Seattle Sounders FC vs. CD Marathon
CENTURYLINK FIELD, Seattle, Wash.
CONCACAF Champions League, Group 4
October 24, 2012
10 pm ET / 7 pm PT, FOX Soccer
Referee: Ricardo Arellano (MEX)
Assistant: Juan Rangel (MEX)
Assistant: Salvador Rodriguez (MEX)
Fourth: Miguel Flores (MEX)
Seattle Injury Report:
OUT: FW Babayele Sodade (R knee ACL tear); DF Andrew Duran (L ACL surgery);
DOUBTFUL: DF Leo Gonzalez (R hamstring strain); DF Patrick Ianni (R calf strain);
PROBABLE: DF Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (facial fracture); MF Steve Zakuani (abdominal strain)
Seattle Disciplinary Status:
Michael Gspurning, Patrick Ianni, Zach Scott, Servando Carrasco, Fredy Montero all carrying one yellow card; next caution results in suspension
SOUNDERS EYE CCL QUARTERFINAL SEEDING:
The Sounders will conclude CONCACAF Champions League group stage play on Wednesday night against CD Marathon of Honduras. Having already clinched advancement to the Champions League quarters, Seattle (3-0-0 in CCL) will look to end the group stage perfect with four wins and clinch a top-four seed in next March's knockout round. Wednesday's match will be their third in just eight days.
A win would guarantee Seattle a top four spot. A loss or a draw could drop Seattle as low as the eight seed. If two teams are even on points, the first tiebreaker is goals scored. The top eight teams qualify for the quarterfinals, and the matchups will be paired according to point total.
Seattle will then look to secure a top seed in the MLS Cup Playoffs on Sunday against the LA Galaxy (15-12-6, 51 points). LA, who will host Vancouver in the play-in game, has gone winless in their past three outings after conceding a late equalizer to the Quakes on Saturday.
WATCH: Sounders preview Marathon
SOUNDERS VS. MARATHON – PREVIOUS MEETING
Despite blowing a pair of leads and giving up a pair of penalty kicks, the Sounders punched their ticket for the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals for a second straight year by beating Marathón 3-2 on Sept. 19 in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
Marathón won the possession battle and fired off 13 shots in the first half, but they only forced Sounder goalkeeper Micahel Gspurning to make two saves and were mostly content to fire away from outside the penalty area.
Goals from Sammy Ochoa and Eddie Johnson twice gave the Sounders the lead, but the hosts responded with twin penalty kicks converted by Mario Berrios. Brad Evans picked up the winner with a header from an Osvaldo Alonso cross in the 78th minute, about 10 minutes after entering the match.
GETTING TO KNOW ... CD MARATHON
Club: CD Marathon (HON)
Founded: 1925
City: San Pedro Sula, Honduras
Stadium: Estadio Olimpico
Manager: Manuel Keosseian
Qualification method: Non-champion with best aggregate record in Honduran 2011-12 season
Previous CONCACAF Champions League appearances: 2008-09 (Quarterfinals), 2009-10 (Quarterfinals), 2010-11 (Group Stage)
Honors: Honduran League - 8 (1979-80, 1985-86, Clausura 2001-02, Clausura 2002-03, Apertura 2004-05, 2007-08 Apertura, 2008-09 Apertura, 2009-10 Apertura); Honduran Cup - 1 (1994)Formed in 1925 by Eloy Montes and his friends, Club Deportivo Marathon is one of the most prestigious clubs in Honduras and will be making its fourth CONCACAF Champions League appearance. Marathon qualified for each of the first three competitions, reaching the quarterfinals in the first two years. In 2008-09 "El Monstruo Verde" (The Green Monster) won its group, but was upset by the Puerto Rico Islanders in the knockout stage.
In 2009-10, Marathon fell to Pumas UNAM of Mexico in the quarterfinals. The only Honduran team to beat Argentine powerhouse River Plate, Marathon is coached by Manuel Keosseian, who led the club to three titles from 2007-2009 and replaced Ramon Maradiaga just before the start of the Champions League. Marathon is led by Honduran international defender Jerry Palacios, who competed in the 2010 World Cup with brothers Johnny and Wilson. They became the first trio of siblings to represent a single nation in the same World Cup. Veteran defenders Mario Beata and Mauricio Sabillon also highlight the squad.
