Sounders FC 1 : 1 Columbus Crew (Match Report)

Ljungberg Misses Penalty as Sounders Draw Fifth Straight Match

May 30

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A Nate Jaqua volley in the 58th minute secured Seattle a fifth straight tie but it was yet another red card, this time to Tyrone Marshall, that was the talk of the match. Junior Assistant Referee, Mr David Bragg, called Michael Kennedy over as Kasey Keller was about to clear late in the second half. The result was a red and Seattle will be without the Jamaican for the game against Chivas next week. Alejandro Moreno had given the Crew a first half lead.

Sigi Schmid rang the changes, dropping Seb Le Toux and Nathan Sturgis. Tyson Wahl got his first MLS start at left back, and Peter Vagenas started the match for the second week running. Freddie Ljungberg returned after missing two MLS games due to his migraine. Warzycha also dropped a surprise by relegating Designated Player Guillermo Schelotto to the bench and replacing him with Pat Noonan. Brad Evans returned to duty against his former club.

Brian Carroll, a long term absentee for Columbus, was missing and Andy Gruenebaum kept goal in Will Hesmer’s absence.

Columbus Crew had the first chance of the match after less than 100 seconds when Robbie Rogers drilled wide of Keller’s post. With Peter Vagenas filling Alonso’s defensive midfield role, it took Sounders a little time to settle, though Vagenas lacked no time letting his presence be known with his constant encouragement of colleagues. A James Riley cross looked dangerous but the busy Jed Zayner beat Nate Jaqua to clear for a corner in the 7th minute.

But it was Columbus who took the lead on 12 five minutes later. Pat Noonan received the ball wide on the right after a quickly taken free kick by Jed Zayner, awarded after Jhon Hurtado had barged into Eddie Gaven. Noonan crossed towards Alejandro Moreno in the six yard box. His header from close in gave Keller no chance, and defenders unable to protect him.

Sounders started working harder, with Brad Evans and Vagenas trying to harry a competent and composed Crew midfield for whom O’Rourke, deputising for Brian Carroll, excelled.

Leading by a goal though did not mean the end of the threat posed by the visiting Crew. Hurtado lost the ball again, this time to Rogers. Keller had to be very sharp coming off his line to foil Moreno a mere six minutes after the goal.

In the 24th minute, referee Michael Kennedy once more made himself the centre of attention. He seemed to have given the first free kick of the season against Steve Zakuani after 616 minutes of clean play. Last week, he had done exactly the same to Darrius Barnes who had gone nine whole games without falling foul of officialdom. The irony was that it was Jed Zayner who appeared to have pulled down the Congolese. The crowd made their feelings clear on the decision. However subsequent replays showed that while he had indicated a free kick, Jed Zayner had ignored him and thrown the ball back into play.

Jed Zayner was at the centre of the action again just after the half hour. Freddie Ljungberg had just received a slide rule pass from Steve Zakuani. Zayner barged Ljungberg, and Kennedy awarded Seattle’s first penalty of the season and the first Columbus have conceded. However, Seattle’s joy was short lived. Ljungberg slid the spot kick abysmally past Gruenebaum’s right post, perhaps a sign that it wasn’t to be Sounders’ day.

After first fouls, and first penalties, a first booking was sure to follow. Peter Vagenas gave the ball away to Emmanuel Ekpo and hared after him to try and compensate. The thinnest of contacts sent the Nigerian sprawling, and Kennedy produced Vagenas’s first booking of the season.

The dangerous Ekpo was at the centre of attention again after an Eddie Gaven corner from the right found him unmarked in the 38th minute and he headed over. Seconds later Ekpo drew a brilliant leg save from Keller to keep Seattle in the game.

Andy Gruenebaum had had a relatively untroubled match but was called into action five minutes before the break. Jhon Hurtado fouled Alejandro Moreno on the right and Gaven took the free. His cross fell however to Seattle’s Nate Jaqua who ran up the pitch at speed and passed to Ljungberg. He, in turn, found Montero, who troubled Gruenebaum for almost the first time in the match, with a weakish shot which nevertheless the keeper had to dive for.

Tyson Wahl was very lucky to escape without a card after tripping Robbie Rogers but it summed up two aspects of the first half–the poor refereeing and the very real threat the champions were posing for the hosts.

Noonan had the second half’s first chance with a curler straight into Keller’s midriff just 40 seconds into the half.

In the 51st, a corner on the left was punched out by Gruenebaum. It fell to Peter Vagenas whose drive was superbly cleared by Eric Brunner when goal bound. Sounders were getting closer but the Eddie Gaven-marshalled visitors posed a solid threat while holding firm.

However, Sounders’ increasing pressure finally brought dividends after 58 minutes. Ljungberg hoisted the ball under pressure to Jaqua whose first time right foot volley lashed beyond Andy Gruenebaum. The Sounders just about deserved parity and it set up a great finish.

26 minutes from time the hard-working Vagenas got some respite when Patrick Ianni was brought on to play in that defensive midfield role. Jaqua’s nod down found Moreno a minute later, but Chad Marshall made a valuable interception to force just a corner.

The game was beautifully poised with the home side appearing to have the momentum, but little more upper hand than that. Eddie Gaven was still looking dangerous and fired straight at Keller after he did all the work to set up his own opportunity. Jhon Hurtado picked up a booking in 68 for a weak foul on Moreno.

Then Polish coach Robert Warzycha played his best card as Guillermo Barros Schelotto entered the fray with 21 minutes left. Pat Noonan, the provider or the Crew’s goal, was the player withdrawn.

The next big drama however was at the other end when Andy Gruenebaum incomprehensibly chose to pick up a back pass from Gavin and gave away an indirect free kick six yards out. To be fair on the keeper, there was some doubt from his distance whether his colleague of Freddie Ljungberg had played the ball.

Ekpo got booked for dissent during a three-minute hullabaloo in which players pushed and shoved as Montero and Ljungberg tried to take the indirect free kick. It was an unedifying spectacle. Schelotto received a yellow too as cards seemed to be Mr Kennedy’s only tool to keep a lid on the mayhem, for which he for once was not to blame.

Montero eventually flipped the ball to Ljungberg but it was deflected wide for a corner. Steven Lenhart came on for Ekpo who took an eternity to leave the pitch, perhaps indicating the visitor’s satisfaction with a draw. Some Montero acrobatics produced an overhead kick which sailed harmlessly over the bar, as Seattle seemed to be gaining the ascendancy.

Schmid played his final card as Seb Le Toux was brought in for a tiring Jaqua, perhaps indicating too that Fredy Montero’s form had taken a turn for the better. The Frenchman got a biff on the head shortly after as a welcome to the game, and had to leave again to receive treatment. A minute from time, Ljungberg found himself added to the list of players cautioned for dissent. But any chance that the match would peter out uneventfully for an agreed draw sailed down the Swanee, the Thames and the Mississippi in a barge.

In the five minutes added by the fourth official, the third official, Mr David Bragg, called the referee over and rather than Kasey Keller’s expected clearence upfield, Columbus were awarded a free kick. Tyrone Marshall was then sent off, Seattle’s fourth red card of the season, after ensuing conversations between Mr Kennedy and Mr Bragg. Serious foul play was the reason immediately given for the ejection, and Tyrone Marshall later confessed to having lashed out in response to an assault on him.

Schelotto took the free kick and drove it harmlessly into the wall, well not so harmlessly for Fredy Montero, whose ‘lower abdominal’ area blocked the ball. Nathan Sturgis came on for him, Danny O’Rourke went off and came on again, Kiwi Duncan Oughton stood on the touchline ready to come on and Gruenebaum handled an Evans cross perfectly as the game descended into chaos. Mr Kennedy brought his show to an end shortly after for Seattle’s fifth straight draw and Columbus’s seventh game without defeat.

Sounders FC Kasey Keller; Tyson Wahl, Tyrone Marshall, Jhon Hurtado, James Riley; Peter Vagenas (Patrick Ianni 64′), Brad Evans, Steve Zakuani, Freddie Ljungberg; Nate Jaqua (Sebastien Le Toux, 83′), Fredy Montero (Nathan Sturgis 92′)

Substitutes: Ben Dragavon, Stephen King, Sanna Nyassi, Roger Levesque,

Columbus Crew: Andy Gruenebaum; Gino Padula, Eric Brunner, Jed Zayner, Chad Marshall; Danny O’Rourke (Duncan Oughton 93′), Emmanuel Ekpo (Steven Lenhart 79′), Eddie Gaven, Robbie Rogers; Pat Noonan (Guillermo Barros Schelotto 69′), Alejandro Moreno

Substitutes: Alec Duffy, Alex Grendi, Jason Garey, Kevin Burns,

Attendance: 29126

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