With my first go at publishing the news and notes from the team, I'm going to try and keep it to stuff you don't already know. So here it goes. Everything from the team is in a blockquote. Links inside block quote were added by me.

Sounders FC to Play for Fifth in La Manga Cup
Countering its first loss of the preseason, Sounders FC found its legs in a Group A consolation on Sunday against Norway's Stabaek IF, with a2-0 shutout victory at the La Manga Cup II in La Manga, Spain. Goals from Fredy Montero and Roger Levesque, both set up by Freddie Ljungberg, were the difference.
 
The tournament concludes with crossover matches to determine final placement on February 25 and 26. Seattle will contend for 5th place against SK Brann Thursday, February 25 at 6 a.m. PT with live blogging available at SoundersFC.com. FC Nordsjaelland will play Molde FK for the Cup title on Friday, February 26.

They then tell us about the last two preseason matches - 2-0 loss to Rosenborg and 3-2 win v Whitecaps.

Upcoming Training Schedule, February 22-24 (times are local & subject to change):
Monday, February 22 - No Training
Tuesday, February 23 - Training at La Manga, 10:30 a.m.
Wednesday, February 24 - 60 minute Training Game vs. FC Midtjylland at La Manga, 10:30 a.m. 
 
Upcoming Competition Schedule (All times Pacific)
Thursday, February 25, 6 a.m.- SK Brann, La Manga, Spain (La Manga Cup II)
Saturday, March 6, 4 p.m. - at Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Swangard Stadium, Burnaby, B.C.
Thursday, March 11, 6 p.m. - Portland Timbers, Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field, Seattle
Friday, March 19, 6 p.m. - at Colorado Rapids, Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, Colo

We will be live blogging as many of those as we can. Wednesday and Thursday's matches may be tough, but the rest the group here has planned out already. I am excited for the @ Colorado match as everyone is in town (I think) and its the final pre-season tune-up so this place should be rocking.

The Three Roster Players Not in Spain
Midfielder Brad Evans is with the U.S. National Team, which plays El Salvador on Wednesday, February 24 in Tampa. Forward Nate Jaqua (lower abdominal pain) and goalkeeper Terry Boss (ankle) are recovering from injuries and remain in Seattle. Among the non-roster invitees traveling are Derby Carillo (GK), Michael Fucito (MF), Patrick Lane (GK), Lamar Neagle(MF), Jeff Parke(DF) and Tye Perdido (FW).

Links provided above are to my recaps of each of those players. Except for Patrick Lane, that link goes to when I chatted with Chris Henderson about his discovery.

How do you manage an 8 team tourney with only 3 matches? See below

La Manga Cup Breakdown
The eight-team field for the La Manga Cup II is split into two groups. Joining the Sounders FC in Group A is first-round opponent Rosenborg BK, FC Nordsjaelland and Stabaek IF. Group B consists of Molde FK (Norway), FC Krylia Sovetov (Russia), FC Midtjylland (Denmark) and SK Brann (Norway).
 
A Scandinavian power, Rosenborg is the winner of a record 21 Norwegian league titles and nine domestic cups. Rosenborg won 13 straight championships from 1992 to 2004. It begins defense of its 2009 title on March 13. The Norwegian season, similar to MLS, runs through November. Rosenborg gained notoriety in 2004 by reaching the group stage of the UEFA Champions League and has played in Europe four of the last five seasons.
 
FC Nordsjaelland, located in Farum, Denmark, is preparing to resume its Danish Superliga schedule. Nordsjaelland was eighth in the table going into the winter break, which began on December 1. The second half of the season opens March 7. U.S. international defender Michael Parkhurst, 26, plays for Nordsjaelland after spending four seasons (2004-2008) in MLS with New England.
 
Stabaek IF, the other potential second round game for Seattle, placed third in Norway last season after winning the title in 2008 and taking second in 2007. Midfielder Mikkel Diskerud, 19, has represented by Norway and the USA at the U-20 international level. Diskerud's mother is from Arizona.
 
Tournament Results
Quarterfinals:
Stabaek IF 0-1 FC Nordsjaelland
Rosenbork BK 3-0 Seattle Sounders FC
SK Brann 1-1 FC Midtjylland (5-6 penalties)
FC Krylia Sovetov 0-2 Molde FK
 
Places 5-8:
Seattle Sounders FC 2-0 Stabaek IF
SK Brann 3-1 FC Krylia Sovetov
5th place - Seattle Sounders FC vs. SK Brann - Thursday, February 25, 6 a.m. PT (3 p.m. local) kickoff
7th place - Stabaek IF vs. Krylia Sovetov - Thursday, February 25
 
Places 1-4:
Rosenborg BK 3-3 FC Nordsjaelland (6-8 penalties)
Molde FK 2-0 FC Midtjylland
1st place - FC Nordsjaelland vs. Molde FK - Friday, February 26
3rd place - Rosenborg BK vs. FC Midtjylland - Friday, February 26

Cascadia Friendlies are the next topic. Both www.GorillaFC.com and www.WeAreECS.com have trasportation up to Canada for you. Our rivals decided that Sounders can't win the Cascadia Cup this year, as the Rave Green aren't facing the Timbers twice, so we wait until 2011 to win that minor trophy and instead just rack up a couple meaningless pre-season wins.

Sounders FC to Visit Vancouver
Sounders FC will visit the Vancouver Whitecaps FC for a preseason match on Saturday, March 6, at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, B.C. First kick is at 4 p.m. PT.

All tickets for the match will cost $15, plus applicable service charges. Tickets will be available to the public on Wednesday, February 17, at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets will be available online at ticketmaster.ca or by calling 604.280.4400.

Say 'ello to the Southsiders and then get ready to host the Timbers Army, but in a friendly kind of way. Oh, and I'm giving someone a t-shirt for that one.

Sounders FC Host Timbers in Preseason Community Shield Match
The Sounders FC will host the Portland Timbers in the club's inaugural "Community Shield" match on Thursday, March 11. Kick-off is at 6 p.m. on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field.
 
General Admission tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youth (6-17). Children under the age of six are free. Tickets are available at www.SoundersFC.com, by calling 800-745-3000, all Ticketmaster outlets and the Qwest Field Box office.
 
Proceeds from the match will benefit the team's four community partners: Boys and Girls Club of Washington State, Save the Children, Seattle SCORES and Washington Youth Soccer.  Following the match the teams will sign autographs from the field.

I'm skipping the recaps of the last 3 matches. You read about them here already right? If not they are linked at the top of this post.

No new faces are in camp. No Ettien, no Rayner Michael.

Throw-ins
Tyson Wahl will turn 26 on February 23...Ivory Coast midfielder Felix Ettien will not be able to train or play with Sounders FC after taking ill on Saturday...Brazilian trialist midfielder Rayner Michael, who joined the team in La Manga, is no longer training with the team...Sunday marked the first appearance of Steve Zakuani, who was cleared to play with a brace on his surgically repaired right shoulder. Central defender Jeff Parke saw his first action, playing the second half...

That's the first of the weekly news and notes, interwoven with my comments and links to stories here at Sounder At Heart that are related. Weekly news and notes (quoted material) are written by the staff at Sounders FC, other material and links are my own.