Archives for June 2016

Seahawks Baldwin puts pen to paper inks new deal with Seattle

June 29, 2016 by NWFacts Leave a Comment

The Seattle Seahawks announced Wednesday afternoon that they have signed Wide out Doug Baldwin to a long contract extension that will keep the speedy receiver in the northwest through the 2020 season.

“On behalf of Mr. Allen, coach Carroll and the entire Seahawks family, we are pleased to reward a player of Doug’s caliber and extend him through the 2020 season,” said Executive VP/General Manager John Schneider though a team press release. “We identified Doug as a key player in our 2017 unrestricted class and as we continue to push to be a consistent championship caliber team, we are committed to keeping as many of our core players together as long as we possibly can.”

Baldwin is coming off his best season as a player in which he notched career numbers in receptions ( 78), yards (1,069 yards) and touchdown receptions (14). Baldwin’s 1,069 reception yards made him the seventh player in franchise history to record a 1,000-yard season and his 14 touchdowns tied him for the NFL lead during the 2015 season.

Baldwin was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2011, he has started 46 of 78 games played, with 274 receptions for 3,826 yards and 29 touchdowns. In the postseason, he has started eight of 10 games played, with 39 receptions for 518 yards and four touchdowns.

Baldwin’s deal is worth $46 million with $24 million guaranteed, according to ESPN’s Adam Caplan.

Northwest Collegiate Summer League begins

June 28, 2016 by NWFacts Leave a Comment

The Seattle Supersonics might have left the Pacific Northwest, but basketball is alive and well in the Emerald City. The resurgence of the Washington Women’s basketball, the rebuilding of the Seattle Storm and the steady ascend of the Washington Men’s Basketball team are Exhibits, AB and C for al those keeping track at home.

The other steadfast measure of basketball popularity in Seattle is the annual Northwest Collegiate Summer League at North Seattle Community College.

The NWCSL began its sixth year Monday June 20^th with four games. The NCAA sanctioned league consist of teams comprised of collegiate and high school players from the Pacific Northwest and other parts of the country.

League play will takes place on Monday evenings with games beginning at 6, 7, 8 and 9 p.m. Games will continue through August 17. Admission is free and open to the public. Cliff Brown and Marvena Kemp of B&K Hoopz are organizers and founders of the league.

“We’re very excited to begin our six year of play in the league and offer college level players a place to play in a competitive atmosphere and maintain a high level of conditioning in the summer months,” commented Kemp during Monday’s opening night festivities. “It’s also a way for the community to see their college and some high school players showcase their skills in a competitive environment.”

This year’s league will be comprised of players from schools like Seattle University. Local players who compete at many colleges around Washington state and around the country will also be playing in the league.

Current University of Washington players participating in the league include Sam Timmins Devenir Duruisseau,Noah Dickerson, Matthew Atewe and 5-star recruit Markelle Fultz.

“ It was good to get back on the court and just have fun with the guys,” Fultz said after playing on a team with Noah Dickerson, Matthew Atewe and Arizona State bound recruit Sam Cunliffe.

The league has an impressive list of alumni such as: Isaiah Thomas (UW/Boston Celtics); Tony Wroten (UW/Philadelphia 76ers); Terrance Ross (UW/Toronto Raptors); Quincy Poindexter (UW/New Orleans Pelicans); and many others.

Sounders scoring woes continue lose 2-0 to NYCFC

June 28, 2016 by NWFacts Leave a Comment

Sounders celebrate Pride Day before NYCFC match

NewYork City FC (6-5-6, 24 points) brought all of its big names, the Seattle Sounders FC (5-9-1, 16 points) fielded the best team it could minus Clint Dempsey who was finishing his COPA America duties.

Saturdays pre match activities were full of pomp and celebration. The Sounders honored head coach Sigi Schmid in a pre game ceremony for reaching a MLS record 500 games, as well as hosting its second annual Pride Day, a celebration of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer pride, at the end of the day, it was another excruciating loss for the Sounders.

The Seattle Sounders 2-0 loss to NYCFC Saturday afternoon at Century Link Field was another horrifying nightmare for the 47,537 fans who saw a festive atmosphere extinguished in the 38th minute by a disputed Frank Lampard goal.

After earning a corner kick, NYCFC’s R.J. Allen crossed the ball into the Sounders goal box to Lampard who hit the ball with his left pectoral muscle then his arm. The referee huddled with the linesman and the goal was allowed.

“It hit me on the chest. I think it might have deflected off of my a bit as well, bit it was mainly chested,” Lampard said after the game. “It was a goal. Sometimes, they go against you. But for me, it was a goal.”

For Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid, the goal changed the complexity of the game, “ It changes the whole game. It’s a hand-ball, the referee doesn’t call it, they discuss it…they don’t see it, [NYCFC] goes up 1-0, we are down 1-0 and their confidence is up and our confidence is down.”

Despite the heartbreak the Sounders kept their fighting spirit about them and started the second half as can be expected, on the front foot, pushing everyone up the field pressuring NYCFC looking for the equalizer.

The strategy had its moments, in the 50th minute Jordan Morris found space and went on gallop down the left flank but his left footed shot went wide left.

Substitute Nelson Valdez’s 67th minute right footed poke from an Andreas Ivanschitz free kick went wide once again. The Sounders continued their quest for the equalizer but like so many times this season, the moment of exhilaration never came.

What has showed up all too often is the Sounders having a momentary lapse of reasoning that opponents have pounced on and made the Sounders pay dearly. NYCFC put the game out of the reach in the 87th minute when Joevin Jones’s horrific back pass resulted in a Ronal Matarrita goal that sealed the victory for the visitors.

“Obviously we are not pleased with the result. The script was similar to last week in a certain regard. ” A dejected Sigi Schmid said after the game.

“The first goal is a hand-ball goal, but that’s just the way it has been going. We’ve got to find a way to create our own luck, we’ve got to find a way to pull ourselves up.”

The Sounders have now lost two consecutive games and five of their last six games. The Rave Green will head to Utah for a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup clash with Real Salt Lake on Tuesday, June 28th ( 7:00 p.m. PT) then head to Toronto to take on Toronto FC on Saturday, July 2 (4:30 p.m. PT)

Seattle Seahawks announce open registration information for Seahawks Training Camp, presented by Safeway.

June 27, 2016 by NWFacts Leave a Comment

June 27, 2016

RENTON, Wash. – The Seattle Seahawks will open 13 training camp practices to fans at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center (VMAC) beginning July 30 and concluding August 16, the team announced today.

Fans interested in attending Seahawks Training Camp, presented by Safeway, must register through the team’s website, Seahawks.com, beginning on Thursday, June 30, at 10 a.m. Registration will be available on a first-come, first-served basis and fans 15 years or younger must be accompanied by an adult. Only fans that register throughtrainingcamp.seahawks.com will be allowed to attend practice.

A limited number of spots will be made available to season ticket holders and Blue Pride members through an online pre-registration window. An exclusive email invitation will be sent out for online registration beginning tomorrow, June 28, for season ticket holders and Wednesday for Blue Pride members.

An $8 transportation fee will be charged per person, as fans will be required to park at an off-site location and be shuttled to VMAC before and after each practice. Only fans arriving at VMAC via the designated shuttle will be allowed into practice. The VMAC parking lot will be completely closed to the public.

The Seahawks have partnered with The Landing Shopping Center in Renton to serve as the Seahawks Training Camp Parking and Transportation Center. Guests will receive transportation and training camp passes upon check-in at the Seahawks Training Camp Guest Services Center which will be located at 822-B N. 10^th Place, Renton WA 98057 (next to the Seahawks Pro Shop in The Landing). Fans are encouraged to carpool and park in the garage (entrance off Logan Ave. N.) and adhere to no-parking areas within The Landing.

Practice times, bus schedules and maps will be available on trainingcamp.seahawks.com at the time of registration.

Last year, all practices sold out with more than 34,000 fans registering for training camp.

For more information and to view training camp policies and procedures, visittrainingcamp.seahawks.com.

Dejounte Murray Picked 29th by San Antonio Spurs in 2016 NBA Draft

June 27, 2016 by NWFacts Leave a Comment

University of Washington freshman Dejounte Murray joins his teammate Marquese Chriss as the second Husky to be drafted in the 2016 NBA Draft as he was selected 29th by the San Antonio Spurs Thursday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. He is the 13^th player to be drafted by the NBA under Romar. Washington is the only school with two first round picks in the 2016 NBA Draft.

With Chriss’ No. 8 pick, Washington now has two first rounder’s for the first time since the 2012 season (Terrence Ross and Tony Wroten), which is also marks just the second time in program history that two Dawgs have been taken in the first round.

Murray, a Seattle native, had a stellar freshman year on Montlake, finishing second on the team in scoring at 16.1 points per game to go along with a team-high 6.0 rebounds per game. He started in all 34 games and dished out 151 assists, setting the UW freshman single-season record, which also ranks eighth all-time in UW single-season history.

“[Murray has] NBA talent, he’s got potential for the future,” said ESPN analyst Jay Bilas. “He’s very very talented and athletic, a long-armed guard with a 6-9.5 wingspan and he’s very good in transition and can finish above the rim I’d classify him as a scoring guard. He’s got good hands on defense. He’s got a ton of talent and he is another really good kid.”

He picked up All-Pac-12 Second Team honors while also earning a spot on the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team after reaching double-digit scoring in 26 games. He also set the UW freshman single-game scoring record after scoring 34 points against Arizona State. Over the final 10 outings of the season, Murray averaged 19.2 points helping UW reach the second round of the NIT.

He was one of three freshman to earn a spot on an the All-Pac-12 Second team and was the first UW freshman to be named to both and All-Conference team and the All-Freshman team since Tony Wroten in 2012. Additionally he’s the third Romar-coached freshman to earn both honors joining Wroten and Isaiah Thomas (2009).

Murray led all Pac-12 freshmen in scoring (15.3), steals (1.8) and assists (4.3) during conference action and was second in rebounding (5.8). In the UW freshman record book, Murray finished first in assists (151), second in points (548) and steals (62), third in rebounds (203) and fourth in minutes (1,139).

In the last 14 drafts, at least one Husky has been selected in all but three years (2008, 2013, 2015). Additionally, the Dawgs have had 54 overall picks in the NBA Draft, including Romar’s selection in 1980.

For more information visit http://www.gohuskies.com/

Sounders FC lose 2-0 to New York Redbulls

June 21, 2016 by NWFacts Leave a Comment

For the Seattle Sounders (5-8-1, 16 points), Sundays 2-0 loss to New York Red Bulls (7-7-1, 22points) at Red Bull Arena was a bitter dose of reality. The heartbreaking loss was the first game of the MLS’s second half for the Rave Green , courtesy of the COPA America break.

Heartbreaking, gut wrenching and character testing best describe where the Sounders have been and where they are going. On Sunday the Sounders looked to have shed their inability to score in their last MLS outing before the COPA break. A hope building 2-0 win over D.C. United on June 1st in DC.

When the Red Bulls Mike Grella slammed a Sacha Kljestan rebound off the right post in the 18th minute on Sunday to give the home side the 1-0 lead, panic was no where in sight. Why would panic make an appearance, when the Sounders dominated the run of play, had more shots goal and when Jordan Morris and Aaron Kovar came close to scoring and it looked like it was a matter of when, not if regarding the equalizer.

” We played very well, and we easily could have three or four goals have we had better finishing, Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid said in his halftime interview with Fox Sports. ” Sacha hits a great shot they get a goal, overall I am not displeased on how we played, I thought we created things and we got behind them and caused problems.”

Seattle continued to use the middle of the field to break down the Red Bulls high press and the result was continued dominance of play with a 56% to 44% possession advantage and shots taken to start the second half.

Morris and Kovar nearly connected in 56th minute but Kovar’s pass just missed the sliding Morris who had slipped past the Red Bull defense. Kovar had a better than decent shot a minute later but his left footed shot was wide right.

While panic was no where to be seen for the Sounders, their all to familiar but unwanted companion, heartbreak made his appearance in the 59th minute when the Red Bulls Grella’s right footed chip sailed over Seattle goal keeper Stefan Frei for his second goal of the game and put the game away at 2-0.

The Sounders inability to finish has caused much consternation and heartbreak this season. The Rave Green have scored just 13 goals this season two more than the the Chicago Fire ( 2-6-5, 11 points) who have a league worst 11 goals scored.

“It’s the worst feeling in the world,” Morris said after the game, “It’s kind of on your shoulders [to finish chances]. We played so well today. It’s on me to finish those chances and I didn’t.”

It is now a test of character for Sigi Schmid and his team to see if they can band together, stay determined, focused and salvage the season at the half way mark. The return of Clint Dempsey will surely help but it will take more than Dempsey to light up the scoreboard.

Sundays game marked the 500th career MLS regular season match for Sounders FC Head Coach Sigi Schmid, the first MLS coach to hit the milestone. Schmid has coached over 100 more matches than the next-highest total and is the league’s all-time leader with 227 career wins.

USA mens soccer team beats Ecuador 2-1 to advance in COPA America tournament

June 17, 2016 by NWFacts Leave a Comment

The U.S Mens Soccer team survived a wacky, tension-filled match with a 2-1 nail-biting victory over Ecuador Thursday night at Century Link Field in Seattle in front of 47,322 pro-USA fans. The win moves the American’s into the semifinal round of the COPA America tournament.

The match between the two confident teams looking to make a deep run in the tournament was always going to be a physical and emotional affair. Exhibit A was the May 25th friendly the U.S. won 1-0, each team accumulated 16 fouls in the so called friendly.

The U.S. used its high pressing line to dominate possession in the early part of the game with forward Bobby Wood juking and jerking his way through the Ecuadorian defense in the first twenty minutes of the game. While the juke and go’s brought oohs and aah’s from the crowd the Americans had nothing to show for their efforts until the 22nd minute of the first half.

Wood made a slashing run towards the Ecuador goal received the ball, held it up and back passed it to an open Jermaine Jones who swiftly crossed it to an open Clint Dempsey for the snap header to give the U.S. the 1-nil lead.

” Clint is special and he showed that tonight and last week,” U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said after the game. ‘His performance tonight was unbelievable, to do it in front of his home fans is special.”

The U.S continued it’s first half dominance and came close to doubling the score in the 27th and 42nd minute, when Dempsey and Alejandra Bedoya had left footed strikes that where saved and the Yanks went into the break with the one goal lead.

The halftime break seem to have invigorated Ecuador as they come out of the break on the front foot and on a mission to score. The Ecuadorians advanced the ball with every opportunity and nearly equalized in the 48th minute, but forward Enner Valencia’s free header in front of goal was just wide.

The match flashpoint came in the 52nd minute when Ecuador Antonio Valencia swept the leg of Alejandro Bedoya for a yellow card. The leg whip was so vicious a melee ensued with both teams facing off against each other.

USA midfielder Jermaine Jones was given a straight red card for putting his hands on Valencia’s face. Valencia was given yellow car for the leg whip and a second yellow for his part in the melee. Jones and Valencia were both ejected.

The ejections gave both teams more space to operate and the U.S. was first to take advantage. The Americans made it 2-0 in the 65th minute when Clint Dempsey found a wide open Gyasi Zardes in front of the Ecuadorian goal.

The halftime break seemed to have invigorated Ecuador as they come out of the break on the front foot and on a mission to score. The Ecuadorians advanced the ball with every opportunity and nearly equalized in the 48th minute, but forward Enner Valencia’s free header in front of goal was just wide.

Seeing their semifinal dreams evaporating, the Ecuadorians speeded up the pace of the game by using it’s speed and quickness on the American defense. The strategy resulted in a Michael Arroyo right footed goal in the 74th minute that cut the deficit to just one goal at 2-1.

The Ecuadorian’s threw everything at the Americans in their attempt to score the qualizer including a water bottle that resulted in head coach Gustavo Quinteros receiving a touchline ban. In the end the U.S. defense stayed defiant and unbreakable.

” It was a hectic last twenty minutes, but we stayed organized communicated and in the end we got the victory,” Defender John Brooks said after the game. The U.S. next match will be Tuesday in Houston against the winner of the Argentina and Venezuela match.

Sounders FC Clint Dempsey’a goal puts U.S. into COPA America tournament

June 14, 2016 by NWFacts Leave a Comment

Seattle Sounders FC forward Clint Dempsey’s first half goal Saturday night in Philadelphia gave the the U.S. men’s national team a scrappy 1-0 win over Paraguay and a spot in the Copa America quarterfinal round against Peru Thursday night in Seattle (9:30pm ET| FS1, UniMas,UDN).

LA Galaxy forward Gyasi Zardes used his speed and quickness to sprint down the right flank of the Paraguay defense and sent an ground level cross to the front of goal that found an open Dempsey who wasted no time in giving the Yankees the 1-0 lead they never relinquished.

The U.S. fortunes turned three minutes into the second half when former Seattle Sounder defender De Andre Yedlin picked up two consecutive yellow cards minutes apart ( 47th and 48th minute) to earn a game ejection resulting in the U.S. Playing with 10 players.

The Paraguayans tried to take advantage of the man advantage but the U.S. defense led by center back John Brooks was stout and answered the call to arms. U.S. goal keeper Brad Guzan made an improbable 82nd minute double save to seal the victory for the Yankees.

Ecuador finished second in Group B behind Peru who beat Brasil 1-0 Saturday night to take the top spot in the group. La Tri are led by three Premier League players, Antonio Valencia ( Manchester United), Jefferson Montero ( Swansea City) and Enner Valencia ( West Ham).

U.S. Mens soccer team rips Costa Rica 4-0 in Copa America Group Stage play

June 8, 2016 by NWFacts

The U.S. Men’s National Team threw caution to the wind in their must win Copa America Centenario Group A stage match against Costa Rica Tuesday night at Soldier Field Stadium in Chicago and the result was a resounding 4-0 win.

After a disappointing 2-0 loss to Colombia last Friday opening game at Levi Stadium, the Stars and Stripes needed to win and win convincingly. The 4-3-3 formation implemented by Jurgen Klinsmann looked to be the wrong formation at the wrong time in the first seven minutes of the game.

The formation assigned three U.S. players in the middle of the field leaving the flanks and a lot of open space in the middle of the pitch. Costa Rica was able to exploit the space in the middle of the field due to a numerical advantage and the result was a Los Ticos ball possession dominance that looked to have the U.S. backline on its heels for the night.

The U.S. countered with a high press of the Costa Rica center backs, making it difficult for the defenders to get the ball out of their own half of the field. The U.S. counter strategy worked and enabled the Americans to weather the early storm. Once they were able to win the ball because of the high pressure the U.S. pushed the right and left full backs up the field and crowded the Costa Rica goal mouth with multiple players.

The first break for the Yankees occurred on a DeAndre Yedlin over lap run in which the speedy right fullback sprinted down the right flank and crossed the ball into the crowded Costa Rica goal mouth and the United States was awarded a penalty after Los Ticos defender Cristian Gamboa pushed Bobby Wood in the back denying the forward a goal scoring opportunity

Seattle Sounders FC Forward Clint Dempsey stepped up and swiftly converted the penalty kick to give the U.S. the 1-nil lead after nine minutes of play. The goal was Dempsey’s 50th International goal for the USMNT leaving him just seven behind Landon Donovan’s team record of 57th.

“It was important for us to get an early one and once the second one went in and the third one , you started getting into a rhythm,” Dempsey said in his post game interview with Fox Sports1.

With Costa Rica unable to break the press and and momentum rising, the U.S. fullbacks continued to push up the flanks and create havoc in the middle of the field, resulting in a Jermaine Jones goal after a combination play with Clint Dempsey. Jones stole the ball gave it to Dempsey who returned the favor for the 2-0 U.S lead after 37 minutes of play.

Despite a tactical switch to a 4-2-2 formation, the U.S. continued its pressure on the Costa Rica defense with the high line and once again the strategy paid dividends in the 42minute when Clint Dempsey fed an open Bobby Wood for the three goal lead going into the halftime break.

Substitute Graham Zusi’s left footed strike in the 87th minute made it 4-0 to put an exclamation mark on a statement making game for the U.S. team.

Dempsey finished the game with a goal and two assist and oddly enough the Duece scored his first international goal at Soldier Field, May 28th 2005 in a 2-1 loss to England. The U.S holds an undefeated 6-0-6 record against CONCACAF teams at Soldier Field.

The U.S. next game will be Saturday night at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia (7 pm ET : FS1/Univision) when they take on Paraguay.

A win will guarantee a spot in the quarterfinals. A loss would eliminate the team from the tournament, while a tie would push them through if Colombia beats or draws against Costa Rica.

Peru beat Haiti 1-0 in Copa tournament play at Century Link Field

June 4, 2016 by NWFacts Leave a Comment

Peru marksman Paolo Guerrero continued his COPA goal scoring midas touch with an exquisite header that led Peru to a 1-0 win over Haiti in the opening match of COPA America Centenario Group B play at Century Link Field in Seattle.

The two time Copa America Tournament ( 2011, 2015) Golden Boot award winners 61st minute goal was all the Peruvian’s needed to grab a vital three points in a hard fought match against a stubborn Haitian squad trying to make a good first impression in its first ever Copa America tournament

The early part of the match looked like it was going according to script for Peru the 2011 and 2015 Copa third place finishes when they came out of the gate running by dominating possession and looking like it would be just a matter of time before a Peruvian goal.

The Haitian’s stayed diligent and sturdy at the back and where able to go into the halftime break deadlocked at zeros and actually had more shots (3-1) on goal than the ball hawking Peruvians

Seeing their first half ball possession advantage ( 55% to 45 %) amount to zip on the scoreboard, the Peruvians began the second half in earnest . Peru quickened its pace with the ball and pushed the attack up the field in search of goals.

” The message was to see if we could do more with the ball in the last 25 of the field, Peru Coach Ricahrdo Gareca said after the game. ” We moved our midfielder players closer to each other so they could make shorter but more effective passes.”

The strategy worked to perfection as the Haitian defense was on its back heels to start the second half and had a great amount of difficulty containing the focused and determined Peruvian attack.

Peru won four free kicks and a corner kick within ten minutes of the second half and the once stout and steady Haitian defense finally broke down in the 61st minute when Guerrero ‘s moment of brilliance gave the Peruvians the victory.

For Haiti Coach Patrice Neveu the loss was a learning experience and will not deter his teams mission to not only make a good first impression but to proceed in the tournament.

“We have two more encounters , we have to keep our morale and show that we are here to here to win, Neveu said after the game.

“We are trying to win in a dignified way. We are competitors. I don’t think we should start out thinking that we are the underdog. We are not going to start out with our tails between our legs.”

Peru’s next match will be June 8th versus Ecuador at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale Arizona while Haiti will face off against Brazil the same day but the venue will be the Orlando Citrus Bowl in Orlando Florida. Brazil and Ecuador will face off Saturday night at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena California.