One of the fun things about soccer is all the competitions outside of the regular league season. For us Mariners fans, it’s World Series or bust (aka, bust). But even if the MLS season goes south, we Sounders fans can still look for potential glory elsewhere. One of these opportunities begins tonight.
Our rave green fellers are in Panama, where they will play San Francisco FC in a 2011-12 CONCACAF Champions League preliminary stage game.
The CONCACAF Champions League is a tournament contested by 24 of the best pro teams in North and Central America. The Sounders qualified because they won the 2010 U.S. Open Cup.
The preliminary stage is a home-and-home series. The Sounders will host San Francisco August 3. The team with the most goals combined in the two games (“the aggregate,” in soccer lingo) will advance to a group stage of 16 teams, four in each group.
SAN FRANCISCO FC FUN FACTS/DIGRESSIONS:
–The team is located in La Chorrera, Panama.
–It’s named for St. Francis of Paola, the patron saint of La Chorrera.
–San Francisco, California is named for a different St. Francis.
–La Chorrera is kind of like the Tacoma of Panama, being 30 miles S of Panama City and much smaller.
–Yankees closer Mariano Rivera is from La Chorrera.
–But his official bio says he’s from Panama City.
–That must really chafe people from La Chorrera, right?
If you’d like a scouting report on San Francisco, Matt Gaschk of the Sounders wrote a great one. In brief, San Fran has played just two league games, so the Sounders don’t really know what to expect. “We’re going to have to adjust quickly in the game,” coach Sigi Schmid told Gaschk.
Tonight’s game is at 5 p.m. and will be televised live on Fox Soccer Channel. You can also follow developments on the SoundersFC.com live blog.
