Phil Jackson talked to Hansen about a top gig

By SPNW Staff

Thiel: 3 simple answers to why Kings stayed put

By Art Thiel

Update: Kings reportedly sold for $535 million

By SPNW Staff

Stanley Holmes
Stanley fancies himself the best soccer writer you’ve never heard about. But that is about to change.

For most of his 20 years as a journalist, Stanley has covered a different kind of sport — the winners and losers of global business. All the while he was harboring a secret desire to write about the sport he has played, coached and watched since childhood when the only soccer on TV could be found on Sunday mornings on PBS — “Toby Charles Soccer Made in Germany.”‘ To say it was a near religious experience is putting it mildly.

Meanwhile, Stanley climbed the ranks of journalism, covering business for The Chicago Tribune, The Rocky Mountain News, The Seattle Times, The Los Angeles Times and Business Week Magazine, where he was named a 2004 finalist for National Magazine and Gerald Loeb awards. Stanley grew up in the Seattle area, graduated from Western Washington University with a bachelor’s and earned a master’s degree from Columbia University School of Journalism. Among his proudest soccer and journalism moments was being the first Business Week writer to publish a business story about soccer in the magazine’s then 77-year history: “Can Britain’s No. 1 Soccer Club Score in America? Hugely Profitable Manchester United wants to crack the U.S. market.”

His other Kodak moment: playing soccer for a small village in the south of France where the wine was better than the team.
BY Stanley Holmes 01:36PM 07/20/2011
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As more than 60,000 soccer fans pour into CenturyLink Field for a friendly between Sounders FC and mighty Manchester United at 7 p.m. Wednesday, it's fair to say that such a soccer dynasty will never happen in Major League Soccer -- and quite likely never again in the world.

Why? The global appeal of Manchester United is based on "romance," in the view of the club's longtime coach, Sir Alex Ferguson. The estimated 333 million worldwide supporters love ManU because it plays a fluid, attacking style. In other words, the way it plays is easy on the eyes.

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BY Stanley Holmes 11:30PM 07/15/2011
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The announcement Thursday that the Sounders FC extended coach Sigi Schmid's contract came as no big surprise.

It  will annoy a swath of fans that has grown increasingly annoyed with the German-American's idiosyncrasies. The group is tired of his player favoritism, his subdued and guarded personality, his somewhat inflexible faith in the 4-4-2, his inability, so far, to select and keep effective designated players, and his penchant for deflecting criticism when things aren't going well.

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BY Stanley Holmes 08:48PM 07/09/2011
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For Sounders FC captain Kasey Keller, the match against the Portland Timbers at Jeld-Wen Field in Portland will perhaps be more meaningful than any other regular season road game.

It was in Portland that Keller's journey to the U.S. National Team and eventually to a successful professional career in Europe really began. Now that he has announced he plans to retire at the end of the season, Keller gets one opportunity to play in the renovated Jeld-Wen .

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BY Stanley Holmes 11:29PM 06/23/2011
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A day like this has been coming.

The Sounders scored two goals in 12 minutes -- a new team record. Then substitute Roger Levesque scored two more in the second half to bury the Red Bulls, 4-2, in a thrilling and entertaining match before a record crowd of 46,065 at CenturyLink Field Thursday night.

More important, Seattle played fluid, confident attacking soccer. New York may have had more possession overall, but the Sounders were more dangerous when they controlled the ball, making effective runs, connecting on quick combinations, and penetrating deep into their opponent's territory.

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BY Stanley Holmes 03:14PM 06/17/2011
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As the Seattle Sounders struggle to find their winning mojo, one player who can show the way is Mauro Rosales.

The former Argentinian national team member is a leader on and off the pitch. He's a battler in the game -- against Vancouver he was the most dangerous and one of the hardest working Sounders. His English fluency, world travels and easy-going personality make him a very likeable guy off the field.

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BY Stanley Holmes 11:26PM 06/11/2011
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Vancouver's French designated player Eric Hassli drained the joy from the Sounders when he fired a wonder strike in the 85th minute to draw the Whitecaps even just minutes after Seattle had gone ahead.

Final tally: Sounders 2 and Whitecaps 2.

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BY Stanley Holmes 03:48PM 06/11/2011
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The Seattle Sounders and the Vancouver Whitecaps share more than one of the longest soccer rivalries in North America.

They both are sharing disappointing seasons -- but for different reasons.

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BY Stanley Holmes 11:02PM 05/25/2011
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Three minutes. Three opportunities. No goals.

That pretty much sums up a disappointing night for the Sounders, who lost 1-0 to FC Dallas before 36,026 fans at a soggy Qwest Field on Wednesday night.

But Sounders forward Mike Fucito was so agonizingly close to scoring those three times. In a span of 180 seconds, he fired a right-footed blast from the top of the 18-yard box, then he headed his next attempt inside the six-yard box, and he tried to poke in the rebound.

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BY Stanley Holmes 12:00PM 05/20/2011
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Let us rejoice.
Mauro Rosales and Erik Friberg could see action against Sporting Kansas City, and it couldn't come at a more timely moment. The Sounders need these two classy midfielders to impose themselves and take control of the game.

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BY Stanley Holmes 12:20AM 05/15/2011
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The first Major League Soccer derby between the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers ended in a 1-1 draw.

That pretty much sums up the desultory and disappointing match.

Neither side impressed in the ballyhooed rivalry rematch, but the Timbers win by securing the draw on a rain-soaked night before 36,593 fans, a new record, at Qwest Field. It was just the second point the Timbers have been able to muster on the road.

Yes, the atmosphere was buzzing inside the stadium. Yes, the Portland supporters filled their allotment of 500 seats. And yes, the Sounders' supporters, including the Emerald City Supporters, did their part unfurling impressive banners, known as Tifo, before the start of the match.

The night was set for an electrifying game of soccer. But the players didn't follow the script. The Sounders lacked four starters due to injuries, and the Timbers prefer a direct style that pivots on set plays and knockdowns. Hardly the makings for a crisp match.READ MORE»

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BY Stanley Holmes 01:07PM 05/14/2011
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Many things are worth knowing about the Portland Timbers as they come to Seattle for the Major League Soccer renewal of their 36-year-old rivalry with Sounders FC.

Such as:  Their fans are fond of firing up chainsaws and wielding double-bladed axes.

They also like their soccer. They like it a certain way, as they like their Rose City: Pretty and prickly.

In the fashion of their microbrews, they believe they are flavorful, distinct and superior to Seattle. In Portland, they like to tell you they are the one, true "Soccer City, USA.''

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BY Stanley Holmes 11:09AM 05/13/2011
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To find one game that stands out in the long history between the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers, check out April 30, 1977.

The rivalry renews at 8 p.m. Saturday at Qwest Field when the expansion Timbers meet the Sounders for the first time as Major League Soccer rivals. But a meeting 34 years years ago as rivals in the defunct North American Soccer League turned around the Sounders.

One player set the bar so high on the pitch that day that it has yet to be equaled or exceeded in the 74 times since the rivals have met.

As a result of the comeback victory in the Kingdome, the Sounders salvaged a season and went on to reach the 1977 Soccer Bowl against Pele's New York Cosmos.

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BY Stanley Holmes 02:29PM 04/28/2011
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Said Schmid: "I know nobody feels worse than Brian Mullan about this incident because I know Brian as a person. It was an unfortunate situation in that regard but I think the suspension is probably appropriate based upon what the league stated as their commitment at the beginning of the season.”

The league was less tolerant in its view of the incident and in its statement. The league agrees there is no room for brutish thuggery in the MLS: "The Disciplinary Committee determined that Mullan’s challenge was reckless, egregious, and showed utter disregard for the safety of his opponent."

Let's give the MLS credit for imposing a strong and unequivocal statement -- that the nabobs of negativity that prowl the dark edges of the pitch intent on snuffing out the artistry and the creativity of the game will be punished-- severely.READ MORE»

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BY Stanley Holmes 11:23AM 04/25/2011
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Let's stop the pretense and the pretending.

Does Major League Soccer want to be known as a physical league -- a euphemism for the kind of horrific, bone-crunching tackles that has sent one of the league's emerging creative stars to the sidelines for 18 months?

That's the first thing coaches and players and so-called experts say about Major League Soccer. That it's physical and athletic. That's another euphemism for unskilled and lacking in creative, attacking flair.

Or does the league want to promote creative, attacking soccer that celebrates the talent, the artistry and the skill that makes this game so popular and fun to watch? I have yet to hear the MLS be called the "creative" league, or an "exciting" league. Why is that?READ MORE»

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BY Stanley Holmes 10:25PM 04/22/2011
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The Seattle Sounders squeaked out a 1-0 victory in a thriller in Colorado but lost Steve Zakuani to a vicious first-half foul that snapped his leg.

Zakuani had just beaten a Rapids defender when Brian Mullan appeared out of nowhere and just leveled the Sounders' left winger near the touch line. Mullan's blatant foul in the 3rd minute caused Zakuani's leg to break.  He suffered a double compound fracture and immediately went to the hospital and into surgery. He is out for the rest of the season.

The referee immediately issued Mullan a red card and sent him off, just before the Sounders, led by James Riley, would have escorted him off in a less friendly way.READ MORE»

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BY Stanley Holmes 09:38AM 04/22/2011
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So now Seattle Sounders FC go to Colorado and try to "steal" some points -- preferably three -- to kick off this next phase on a positive footing.

It's an important game in terms of extending this "unbeaten streak." But more importantly, a positive result will give the team confidence as it plays its next four out of five games on the road.

Gaining more confidence, more self-belief is the name of the game for this squad at this juncture of the season.READ MORE»

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BY Stanley Holmes 11:31AM 04/20/2011
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Coach Sigi Schmid has yet to decide on a regular starting 11.

He said he expects to make some more player tweaks for the match against the Colorado Rapids on Friday.

"How it’s going to look this weekend? Who is going to play?," Schmid asked rhetorically. "Right now I couldn’t tell you. I haven’t really made up my mind. Is there a possibility that there will be some changes in every part of the field? Yes, very possible.”

Marksman Fredy Montero is back. He put in a strong 30-minutes against Philadelphia and helped to engineer and assist on the equalizing goal. The combination of Montero and Mauro Rosales looked strong in the first time the two South Americans have played together in a competitive match.

"He’s a great player, really smart and intelligent player," Montero said, on Rosales. "As a team, we really need to take advantage of what he can do to give us an advantage."READ MORE»

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BY Stanley Holmes 10:19AM 04/19/2011
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When it comes to the Sounders, one can judge their current performance from the prism of a glass half full or a glass half empty.

Take your pick. A 1-2-3 record is hardly inspiring. But is it the end of the world?

Yes, coming back in stoppage time against the Philadelphia Union to tie the match keeps the Sounders in the hunt for a playoff spot. It injects much-needed confidence in the players, and it certainly is better than a loss.

But the question is whether the draw against the Union is the start of better things to come or a mask that hides inherent deficiencies within a somewhat sputtering squad? The answer is unclear partly because it's still early in a long season, and partly because Sounders coach Sigi Schmid is still shuffling his lineup in an effort to find the right combination of starters.READ MORE»

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BY Stanley Holmes 04:48PM 04/16/2011
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It wasn't looking good for the Seattle Sounders until substitute Alvaro Fernandez punched home a header in stoppage time to secure a 1-1 draw against the Union.

It certainly looked like Seattle was headed for its third loss late in the match. A rain-drenched, lackluster win appeared to be in the Union's clutches. Union's Carlos Ruiz had scored the only goal, a bending free kick that deflected over Sounders' goalie Kasey Keller, in the first half.

That is, until coach Sigi Schmid sent Fernandez -- his final substitute -- onto the pitch in the last 10 minutes. By that time, substitute Fredy Montero had been leading Seattle's attack. For the first time all afternoon, Seattle's attack looked dangerous. Still, Seattle could only create modestly threatening chances and its finishing lacked some bite -- it certainly could use some laser-guided delivery systems.READ MORE»

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BY Stanley Holmes 02:45PM 04/15/2011
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As a Frenchman, he was too polite to say how he really feels about the Seattle Sounders other than to acknowledge his former team is full of quality players and is one of the stronger clubs in the league.

But come Saturday make no mistake about it: Sebastien Le Toux will push every muscle fiber, seek every advantage and search for just a sliver of space to knock the ball into the back of Seattle's net.

"They have a lot of quality players," Le Toux told Sportspress Northwest. "I know most of them. I know they are good and they are going to come here to get something. We are ready for that, and we know what we need to do to get three points. I will try my best to win the game."

After being unprotected by the Sounders in the 2009 MLS Expansion Draft, Le Toux was selected by the Philadelphia Union. The change, which at first seemed like exile on the island of Elba, was transforming. Le Toux emerged last season as one of the premier offensive stars in Major League Soccer.READ MORE»

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