Sounders U-23 Win Western Conference Championship, Advance to National Semifinals

By Athletic Communications on July 23, 2012 1:05 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

In its inaugural year as the revamped Seattle Sounders FC U-23, the team is rolling through the playoffs. Two weeks after celebrating the Northwest Division regular season title, the Sounders defeated the Ventura County Fusion 2-0 on Sunday to be crowned the Western Conference Champions.

Incoming sophomore transfer Darwin Jones played a big part in both goals, scoring the first goal to tie the game 1-1 and then assisting in the game-winner. 15 minutes into the second half, Jamael Cox (brother of former Husky Raphael Cox) fed the ball down the left hand side and Jones placed a curling shot beyond the reach of the Fusion goalkeeper.In the final ten minutes of the match, Jones found a wide-open Cox breaking down the middle of the field and Cox slid his shot past the Fusion goalkeeper for the game-winner that would send the Sounders on to the National PDL Final Four.

Red-shirt junior defender Michael Uyehara played the full 90 and helped with the shutout while Jones came on as a sub at the end of the first half.

Match stats for the Western Conference Finals.

The Sounders will play FC London, the biggest surprise of the semifinalists that defeat the two teams with the best regular-season records in the PDL. The match is set for Saturday, July 28 at the German Club in London, Ontario; kickoff starts at 4:30 p.m. PT.

Click here to read more about the PDL National Semifinal match-ups.