In a milestone game for the Seattle Sounders on Saturday, they played their 100th MLS match, the Rave Green came away with a 2-1 against the Chicago Fire.
After taking a week off, the Sounders headed on the road to face a Fire side which they had great success against. Not only in the last U.S. Open Cup Final, but in the last 6 meetings, the Sounders have won 3, drawn 3 and lost none and now we can add another win to the list.
Seattle welcomed back Mauro Rosales and Adam Johansson who had been sidelined since the season opener against Toronto FC, in the place of Zach Scott and Alex Caskey, the two players who combined for the game-winning goal against Colorado.
The game started with a flurry of chances for Chicago, as Daniel Paladini must have thought he had opened the scoring, but was denied by Alonso with a diving block to deflect his shot over the bar. The next chance fell from a corner as Pavel Pardo headed just past the post as he beat the oncoming Gspurning.
The chances then fell to Seattle, as they then pushed for the game opening goal, which they nearly got when Montero broke away from his man in the box and headed just over the out stretched Sean Johnson and the bar.
But the breakthrough came for the Sounders in the 38th minute when Eddie Johnson latched onto a great through ball by Alonso, and held up the ball and put it into the path of the oncoming Estrada. He then dropped the shoulder in the box and fired towards goal, in the process it took a deflection off Fire defender Arne Friedrich past the already diving Johnson and it stayed that way until halftime.
After halftime it saw the departure of Rosales for Marc Burch, and the continued Seattle attack. Sounders strike force nearly combined for the second of the game as Burch’s cross met the head of Montero and it looped towards the far post where Eddie Johnson found his way in between two defenders and somehow managed to guide the ball goal wards, but only to be denied by the post.
Moments later Seattle made it 2-0 as Montero whipped in a free kick which somehow unnerved Sean Johnson in the Fire goal who pushed the ball back into the path of Jhon Kennedy Hurtado who attempted a scissor-kick but in doing so set up Eddie Johnson for a tap in.
Credit has to go to Marco Pappa who tried to get Chicago back on the score sheet with a shot from well inside his own half.
He did eventually get one back for Chicago with a stunning effort, combined with the ravaging wind as a corner two minutes from time sailed straight into the far side of the goal and off the post, leaving Gspurning flapping at air.
Chicago nearly managed to salvage a draw when in the 6th minute of 4 extra minutes, a long ball eventually found its way to the feet of Jalil Anibaba, but his effort was aimed straight at Gspurning, and Seattle held on for another win.
The Sounders are still unbeaten on the road and rounded the milestone night off with a win. The Sounders now return home to CenturyLink Field to face LA Galaxy on Wednesday and then the Philadelphia Union on Saturday live on NBC Sports.
The Sounders will be hoping their form at home continues and with a tough match on Wednesday night focus will be on taking points off top of the table rivals.
(image courtesy of Getty Images)
