No room for Sean against Rotherham?
Mick McCarthy seems set to resist calls for him to name Sean Thornton in the squad to face Rotherham at the Stadium of Light tonight (Tues), after the Irishman's impressive performance at Brighton on Saturday.
SAFC.com reports that McCarthy is almost certain to name an unchanged team from that which lost to Brighton & Hove Albion at the Withdean last weekend.
The move means Thornton will not feature until our away game against Burnley at the earliest, as his yellow last Saturday - his 5th of the season - means he's ineligible to play against Cardiff this coming Saturday.
Stephen Wright picked up his 10th yellow of the season against Brighton and although he'll be available tonight, he'll miss the Cardiff and Burnley matches.
SAFC confirm pre-season tour
Sunderland will play the Vancouver Whitecaps in July as part of a three-game pre-season tour of North America.
Mick McCarthy will take his side to Canada to play the Whitecaps on July 16 before heading south across the border to the U.S. for games against the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers.
McCarthy said: "We travelled to the USA for pre-season last year and it was great preparation for the season. The warm weather is perfect for training and the different environment is good for everyone.
"We're really looking forward to visiting the three clubs and I'm sure they'll give us a good work out in preparation for the new season."
Sunderland will start their tour in Canada, taking on the Whitecaps. From there, the team will travel to Seattle to play the Sounders on July 20 and the final leg of the tour will see the Black Cats take on the Portland Timbers on July 23.
Vancouver, the largest city in the province of British Columbia (BC), is nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Coastal Mountain Range. The city's mild climate and emphasis on grass-roots soccer has made it the soccer capital of Canada.
The Black Cats will play the Whitecaps, BC's professional soccer team, at the Swangard Stadium, which has a capacity of 5,722.
In recent years the Whitecaps have emerged as one of the feature franchises in the 12-team USL First Division, making the play-offs in the last nine years.
Established in 1974, many international stars have played for the Whitecaps, including former Sunderland players Colin Todd, Dave Watson and Barry Siddall.
Bob Lenarduzzi, the Whitecaps' Director of Soccer Operations, who played under Sunderland legend Charlie Hurley for five years at Reading, said: "This is an excellent opportunity for Vancouver to witness a top English club with a great football history."
From Vancouver, the team will cross the border into America, travelling to Seattle to take on the Sounders.
The City of Seattle is located in the State of Washington on Puget Sound, 113 miles (182 km) from the U.S.-Canadian border. It is a major port and home to international companies Microsoft and Boeing.
The Sounders initially played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) before joining the USL in 1994.
Since then, they have played in three Championship finals, most recently in 2004 against the Montreal Impact, where they were defeated 2-0.
Head coach Brian Schmetzer, himself a former Sounder, said. "We certainly look forward to playing Sunderland. It will be a great test for our guys and it will also give the people of Seattle a great chance to experience top quality English soccer."
The 2002 season saw Schmetzer lead the Sounders to the third best record in league history and also saw the Sounders play the first sporting event inside their current home, the magnificent 67,000-capacity Qwest Field. On July 28, 2002, the Sounders defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps in front of an USL record crowd of 25,515.
The final leg of the tour will see the Black Cats will make the trip south 172 miles (277 km) to Portland, Oregon, where they will face the Portland Timbers. Known as the "Rose City", Portland sits at the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers and is widely known for its numerous parks, urban livability and world-renowned craft beers.
The Portland Timbers make their home at downtown's PGE Park, capacity 19,866, and feature one of North America's largest and
most vocal supporters' groups in the Timbers Army, who stand behind the north goal during every home match.
Timbers head coach Bobby Howe, who played for West Ham United from 1962-72 and later for Bournemouth, is entering his fifth season as manager of the Timbers. "This is a wonderful opportunity for our Portland Timbers fans to observe soccer of the highest quality at PGE Park," Howe said.
Winners of the 2004 regular-season championship after finishing with 57 points, the Timbers have not posted a losing record since returning as a franchise in 2001. This season marks the 30th Anniversary of the Timbers, who became a member of the North American Soccer League (NASL) in 1975.
Further tour information
Travel arrangements can be made with Sunderland AFC's official travel partner, Hays Travel. For further information please call the dedicated SAFC hotline number 0870 3200044.
Vancouver Whitecaps
www.whitecapsfc.com
Tickets are priced at $22 (main grandstand, covered and near the centre-line), $18 (front and each side of main grandstand, some in no-alcohol areas), and $14 (portable bleacher).
Tickets can be purchased by contacting Justin Flett on 00 604-669-9283 x227 or e-mail, jflett@whitecapsfc.com.
Seattle Sounders
www.seattlesounders.net
Tickets for this fixture are priced at $17 reserve seating, $12 general admission, and $10 for groups of 15 or more.
Tickets can be purchased by contacting Gary Boyle on 206 622.3415 ext 122 or by email, garyb@seattlesounders.net.
Portland Timbers
www.portlandtimbers.com
Tickets are priced at $13 for Level 4/General Admission seating, $15 for Level 3, $20 for Level 2, and $30 for Level 1/Premier. Group rates are also available.
Tickets can be purchased by contacting the Shonna Williams on 503-553-5428 or email, swilliams@pgepark.com
