Here’s the report from the club…

Second half goals by Alvaro Fernandez and Sammy Ochoa propelled Sounders FC to a 3-1 victory over Chivas USA at the Home Depot Center in the final MLS regular season game of the season. The Rave Green will play at Real Salt Lake on either October 29 or 30 in the first game of the Western Conference semifinals.

A Chivas own goal in the 53rd minute broke a scoreless tie and got the momentum going for Seattle. The goal occurred after Fredy Montero played a ball down from Mike Fucito near the left side of the goal and it was inadvertently knocked in the net by retreating Chivas defender Andrew Boyens.

In the 68th minute, Fernandez got behind the defense on the left side and received a well placed pass from Brad Evans and finished in the top right corner of the net for his ninth goal of the season.

Then five minutes later in the 73rd, Montero crossed the ball to a sprinting Ochoa, who finished with a diving header past keeper Dan Kennedy. It was the second goal of the season for Ochoa, who substituted in for Fucito in the 64th minute. Roger Levesque was also credited with an assist on the goal.

Chivas USA scored in the 83rd minute when Victor Estupinan headed down a bouncing ball in front of the net for a score.

Sounders FC (18-7-9, 63 points) has won five of their last six games and finishes the season second in the Western Conference. They play the third place team in the Western Conference, Real Salt Lake, in two-game aggregate goal playoff to advance to the Western Conference finals.

Real Salt Lake finishes with 53 points after a 1-1 draw earlier this evening against Portland. They clinched the conference’s third seed after San Jose defeated FC Dallas 4-1 tonight. RSL and FC Dallas were tied with 52 points going into tonight’s games.

Chivas USA (8-14-12, 36 points) loses the final three games of the season and finishes the season eighth in the Western Conference.

Montero has now scored or assisted in his last eight games. He has 12 goals and 9 assists in MLS play this season.

Mauro Rosales made his first start since September 17 game against D.C. United when he sprained his MCL. He left the game in the seventh minute after suffering a right knee injury on a foul by Ben Zemanski and was replaced by Roger Levesque. Zemanski was issued a yellow card for the foul. Rosales picked up an assist in Seattle’s comeback victory over San Jose on October 15 after entering the game as a substitute.

Seattle will host the second game of the Western Conference semifinals on either November 2 or 3. Tickets for that match go on sale Monday, October 24 at 10 a.m. Tickets will be available at SoundersFC.com or by calling 800-745-3000.

Seattle Sounders FC (18-7-9) at Chivas USA (8-14-12)
October 22, 2011 – Home Depot Center, Carson, California

Scoring Summary:
SEA – Own Goal 53′
SEA – Alvaro Fernandez 9 (Brad Evans 5) 68′
SEA – Sammy Ochoa 2 (Fredy Montero 9, Roger Levesque 3) 73′
CHV – Victor Estupinan 1 (Andrew Boyens 1, Marcos Mondaini 2) 83′

Chivas USA – Dan Kennedy, Zarek Valentin, Heath Pearce (Andrew Boyens 46′), David Junior Lopes, Ante Jazic (Mariano Trujillo 57′), Ben Zemanski, Blair Gaven, Nick LaBrocca, Alejandro Moreno, Marcos Mondaini, Juan Pablo Angel (Victor Estupinan 76′).

Substitutes Not Used: Zach Thornton, Michael Lahoud, Jorge Flores, Chris Cortez.

TOTAL SHOTS: 12 (Angel, Estupinan 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 3 (Angel, Estupinan, Zemanski 1); FOULS: 13 (Boyens 3); OFFSIDES: 3 (Angel 3); CORNER KICKS: 8 (Mondaini 5); SAVES: 2 (Kennedy 2).

Seattle Sounders FC – Kasey Keller, James Riley, Jeff Parke, Jhon Kenedy Hurtado, Leo Gonzalez (Tyson Wahl 82′), Mauro Rosales (Rover Levesque 11′), Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans, Alvaro Fernandez, Mike Fucito (Sammy Ochoa 65′), Fredy Montero.

Substitutes Not Used: Bryan Meredith, Zach Scott, Erik Friberg, Lamar Neagle.

TOTAL SHOTS: 8 (Montero 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Fernandez 2); FOULS: 16 (Alonso 4); OFFSIDES: 3 (Montero 3); CORNER KICKS: 3 (Fernandez 2); SAVES: 1 (Keller 1).

Misconduct Summary:
CHV — Ben Zemanski (caution; reckless tackle) 5
SEA — Roger Levesque (caution; reckless tackle) 40
SEA — Brad Evans (caution; dissent) 79
SEA– Fredy Montero (caution; dive) 80

Referee: Ricardo Salazar
Referee’s Assistants: Craig Lowry, Peter Manikowski
4th Official: Ramon Hernandez
Attendance: 22,137
Time of Game: 1:50
Weather: Foggy and 64-degrees

Here are some of his best shots from the night!

[Show as slideshow]

12►

All images © thanks to Chris Coulter and SoundersPhotos.com

Chivas USA & Sounders FC played to a scoreless draw on Saturday. (Chris Coulter photo)

The Sounders had their chances on Saturday against Chivas USA as they outshot the visitors 10-4, but none reached the back of the net as the two sides played to a scoreless draw.

Seattle had their best chance in the 19th minute when Alvaro Fernandez lined up to take a penalty kick. He ultimately pushed it too far left as it hit the post and then bounced off the Chivas Goalkeeper Dan Kennedy out for a Corner Kick.

Even after 88 minutes of inability to score, the Rave Green looked like they were going to be able to pull out some late match heroics for the second consecutive week as Lamar Neagle was blatantly tripped in the box. Referee Michael Stott blew the whistle and pointed to the spot but then waved the action to continue in a move that sent Century Link Stadium into an uproar.

Seattle next plays on Tuesday night when it hosts Guatemala’s Comunicaciones in the CONCACAF Champions League group stage. Kickoff is slated for 7p. The Sounders return to league action next Saturday at FC Dallas.

Chivas USA– Dan Kennedy, Zarek Valentin (David Lopes 73), Michael Umana, Heath Pearce, Ante Jazic, Blair Gavin, Simon Elliott, Nick LaBrocca, Jorge Flores (Laurent Courtois 46), Marcos Mondaini (Justin Braun 23), Alejandro Moreno.

Substitutes Not Used: Paulo Nagamura, Mariano Trujillo, Ben Zemanski, Zach Thornton.

TOTAL SHOTS: 4 (Justin Braun 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 3 (Justin Braun 2); FOULS: 12 (4 tied with 2); OFFSIDES: 3 (Nick LaBrocca 2); CORNER KICKS: 5 (Laurent Courtois 2); SAVES: 2 (Dan Kennedy 2)

Seattle Sounders — Kasey Keller, James Riley, Jeff Parke, Zach Scott, Tyson Wahl, Mauro Rosales, Osvaldo Alonso, Erik Friberg, Alvaro Fernandez, Pat Noonan (Nate Jaqua 69), Fredy Montero (Lamar Neagle 83).

Substitutes Not Used: Servando Carrasco, Mike Fucito, Patrick Ianni, Roger Levesque, Terry Boss.

TOTAL SHOTS: 10 (Pat Noonan 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 (Alvaro Fernandez 1, Pat Noonan 1); FOULS: 18 (4 tied with 3); OFFSIDES: 4 (Pat Noonan 2); CORNER KICKS: 4 (Tyson Wahl 2); SAVES: 3 (Kasey Keller 3)

Misconduct Summary:
SEA — Tyson Wahl (caution; Reckless Tackle) 23
CHV — Nick LaBrocca (caution; Tactical Foul) 34
CHV — Simon Elliott (caution; Tactical Foul) 45
CHV — Ante Jazic (caution; Reckless Tackle) 80
SEA — Erik Friberg (caution; Dissent) 89

Referee: Kevin Stott
Referee’s Assistants:-Adam Wienckowski; Jason Cullum
4th Official: Matthew Foerster
Attendance: 36,364
Time of Game: 1:51
Weather: Partly Cloudy-and-64-degrees

All Statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial

POSTGAME QUOTES: Sounders FC vs. Chivas USA

Sigi Schmid – Sounders FC Head Coach
(General comments…) “I thought in the first half they were a little bit the better team. I thought they had a little more of the game in the first half. Obviously, we had a penalty kick that we hit the post on. That didn’t help us. I guess penalties are like mulligans, you only get one per round. Once we used up our mulligan we weren’t allowed another one. In the second half we came out a lot better and took away their passing game. We did a better job of possessing the ball and as a result we created some good chances. [Dan] Kennedy came up with some saves. Some people were saving shots on the line and we didn’t quite get clean hits on the ball. At the end it’s 0-0. I’m proud of our defensive effort. I thought our defensive effort was good. We really only got exposed one time on the save that Kasey [Keller] made in the first half on a nice little touch by Alejandro [Moreno]. Outside of that, I thought we were a lot better defensively. It just didn’t go in at the other end.”

(On the non-call of a penalty at end of game…) “I’m far away from it so it’s tough to tell and I haven’t seen a replay yet because something happened where our machine wasn’t working. It looked like he got clipped but I’m not sure because I’m far away. There was that one. There was the one that I thought was really blatant was the cross. I forgot who hit it, maybe [Mauro] Rosales? The one where Nate Jaqua was at the back post and [Michael] Umana basically took his entire body and arms and pushes him three feet and nothing gets called. I thought that one should have been called. It was pretty easy.”

(On what he said to referees…) “You have to have a look at it and see what you think. I mentioned the other incident to him as well. We call a little foul on [Erik] Friberg when he just touched a guy in the box and that gets called but when a guy gets moved three feet it doesn’t get called. It’s not the referring. We had chances to score. We had a penalty and we could have scored that one and we walk away today 1-0 winners. Eventually you have to score. I was happy that we were much better defensively.”

(On scoring against Chivas…) “Maybe more snake bitten because it has been three different coaches so it’s not like they play the same defensively. I thought we had opportunities. I think we opened them up a little bit in the second half especially. It just seems for some reason that scoring goals against them they’re a little bit of a boogey team for us, a hard luck team.”

(On forward play…) “I thought they did a decent job. I thought [Pat] Noonan did a decent job holing the ball up with some combinations. I thought it was better in the second half than in the first. I Think Fredy Montero had a couple good looks. I’m sure he’d like to hit the ball again. The one that he put past the far post was a pretty good look for him. He usually hits that a little better. At the end, we went with [Nate] Jaqua and [Mauro] Rosales up there to have some size and fresh legs on the flanks and keep Rosales, who I thought was our most effective player, there.”

(On play to stop Nick LaBrocca…) “To be aware of where he was. Ozzie [Osvaldo Alonso] did a good job of that and when he pushed up high one of our defenders came over. I think we kept him pretty quiet for most of the game.”

(On Pat Noonan…) “I thought he played well. I thought he played well against the Panamanian team, San Francisco. I thought he did some good things holding the ball up for us. He’s a smart player. He needs to stay high. He had a couple chances in the first half on headers. He made some good slashing runs in there. Whenever you can get him on the field, it helps your team.”

(On Zach Scott…) “Zach gives you endeavor and energy and effort. He’s been solid about winning his aerial duals. It’s about winning those 50/50 balls and Zach gives you that. If you can do that, it gives you possession of the ball and allows you to do things.”

(On O’Brian White and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado…) “With Kennedy we wanted to wait a little bit. He’ll be on the field Tuesday. With O’Brian White, there’s a complication right now but we can’t say because it hasn’t been fully determined what the situation is yet. It’s along the same lines as his prior injury but hasn’t been fully diagnosed as to what it is or how to deal with it. The objective was to be cautions at this stage.”

Kasey Keller – Sounders FC Goalkeeper
(On the game overall…)”It was solid, defensively, for the most part. Just a little bit of frustration because at the moment. We seem to either be playing well offensively and not so well defensively, or well defensively and not so well offensively. If we want to really make a run into the playoffs, we’ve got to be able to put them both together. We’ve got to be able to play on both sides of the ball. In games like this, we could see this game out two-nil, three-nil, which we’re more than capable of doing. But in saying that, we haven’t had a clean sheet in the league for a while, so that’s a nice positive. But this is a game we should have won and we’re frustrated because of that.”

(On the possible penalty that was waived off late in the second half…)”That kind of stuff happens. That stuff is frustrating you know, but we had our penalty chance that we should have buried it, and multiple other chances. And multiple other half-chances that our final pass to the box was off today. It’s got to be better. It’s got to be better if we want to make a run in the playoffs. And on a day like today, we get our defense right, now we’ve got to put it all together.”

Lamar Neagle – Sounders FC Forward
(On what happened in the box that led to the PK not being called…)”Nate (Jaqua) played a good ball, and he was in the corner. He brought two defenders out with him and so I just cut towards the inside, got a good touch on it, beat my guy and then thought I beat the next guy. I took a touch by him and I think I got clipped. It kind of is what it is. Calling two PKs in a game… it’s kind of rough. I haven’t been known to dive ever in my life. I haven’t practiced it or anything like that. What can you do? We still had a lot of chances we could have put away anyway. We had chances to win the game.”

(On whether the ref said anything to him after the non-call…) “No. When it’s kind of intense at the end of the game like that they’re not going to say anything to excite the players or anything like that. It’s understandable. You just kind buck up and support their call, which is all they can really do.”

(On the confusion after the play, when it appeared the ref was pointing to the spot…) “Yeah, I thought so. I looked over and thought he was [pointing at the spot], so I got the ball and then started to run back. But then I saw my whole team going … So I was like, ‘what is going on?’”

(On whether the Sounders expected to win this game…)”Towards the end, we had the momentum and we were going at their goal. Whenever it’s a situation like that, we’re pressing to get a goal towards the end. We definitely had our chances. We had a few chances to get them. It’s definitely possible. When I come on towards the end of the game, I’m just trying to run it. I’m trying to bring as much energy because I know everyone is pretty tired by then.”

Pat Noonan – Sounders FC Forward
(On how he feels, after getting his first MLS start since mid-2010…)”Very frustrated. We deserved to win the game. The team deserved better. Offensively, I had one or two chances that I’ve got to finish. We’ve got a PK, maybe a second… The whole of play was shocking. It just wasn’t clinical in the final third. I take a lot of responsibility for that.”

(On whether he feels he validated Schmid’s decision to start him…)”Of course. There’s a lot of guys fighting for spots. I had chances tonight to finish opportunities and I didn’t do it, so it’s very frustrating.”

Alvaro Fernandez – Sounders FC Midfielder
(On not scoring…) “We had very clear opportunities, even a penalty. Unfortunately, I couldn’t convert it, but I’m happy that the team was able to create the opportunities.”

(On penalty kick…) “I don’t think the problem had to do with the strength. It was more about the direction. I shot right into the post, it bounced back on the keeper and out. That’s how penalties go It was not kicked that badly, but it cost us two points.”

(On Chivas goalkeeper Dan Kennedy…) “He was very good indeed. We created many chances and made him a character of the game. Merit to him. He played very well.”

Robin Fraser – Chivas USA Head Coach
(On the performance of goalkeeper Dan Kennedy…) “I just said to someone that I can’t wait til we are not talking about Danny. Seriously, he was fantastic. He has had way too much to do at certain points throughout the year but has done his job superbly. As I watch him he gets better and better and his confidence grows more. Our team breeds off his confidence. We need to get to the point were Dan is the last person we are talking about.”

(On his team be energized after the missed penalty kick…) “I thought we started off with really good energy. We had a few turnovers and at that point our confidence was shaken a bit. After that penalty we were re-energized. It was huge and in this arena with the crowd to be down a goal is a big. To get out of that without giving up a goal is fantastic. It gave the team new energy that helped us get through the first half.”

(On David Lopes making his debut today…) “It was a difficult situation to put him into. In retrospect maybe it wasn’t fair to him. Nate Jaqua had just been subbed in and we thought size for size it was a good idea to get him in on crosses that were coming. It is very difficult as a defender to come in on the second half and match the speed of the game. He played in the reserve game earlier in the week but he looks like he needs some minutes to get up to game speed.”

(On his team only having four shots on goal…) “That is not a concern. It is poor execution. If we are not scoring goals and creating chances then I would be concerned. Today, we had some opportunities in the first half. Our final pass and final run just wasn’t aggressive enough. We are not aggressive in the final third when we have only four shots.”

(On getting a point in a difficult environment…) “Absolutely. At the end of the day given the fact that both teams played well at times, they created more dangerous chances than we did. Given all those facts I can live with one point.

Dan Kennedy – Chivas USA Goalkeeper
(On having a busy day today…) “I think more so in the second half. They stepped [Erik] Friberg up and got a little bit of momentum. Thankfully, they didn’t come with anything that we couldn’t deal with.”

(On the team’s response following the missed PK…) “There will always be little breaks throughout the game that you need. That was one of them. When you’re on the road you sometimes need things to go your way, with the penalty missed that was one of them.”

(On getting a hand on the PK miss…) “We are going to have to look at the replay. I was pumped up on the play and was happy it didn’t hit me and go in. I think if it was on frame I would have had it.”

(On his save in the second half…) “The one off my knee? It was a really well played ball across in a spot where I tried to cut off the cross. Whoever crossed it was able to get it up and over me, which is tough to do and the best that I could do is cover angles and stay big. I didn’t want to commit to anything til I saw the ball, fortunately that was enough.”

(On the play of David Lopes…) “It is really hard to come into a game like that and a stadium like this as a defender and be successful. [...] I thought he showed great composure. I think he will continue to get better and the speed of the game will continue to catch up with it more and more.”

Miguel Montaño scored in Monday's Reserve League action (Chris Coulter photo)

The Sounders FC Reserves won their second match of the 2011 MLS Reserve League on MOnday night thanks to goals by Mike Fucito, Lamar Neagle, and Miguel Montano in a 3-2 defeat of the reserve side from Chivas USA.

Official Release

Lamar Neagle and Miguel Montano scored eight minutes apart in the second half, lifting Seattle Sounders FC to a 3-2 win over Chivas USA in an MLS Reserve League match at Starfire Sports Stadium on Monday night.

Chris Cortez scored twice for Chivas USA (1-2-1) and nearly equalized in stoppage time. Mike Fucito struck for Seattle’s (2-0-0) opener.

Neagle put Sounders FC ahead early in the second half. Streaking into the right corner of the box he was taken down by Chivas USA goalkeeper Sergio Arias. Neagle then stepped to the spot and converted to the left corner in the 52nd minute.

Montano doubled the lead to 3-1 on the hour. He received a short feed from Pat Noonan, faked right, then pulled the ball back left and fired inside the near post from 16 yards.

Chivas USA pulled a goal back in the 69th minute on the second strike by Cortez. Bryan de la Fuente drove a cross from the left wing and Cortez flicked it into the right corner.

In the first minute of stoppage time Cortez almost bagged a hat trick but his shot off a corner kick caromed off the left post. The Red and White’s Mariano Trujillo was denied in the 83rd minute when Sounders FC keeper Terry Boss turned his drive around the left post.

The teams exchanged first-half goals three minutes apart.

In the 22nd minute, Cortez intercepted a miss-hit goal kick by Boss and promptly beat Boss with a 20-yard drive to the right corner.

Sounders FC equalized in the 25th minute. David Estrada’s cross to the far post was headed down by Nate Jaqua and Fucito put it away from close range.

Fucito had three earlier attempts which just missed, including a header against the crossbar in the 6th minute from a Neagle cross. Jaqua steered the rebound wide right.

Seattle out-shot Chivas USA 15-9 but the visitors held an 8-5 advantage in corner kicks.

Sounders FC hosts the Timbers reserves on Sunday at 1 p.m. PT.

Chivas USA (1-2-1) vs. Seattle Sounders FC (2-0-0)
May 9, 2011 – Starfire Sports Stadium, Tukwila, Wash.
Reserve League

Seattle Sounders FC 3 – 2 Chivas USA

Scoring Summary:
CHV – Chris Cortez (unassisted) 22
SEA-Fucito (Jaqua, Estrada) 25
SEA – Lamar Neagle (penalty kick) 52
SEA – Miguel Montano (Pat Noonan) 60
CHV – Chris Cortez (Bryan de la Fuente) 69

Chivas USA: 30-Sergio Arias; 24-Bryan de la Fuente, 38-Ian Hines-Ike, 4-Michael Umana, 11-Michael Lahoud; 36-Chris Rodriguez, 6- Francisco Mendoza, 8- Mariano Trujillo, 14-Gerson Mayen; 27-Chris Cortez, 99-Victor Estupinan

Substitutes Not Used: 32-Kevin Guppy, 40-Arthur Aghasyan, 25-Edson Lemus, 16-Pedro Velazquez, 31-Danny Castro

Seattle Sounders FC: 28-Terry Boss; 20-Zach Scott, 26-Taylor Graham, 5-Tyson Wahl (39-Kevin Sakuda 46), 14-Michael Tetteh; 27-Lamar Neagle, 22-Michael Seamon, 16-David Estrada, 32-Miguel Montano; 2-Mike Fucito (37-Sinisa Ubiparipovic 63), 21-Nate Jaqua (25-Pat Noonan 46)

Substitutes Not Used: 29-Josh Ford, 38-Taylor Mueller

Misconduct Summary:
SEA – Zach Scott (unsporting behavior) 76
CHV – Francisco Mendoza (unsporting behavior) 78

Referee: Josh Wilkins
Referee’s Assistants: William Niccolls, Jeremy Hanson
4th Official: Timon Berry

Attendance: 920
Time of Game: 1:52
Weather: Cloudy and 55 degrees

The Reserves are 1-0-0 with a 1-0 win over San Jose a month ago thanks to a goal by Michael Tetteh in the waning minutes of the match.

Admission is free, but a $5 donation to the Sounders FC Community Partners will be accepted.

Parking will be $5.

Seattle Sounders FC player Alvaro Fernandez controls the ball during a training match between the Sounders FC and Chivas USA on February 12, 2011 at Grande Sports World in Casa Grande, AZ. (Photo courtesy of Seattle Sounders FC)

The Sounders left Arizona on Saturday on a winning note.

In the final training match of the Rave Green’s stay in Casa Grande, Seattle defeated Chivas USA 1-0 thanks to a 75th minute goal by David Estrada. Trialist Jonathan Prieto initiated the play with a cross into Miguel Montano who played the ball to Estrada.

Sounders FC Lineup

1st 45′: Kasey Keller, James Riley, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Tyson Wahl, Danny Earls, Alvaro Fernandez, Osvaldo Alonso, Erik Friberg, Steve Zakuani, Fredy Montero, Mike Fucito.

2nd 45′: Terry Boss, Roger Levesque, Zach Scott, Leone Cruz, Michael Tetteh, Lamar Neagle, Servando Carrasco, Jonathan Prieto, Miguel Montaño, David Estrada, Seedy Bah.

Quotes from Head Coach Sigi Schmid

(On the training game…) “Obviously I thought the first 45 minutes Chivas had more of the game. I thought we were not very cohesive in our play and I know our guys are good pros and I know when they look at the mirror today they are not going to be happy with it. But the second half I thought we came in and played with a lot of energy. The guys knew that they were battling for spots to get on the plane to Florida and a lot of guys stepped up their game and it was very good.”

(On defensive effort…) “The defending was good. [Kasey] Keller had to handle the ball I thought a little too much in the first half. People came back and covered and were strong on tackles, especially that second group. I thought Michael Tetteh played well and was strong on tackles. [Leone] Cruz played much better today. Roger Levesque at right back continues to do alright back there. Servando Carrasco played well in defensive midfield. I think defensively for the first group I thought Tyson Wahl played well as a center back. I thought Jhon Kennedy [Hurtado] was good again and obviously [Osvaldo] Alonso always gives you defensive effort.”

(On David Estrada’s goal…) “It was a play that was created off of energy. The guys worked hard. Jonathan Prieto makes a good late run into the box and gets on the end. The other people are getting into the box so they can get on the end of the cross and the ball comes free to David Estrada who continued to follow the play and he bangs it in, which is the key thing. Sometimes we give up on plays and we don’t want to give up on plays. We want to make sure we stay in place and continue it because you never know what’s going to happen at the end.”

(On the two weeks at Grande Sports World…) “Halftime wasn’t very positive for me but it ended on a positive note. It’s been good. It’s been a long two weeks. I think the guys are ready to get back to Seattle and to get on the plane today and it’ll be good for them to get back to Seattle. It’ll be good to get back to their families and probably to get away from each other for a few days is also good. But our work is not completed in preseason and we will continue to work hard.”

Seattle returned to MLS league action on Friday night, as well as their winning ways. Bolstered behind first half goals by Steve Zakuani and Osvaldo Alonso, the Sounders (14-9-6, 48pts) defeated Chivas USA 2-1 in front of 36,173 at Qwest Field.

The win was the Rave Green’s 10th in the past 14 League matches; a stretch that has seen the club go 10-1-3.

**View the Entire Photo Gallery by Chris Coulter and SoundersPhotos.com**

Zakuani put Seattle on the board first in the 9th minute. After being fed by Jeff Parke, (who recorded his first Seattle assist) Zakuani-again- found himself 1-on-1 with the goalkeeper as he cooly slid the ball past Zach Thornton. The goal, Zakuani’s 10th of season, now puts him tied for the team lead.

14 minutes later, Alonso reached the back of the net for the first time in the 2010 MLS Campaign. Fredy Montero started the play by feeding Zakuani to the endline. Steve Z. cut the ball back in front of the goal where the Cuban ran on to it and buried it in the back of the net. The assist is Montero’s 10th on the year- 3rd in MLS.

Chivas USA got 1 goal back in injury time on a goal by Jesus Padilla. The win was the Sounders first ever against Chivas USA in MLS play.

Scoring Summary:
SEA–Zakuani 10 (Parke 1) 9
SEA–Alonso 1 (Zakuani 6, Montero 10) 25
CHV–Padilla 6 (Espinoza 3) 92+

CHIVAS USA–Zach Thornton, Mariano Trujillo, Jonathan Bornstein, Michael Umana,
Ante Jazic, Rodolfo Espinoza, Jorge Flores, Michael Lahoud, Paulo Nagamura,
Jesus Padilla, Giancarlo Maldonado (Sal Zizzo 76).

TOTAL SHOTS: 14 (Flores 4);SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (4 tied with 1);FOULS: 5 (Lahoud 2,
Umana 2);OFFSIDE: 2;CORNER KICKS: 5;SAVES: Thornton 1;

CAUTIONS: Nagamura
26; EJECTIONS: None.

SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC–Kasey Keller, James Riley, Leo Gonzalez, Jeff Parke,
Patrick Ianni (Tyrone Marshall 51), Sanna Nyassi (Alvaro Fernandez 60),
Nathan Sturgis, Osvaldo Alonso, Steve Zakuani, Fredy Montero (Nate Jaqua 87),
Blaise Nkufo.

TOTAL SHOTS: 11 (Montero 4);SHOTS ON GOAL: 3 (Zakuani 2);FOULS: 13 (Gonzalez 3,
Marshall 3);OFFSIDE: 4;CORNER KICKS: 5;SAVES: Keller 3;

CAUTIONS: Zakuani 59,
Montero 84; EJECTIONS: None.

Referee: Edvin Jurisevic
Referee’s Assistants: Craig Lowry, C.J. Morgante
4th Official: Yader Reyes.
Attendance: 36,356.
Temperature: 50 and Clear.

Sounders vs. Chivas USA Recap

[Show as slideshow]

12►

Will Zach Thornton be begging for Fredy Montero's mercy on Friday night? (Chris Coulter Photo)

Following a mid-week friendly, Sounders FC return to MLS action on Friday night as they host Chivas USA.

Already assured a spot in the MLS Playoffs, Seattle looks to continue the recent successes in MLS competition as a momentum builder for the post-season. Winner of 4 consecutive league matches, Seattle (13-9-6, 45pts), the boys in rave green look to take on a club who they have never defeated in league play.

A 5th consecutive win would be a club record.

Chivas USA won’t be seeing the post-season recently snapped a 3-game losing streak and will be without Alan Gordon and Justin Braun up front. Gordon is out due to suspension; Braun is out because of a recent concussion.

Looking ahead to the Playoffs (and its wacky rules for matchups), Sigi Schmid faces tough decisions- to play and win, locking up a dreaded #6 seed in the Post-Season that would mean a show up with the probably Supporter Shield Winners- LA, -OR- sandbag the match, lose momentum, gain a #7 seed and an easier route through the playoffs.

Finishing in the Top 6 also guarantees Seattle a direct route to the Third Round of the 2011 US Open Cup (by passing the Play-in Rounds).

What would you do?

Kickoff is set for 730p and will be broadcast on ESPN2. [Tickets]

We have photos thanks to Chris Coulter and Sounders Photos from Wednesday’s US Open Cup Semifinal between Sounders FC and Chivas USA.

Enjoy!

[Show as slideshow]

12►