Now that’s more like it!
Not only is there a collective smile plastered across the face of Washington State because the Sounders earned a gritty three points down in Oregon, but also due to the way the Seattle boys fought and won away from home soil. They played with their heart on their sleeve.
Over 18 thousand fans flooded a sold out JELD-WEN Field Sunday to witness a Cascadia Cup battle. Supporters traveled by bus loads, and prepared for their arrival to the stadium with much anticipation. Upon arrival, the entire city block was crowded and lines were full of spectators outside every gate. Many Portland natives were heard saying that the crowd was bigger, louder, and the lines were even longer than their inaugural home opener. The stage was being set for an epic clash on the pitch, as well as in the stands. Everybody seemed to passionate, lively and in full voice. We could only hope that both clubs would echo that same energy on the field.
The Sounders and Timbers both played with passion, and a hunger to win. That desire and the need to one-up the other seemed to escalate after each goal scored. The scoring summary looked a bit like a game of ping-pong with both sides answering the others tally. In the end the Sounders would come from behind twice, and finally grab a game winner in the last ten minutes of the match. This is soccer in the Northwest. This is the Cascadia Cup!
When the whistle blew, and the game was underway, Fredy Montero looked good. He had a tight new hair cut with a braided tail, and was bouncing around everywhere putting in hard work. Early on it was easy to see that he was excited for this match. His touch was creative and precise, and defensively he closed on the ball or covered passing lanes consistently. It was easy to see that Fredy was up for making a difference in the game.
The first half was lively, but no goals were scored. The two sides would retreat to their lockers and talk about the tall task ahead of them.
The whistle blew to begin the second half and the Timbers pressed their attack immediately. In the 46th minute, Kalif Alhassan worked on the right flank and played a good ball in toward the near post. Jeff Parke was goal-side of Jorge Perlaza, but instead of defending the ball away, he deflected it in for an own goal. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the worst of it for the Sounders center backs though.
Just seven minutes later Jhon Kennedy Hurtado injured his right knee going in on a tackle. He was able to walk off the field mostly under his own power, but ultimately needed to come out of the game. El Presidente was replaced by Patrick Ianni, and will be examined further back in Seattle.
At that same time, Montero was preparing to take a direct kick from about 25 yards out. As mentioned before, Fredy had a certain swagger about him on Sunday, and he was about to show it to the nation. He quickly knuckled the ball over the left side of the Timbers wall and it dipped beautifully into the corner of the net. Portland ‘keeper Troy Perkins saw the shot to late and was unable to react in time to make the save. Seattle had tied it up!
Their lead only lasted until the 69th minute, when Diego Chara connected with Jorge Perlaza to take back the lead. Perlaza carried the ball into the box and was able to get a shot off that deflected off of Tyson Wahl’s leg and found Kasey Keller reacting to the initial shot and unable to block the deflection. The home crowd was quite literally deafening. Seattle would have to dig down deep inside to strike quick and equalize.
Substitute Lamar Neagle was able to use his pace and get behind the defense on multiple occasions. In the 74th minute Neagle got free with the ball and played and intelligent pass to Mauro Rosales who in turn volleyed over to Montero for his second goal of the match. It was Montero’s team leading fifth tally of the season.
The Sounders then took their first lead of the match with an 83rd minute Osvaldo Alonso penalty kick. Lamar Neagle was again able to get behind defender Eric Brunner and in on goal. The only play Brunner had was to earn an ejection and physically stop the scoring threat. The ref pointed at the spot, showed the defender a red, and Alonso finished it confidently. That would cap the scoring with five goals netted in the second half alone.
Fredy nearly converted a header in the 87th for a hat trick, but Perkins was up for the job and kept the ball from crossing the goal line. Seattle didn’t need the insurance goal and were able to continue their streak of eight league games without conceding a loss.
The Sounders now have a commanding lead in the Cascadia Cup competition over their rivals. If they’re able to earn a victory against Vancouver in September, they should be able to clinch the Cup.
Due to an FC Dallas loss this past weekend, Seattle now sits solid in second place of the Western Division with 35 points. They will meet the Colorado Rapids when they return home to “Royal Brougham Park” on Saturday, July 16th at 1 p.m. (PST).
(image courtesy of soundersfc.com)
