The Weekend in Sportsball

What team can get thoroughly outclassed, yet consider their game a success? The Sounders, if they draw 65,000 fans to Qwest Field -- most of them in Sounders green -- for a game against international powerhouse Chelsea FC.

The Sounders had no chance of beating Chelsea. To our eye, they were like a mid-major college hoops team trying to score against a defense of Ron Artest, Tayshaun Prince, Kobe Bryant, and Bruce Bowen -- oh, and should you manage to get a shot off, Dwight Howard will just swat it away (or, in the case of Chelsea keeper Petr Cech, simply catch it). Our boys lost 2-0, a decent result considering that Barcelona beat New York Red Bulls 6-2 last year. The best goal chance came on a run by Sanna Nyassi -- a missing man most of the season, but outside of Freddie Ljungberg the Sounders' most dangerous player in this match.

Good news also came from afar, as Chivas USA lost in New England, staying one point behind the Sounders in the MLS standings.

Sounders are 7-3-7, 28 pts., 2nd place in West.

Meanwhile, the Mariners won three of four games in Cleveland, getting six games over .500 for the first time since late April. Felix Hernandez and Jarrod Washburn both excelled in their starts, each earning wins -- King Felix's 10th, Washburn's 7th. In Sunday's finale, Erik Bedard continued his pattern of low-inning, low-scoring starts. Bedard left in the 5th with a 3-2 lead. The bullpen held Cleveland at bay, with a major assist from Ichiro, who's leaping catch of a Victor Martinez drive at the right field wall saved a game-tying home run.

M's 49-43, 4 GB.

The Storm faced a tough task this weekend -- two games without star Lauren Jackson, who suffered a strained achilles tendon last week. They defeated Sacramento on Friday night, getting 20 points from Sue Bird. Then on Sunday, Camille Little had the go-ahead bucket and drew a charge with time running out to secure a Storm win over Minnesota. The win drew Seattle even with the Lynx in the Western Conference standings.

Storm 12-4, T2nd, 2.5 GB of Phoenix.

Coming up this week --

Sounders: Tuesday vs. Houston in U.S. Open Cup Semifinal; Saturday vs. Chicago Fire.

Mariners: Monday off; Tue-Thurs. @ Detroit; Fri-Sun. vs. Cleveland.

Storm: Weds vs. Los Angeles,