Sounder At Heart: For Seattle Sounders And Reign Fc Fans

That was not how we thought it would end. The Sounders were absolutely dismantled by Toronto FC, losing 2-0. Maybe we got wrapped up in the narrative or we simply started to believe our own hype, but the Sounders were just not up for it and now we have to try to understand what happened. Jeremiah, Aaron and Richard Farley try to sort it all out. They also appear to have lost the middle segment. Hope you don’t mind.   This week's music: "Star Blazers Theme", Perry Como - "Seattle", RVIVR - “The Tide”, Woody Guthrie - "Roll On Columbia" Thanks to James Woollard, Sounders Public Address Announcer, for doing our sponsor reads. You can follow him on Twitter at @BritVoxUS - if you're looking for a British Voice to advertise your business or non-profit, please reach out to him. Want to hear the music from the show in their glorious, full versions? Check out the Nos Audietis playlist on Spotify!

Well, it sure is nice to be here again. The Sounders are back in the MLS Cup final, looking to become the fourth team in MLS history to repeat as champions. They also have a chance to win their seventh MLS trophy, which would be the third most of all time and more than any non-Canadian team since they entered the league. As you surely know, they’ll be facing the same Toronto FC they beat last time. Yes, TFC is a better version than last year’s, but so are the Sounders. Richard Farley joins us to discuss the game as well as answer some listener questions. This week's music: "Star Blazers Theme", Perry Como - "Seattle", RVIVR - “The Tide”, Woody Guthrie - "Roll On Columbia" Thanks to James Woollard, Sounders Public Address Announcer, for doing our sponsor reads. You can follow him on Twitter at @BritVoxUS - if you're looking for a British Voice to advertise your business or non-profit, please reach out to him.

It’s been a somewhat up and down season but the Seattle Sounders are on the precipice of a second consecutive MLS Cup appearance. They’ll head into Thursday’s second leg holding a 2-0 lead over the Houston Dynamo, a lead that should frankly be bigger after dominating the first leg. From a historical perspective, this is about as big as leads get. Just three times before in MLS history has a team headed into the home leg holding a two-goal lead and in all three instances the leading team went on to win by four goals. This week's music: "Star Blazers Theme", Perry Como - "Seattle", RVIVR - “The Tide”, Woody Guthrie - "Roll On Columbia" Thanks to James Woollard, Sounders Public Address Announcer, for doing our sponsor reads. You can follow him on Twitter at @BritVoxUS - if you're looking for a British Voice to advertise your business or non-profit, please reach out to him. Music used in the sponsor reads: LASERS - “Amsterdam” Want to hear the music from the show in their glorious, full versions? Check out the N

The Seattle Sounders are back in the Western Conference finals. That’s two years in a row they’ve made it this far, three times in the past four -- with the lone exception seeing them knocked out in penalties -- and four times in the past six. Toronto FC is the only other team to make back to back finals and no other team can match the Sounders’ run of success in either of those other areas  A club once known for its playoff struggles are now proving themselves remarkably consistent when it comes to postseason soccer. Now, they’ll face a Houston Dynamo team that didn’t exact look dominant in beating a very depleted Portland Timbers squad for a chance to return to the MLS Cup final. It’s hard not to feel confident, wouldn’t you agree?

It wasn’t always pretty and it wasn’t always good, but the Sounders secured the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. The Sounders actually managed to make the most out of their stretch run, winning 3 of 4, including their final two by a combined score of 7-0. The only problem is that they lost Clint Dempsey to a red card, which comes on the heels of losing Gustav Svensson in the penultimate game and Osvaldo Alonso the game before that. They also played the final game without Victor Rodriguez, although it sounds as if he’ll be ready for the playoffs. Despite all this, the Sounders actually seem pretty well positioned to make another run. Jeremiah and Aaron discuss that possibility before interviewing Gonzalo Pineda and answering some questions. This week's music: "Star Blazers Theme", Perry Como - "Seattle", RVIVR - “The Tide”, Woody Guthrie - "Roll On Columbia" Thanks to James Woollard, Sounders Public Address Announcer, for doing our sponsor reads. You can follow him on Twitter at @BritVoxUS - if you're loo

The Sounders are officially back in the playoffs, making it a perfect nine for nine. In fact, you can go back to the USL era and the Sounders have qualified for the playoffs in 11 straight seasons and have made it all but one year of the Adrian Hanauer-Brian Schmetzer era, which dates to 2002. This is no small feat on its own, but was punctuated nicely with a 4-0 win over FC Dallas. Say what you will about their recent struggles -- and they are significant -- beating anyone by that margin should give us some confidence. It was especially good to see Will Bruin get back onto the scoresheet, Victor Rodriguez continues to show that he might be the underrated signing of the summer and Nico Lodeiro and Clint Dempsey are up to their old tricks. All in all, a pretty satisfying way to go into the final game of the season where a win would clinch a first-round bye. This week's music: "Star Blazers Theme", Perry Como - "Seattle",RVIVR - “The Tide”, Woody Guthrie - "Roll On Columbia" Thanks to James Woollard, Sounders P

The Sounders head into the final stretch of the season in fine position. Although they are coming off a 2-0 loss on the road to the Philadelphia Union, they beat the first-place Vancouver Whitecaps 3-0 at home earlier in the week. That leaves the Sounders comfortably in fourth place and with a semi-reasonable hope of still grabbing a bye. But as long as they can win at least one of their final two homes, hosting a first-round playoff game seems like a solid bet. If there’s a dark cloud hanging over the team right now, it’s injuries. As great as they looked in the win over the Whitecaps, their starting lineup against the Union was missing four key components and a fifth was playing with a broken arm. Clint Dempsey was merely given a rest and it looks like Roman Torres will be fine, but Osvaldo Alonso looks like he’ll be out for a bit and Cristian Roldan has a broken arm that probably won’t be fully healed until the seaosn is over. Jeremiah and Aaron discuss all of this, while also considering how big of a deal

We’re now three transfer windows into Garth Lagerwey’s tenure as head of the Seattle Sounders’ technical staff. All three have been reasonably active. About a month after the last one has closed, we’re starting to get a better picture of just how effective this one has been. Jeremiah met Lagerwey in his office at Starfire Sports Complex last Thursday. They talked about the proper way to pronounce his name (“how much does a lager weigh?”), his general philosophy on roster building, how he measures success at S2 as well as several other topics. There’s also plenty of discussion about Saturday’s scoreless tie with FC Dallas, but sadly no questions. This week's music: "Star Blazers Theme", Perry Como - "Seattle", RVIVR - “The Tide”, Woody Guthrie - "Roll On Columbia" Thanks to James Woollard, Sounders Public Address Announcer, for doing our sponsor reads. You can follow him on Twitter at @BritVoxUS - if you're looking for a British Voice to advertise your business or non-profit, please reach out to him.

As it turned out, Jeremiah had a chance to interview Garth Lagerwey the same day our normal show was released. We are planning to release that full interview next week. But as the interview was wrapping up, we got word that Roman Torres' red card had been rescinded. Being that we already had Lagerwey on the record, it seemed like a good chance to get his thoughts on not only the successful appeal, but his thoughts on how VAR is currently being used. 

It's been far too long since the Seattle Sounders last won a match and the fanbase is growing a bit restless. But that's not the only reason. There have been growing reports of stadium staff possibly overstepping some of their directives, further enflaming passions. Of course, referee Drew Fischer didn't exactly help the situation either, handing out a highly questionable red card toward the end of Sunday's match. Jeremiah and Aaron go on a couple rants about these things but do find time to talk about the actual game as well as answer many of your questions. This week's music: "Star Blazers Theme", Perry Como - "Seattle", RVIVR - “The Tide”, Woody Guthrie - "Roll On Columbia" Thanks to James Woollard, Sounders Public Address Announcer, for doing our sponsor reads. You can follow him on Twitter at @BritVoxUS - if you're looking for a British Voice to advertise your business or non-profit, please reach out to him. Music used in the sponsor reads: LASERS - "Amsterdam"

It's been nearly three weeks since we last recorded a proper show — not counting last week's oral history of the Red Card Wedding — and a lot has happened. Most recently, we had three games in eight days that saw the Seattle Sounders extend their unbeaten streak to a franchise-record 11 games but only claimed five points in the process. Jeremiah and Aaron, though, find plenty of reason to be optimistic while singing the praises of new signing Victor Rodriguez. This week's music: "Star Blazers Theme", Perry Como - "Seattle", Hounds of the Wild Hunt - "Ragged All Week", Woody Guthrie - "Roll On Columbia" Thanks to James Woollard, Sounders Public Address Announcer, for doing our sponsor reads. You can follow him on Twitter at @BritVoxUS - if you're looking for a British Voice to advertise your business or non-profit, please reach out to him. Music used in the sponsor reads: LASERS - "Amsterdam"

June 16, 2015 is a date that will always bear special significance to Seattle Sounders fans, and to a lesser degree those of the Portland Timbers. That was the Cascadia rivals faced off at Starfire Soccer Stadium in a U.S. Open Cup match. More relevantly, it was the day Clint Dempsey lost his mind, the Sounders finished the match with just seven players on the pitch and the Timbers became the first road team to win a competitive match against the Sounders at Starfire. We teamed up with Chris Rifer of Soccer Made in Portland and FourFourTwo’s Richard Farley to tell the story of this fateful day through the people who experienced it first hand. We talked to Lamar Neagle, Andy Rose, Ross Fletcher, Nat Borchers, Caleb Porter, Jack Jewsbury and referee Jeff Hosking.

It's been a pretty good couple months for the Seattle Sounders. They're riding a seven-game unbeaten run and have won 4 of 5. They're within spitting distance of the top spot in the West and they're as healthy as they've been all year. Yet, there's a bit of a dark cloud over them in the form of a un-maximized (not sure if that's a word) roster spot. After what was apparently a several-month process of back and forth, the Sounders ultimately failed to sign Derlis Gonzalez. Sure, they were able to get TAM players Kelvin Leerdam and Victor Rodriguez, as well as bring back Lamar Neagle, but those players just lacked that fresh DP smell. Jeremiah and Aaron discuss all of these things, plus take your questions. This week's music: "Star Blazers Theme", Perry Como - "Seattle", RVIVR - “The Tide”, Woody Guthrie - "Roll On Columbia" Thanks to James Woollard, Sounders Public Address Announcer, for doing our sponsor reads. You can follow him on Twitter at @BritVoxUS - if you're looking for a British Voice to advertise yo

This last week promised to tell us a lot about the Seattle Sounders. Facing a pair of winnable games at home, but missing several key players, the Sounders badly needed to claim maximum points if they were to solidify their spot in the standings. It wasn't exactly easy, but the Sounders definitely got the job down. First, they overcame a 3-0 deficit to beat D.C. United 4-3. They followed that up with a three-goal, second-half outburst against the San Jose Earthquakes. Jeremiah and Aaron discuss those wins, as well as the suddenly red-hot rumors around Derlis Gonzalez. Of course, they also find time to take your questions. This week's music: "Star Blazers Theme", Perry Como - "Seattle", Hounds of the Wild Hunt - "Ragged All Week", Woody Guthrie - "Roll On Columbia" Thanks to James Woollard, Sounders Public Address Announcer, for doing our sponsor reads. You can follow him on Twitter at @BritVoxUS - if you're looking for a British Voice to advertise your business or non-profit, please reach out to him.

This has not been the season any of had hoped it would be. Yet, after beating the Colorado Rapids for their second road win of the season, the Seattle Sounders find themselves in the not-so-awful position of practically in playoff position. Despite their struggles, the Sounders are even on points for the final playoff spot and will finish out the season with nine of their last 15 at the friendly confines of CenturyLink Field. Jeremiah, Aaron and FourFourTwo’s Richard Farley discuss the Sounders’ spot in the standings while also sharing some thoughts on the Gold Cup, Megan Rapinoe’s recent run of form and the various happenings during the transfer season. This week's music: "Star Blazers Theme", Perry Como - "Seattle", RVIVR - “The Tide”, Woody Guthrie - "Roll On Columbia" Thanks to James Woollard, Sounders Public Address Announcer, for doing our sponsor reads. You can follow him on Twitter at @BritVoxUS - if you're looking for a British Voice to advertise your business or non-profit, please reach out to him.

The math may say that the Seattle Sounders came up a point short when they were on either side of stoppage-time equalizers this week. But emotionally, it feels like the Sounders ended up ahead. Maybe it’s just recency bias, but the 94th minute header by Clint Dempsey feels like a bigger boost than the 94th minute equalizer by Orlando City felt deflating. In any case, Jeremiah and Aaron weigh either side of that argument while also finding time to discuss the Gold Cup and taking a bunch of your questions.   This week's music: "Star Blazers Theme", Perry Como - "Seattle", RVIVR - “The Tide”, Woody Guthrie - "Roll On Columbia" Thanks to James Woollard, Sounders Public Address Announcer, for doing our sponsor reads. You can follow him on Twitter at @BritVoxUS - if you're looking for a British Voice to advertise your business or non-profit, please reach out to him.  

With the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers set to meet in the U.S. Open Cup for the first time since the game we've dubbed "The Red Card Wedding," now seems as good a time as any to share a project we've been working on in conjunction with Soccer Made In Portland.  This is only a teaser trailer, but it we're hoping to release the full thing within the next couple weeks. For now, though, we've got interviews with Ross Fletcher, Brad Evans, Lamar Neagle, Andy Rose, Nat Borchers and Jack Jewsbury in the can. They had some wonderful perspectives on the proceedings of that fateful night. For now, here's a taste of what's to come. Music credit: The Rains of Castamere

A lot has happened in the two weeks since we last record. The Sounders have played three!!!! games, going 2-1-0, have lost a bunch of players to international duty and are apparently about to lose another. To help us unpack all of this stuff, we brought on friend of the show Richard Farley. He shares some thoughts on what he sees as Brian Schmetzer’s tendency to over-indulge the multi-faceted tools at his disposal and gives us some insight on what kind of team the Portland Timbers are likely to field for Tuesday’s U.S. Open Cup match. Of course, we also take a bunch of your questions. This week's music: "Star Blazers Theme", Perry Como - "Seattle", Hounds of the Wild Hunt - “Ragged All Week”, Woody Guthrie - "Roll On Columbia" Thanks to James Woollard, Sounders Public Address Announcer, for doing our sponsor reads. You can follow him on Twitter at @BritVoxUS - if you're looking for a British Voice to advertise your business or non-profit, please reach out to him. Want to hear the music from the show in their

It wasn't the dominant victory our emotions so desired, but those were some very important three points the Seattle Sounders just claimed. There’s an even bigger match with significantly bigger stakes on Saturday, but for now we can at least breathe a little bit easier. In addition to discussing the game and doing a short preview of the Timbers match, Jeremiah sat down with Washington state teach of the year, ECS member and all-around interesting guy Nate Bowling. Of course, we also answer some of your questions.   This week's music: "Star Blazers Theme", Perry Como - "Seattle", Hounds of the Wild Hunt - “Ragged All Week”, Woody Guthrie - "Roll On Columbia" Thanks to James Woollard, Sounders Public Address Announcer, for doing our sponsor reads. You can follow him on Twitter at @BritVoxUS - if you're looking for a British Voice to advertise your business or non-profit, please reach out to him.

We've been pretty good about sticking to an every-other-week schedule. But after the Seattle Sounders dropped an ugly 4-1 decision to the Chicago Fire on Saturday, we felt it was better to do a quickie and get that out of our system. There’s no sugarcoating the situation the Sounders find themselves in, 10 points in 10 games simply isn’t good enough. But upon rewatching, this game was more frustrating than deflating. There were so many big calls that could have change the game that went against the Sounders and some actual quality play from the boys in Rave Green up until the third Fire goal. Still, the Sounders find themselves needing a result badly on Wednesday against Sporting KC. Maybe this will get them there.   This week's music: "Star Blazers Theme", Perry Como - "Seattle", Hounds of the Wild Hunt - “Ragged All Week”, Woody Guthrie - "Roll On Columbia" Thanks to James Woollard, Sounders Public Address Announcer, for doing our sponsor reads. You can follow him on Twitter at @BritVoxUS - if you're lookin