bosingwa on the left side, but John Terry heads away his cross. Seattle recovers and keeps the ball in dangerous territory, but can't get a shot out of it.
26		Freddie Ljungberg gets some space atop the box and passes to Fredy Montero cutting into the right side of the box, but he stumbles and teh ball goes clear for a goal kick. Ljungberg must love that he is being defended honestly and not just kicked as MLS defenders have done.
23		Fredy Montero gets free in the midfield, but is fouled by Deco. Freddie Ljungberg takes teh free kick into the box, but Petr Cech comes out to grab it out of the air.
23		Nate Jaqua has twice shaken John Terry on the right side, but again couldn't generate anything from it.
20		Daniel Sturridge outruns Jhon Kennedy Hurtado to get to a ball over the middle, but Hurtado recovers in time to defend Sturridge's shot, which goes wide right.
19		Daniel Sturridge dazzles with some fancy footwork on the left side, but Jhon Kennedy Hurtado stays with him and limits him to a perimeter shot.
16		Nicholas Anelka gets out on a break on the left side, but Kasey Keller comes off his line to knock away the ball and clear it.
12		Daniel Sturridge gets free at the top of the box on the left side for a ball from Florent Malouda and slips a ball past Keller and inside the far post for a goal. Chelsea FC 1, Sounders FC 0.
11		Fredy Montero rips a shot from distance, but it goes wide left for a goal kick.
09		Kasey Keller and Daniel Sturridge scramble for the ball in front of the Seattle net and Keller eventually plays it clear with his feet.
08		Seattle picks off the ball and turns the other way. Freddie Ljungberg leads Nate Jaqua up the left side, but his shot drifts wide.
07		Fredy Montero is fouled by Deco in the midfield, but Chelsea defends teh free kick and the ball goes the other way
04		Freddie Ljungberg takes the corner kick and while Seattle doesn't generate a shot, they threaten until Ljungberg rolls a pass to Steve Zakuani on the left side of the box. Petr Cech charged off his line and smothered the ball to prevent a shot.
04		Fredy Montero just misses on a cross from James Riley. Chelsea heads it clear for a corner kick.
01		The Sounders kicked off attacking the south goal at 12:13.
Prematch		Glass artist Dale Chihuly received the Golden Scarf before today's match. Chihuly designed the Emerald Spire which was also given out prior to the match as a gift from the Sounders FC to Chelsea FC.
Prematch		Weather update from the XBOX Pitch: 72.7 °F; 58% humidity; wind from the WNW at 2 MPH; no cloud cover
Prematch		Starting lineups are in. For Chelsea only major change outside of their normal starting lineup is Daniel Sturridge will start in place of Didier Drogba. For Sounders FC Peter Vagenas steps into the starting lineup in place of Brad Evans who is with Team USA.

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