Herald staff
SEATTLE – Lots of new faces will be in Seattle uniforms when the Seattle Sounders pro soccer team opens its 2002 season this weekend.
The Sounders open their A-League schedule at Portland on Saturday, then face the Timbers again Sunday at Seattle Memorial Stadium.
New head coach Brian Schmetzer and first-year general manager Adrian Hanauer have assembled a team that features several new faces. Forward Brian Ching, a 2001 member of both the Sounders and the Los Angeles Galaxy, brings a consistent scoring presence. Returning to the Sounders after a year with the Timbers, forward Darren Sawatzky adds to the scoring threat and midfielder Andrew Gregor brings more Major League Soccer experience after playing with the Kansas City Wizards last season.
Other new faces include defenders Danny Huet and Zach Scott from Gonzaga University, forwards Zach Kingsley and Greg Foisie from the University of Washington and midfielder Alex Chirinos of Honduras.
Schmetzer’s team also features veterans from last year including defensive stalwarts Scott Jenkins, Kieran Barton, Ryan Edwards and Chad Brown. The midfield includes 2001 Sounder MVP Leighton O’Brien, Viet Nguyen, Jason Farrell and Gregor. Returning forwards Kyle Smith and CraigTomlinson will add to Ching’s and Sawatzky’s presence.
Preston Burpo is back as starting goalkeeper with Carlos Castellanos and Rich Cullen battling for back-up responsibilities.
Saturday and Sunday’s games carry extra weight due to U.S. Open Cup ramifications. Both Seattle and Portland will try to win their way into Open Cup play with victories over the weekend.
The Sounders finished the preseason with a 4-2 record and won the Canterbury Classic Preseason Tournament after beating the Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers in a seven-day span.
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