Sounders 1 : 0 Kansas City (FT)

Late Penalty Secures Semi Final Date with Dynamo

July 7

A very late Seb Le Toux penalty enabled Sounders to progress to a semi final date with Houston after a hard fought battle against the Kansas City Wizards. In doing so they gained some revenge for the only home defeat they have suffered this season. Goalkeeper Kevin Hartman hauled down Fredy Montero as the little Colombian attempted to round him three minutes from time. Le Toux made no mistake with the late opportunity, and it was just about a deserved victory.

Wizards manager Curt Onalfo dropped Claudio Lopez to the bench, and Jimmy Conrad, Davy Arnaud and Roger Espinoza were away on Gold Cup duty. Sigi selected King, Sturgis and Nyassi in midfield to make up for the absent Evans, Ljungberg and Alonso. Pat Ianni deputised for Tyrone Marshall, also on cup duty with Jamaica.

With Houston winning 4-0 earlier in the day, both sides were playing for a home draw in the semi final.

The game was only 137 seconds when Fredy Montero blasted the first opportunity of the match wide.

On four, Zakuani broke past three defenders and it took Hartman to snuff out his verve, diving low at his feet. Kansas had their first chance just before the seventh when Santiago Hirsig was set up by Hercules Gomez, but fired over too. Montero fired a free kick at Hartman just before the tenth to complete a lively opening ten, and shortly after Zakuani taunted full back Jonathan Leathers but Nate Jaqua was just beaten to the cross by a defender.

However Gomez crossed from the right just beyond the reach of two onrushing forwards to remind Sounders that they couldn’t attack too wantonly although they had made the better start.

On 17, Jaqua slipped a lovely pass down the left to Nate Sturgis taking the overstretched Leathers out of the play completely. Strugis’ cross was perhaps a little too fast for Zakuani, who fired instinctively just past the left post.

Hartman then had to be very sharp to deny Sanna Nyassi, who was found in space by Stephen King on 20, as the home side seemed the far hungrier. The best chance of the match so far however fell to Jack Jewsbury when Matt Besler swung in a deep cross from the left and the midfielder outjumped his man but put a clear header just wide. Kansas were coming back into the game, and the feeling that it was a mere matter of time before Seattle took the lead had left the game a long time ago. But a defensive blunder nearly allowed Sounders in as Nyassi was gifted the ball in the six yard box and found Jaqua. Again his GPS was amiss, he shot wide and Hartman escaped. Sounders came under more sustained pressure thereafter, as the game swung both ways.

Sanna Nyassi broke quickly down the right as a Kansas move broke down. His superb 35 yard cross field pass found Montero who tried to beat the same beleaguered defender three times, each time making his angle narrower for the shot, which was eventually easily gathered by Hartman. Santiago Hirsig was becoming more influential, as the Wizards began to gain a slight ascendancy.

Rauwshan McKenzie showed some quality as he squeezed out Zakuani bearing in on goal as half time approached, getting his body between the Congolese and the ball before Michael Harrington blasted the last attempt of a lively first period wide.

Nyassi drove the first chance of the second half just wide of the right post and Watson replaced Leathers at right back for the Wizards. Montero missed a smiliar chance left side of goal on 52, not even troubling the goalkeeper. Zakuani was the next to fire over having comprehensively beaten Watson, who seemed to be having as little luck against him as Leathers. Two more scrambles momentarily panicked Kansas but as the hour dawned it seemed increasingly likely it would need a substitution to shake up the log jam. Nyassi continued to trouble Besler and Hartman was the busier of the two keepers but Sounders were still struggling to direct shots on target.

Keller was tested on 68 when Gomez tried a blast from way out on the right but he caught it at the second attempt. Seb Le Toux came on for Zakuani and Thompson was replaced by Lopez. Lopez’s arrival seemed to galvanise the Wizards. Hirsig was booked for the first bad tackle of the match. Levesque came on for Nyassi and adopted the left midfield berth.

Five minutes from the end Keller had to nick a Watson cross off Harrington’s head and seconds later a poor clearance landed at Le Toux’s feet and his muffled through pass found its way to Montero but the tired Colombian’s effort was nearer the corner flag.

But the game changing moment was yet to come. With two minutes to go Stephen King fed Montero a through pass and Hartman unwisely came off his line to bring the Colombian down for a penalty, despite protests from Kansas that it may have been offside. Sebastien Le Toux bravely volunteered and coolly slotted it home to Hartman’s right for the winning goal.

Santiago Hirsig picked up his second yellow and the resultant red for a forearm into the back of Montero, and seconds later referee Okulaja signaled the end of a hard fought tie. Seattle will play Houston at Starfire on July 21st in the semi. Rochester will play DC United in the other semi.

Kansas City were competitive in the first half with Hirsig controlling the game but their second half performance was much less effective, and Sounders were probably worth their victory.

Sounders: Kasey Keller; James Riley, Jhon Hurtado, Pat Ianni, Tyson Wahl; Sanna Nyassi (Roger Levesque 77′), Nathan Sturgis (Peter Vagenas 91′), Stephen King, Steve Zakuani (Seb Le Toux 70′); Fredy Montero, Nate Jaqua

Kansas City: Kevin Hartman; Jonathan Leathers (Lance Watson 45′), Rauwshan McKenzie, Aaron Hohlbein, Matt Besler; Hercules Gomez, Santiago Hirsig, Jack Jewsbury, Michael Harrington; Josh Wolff, Abe Thompson (Claudio Lopez 70′)

Attendance: 4352

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