only ran twice against the Saints on Oct. 16 in his first gam

SEATTLE -- The Seattle Sounders took away the interim tag and named Brian Schmetzer as their head coach Wednesday night.Schmetzer took over as the interim head coach after Sigi Schmid was let go in late July. At the time, Seattle was in ninth place in the MLS Western Conference and in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.Schmetzer guided Seattles turnaround that resulted in an eighth straight playoff berth. The Sounders went 8-2-4 the rest of the regular season and finished fourth in the Western Conference. The Sounders beat Sporting Kansas City in the knockout round of the playoffs and will take a 3-0 lead into the second-leg of the conference semifinals against FC Dallas on Sunday.Seattle made the announcement at its annual meeting with season-ticket holders.My goal is to make sure we can all enjoy this ride a little longer deep into the postseason, Schmetzer said in a statement.Taking away the interim tag from Schmetzer will be a popular choice among fans and players who have come to respect his lengthy history with the Sounders organization. Seattles turnaround late in the season was aided by the addition of designated player Nicolas Lodeiro, but also hampered by the absence of Clint Dempsey due to an irregular heartbeat that ended his season early.Schmetzer led Seattle to the most points of any team in MLS over the final three months of the season and now have the Sounders on the verge of a spot in the conference finals.He has always been an incredible steward of the organization and ambassador for our club in the community, and what he and the team have accomplished on the field over the past three months is worthy of recognition, Seattle majority owner Adrian Hanauer said.Schmetzer, 54, was the head coach of the USL Seattle Sounders, the predecessor to the MLS version of the franchise. Schmetzer was the led the club from 2002-2008 before signing on to be Schmids top assistant coach when the MLS version of the Sounders debuting in 2009.Schmetzer is also a Seattle native and played for the Sounders of the North American Soccer League for three seasons in the early 1980s.I am grateful for the opportunities that Ive received here as a player, a coach in the clubs USL era, and now as head coach of the MLS team, Schmetzer said. I believe in the fact that for our players, this is their team, and they have responded by taking complete ownership of the season and driving us into the playoffs. Nike Air Vapormax Australia . Ouellette, from Montreal, already has three Olympic gold medals since joining the team in 1999. Nike Air Vapormax Australia . MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez also will attend the session, which was announced Monday. The league has discussed placing its next two expansion teams in Miami and Atlanta. http://www.vapormaxaustraliashoes.com/air-vapormax-plus-australia/black-and-white.html . -- For the first time in two months, an opponent was standing up to Alabama. Nike Air Vapormax Plus Mens Sale . Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 10, couldnt handle her opponents big groundstrokes in only her third event back after 17 months out with a shoulder injury. Zvonareva made her comeback in January in Shenzhen and played in the Australian Open but lost her first matches at both tournaments. Air Max Plus Tn Australia . -- Three close looks at the bucket, three misses. CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Panthers coach Ron Rivera admits hes hoping for some bad weather on Thursday night.He figures maybe that might help slow down Saints quarterback Drew Brees. Well, that and a seemingly much-improved defense.Brees pounded the Panthers secondary on Oct. 16, throwing for 465 yards and four touchdowns as the Saints built a 21-0 lead and held on to win 41-38 on the Louisiana Superdome turf.In the three games since, Carolinas defense has clamped down, allowing only four combined offensive touchdowns while getting 15 sacks with four takeaways.Carolinas young secondary, which was racked by injuries in the previous meeting, has gotten healthy and is starting to mesh.Drew is a great quarterback and he was able to find those holes, find those mismatches, find the mistakes that were being made on our defense last time, Panthers safety Kurt Coleman said.But we have been able to correct those things over these last few weeks. I feel like our chemistry, the communication aspect that you need as a defense as a whole has been much better.Added Panthers defensive end Kony Ealy: What we had last year was a swagger, and were getting our swagger back.Saints coach Sean Payton said he can see on tape the Panthers are playing with renewed confidence.Theyre playing outstanding defense, Payton said. Their pressure on the quarterback has increased.Said Brees: They thrive on giving you a lot of different looks at times and they have a pressure package, and try to force turnovers.But stopping Brees wont be easy.He is completing nearly 70 percent of passes and has thrown 24 touchdown passes with only seven interceptions. His QB rating is second in the league behind Atlantas Matt Ryan.Some things to watch in Thursday nights game:DOUBTING THOMAS: Saints second-round draft choice Michael Thomas has emerged as the NFLs leading rookie receiver, but is coming off one of his worst games as a pro. He fumbled twice in the fourth quarter -- both resulting in Denver points -- and had a pass ripped from his grasp for an interception in the Saints 25-23 loss to Denver last Sunday. Thomas has been quiet since, disappearing from the locker room after the game and declining to speak with reporters on Tuesday. Emotionally hes great, Brees said. Hes chomping at the bit to get back out there and perform.ddddddddddddKICKING THEMSELVES: Major breakdowns on kicks have figured prominently into two Saints losses, including last Sunday. The decisive play in the loss to the Broncos was a blocked extra-point kick that was returned for a defensive 2-point conversion with 1:28 to go. Earlier this season, the Saints had a field goal blocked and returned for a TD in New York against Giants, who pulled out a three-point victory in that game despite not scoring an offensive TD.ON THE MEND: The Panthers are anxious to get two-time All-Pro center Ryan Kalil back on the field after missing the past two games with a shoulder injury. Carolinas running game has struggled in Kalils absence.Panthers quarterback Cam Newton called Kalil his secret jewel, saying he does more for a quarterback than any offensive lineman in the league.Defensively, outside linebacker Shaq Thompson is expected to play after missing two games with a knee injury.NEWTON RUNNING: Newton only ran twice against the Saints on Oct. 16 in his first game back from a concussion. But the mobile QB is expected to see more designed runs this time around against the Saints. Newton carried a season-high 12 times for 54 yards and a touchdown in Carolinas 20-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Rivera isnt tipping his hand when it comes to Thursday nights strategy, saying its just about the game plan more than it is anything else.SAINTS DEFENSE: The Saints could have as many as four defensive regulars on the field for their rematch against Carolina who were unable to play in the previous meeting. Those include rookie defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins -- a first-round pick last spring -- and veteran linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, who each had sacks last weekend.Also back is top cornerback Delvin Breaux and defensive end Paul Kruger. Getting those guys back into the mix always helps, Panthers tight end Greg Olsen said. .... Theyre talented, they play fast. Theyve been playing well as of late, thats for sure.---AP Sports Writer Brett Martel in New Orleans contributed to this report.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '