Sounders 2 : 1 Houston Dynamo (Result)

Disputed Goal Sets Seattle on Their Way on Schmetzer’s Triumphant Day

July 11

Seattle fought well for a deserved victory against a Houston Dynamo side who showed immense character under difficult circumstances. A disputed goal from Fredy Montero and an overhead kick by Pat Ianni canceled out Brad Davis’ 12th minute opener for Houston. It was Seattle’s first ever come from behind win and takes them to 28 points, within three of the table-topping Dynamo. Seattle go second due to Chivas USA’s defeat in the Los Angeles derby.

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Were it not for a cool breeze, it could have been Houston in the winter as the sun baked down on Qwest Field in beautiful 80-degree heat. Cam Weaver and Osvaldo Alonso made sufficient recoveries to sit on the bench, though neither finally participated. Houston’s injury crisis had made Dominic Kinnear’s job simple. Sigi Schmid was absent at his son’s wedding, leaving Brian Schmetzer in charge. The side included Peter Vagenas making his first ever MLS start for Seattle but his 167th in MLS. He had started the US Open Cup tie in Portland.

Ljungberg started in the Brad Evans role just behind the forwards with Stephen King in right midfield. Vagenas slotted into the defensive mid role, but very soon at the start of the match caused havoc at the front end, when he and Ljungberg wrong footed defenders. The daisy cutter across the Houston box went unmet though. Brad Davis was beginning to look increasingly influential, working well particularly with Brian Mullan. He drove Houston’s first clear cut shot over in the 9th minute.

12 minutes in and Sounders found out just how dangerous Davis was going to be. He received the ball totally unmarked inside the penalty box after Dominic Oduro had teased Pat Ianni. He found Brian Mullan who in turn passed to Brad Davis who rifled home the opener for the visitors.

Sounders enjoyed a good spell in the next 15 minutes but it was just before the 20th that they had their first decent effort. Zakuani and Riley worked well together. The right back found Montero at the right hand side of the box but he fired straight at Pat Onstad.

Montero battled and battled hard, even running back to his goal to retain possession. He was still going when he received a one touch lay off by Ljungberg back to him. A defender intervened though and the latter’s pass back was diverted by Onstad.

Davis nearly doubled Houston’s lead with a lovely curling free kick that just went past the left post and it was really game on, as two on-form quality sides pitted their wits against each other. Ljungberg’s application inside the box nearly paid dividends when he found enough space to get his foot under the ball and chip a cross. Onstad had to be very tall to get a paw on it, and when it came down, Craig Waibel was first to react, and the Portland native hacked it away to safety in the 27th.

Stephen King found Nate Jaqua out on the right. The lanky forward swung a beautiful ball into the penalty box where Montero controlled the ball on his chest the first time. It dropped to his knee where he controlled it a second time and his third touch was a chip over the advancing Onstad. It was a weak chip and Mike Chabala got back in time to clear the ball off the line, or so it seemed. But referee Mark Geiger looked up at the linesman Emiliano Monje who signified that the ball had crossed the line. Dominic Kinnear protested furiously to no avail and after the game was convinced the ball had not crossed the line.

Onstad produced an incredible save four minutes before half time after Zakuani was found clear in the box by Jaqua. The veteran Canadian practically scooped the ball out almost from behind his shoulder. Seconds later Jhon Kennedy Hurtado was booked for fouling the effervescent Davis.

Oduro managed to send a dangerous ball flat across the Seattle penalty box which nobody from either side met just before the interval. The half time whistle went after a pulsating 45 minutes with Kinnear still angry about the goal award, and Mike Chabala limping badly while signifying his angst to the bench.

46 seconds into the second half, Pat Ianni opened his account for Seattle in the bizarrest fashion. Hurtado headed it up in the Houston box and Brian Mullan swung his boot at the ball and missed. With his back to goal, Ianni tried an overhead kick, ostensibly to play it back into the danger zone. The ball went into the goal over Onstad and the crowd erupted. Not so Pat Ianni, who had no idea what had happened over his shoulder, until Montero grabbed him shouting “goal, goal.”

As Sounders became rejuvenated and Houston reeled, a Ljungberg cross was deflected for a corner by Julius James as Nate Jaqua was set to pounce.

Brian Mullan came off, as did Steve Zakuani with Danny Cruz and Seb Le Toux arriving, both in the 55th minute. Mullan had had a torrid hour and with his departure, one of his chief tormentors followed him off.

Three minutes before the hour mark, Jaqua missed a gilt-edged opportunity after James Riley had done some excellent work down the right. Somehow Jaqua sidefooted the ball over the bar when Riley presented it on a plate to him. Chabala was forced to exit with a right quad contusion on the hour and Erik Ustruck replaced him.

Peter Vagenas picked up a booking but it seemed with 25 minutes to go, the game was Seattle’s to lose. Wahl followed him with a bad foul on Danny Cruz in the 66th. After Wahl was flattened in turn, Ljungberg hoisted a free kick into the box which everybody missed.

Jaqua created another good chance for Montero who tested Onstad. But the Canadian got down well to save with his left peg with 20 minutes to go. Montero then nutmegged the overmatched Waibel who hauled him back by his jersey, earning Houston’s third yellow.

Craig Waibel bounced the ball off Freddie Ljungberg’s head when waiting to take a throw in, and players from both sides wasted good energy pointlessly overreacting. Waibel was very professional and honest about the incident after the game, “I gotta be honest. I’m a bit embarrassed. I pride myself on respecting the game and I think I had a brief lack of respect. By no means am I proud of it. I think I play the game well and with good intent and I think that was a little lapse in concentration and judgment.”

Shortly after, a long range drive briefly tested Keller with just under ten to go, but he gathered comfortably and cleanly on what was another relatively untroubled outing for him.

Ricardo Clark deflected a Jaqua drive wide after yet more efficient work by the lively Le Toux who had added another dimension to Sounders repertoire against a tiring visiting side. Ljungberg and Vagenas contrived to make a total hash of the corner.

Montero nearly gave Ljungberg the opportunity to seal the game but Julius James made a very timely interception. Ustruck was the next to save Houston after Le Toux again found Montero in acres of space. The Colombian’s momentary hesitation allowed the substitute to make a timely and effective block.

Quiet Man Forced into the Limelight

Sounders had surrendered games they should have won before and Houston were giving them cause to worry. Keller had to come through a throng of players to scrap at a corner in the 87th, and Riley and Hurtado got into a tangle in the 88th. Seattle broke clear though and Kai Kamara brought down Ljungberg to earn a yellow for himself and a reprieve for the Sounders. Freddie got the break his battered legs needed when Brian Schmetzer brought Levesque on for him in the 90th.

And then it was Schmetzer’s moment. The final whistle went and Dom Kinnear generously went over to Schmetzer, as did many of the Sounders staff to hug and handshake the deputy who had become King for a Day. At the South End where many of those who followed the franchise in years past when Schmetzer was head coach, stayed behind to make sure “Der Schmetz” knew how they felt about his moment in the sun. Peter Vagenas had to practically frog march a reluctant victor down to that end to receive his accolades.

Kinnear: I Know for a Fact It Wasn’t a Goal

Dominic Kinnear was very generous to his hosts. “It’s a tough place to play. That’s a very good team they have. At the end of the game we were pushing hard, still trying to get a result out of it.”

Commenting on the Sounders’ first goal, Kinnear was adamant his side had been the victims of a poor call. “I know for a fact it wasn’t in. And I know for a fact the linesman, or whatever you want to call him, the AR, was out of position. And I know for a fact it’s the same guy that called a goal two years ago against Salt Lake City when it wasn’t a goal. So I know he’s wrong, I’m sure he’ll watch it and know he’s made a mistake but it’s too late.”

Pat Ianni said after the match, “I’ve never scored with an overhead kick. Not since I was six.”

The Sounders victory moved them to within three points of table toppers Dynamo, and is their fourth win on the trot.

Mid Table Victories Tighten Western Conference Race

Sounders FC: Kasey Keller; James Riley, Jhon Hurtado, Patrick Ianni, Tyson Wahl; Stephen King, Freddie Ljungberg ( Roger Levesque 90′), Steve Zakuani (Seb Le Toux 55′), Peter Vagenas; Nate Jaqua, Fredy Montero

Substitutes Not Used: Terry Boss, Nathan Sturgis, Sanna Nyassi, Osvaldo Alonso, Lamar Neagle

Houston Dynamo: Pat Onstad; Richard Mulrooney, Craig Waibel, Julius James Mike Chabala (Erik Ustruck 59′); Brian Mullan (Danny Cruz 55′), Ricardo Clark, Brad Davis; Corey Ashe, Kei Kamara, Dominic Oduro (Ade Akinbiyi 62′)

Substitutes Not Used: Tally Hall, John Michael Hayden, Wade Barrett, Cam Weaver

Attendance 32,404