Mauro Rosales celebrates his second goal as a Sounder. It was the eventual game-winner. (Chris Coulter photo)

GoSounders is very lucky to be able to provide you Chris Coulter’s great shots again. SoundersPhotos.comwas on hand for the Sounders’ 4-3 victory over the Colorado Rapids.

Here are some of his best shots- including some fantastic images of Mauro Rosales and Fredy Montero!

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Seattle celebrates one of their 4 goals against the Rapids (Chris Coulter photo)

Goals by Alvaro Fernandez, Roger Levesque, Fredy Montero, and Mauro Rosales sent Sounders FC to extend the club’s unbeaten streak to 9 with a 4-3 win over the defending MLS-Champions Colorado Rapids.

The win improved Seattle’s record to 10-4-8 on the season. Its 38 points finds the Rave Green 1 point behind the LA Galaxy in first place.

Release from the Club

Fredy Montero and Mauro Rosales scored goals two minutes apart in the final eight minutes, spurring Seattle Sounders FC to a comeback win over the reigning MLS Cup Champion Colorado Rapids, 4-3, in front of a national television audience and 36,424 fans on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field on Saturday afternoon.

Alvaro Fernandez and Roger Levesque also scored for Sounders FC (10-4-8, 38 points), who won their third straight MLS home match to pull within a point of the league-leading L.A. Galaxy. They also extended their club record MLS match unbeaten streak to nine games, winning six and drawing three over that time.

The Rapids (6-5-10, 27 points) cede the season series to Seattle, dropping both matches, and falling to 1-4-1 in the league series.

Rosales’ goal in the 84th minute, making it 4-2, proved to be the game winner after Colorado’s Caleb Folan pulled the visitors a goal back in the 90th minute.

Montero sent a ball forward for Rosales, who hammered a shot past Colorado goalkeeper Matt Pickens and into the back of the net for his second goal of the season.

Seattle had taken its first lead, 3-2, two minutes earlier, in the 82nd minute. Brad Evans chased down a ball in the corner of the box and chipped it across the box. Pickens landed a hand on it, but Montero was lurking at the far post for a diving header just inside the left post.

Montero, the club-leader in goals scored, now has six on the season and has scored three times in the last two matches. Seattle improves to 17-2-5 all-time when Montero scores a goal and to 6-0-3 this season when he either scores or provides an assist.

Sounders FC started their comeback in the opening minutes of the second half, when Levesque equalized the score, 2-2.

In the 48th minute, Rosales tracked down a ball up the right side that was played forward by Osvaldo Alonso. Rosales sent a cross in for Levesque, who slid at the near post and knocked it inside the far post with his right foot for his third goal of the season.

Rosales, the club-leader in assists, now has six on the season. Alonso was credited with his first two assists of the year, after assisting on a goal by Alvaro Fernandez in the seventh minute of play.

Colorado had Seattle on their heels early, scoring in the opening minute of play. Rapids midfielder Wells Thompson collected a loose ball at the top of the box and knocked it across the body of Seattle goalkeeper Kasey Keller and inside the left post, putting the Rapids up a goal.

The goal was Thompson’s first of the season.

The Rapids would take a 2-1 advantage into halftime, after Jeff Larentowicz placed a left-footed strike off the right post and into the net for a goal in the 43rd minute.

Sounders FC collected 13 shots with nine of them coming on goal. The Rapids racked up 13 shots as well, but just four on goal.

Sounders FC will next host European giants and 19-time England champion Manchester United in a highly-anticipated friendly on July 20 at 7 p.m. PT on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field. The Rave Green will return to league play on July 30 at Houston.

Scoring Summary:
COL — Wells Thompson 1 (unassisted) 1
SEA — Alvaro Fernandez 5 (Osvaldo Alonso 1) 7
COL — Jeff Larentowicz 4 (Wells Thompson 1, Omar Cummings 2) 42
SEA — Roger Levesque 3 (Mauro Rosales 6, Osvaldo Alonso 2) 48
SEA — Fredy Montero 6 (unassisted) 82
SEA — Mauro Rosales 2 (Fredy Montero 5) 84
COL — Caleb Folan 3 (unassisted) 89

Colorado Rapids– Matt Pickens, Kosuke Kimura, Marvell Wynne, Tyrone Marshall, Drew Moor, Sanna Nyassi (Ross LaBauex 80), Pablo Mastroeni, Jeff Larentowicz, Wells Thompson, Omar Cummings (Andre Akpan 86), Conor Casey (Caleb Folan 38).

Substitutes Not Used: Joseph Nane, Scott Palguta, Steward Ceus.

TOTAL SHOTS: 13 (Jeff Larentowicz 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (4 tied with 1); FOULS: 8 (Conor Casey 2, Pablo Mastroeni 2); OFFSIDES: 3 (Omar Cummings 2); CORNER KICKS: 5 (Sanna Nyassi 4); SAVES: 5 (Matt Pickens 5)

Seattle Sounders — Kasey Keller, James Riley, Patrick Ianni, Jeff Parke, Tyson Wahl, Mauro Rosales, Osvaldo Alonso, Erik Friberg (Brad Evans 73), Alvaro Fernandez (Lamar Neagle 71), Fredy Montero (Nate Jaqua 89), Roger Levesque.

Substitutes Not Used: Mike Fucito, Pat Noonan, Zach Scott, Terry Boss.

TOTAL SHOTS: 13 (Alvaro Fernandez 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 9 (3 tied with 2); FOULS: 10 (3 tied with 2); OFFSIDES: 3 (Roger Levesque 2); CORNER KICKS: 4 (Mauro Rosales 3); SAVES: 1 (Kasey Keller 1)

Misconduct Summary:
COL — Pablo Mastroeni (caution; Reckless Tackle) 18
COL — Conor Casey (caution; Dissent) 25
SEA — Fredy Montero (caution; Goalkeeper Interference) 27
SEA — Roger Levesque (caution; Reckless Tackle) 69
COL — Wells Thompson (caution; Reckless Tackle) 79

Referee: Edvin Jurisevic
Referee’s Assistants:-Mike Kampmeinert; Colin Arblaster
4th Official: Andrew Chapin
Attendance: 36,424
Time of Game: 1:56
Weather: Cloudy-and-65-degrees

All Statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial

Top of Form

Bottom of Form
POSTGAME QUOTES: Sounders FC vs. Colorado Rapids
Sigi Schmid – Sounders FC Head Coach
(General Comments…) “Who says soccer’s not exciting? Obviously the character we showed again coming back after being down twice was superb. My hat’s off to the team in that regard. I didn’t like the fact that we gave up three goals but I’m the coach and I’m paid to worry so I worry about those sorts of things. Our effort was magnificent. We controlled the majority of the match. We created chances. The first goal was a mistake. The second goal was because we were too eager going forward and left ourselves open in the back and the last one was a lack of concentration. Overall, I was very pleased with our passing and our play. I thought guys stepped up and did very well. If you came to today’s game and you didn’t enjoy it then you don’t enjoy sports.”

(On physicality of game…) “I think the game got a little chippy at times but that’s part of it. Everybody kept their emotions in check. There wasn’t anyone looking to retaliate or get even or anything like that.”

(On grass surface…) “The rain made it a little tougher so the field was a little heavier than it would have been without the rain. The ball was pretty dead when you hit long balls so balls would stay in play, which created opportunities for them because of their speed up front and also created opportunities for us on the flanks where those switching balls would sit. Don’t take offense to this but if it was the turf some of those switching balls to Mauro [Rosales] and Alvaro [Fernandez] are going to run out of bounds. So as a result you saw more of a free flowing game.”

(On Fredy Montero…) “His work rate was good. There was only the one ball that he forgot to chase that stayed inbounds. He’s stepped up and accepted the challenge. He’s been getting goals and he set up a great goal to Mauro [Rosales]. I was very pleased with our front four – [Roger] Levesque, Montero, [Alvaro] Fernandez and Mauro Rosales. I think they were creative and they put a lot of things together and a lot of combinations.”

(On four goals by four players…) “You can’t concentrate on one player. You look at the first goal that Alvaro [Fernandez] scored, it was great. A great run, great individual effort. It showed great balance. Roger Levesque, I didn’t see him through all his USL days but I have to believe he’s playing as well as he’s ever played. If you focus on one guy hopefully another guy is going to come along and hurt you. That’s what’s important about our team. Today we got four goals from the run of play, which was also good. We’ve got some goals from set pieces so if we can get goals from set pieces and the run of play and goals from different players that makes us a more difficult team.”

(On enjoying playing from behind…) “Trust me, trust me, no. I would rather get on top and stay on top and finish on top in the game. That’s something that’s there. We’re not pleased with the three goals we gave up and that’s something we want to take care of but I think it speaks more to our character but it’s not a habit we want to remain in.”

(On front four players…) “Mauro Rosales and Fredy Montero bring an awful lot of creativity into the game. They’re good individual one v one players. Mauro is probably off the run of play as good of a crosser as there is in this league. He finds people and picks them out on crosses. Roger Levesque brings that work ethic. He’s a guy who seams things together by working and he’s done a great job of holding up the ball for us and connecting and finding that pass. When he can do that and get the ball to Mauro or Fredy and then run, we become more effective. Flaco [Alvaro Fernandez] brings some physical qualities as well. He was unlucky on that header. I thought he had a goal there. He’s able to get in the air and he’s able to get up and down the line. He has more speed than people think he has and he brings creativity. With Ozzie [Osvaldo Alonso] and [Erik] Friberg behind them, knocking the ball around and finding openings and winning the ball back, it makes us a good team. Right now we’re 22 games in and we have some more games to go and we want to maintain this. The guys have gone through a good run and now it’s time to relax a little bit, take a deep breath and prepare for the next stage.”

(On Wednesday’s Manchester United game…) “We’re looking forward to playing Man United on Wednesday. That’s going to be a tremendous soccer exhibition and a tremendous day for soccer aficionado fans out there. I know our team is looking forward to it. From a standpoint of where we go from there, there’s a CONCACAF play-in game in Panama. That’s something we take very seriously. Any competition we enter we want to try and win. And then we have to go into Houston, which is a very tough place to play. We’re going into two places that are going to be very hot and very humid so we have to make sure that we’re ready.”

(On women’s World Cup Final…) “We’ll watch the women tomorrow. I might lay in bed and watch that one. I’ll definitely enjoy it. I told the guys to enjoy a nice day off tomorrow.”

(On anticipated Manchester United game atmosphere…) “I think it’ll be a tremendous experience. A unique experience for Manchester United from the standpoint that they’ve been to America before to play games but it’ll be one of the few times where they walk into a stadium with 60,000 plus in the stadium and they’re going to find that the majority of the fans are actually behind the Sounders. I’m sure there’s going to be some red in there and some Man U fans in there but our fans are going to come out in droves as well. It’s a soccer celebration for our fans. It’s a soccer celebration for them to be able to see the quality of players that Man United has and the international stars that they have. For us, it’s a privilege, but on the same token the team wants to play well.”

Fredy Montero – Sounders FC Forward
(On scoring four goals in all competitions this week…) “Not to say that it was a perfect week but I definitely feel very good, especially because the team accomplished the objectives set before going into this MLS break.”

(On his diving header goal…) “Yes, in the first game and in another game last time I scored a similar goal. This time I was a little bit afraid that the ball seemed a little bit too low.”

(On the success of the offense…) “We have to maintain and keep doing that, reinforce what we are doing and motivate our entire team.”

(On the comeback victories the last two matches…) “The team has been maturing over the course of three seasons. We find that kind of energy when we are down. I’m very proud of what the team has done today and we managed to get the three points.”

Mauro Rosales – Sounders FC Midfielder
(On the match…) “We never give up. They scored against us and we always work out to come back in the game. We score important goals in that game and I’m very happy about that.”

(On the importance of his goal…) “We played very nice football today. I don’t think we deserved to lose the game. They were playing very good in the first half and they were winning the game – they deserved to. The second half we worked for everything, for the game, and this is the prize. We won.”

Kasey Keller – Sounders FC Goalkeeper
(On needing four goals to win…) “That was shocking. Our discipline and defending was just not their today. Any time the positives you have to take out of that is that when you have a day like that defensively and you’re able to win the game, that’s tremendous. It shows a lot of spirit. We keep giving teams goals. We keep having to come from behind. At some stage we have to start to clean that up. We just can’t let that happen. But today it was a huge team effort. We were able to come back multiple times, twice again, take the lead. I’m a little disappointed, but also extremely happy.”

(On giving up the first goal…) “Mistakes happen. We know that. The nice part of what we’re doing right now is that we’re able to pick our guys up. When somebody makes a mistake, there’s no heads down. It’s just a case of, ‘Let’s get on with it.’ We know we can do better and we know we can score goals. It’s a great feeling when you know you can score goals. When you do that, granted it was a little loose and undisciplined, we have to clean that up. But at the same time it was great being able to get a win out of a game like this.”

(On the physicality of the game…) “We knew they were a physical team and this is the way they play. I have no problem with that. I don’t think there was anything nasty out there today. I think there was some physical play and we traded a ton of chances. You look at what Mauro [Rosales] did, you look at what Flaco [Alvaro Fernandez] did, you look at what Fredy [Montero] did. It’s great to see him pop up with another goal and obviously a tremendous effort from Roger [Levesque]. You know he’s going to work tremendously hard. So it was just a good, team effort today and we got the goals when we needed them.”

Brad Evans – Sounders FC Midfielder
(On the come-from-behind win…) “We’re scoring goals right now and that’s the most important thing. No matter if they come in the first minute, seventh minute or whatever it was today. We get two late past the 80th minute mark so we’re putting the ball into the back of the net. We’re finding good ways to score.”

(On how it feels to get back out on the field…) “It’s just anticipation. The ball bounces the right way, we hit a cross, Fredy [Montero] heads it home to take the lead. We get the buffer goal and luckily we got that one because they got one back.”

(On the unbeaten streak…) “It’s a good run. Last year at the end of the year we went on a really good run as well so it’s just coming at a different time. We’re going to carry this as long as it’ll go. We’re at 10 wins so we’ll ride the wave.”

Gary Smith – Colorado Rapids Head Coach
(On his general impressions of the match…) “When you score three goals you expect to get something coming out after the game. The second half performance started in a poor fashion. I thought we managed to stabilize the middle part during the second half. After feeling pretty good about ourselves going into halftime up 2-1. The second goal we gave up was a big dent to us, and a big boost of confidence for Seattle. The third goal, I felt was coming, the pressure started to mount and Seattle was playing very confident. They have been playing that way for a long period of time.”

(On the change in momentum during the second half…) “The initial goals were a big blow. You try to get yourself a nice footing and hold in the second half, away from home. To concede quickly, with the crowd, and the team we are playing against was just tough. I have to be honest there were good periods of the game were we look unsettled in the back. I don’t know if it was the pitch or just some good movements from Seattle but we looked vulnerable. There were other opportunities where Seattle breached our backline and increased their lead at certain points.”

(On the new surface at CenturyLink Field…) “It looked difficult for all, including Seattle. They are not used to that surface; it was boggy and heavy along with being difficult to turn on. All in all there are no complaints about the pitch. It is a temporary surface and it was good enough to make a competitive game.”

(On the positives the team takes away from today’s match…) “To be able to go up 2-1 on the road in a difficult place. Scoring the three goals itself is a positive. Unfortunately, giving up four goals which the group doesn’t do too often. There are one are two sore bodies in there. I don’t know what is going on with Conor Casey achilles; it will be a matter of patching the group back on up to get a strong lineup for Wednesday to play against a difficult New York side.”

(On the physical nature of the match…) “I thought the game was called really well, giving the circumstance surrounding the fixture. The fans were great and got behind the team as usual and supported them ever so well. There were some challenges there maybe a bit late but nothing out of the ordinary.”

Pablo Mastroeni – Colorado Rapids Midfielder
(On his general thoughts on the match…) “It is unfortunate to be up twice in this game and not walk away with anything. It was a hard fought game and Seattle got on the right side of a few bounces.”

(On the temporary surface affecting their style of play…) “No, both teams have to play on it whether it is turf or grass. We had two leads in this game, if anything it helped us out. Some weird plays and a few strange bounces, we were just on the wrong end of the score.”

(On the changes Seattle made during halftime…) “They came out and put some pressure on us early. They created their own type of positive momentum. Anytime you can score coming out of halftime puts the other team on their heels. We found ourselves in the game and didn’t capitalize.”

After a fantastic opening to the season with three wins that made them look worthy of their title as MLS champs, the Rapids have only one victory over a non-expansion side since, a 2-1 victory over Dynamo to match one goal victories against the pair of Western Conference bottom-dwellers. While Colorado (27 from 20) should consider themselves to be in decent standing in the table, they must surely be somewhat disappointed after such a bright start. On points they would be tied for second in the East and yet find themselves fifth in the West and eighth overall in the league table, merely good enough for a play-in spot in the current playoff picture.

While Conor Casey may have been absent in the first leg of the season series, it should come as no surprise that he will be a key figure for the Rapids tomorrow. It was Casey who beat Jeff Parke for a goal and the Sounders for the points last season in Commerce City, although the Rapids have not fared so well in Seattle in the past. His likely strike partner does have experience scoring goals in Seattle however, as Omar Cummings smashed a beauty last season in a loss. But there is a reason that teams and reporters alike focus on Casey. The fact is, he is an enormous, hulk of a man when placed on an MLS pitch. His stature and appearance make an immediate impact in a way that very few other forwards in MLS do (from memory only Hassli of Vancouver and Buddle of the 2010 Galaxy come to mind by comparison. Sorry, Kenny Cooper). His six goals this season have meant the world to a Rapids team that hasn’t found quite the production it might have expected out of Cummings and has also missed Mac Kandji, who is due back from injury soon, making the timing of this match perhaps somewhat fortunate for the Sounders. Thus, Casey remains the focal point. He is constantly a handful for defenders as his size, strength and powerful shot are lethal when he is in the box and on form. At 29, Casey is an ideal blend of experience, athleticism and physicality. His bullish style has earned him national team duty in the past as he scored two of the goals that put the side through to the 2010 World Cup.

Still, it is likely to take more than Casey and his propensity for goal to beat a Sounders side that has grown by leaps and bounds since late April. In that match Fredy Montero scored the goal that prompted Colorado to attack vigorously, even while down a man, leaving Seattle very relieved to hold on to all three points by the final whistle. But the possession issues — particularly in midfield — that plagued the Sounders so badly at that point seem to have been mostly cured as the presence of such experienced and calm players as Mauro Rosales, Erik Friberg and Alvaro Fernandez have come in to control the zone where Osvaldo Alonso was once forced to try and do everything all the time. While Alonso has always been an expert ball winner, having these cool heads around him has allowed for less forced passing just to keep possession and more purposeful balls forward to spring the attack, as witnessed in Portland on Sunday.

While Jeff Parke has downright owned the real estate in front of Kasey Keller this season, Patrick Ianni will need to be on his game in the absence of John Kennedy Hurtado. Ianni has been solid at times but has also been a step behind on occasion, letting attacking players slip in behind him several times this season. He performed well in Wednesday’s Open Cup match, making some big blocks when the Sounders found themselves under pressure either side of halftime. He will need to be ready to deal with the speed of Cummings and will also have to rely heavily on his aerial prowess against the gigantic forward.

Colorado travel after a week of rest while the Sounders must deal with weekday matches on either end of the Saturday fixture. Several regular starters were needed on Wednesday night in order to eat up minutes and neutralize a fairly well staffed Galaxy. Fortunately, several key players also received a break including Keller and Rosales. As a side note, how many teams in this league would have loved to have the bench the Sounders had for a non-league match? Keller, Rosales and Friberg with James Riley and other quality players ready to go certainly shows what an incredible job the Sounders have done building a solid roster from top to bottom in just three years.

For Sounders fans, the Rapids are now synonymous with a certain player who broke Steve Zakuani’s leg. It was a time when the Sounders were not playing so well and Colorado were. The Sounders pounded out a gritty 1-0 win with the adrenaline rush that must have come with witnessing something so horrific. But while fans will certainly not forget that fact about the Rapids, the truth is that the added motivation for players and fans alike is unnecessary given the current circumstances. Motivation is needed for teams that are inferior, or at least feel so. Case in point: Portland currently needs several sources of motivation. Yes, the fortunes of both the Sounders and Rapids have changed, and the Sounders simply need to go out and be the better team that they are. Undoubtedly, the best way to remember the injury against the aggressor and also revel in Zakuani’s (so far) fantastic recovery will be to cheer the team on to three points on Saturday.

Other notes:
The average Sounders fan has quite the impressive memory. The fact will be emphasized on Saturday as we welcome back former Sounders Tyrone Marshall and Sanna Nyassi. Marshall will always be credited with helping launch this organization by providing valuable defensive services in our first two seasons, while Nyassi will be well remembered for a breathtaking performance in the 2010 U.S. Open Cup championship match, helping the organization earn its second piece of silverware in as many seasons.

The match is significant in that it marks the Sounders first regular season home game to be played on a natural grass surface. While the Sounders seem as though they could win a match on pavement or broken glass based on their play of late, the Rapids happen to play on one of the most pristine-looking surfaces in the league. Perhaps they will find the natural surface to be a little more to their liking than turf.

Rumor is that Rapids ‘keeper Matt Pickens is questionable for match. He has made some amazing saves this season and is a very solid netminder, but he has also yielded some high goal games, particularly of late, although he may shift an eye towards his defense if you were to ask him about it.

The Rapids continue to be one of the more attractive looking organizations in the league, yet also continue to struggle with attendance and seem unable to establish an identity in a league where team character is certainly starting to develop this season. A championship season has done little to boost average attendance, which hovers just over 14,000. A beautiful stadium is offset by a fringe location with one supporters group having to bus its own members from a downtown bar out to the stadium on match day. Nevertheless, a supporters culture appears to be developing nicely behind goal at home matches and the organization has once again embraced the supporters culture after difficulties in previous years that led to the unfortunate elimination of groups and sections. It now appears that the club and its supporters are back on track. The club also continues to offer highly attractive ticket package deals including one called “Lads Night Out” which features a pair of tickets, beers, hot dogs and t-shirts for $44. It’s a value that any Seattle fan would certainly have to take advantage of. I wish the organization the best of success in making the jump to a top level MLS club both on and off the field…just not this Saturday.

Fredy Montero scored the early winner as Seattle Sounders FC extended its unbeaten streak to five games with a 1-nil win over the defending MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids on Friday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo.

Sounders FC (2-2-3, 9 points) earns three points on the road for the first time in 2011 as it is now tied for third place in the West.

Colorado (3-3-0, 9 points) failed to win for the first time at home this season, dropping their third consecutive match.

Seattle took advantage of a counter-attack opportunity in the 19th minute. O’Brian White took the ball up the right side and passed it off to a streaking Mauro Rosales in the middle. Rosales found Montero who slid a one-touch ball past Colorado goalkeeper Matt Pickens and into the right corner of the net for the game’s lone goal.

Montero, starting for the first time in four games, recorded his first goal of the season and his third all-time against Colorado. He also had the late game-tying assist in last week’s 1-1 draw at Philadelphia.

Rosales leads the team with three assists.

Sounders FC played a man-up for the majority of the night after a harsh tackle on Steve Zakuani in the opening minutes.

Just three minutes into the match, Colorado’s Brian Mullan was issued a straight red card after a poor tackle on Zakuani. Zakuani was carted off the field to the emergency room for X-rays, where it was determined he had sustained a fractured right fibula and tibia and will undergo surgery. Alvaro Fernandez took Zakuani’s place in the ninth minute.

After the Montero goal, Colorado was relentless in pressing for an equalizer but Seattle’s defense held strong to earn its first shutout of the season.

In the 29th minute Kasey Keller beat Caleb Folan to a ball in the box and cleared it for a Colorado throw. Keller made another stop on a Jeff Larentowicz long-distance attempt in the 61st minute and also stopped Kosuke Kimura’s left-footed strike just two minutes later.

Seattle nearly tallied a second goal in the 54th minute after Fernandez headed a corner kick behind the Rapids backline. White got a shot off but Pickens sprung off his line to deflect the shot away.

Sounders FC held the advantage in shots 11-9 (4-2 on goal) and tied a club record with 19 fouls committed. Montero was issued a yellow card in the 81st minute.

Sounders FC defender Tyson Wahl made his first start of the year, while defenders Leo Gonzalez and Jeff Parke and midfielder Erik Friberg did not start for the first time all season.

Sounders FC will return to the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field to host Toronto FC on April 30 at 7:00 p.m. PT before traveling to D.C. United on May 4 and Columbus Crew on May 7.

Seattle Sounders FC (2-2-3) vs. Colorado Rapids (3-3-0)
April 22, 2011 – Dick’s Sporting Goods Park

Goals by Period
1
2
Tot
Seattle
1
0
1
Colorado
0
0
0

Scoring Summary:
SEA – Fredy Montero 1 (Rosales 3, White 2) 19

Seattle Sounders — Kasey Keller, James Riley, Patrick Ianni, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Tyson Wahl, Mauro Rosales (Erik Friberg 74), Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans, Steve Zakuani (Alvaro Fernandez 9, Leo Gonzalez 82), Fredy Montero, O’Brian White.

Substitutes Not Used: Terry Boss, Jeff Parke, Leo Gonzalez, Erik Friberg, Nate Jaqua, Mike Fucito

TOTAL SHOTS: 11 (Alonso 4) ; SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Montero 2); FOULS: 19 (White 3, Montero 3); OFFSIDES: 3; CORNER KICKS: 4; SAVES: Keller 2

Colorado Rapids – Matt Pickens, Kosuke Kimura, Tyrone Marshall (Anthony Wallace 66), Marvell Wynne, Drew Moor, Brian Mullan, Pablo Mastroeni (Wells Thompson 68), Jeff Larentowicz, Jamie Smith (Sanna Nyassi 72), Caleb Folan, Omar Cummings.

Substitutes Not Used: Steward Ceus, Scott Palguta, Joseph Nane, Andre Akpan

TOTAL SHOTS: 9 (Kimura 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 (Kimura 1, Larentowicz 1); FOULS: 7 (Smith 3); OFFSIDE: 0; CORNER KICKS: 4; SAVES: Pickens 3

Misconduct Summary:
COL – Brian Mullan (ejection, Serious Foul Play) 3
COL – Caleb Folan (caution, Reckless Foul) 75
SEA – Fredy Montero (caution, Reckless Foul) 81

Referee: Silviu Petrescu
Referee’s Assistants:-Daniel Belleau; Eric Proctor
4th Official: Geoff Gamble
Attendance: 14,185

Weather: Partly Cloudy and 46 degrees

Erik Friberg in Sounders Training (Chris Coulter Photo)

So. A 3-1 win against the reigning MLS Cup champs, which almost (but not quite) makes up for the weekend’s humiliation against our expansion team arch-rivals.

Well, actually, it’s not even close. But the win is still nice. And I’ll probably stop my post-Portland sobbing soon.

And I’m pretty sure you have me to thank for all of Montero’s contributions last night, since shortly into the second half, I turned to my daughter and said, “I’m not sure making Montero a DP was such a good idea. He just doesn’t seem that into the game. Wonder if it’s gone to his head?” I think Fredy must have overheard me and decided to prove me wrong, because shortly after that he delivered that free kick straight to Hurtado, and then went on to score two goals himself.

You’re welcome.

Fredy, that was an amazing last 30-ish minutes. More of that this season will be much anticipated. (And I see no need to discuss whether that last goal would have gone in if starting goalkeeper Matt Pickens had played the second half. Because he didn’t and it did. The end.)

This was my first view of new Swede Erik Friberg on the field in person. Verdict: Me likey. In truth, me likey much more than the old Swede. It was shocking how much the entire team’s energy level changed when Friberg came on. Instead of making pretty triangles, knocking it around to each other aimlessly, they actually seemed to be going for goal occasionally! Up to that point I was getting an awful sense of déjà vu, where this season was feeling disturbingly like it could become the first half of last season when nobody actually, y’know, scored.

Not that I’m blaming Brad Evans for the lackluster first half (and get well soon, Brad!), but at the same time… Well, I don’t think it’s coincidence that things started happening after Friberg and O’Brian White came on for Evans and Blaise Nkufo.

Actually, if Friberg continues to play the way he did last night, I can only see one downside to having him on the team: For the foreseeable future, every time he enters the field or makes a good play, there are going to be several thousand folks who feel the need to put on their best 70s stoner voices and yell, “FREEBIRG!!! FREEBIRG!!” Which is kind of entertaining, but really requires cigarette lighters held aloft for full effect.

(Oh, come on, boys and girls. Ask your mom and dad.)

And speaking of Nkufo. Um…wow. I love the guy, but he really hasn’t gotten any faster in the off-season, has he? At one point, after we watched yet another ball sail past him and out for a Colorado throw, my daughter turns to me and says, “If he’s going to be slow, he could at least play without a shirt.”

I am so proud. I am absolutely shocked and appalled that this blatant objectification could come from one who shares my genes.

But anyhoo. Several times last night I noticed him compensating for the speed thing by holding, shirt-tugging, etc. I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I don’t necessarily have a huge problem with that, especially given that in general our guys are Boy Scouts and we lost my favorite thug, Tyrone Marshall, in the off-season. But for the love of all that is holy, Blaise, if you’re gonna do it, don’t do it right in front of the officials!

In the end, Colorado spent the evening playing cautious, and Sounders decided not to and went for the win. On the whole I think they really needed it for psychological reasons, especially before playing the Galaxy. And the win was really fun to watch. But the injuries could really hurt. Brad Evans is apparently looking much better today, but still no word on Steve Zakuani, and losing him for any period of time would not be good. I’m not even sure who our number one backup at left mid is these days.

Guess that mean it’s time to go check Sounder at Heart’s handy-dandy depth chart. Aaaand…. Ooh! Miguel Montaño! I love Miguel Montaño! Except…have we actually signed him yet? If Zakuani will be out for awhile, they’d probably better get on that.

All in all, a great night, and we even accidentally chose seats that didn’t get rained on. (Row R, in case you’re wondering.)

And so, in conclusion, those of you who weren’t in the lucky 7000 of us at the game missed out. Don’t let it happen again.

(Now bring on the Galaxy!)

After sixty minutes of uneventful play, the Rave Green got on the board in the 60th minute when Jhon Kennedy Hurtado headed a Fredy Montero free kick past Matt Pickens, who was in goal for the Rapids.

Three minutes later, the opponents from Colorado got on the board  when Omar Cummings fell to the ground in the box due to contact by Hurtado. The Rapids evened the scoreboard, but the tie wouldn’t last long.

5 minutes later the Sounders would get the eventual go-ahead goal by Montero  thanks to a 1-touch passing combination that started with O’Brian White pass to Erik Friberg who set up the Colombian’s score.

The newest Designated Player for the Sounders, added his second goal in the 78th minute. On a deft pass by White, Montero placed the ball in the net for Seattle’s 3rd goal of the evening.

But the match wasn’t all highlights for Seattle. Two starters suffered injuries; Brad Evans suffered a right hamstring injury putting him out for 1-3 weeks and Steve Zakuani is experiencing what is being described as a right hip injury.

The Sounders’ 2011 MLS Campaign begins in earnest next Tuesday as Seattle hosts the MLS First Kick for the third consecutive year as they take on the LA Galaxy. Kickoff is slated for 630p.

This was the second year for the Community Shield a benefit for five Sounders FC partners-  America SCORES Seattle, Boys & Girls Club (King Co. & Bellevue), Special Olympics Washington, Washington Global Health and Washington Youth Soccer.

Scoring Summary:
SEA – Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (Fredy Montero) 60
COL – Jeff Larentowicz (penalty kick) 63
SEA – Fredy Montero (Erik Friberg, O’Brian White) 67
SEA – Fredy Montero (O’Brian White, Pat Noonan) 78

Colorado Rapids – Matt Pickens (Steward Ceus 46), Kosuke Kimura, Drew Moor, Marvell Wynne, Anthony Wallace, Pablo Mastroeni (Joseph Nane 61), Jeff Larentowicz (Ross LaBauex 68), Jamie Smith (Quincy Amarikwa 71), Brian Mullan (Sanna Nyassi 71), Omar Cummings (Wells Thompson 71), Conor Casey (Andre Akpan 61)

TOTAL SHOTS: 12 (3 tied with 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (Jeff Larentowicz 2); FOULS: 10 (Conor Casey 2); OFFSIDES: 1 (Omar Cummings 1): CORNER KICKS: 5 (Jamie Smith 4); SAVES: 3 (Steward Ceus 2)

Seattle Sounders FC – Kasey Keller, James Riley, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (Patrick Ianni 85), Jeff Parke, Leo Gonzalez, Alvaro Fernandez (Pat Noonan 76), Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans (Erik Friberg 52), Steve Zakuani (Michael Tetteh 81), Fredy Montero (Lamar Neagle 81), Blaise Nkufo (O’Brian White 65)

Substitutes Not Used: Servando Carrasco, David Estrada, Taylor Graham, Roger Levesque, Miguel Montano, Zach Scott, Tyson Wahl, Terry Boss, Josh Ford

TOTAL SHOTS: 12 (Osvaldo Alonso 3, Fredy Montero 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 6 (Osvaldo Alonso 2, Fredy Montero 2); FOULS: 17 (Jhon Kennedy Hurtado 3); OFFSIDES: 5 (Alvaro Fernandez 2, Steve Zakuani 2); CORNER KICKS: 2 (Osvaldo Alonso 2); SAVES: 4 (Kasey Keller 4)

Misconduct Summary:
SEA – Leo Gonzalez (caution; Reckless Tackle) 57
SEA – Erik Friberg (caution; Reckless Tackle) 86

Referee: Yader Reyes
Referee’s Assistants: Jeff Hosking; Mike Rottersman
4th Official: Allen Chapman
Attendance: 7,355
Weather: Cloudy-and-50-degrees

General Admission tickets for the Qwest Field event will go on sale Monday, February 14.  Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youth (6-17). Children under the age of six are free.

All proceeds from the match will benefit the team’s five community partners: America SCORES Seattle, Boys & Girls Clubs (King Co. & Bellevue), Special Olympics Washington, Washington Global Health and Washington Youth Soccer.

In 2010, the Community Shield raised over $80,000 for the team’s charity partners.

First off, well done to both teams for not taking the easy route. In playoff series where aggregate goals are what counts and away goals don’t matter, it’s not unusual to see butt-numbingly boring soccer in the first leg, with everybody playing defense and the main goal being to not make a mistake. That didn’t happen here, and the butts of all neutral fans are grateful.

Colorado absolutely deserved the win, with a completely dominant first half (outshooting Columbus 10-1) and a somewhat dominant second half. The Casey/Cummings-led offense played So. Damn. Pretty first half my heart was singing, “Wow, is this really MLS?” They were connecting unbelievable passes, winning unwinnable balls and otherwise making life miserable for the Crew, to the point where I was thinking, “Wow. If we meet them in the finals, do we have a chance?

And then the second half got underway, and the Crew made some good subs (the ineffective Schelotto and Lenhart off for Gary and Mendoza) and the Rapids made a bad one (I kind of have a soft spot for Mac Kandji, but DAMN he sucked tonight) and much like the weekend’s RSL game, Colorado had a late-match collapse and allowed Columbus a huge number of chances. Unlike RSL, though, Columbus couldn’t capitalize. But Colorado is going to be kicking themselves for only taking a one-goal lead to Columbus for the second leg. This series is still available for the taking.

So what can Sounders take away from the game?

First off, I thought referee Jair Marrufo had a good match, and I would be okay with him doing a Sounders playoff game. I know other teams have had major problems with him — to a Sounders-meet-Kevin-Stott degree — but I don’t remember us ever having issues. Is this amnesia, or has he been okay for Sounders? (And by “okay” I mean “MLS okay,” not flawless. Because I’m an MLS realist.) I also thought both teams played remarkably clean games. Good lesson for Seattle if Columbus goes through, because they tend to rely on set pieces more than the average.

Second, if Sounders meet Colorado, our defense is going to need to be 100% on. Omar Cummings and Conor Casey have a nearly telepathic connection, and coach Gary Smith has put together a team that knows how to create chances for them.

On the plus side for us, I hope Zach Scott was watching. Last time we played Colorado he was in for Leo and took a lot of heat for not being able to contain Cummings. At the time I wondered how much was Zach and how much was Omar. I’ve decided it was mostly Omar. Seriously, at one point Cummings literally had at least four guys on him and he still got off the cross. (Don’t quote me. It might have been a backpass. I just remember being amazed he didn’t lose the ball.)

Third, as we learned in the USOC final, goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum is no Will Hesmer. And Hesmer’s out for the rest of the season. Gruenebaum is far from bad, but… Our boys can beat him.

Oh, wait. Sounders put four past Hesmer in their last meeting. So…never mind. I think we’d be okay either way.

So I guess, in conclusion… Sounders are fully capable of taking both these teams, but it will take some effort. Which they’re perfectly able to provide.

One last thing that has nothing to do with our team, except that it’s so completely opposite to the Seattle approach that I found it really interesting: Colorado has done an amazing job of putting together a team from players that come from other MLS sides. What Sounders are to finding international talent, Rapids are for finding…um…national talent. Just of the players who took the field today they had Jeff Larentowicz and Wells Thompson who came from the Revolution, Brian Mullan from the Dynamo, Marvell Wynne from Toronto, Drew Moor and Anthony Wallace from Dallas, and Mac Kandji from New York. More than half of the players who took the field, with only Julien Baudet having no US playing experience before the Rapids. Very different approach from the Sounders.

(Not better. Just different. Also probably a lot cheaper.)

sounders played their ass off, and there is no fault for effort anywhere on this team. it was the full 90 and even though i was ready to have a hear attack in the last ten minutes… as i was not ready to watch another game gifted away… credit to the boys who did the job that we were so used to last year.

i didn’t get to see replays of either zakuani’s goals… the first seemed a little sloppy (no complaints) and the second a result of a nice johnny legendriley cross. or do i have those mixed up. either way… both were a result of player taking his chances by being in the righ place at the right time.  and let’s be honest… most of your goals should come from that. you can’t rely on crazy skill and wicked shooting for most goals, or you will lose more than you win. you should rely on people taking their chances and that is what he did.

some thoughts on the overall performance… and then i am off to bed.

- montero. i count this as the third game in a row where you didn’t sit on your ass and you ran it off instead. keep up the good work. if not for the sounders, or their fans, do it for yourself and your desired european move b/c you won’t get one unless you show that effort week in week out.

- nkufo. don’t shoot me… but he is still a little lost. and i don’t blame him. he is still figuring out what his teammates like/do and where they like to run/pass. i hold nothing against him. there is a lot to settle into in a new team/city/league. so time will tell, but today, he wasn’t quite there.

- parke…. you may not love seattle, but we love you. he was phenomenal tonight. we have him 1 or 2 more years? count them down b/c he likely won’t be here any longer.

- zakuani - add these types of goals to your somewhat regular breakaway goals?? you may be a 20 goal threat before you know it…. and i wouldn’t be too mad at that.

- nyassi - not sure i liked you on the left…. you didn’t do too much. please go back to the right.

- alonso - i have free weekends on 7/30, 8/14 and 8/21.  let me know when you are available for our first date.

i was sitting next to a very nice guy tonight although he was a soccer newbie. he had 100 questions for me… which i was happy to answer, but i was able to shut him up after this one… “who is the best player”. i said “that is not answerable, but watch alonso as much as you can and watch him break up the plays all game long…”   that shut him up from then on out and at the very end of the game he said… “wow, that was phenomenal. how can he not be the most important player on the pitch. he must have broken up 50 plays”.

i didn’t have any good logic to disagree with any of his logic.

- finally… thank god for keller and “that save”. due to that we would have been quite a bit more grumpy tonight.

KASEY KELLER   CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP.

all in all… results this week were pretty darn good. LA and SJ drew, rsl drew, and houston lost.

i hope the sounders aren’t just stringing us along, but they sure are giving us hope by clawing their way back in…. whatcha think?

Zakuani opened up his scoring sheet in the 8th minute after putting away a pass from Fredy Montero. The Rapids managed an amazing response a mere 30 seconds later evening the score 1-1 on a goal by Omar Cummings.

10 minutes later, Montero started the play up the right side by lofting a pass to Sanna Nyassi who slid the ball to Zakuani for the game winning goal.

Kasey Keller came up huge in the win again as he recorded three saves- all noteworthy and important. In the first half, his fingertip diverted Conor Casey’s header over the net and in the 61st Keller made a diving save on a backheel shot.

The Sounders return to Qwest Field on Wednesday as they host El Salvador’s Metapán in a play-in for the CONCACAF Champions League. Kickoff is slated for 7p.

Scoring Summary
SEA — Steve Zakuani 6 (unassisted) 8
COL — Omar Cummings 5 (Pablo Mastroeni 1) 9
SEA — Steve Zakuani 7 (Sanna Nyassi 2, Fredy Montero 17

Seattle Sounders — Kasey Keller, James Riley, Jeff Parke, Patrick Ianni, Zach Scott, Sanna Nyassi (Roger Levesque 81), Nathan Sturgis (Mike Seamon 74), Osvaldo Alonso, Steve Zakuani, Fredy Montero, Blaise Nkufo (Nate Jaqua 70).

Substitutes Not Used: Tyrone Marshall, Tyson Wahl, Miguel Montano, Terry Boss.

TOTAL SHOTS: 8 (Fredy Montero 5); SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (Fredy Montero 2, Steve Zakuani 2); FOULS: 12 (Fredy Montero 5); OFFSIDES: 3 (Steve Zakuani 2); CORNER KICKS: 2 (Nathan Sturgis 2); SAVES: 3 (Kasey Keller 3)

Misconduct Summary:
SEA — Zach Scott (caution; Tactical Foul) 28
COL — Jamie Smith (caution; Reckless Tackle) 58
SEA — Osvaldo Alonso (caution; Reckless Tackle) 90

Referee: Yader Reyes
Referee’s Assistants: -Kermit Quisenberry; Chris Strickland
4th Official: Landis Wiley
Attendance: 36,333
Time of Game: 1:56
Weather: Clear-and-75-degrees