Sounders come away with a point against the New York Red Bulls, 2-2 draw

By Money Mike


The Seattle Sounders looked to pick up where they left off from their Open Cup semifinal victory against Chivas USA during midweek and pick up three points against the New York Red Bulls in their final trip to the east coast this season, but in the end both teams settled for a point. The Sounders didn't get the win, but they did come away with a valuable road point after a 2-2 draw against the New York Red Bulls in Harrison, New Jersey. The Sounders return home this Wednesday for a friendly match against European Champions Chelsea. Their next league game won't be until July 28th when they travel to Dicks Sporting Goods Park to take on the Colorado Rapids.

The Sounders had control of this match early on and their first real opportunity came in the 11th minute. Brad Evans fed the ball to Eddie Johnson who did very well to get around Rafa Marquez. Evans continued his run and Johnson found him with a great through ball and Evans had a chance to put it away but Bill Gaudette came out and got a hand to it. This is the second time the Sounders faced Gaudette this season. The first time they faced him was when the LA Galaxy traveled to Seattle. Gaudette, who was acquired a couple days ago from the Galaxy, was making his Red Bulls debut in replace of rookie goalkeeper Ryan Meara who was out with a hip injury.

Five minutes later, the Sounders would open the scoring. Adam Johansson joined in on the attack and was found by Ozzie Alonso. Johansson took one touch before setting himself up to whip in a very good cross to the far post and Alvaro Fernandez was there to volley it home for his second goal in as many matches and the Sounders took a 1-0 lead. Brandon Barklage got caught at the wrong place at the wrong time and Johansson read it perfectly and found a wide open Fernandez and there was nothing Bill Gaudette could do there.

In the 21st minute, the Red Bulls had to make a change defensively. Rafa Marquez, who has been criticised by the media all season, left the game with a hip injury and was replaced by Wilman Conde, Jr. After the sub the Red Bulls changed their tactics offensively with Thierry Henry pushing up top. By the way, that was the only sub the Red Bulls made in the game. That just goes to show that head coach Hans Backe doesn't trust his bench.

In the 24th minute, the Red Bulls pulled one back and leveled this match up. Joel Lindpere poked the ball to Connor Lade who maneuvered around Adam Johansson. Lade fed Kenny Cooper who gave it a go from 25 yards out which was punched away by Bryan Meredith, but right there was Sebastien Le Toux to tap home the rebound and level it up on his Red Bulls debut against his old club. Le Toux was acquired by the Red Bulls from the Vancouver Whitecaps in exchange for Dane Richards, so we won't see him in Seattle this year. As a matter of fact, his return to Seattle last year during his time with the Philadelphia Union may be his last visit because his contract expires after this season and there are rumors that suggest that he'll move to Europe during the winter. Anyway, on the play that resulted in the goal. It looked like Marc Burch wasn't paying any attention. You cannot expect Bryan Meredith to do all the dirty work defensively, when he punches the ball aside, somebody has to get over there and clear the ball out of danger.

In the 32nd minute, the mistake nearly led to a Sounders goal. Connor Lade gave the ball straight away to Alvaro Fernandez. Fernandez sent Eddie Johnson away down the left hand side. Johnson put on the breaks and slowed things down before cutting to his right foot and drilling a shot to the far post which forced a big time save from Bill Gaudette. That mistake in the midfield showed that Connor Lade, who signed with the Red Bulls as a homegrown player during the offseason, has quite a bit to work on as the season progresses as well as his young career.

The score remained level until the 61st minute when the New York Red Bulls took advantage of a mistake in the midfield and took a 2-1 lead. The Sounders started the second half with some sloppy passing and the Red Bulls would make them pay as Brandon Barklage found Joel Lindpere who was kept onside by Jeff Parke and Adam Johansson. Lindpere cut inside of Jeff Parke and slid the ball inside the near post for his third goal of the season. You may think that Bryan Meredith could've made the save, but two things here. One, when Lindpere cut to his left foot, Meredith started to cheat toward the far post. And Two, as the shot came in, Meredith was screened by Jeff Parke which resulted in a late reaction by the goalkeeper because he couldn't see where Lindpere was going.

Following that goal, the Sounders brought on Fredy Montero in place of Mauro Rosales and in the 67th minute, the Colombian would make an impact. Adam Johansson found Brad Evans making the good run down the right hand side. Evans squared the ball across for Fredy Montero to slam it home for his fifth goal of the season and his fifth against the New York Red Bulls. There were a few more chances on both ends of the ball, but in the end, the Sounders come away with a good point on the road in a tough venue. They still sit in third place with a record of 8-5-7.


Scoring summary:

Seattle Sounders FC - Alvaro Fernandez 2 (Adam Johansson 1) 16'

New York Red Bulls - Sebastien Le Toux 5 (unassisted) 24'

New York Red Bulls - Joel Lindpere 3 (Brandon Barklage 4) 61'

Seattle Sounders FC - Fredy Montero 5 (Brad Evans 1, Adam Johansson 2) 67'


Misconduct summary:

Seattle Sounders FC - Marc Burch (caution; foul) 44'

New York Red Bulls - Connor Lade (caution; foul) 53'

Seattle Sounders FC - Andy Rose (caution; handball) 66'

New York Red Bulls - Thierry Henry (caution; dissent) 74'


Lineups:

Seattle Sounders FC - Bryan Meredith; Adam Johansson, Jeff Parke, Patrick Ianni, Marc Burch; Brad Evans (Servando Carrasco 85'), Osvaldo Alonso, Andy Rose (Leo Gonzalez 77'), Alvaro Fernandez; Mauro Rosales (Fredy Montero 62'), Eddie Johnson

New York Red Bulls - Bill Gaudette; Brandon Barklage, Markus Holgersson, Rafa Marquez (Wilman Conde 21'), Roy Miller; Joel Lindpere, Dax McCarty, Connor Lade; Sebastien Le Toux, Kenny Cooper, Thierry Henry

Fredy Montero comes through with a late goal to salvage a point in Vancouver, 2-2 draw

By Money Mike


The Seattle Sounders were looking to bounce back from their 1-0 defeat against RSL. Instead, they were a couple minutes away from losing their second straight match for the first time since their 0-2 start last season. However a late goal from Fredy Montero made sure that didn't happen and the Sounders came away with a point after a 2-2 draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps. The Sounders are now 7-2-2 on the year after that draw and remain in third place, one point behind San Jose for second and three points behind Real Salt Lake for first.

In the 8th minute, Seattle got caught on the counter as Sebastien Le Toux sent Omar Salgado away. The 18-year old got to the ball before Ozzie Alonso could clear, but his touch was poor and Bryan Meredith came off his line to cover.

Three minutes later, the Whitecaps got on the board. Omar Salgado sent Alain Rochat away down the left hand side, and with Adam Johansson overcommiting Rochat had time and space to run at the Seattle defense. As he approached the Seattle goal, he had Darren Mattocks and Sebastien Le Toux in support along with Gershon Koffie and Lee Young-Pyo trailing on the play but because Jeff Parke didn't come to challenge, Rochat did all the dirty work alone and he slotted the ball inside the right post to give the Whitecaps a 1-0 lead.

In the 32nd minute, Alain Rochat went long for Omar Salgado. Salgado brushed Jeff Parke aside and looked to snap the ball across and inside the far post, but he missed wide of target. I think the referee blew the whistle though for the challenge on Jeff Parke, but I didn't see anything wrong with the challenge. It was shoulder to shoulder and just poor defending by Parke. Jeff Parke actually had a poor defensive outing all match.

Eight minutes later, more from Rochat as he dispossessed Mauro Rosales and waited a couple of seconds before getting Darron Mattcks in behind the defense. Mattocks looked to slot the ball inside the far post, but he didn't get enough bend on it and it just went wide. Once again it was Jeff Parke getting caught. Fortunetly, the Sounders dodged another bullet and the score remained 1-0. The Sounders did have a couple of shot of their own in the first half, but none of them were on target. The way the back line has played, it could've been worse.

That would change however. A minute into the second half, the Sounders quickly pulled level. Fredy Montero chipped the ball out wide for Mauro Rosales. The Argentine had time to settle before whipping in a very good cross to the far post for Eddie Johnson who rose up and headed the ball back across and inside the right post to tie this match at 1-1. It was important that Johnson had to bounce back from a poor performance last Saturday at home and the easiest way of doing that was to get a goal and that was what Eddie Johnson did as he headed home his third goal of the season.

In the 82nd minute, the Whitecaps climbed back ahead. Camilo took the free kick from the near side. He curled it to the middle of the area and it bounced inside the far post. At first it looked like Gershon Koffie got a touch on it, but it wasn't the case. Nobody touched it in the box and Camilo got credited with his third goal of the season and his second against the Seattle Sounders and more importantly put the Sounders ahead 2-1.

However, in the 90th minute the Sounders came from behind again. Eddie Johnson headed the ball forward to Fredy Montero and from 20 yards out, the Colombian hesitated and curled the ball around two Whitecaps defenders and in to the back of the net as goalkeeper Joe Cannon had absolutely no clue on where the ball was because he had two defenders in his way. No chance to make the save and Seattle comes away with a point.


Scoring summary:

Vancouver Whitecaps - Alain Rochat 1 (Omar Salgado 1) 12'

Seattle Sounders FC - Eddie Johnson 3 (Fredy Montero 2, Mauro Rosales 2) 47'

Vancouver Whitecaps - Camilo Sanvezzo 3 (unassisted) 82'

Seattle Sounders FC - Fredy Montero 4 (Eddie Johnson 1) 90'


Misconduct summary:

Vancouver Whitecaps - Gershon Koffie (caution; foul) 84'

Vancouver Whitecaps - Camilo Sanvezzo (caution; foul) 93'+


Lineups:

Seattle Sounders FC - Bryan Meredith; Adam Johansson, Jeff Parke, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Marc Burch (Zach Scott 85'); Mauro Rosales, Osvaldo Alonso, Alex Caskey (Andy Rose 45'), Alvaro Fernandez (David Estrada 72'); Fredy Montero, Eddie Johnson

Vancouver Whitecaps - Joe Cannon; Lee Young-Pyo, Martin Bonjour, Jay DeMerit, Alain Rochat; Gershon Koffie, Jun Marques Davidson, Davide Chiumiento (Camilo Sanvezzo 80'); Sebastien Le Toux, Darren Mattocks (Eric Hassli 64'), Omar Salgado (John Thorrington 74')

Sounders head up north to face their rival Vancouver Whitecaps

By Money Mike


The Seattle Sounders make their first trip to BC Place as they take on the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Cascadia Derby. Last year, the Sounders defeated the Whitecaps on the road 3-1 in Vancouver's final match at Empire Field thanks to two second half goals from Fredy Montero. The Whitecaps are off to a good start so far with a 5-3-2 record (17 points), however they've been short of goals. With stars like Eric Hassli and Camilo Sanvezzo in place, the Whitecaps added a familiar face to the Sounder nation, his name is Sebastien Le Toux. They've also looked better Defensively with the addition of Martin Bonjour and Lee Young-Pyo and in the Midfield with a couple new faces like Matt Watson and Jun Marques Davidson. It's just a question of how the French connection will shape up with Vancouver and whether or not they're ready to compete with the big clubs, which they're not.

The Sounders are coming off a 1-0 loss last Saturday at home to Real Salt Lake after a poor second half display. Good news though, Alvaro Fernandez is back in the starting 11 after making his return last Saturday as a sub for David Estrada who's really struggling. This will be the first time that Fredy Montero, Mauro Rosales, Eddie Johnson and Alvaro Fernandez are all in the starting lineup together. A good opportunity for the Sounders to inch closer to the top spot in the Western Conference after that tough loss last Saturday.


Injury report:

Seattle Sounders FC - For the Sounders, Michael Gspurning did not make the trip so that means he's out. Patrick Ianni, Brad Evans and Leo Gonzalez have also been ruled out. The rest of the guys out for the Sounders are Josh Ford, Michael Tetteh, Steve Zakuani and Babayele Sodade. Alvaro Fernandez was listed as probable, but he's on the squad and ready to go.

Vancouver Whitecaps - For Vancouver, Bryan Sylvestre is out after having right knee surgery. I think that was last year he had it and he's still recovering. Atiba Harris is listed as questionable with a right quad contusion. He has made four appearances this season after making appearances in the first five matches of last year, but he's missed the last two.


A lot of Soccer to be played on Saturday. We got the NPower Championship, which the second division of English football. West Ham United and Blackpool will square off in that match kicks off at 7am on FOX Soccer. The winner of that match will book their place in the Premier League next season along with Reading and Southampton. Just to recap the teams that are relegated from the Premier League, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers. So there's that match. Then at 11:30am, it's the UEFA Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Chelsea and much to the delight of the Munich supporters, the final will be at Bayern's home ground Allianz Arena which was chosen to host this years final. So even if Bayern didn't make it to the final, the match would still be at Allianz Arena. Then shortly afterwards, the Sounders and the Whitecaps kickoff at 2pm. So I'm going to have a pretty busy day recapping these matches.

Sounders fall 2-0 to Philadelphia

By Money Mike



The Seattle Sounders needed a win last night to keep any hope of winning the Supporters Shield alive, or at least a point to officially secure 2nd place in the West. Neither of that happened. The Philadelphia Union who were unbeaten in their last 6 matches have come to Seattle and shut out the Sounders 2-0 at CenturyLink Field. With the Win, the Union have taken over the top spot in a very tight Eastern Conference. For Seattle, the loss means that they'll have no chance of taking over first place in the West and that LA has clinched their second straight Supporters Shield. But here's the problem though, in 14 MLS seasons, only four teams that have won the Supporters Shield have gone on and won the MLS Cup. Only four teams. Seattle still looks like the stronger side heading into the playoffs despite the loss last night.

The game started off slow, with sloppy passing from both sides of the midfield. The best chance in the first half from either side came in the 35th minute from Brad Evans when he latched onto a pull-back from Lamar Neagle, but he got under the ball and skied it over the top of the goal. The Sounders were without their leading goalscorer Fredy Montero who was serving a one game suspension after Yellow Card accumulations. Mauro Rosales was also out with a Sprained MCL that he suffered about three weeks ago in a 3-0 win over D.C. United, there's a chance however the Sounders will get him back next Saturday when the San Jose Earthquakes come to town. Alvaro Fernandez was on the bench after passing a late fitness test after suffering a concussion Tuesday night in the U.S. Open Cup final, but he didn't see any action at all in this one. Pat Noonan and Nate Jaqua both played like crap yet again. Sammy Ochoa barely even had possession of the ball since coming in as a sub in the

The Sounders were forced to make a change defensively. Jeff Parke was taken out at halftime after picking up a head injury and was replaced by Patrick Ianni.

In the 60th minute, the Union broke the deadlock. Gabriel Farfan somehow beat James Riley to the ball before it even crossed the endline. Farfan pulled it back to Freddy Adu who buried it into the top corner.

The Union doubled their lead in the 72nd minute. After the Sounders started to put pressure on the Union back line, they end up getting caught on a counter attack. Brian Carroll sent former Sounder Sebastien Le Toux loose and off to the races. Carroll got the return pass from Le Toux off the outside of his boot, through the retreating Seattle defense. Carroll made a good run toward the endline and tucked the ball away beautifully into the far corner. And that was just about the last highlight of this one.

Next Saturday, the Sounders will host the San Jose Earthquakes at 7:30pm. This will also be Kasey Keller's final regular season home match of his career. Over 55,000 tickets have been sold for the home finale in the 2011 regular season and there are still more available. So if you want to catch him in person at least one last time, I would suggest you get your tickets.

Following this match, the Sounders will close out Champions League group play at home on October 18 against Monterrey as they look to clinch the top spot in the Group which would assure them home field advantage in the second leg of the Champions League Quarterfinal.


Scoring summary:

Philadelphia Union - Freddy Adu 2 (Gabriel Farfan 2) 60'

Philadelphia Union - Brian Carroll 1 (Sebastien Le Toux 9) 72'


Misconduct summary:

Seattle Sounders FC - Lamar Neagle (caution; Reckless foul) 63'


Lineups:

Philadelphia Union - Zac MacMath; Sheanon Williams, Carlos Valdes, Danny Califf, Gabriel Farfan; Michael Farfan, Brian Carroll, Justin Mapp (Jack McInerney 86'); Freddy Adu (Amobi Okugo 75'), Sebastien Le Toux, Veljko Paunovic (Stefani Miglioranzi 89')

Seattle Sounders FC - Kasey Keller; James Riley, Jeff Parke (Patrick Ianni 46'), Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Tyson Wahl; Brad Evans, Osvaldo Alonso, Erik Friberg, Lamar Neagle; Mike Fucito (Nate Jaqua 68'), Pat Noonan (Sammy Ochoa 62')

Seattle Sounders FC vs Portland Timbers preview. The rivalry unfolds in MLS.

By Money Mike


The Seattle Sounders get ready to take on their I-5 rivals, the Portland Timbers. The match takes place tomorrow at 8pm on ESPN2. Last week, the Sounders came away with one point after drawing 1-1 at Columbus. Fredy Montero was the goalscorer for the Sounders. On the other side, the Timbers are coming off yet another home win, defeating the Philadelphia Union 1-0. Both teams are coming into this match tied in the standings with 13 points.

Injury report:

Portland Timbers - Alright, for the Scum, we have Bright Dike and Eddie Johnson (not the Eddie Johnson you guys are thinking) with achillies problems. Dike has a ruptured achillies tendon on his right ankle and Johnson has achillies tendonitis and they're both out. Brian Umony has an MCL sprain on his right knee and is listed as questionable.

Seattle Sounders FC - Of course, out for this match are Steve Zakuani and O'Brian White. I got a report saying that they've been discharged from the hospital and could be on the sidelines tomorrow. Mauro Rosales has a strained hamstring and is questionable.

Key matchups:

Kenny Cooper/Jorge Perlaza vs Seattle's back line: The Sounders had a little trouble dealing with these two in the Cascadia Summit, as both of them came away with a goal. Perlaza signed a contract with the Timbers a day later. Those two are gonna partner up front like they've always done and the Sounders have had a week to prepare to shut down Portland's attacking game.

Ozzie Alonso vs Diego Chara: This looks like a real midfield battle with last years Sounders MVP Osvaldo Alonso and Portland's Designated player Diego Chara. This matchup should decide the outcome of this game.

History between these two:

I tell you what, going back to those NASL days with guys like Harry Redknapp, Bruce Rioch, Jimmy McAlister, David Nish and all those ledgends that we had here in Seattle, they know what this rivalry is about, they've been there, they know how much these two downright hate eachother. In 61 meetings, not counting preseason, the Sounders have won 35, Timbers have won 21 and there we're 5 draws. And I'm actually gonna show you all the results.........


May 2, 1975: Timbers - 0 Sounders - 1

July 26, 1975: Timbers - 2 Sounders - 1


August 2, 1975: Sounders - 3 Timbers - 2 (OT)

August 12, 1975: Timbers - 2 Sounders - 1 (OT)*

April 25, 1976: Sounders - 1 Timbers - 0 (OT)

August 7, 1976: Timbers - 0 Sounders - 3

April 30, 1977: Sounders - 3 Timbers - 2

June 11, 1977: Timbers - 3 Sounders - 0

June 10, 1978: Timbers - 0 (2) Sounders 0 (1) (OT)

July 31, 1978: Sounders - 3 Timbers - 2 (OT)

June 9, 1979: Timbers - 2 Sounders - 1

June 30, 1979: Sounders - 5 Timbers - 1

April 30, 1980: Sounders - 1 Timbers - 0

June 14, 1980: Timbers 0 (3) Sounders - 0 (4) (OT)

April 4, 1981: Sounders - 1 (3) Timbers - 1 (2) (OT)

June 13, 1981: Timbers - 2 Sounders - 1

August 15, 1981: Sounders - 1 Timbers - 2 (OT)

April 9, 1982: Sounders - 0 Timbers - 1

July 24, 1982: Timbers - 1 Sounders - 4

July 31, 1982: Sounders - 3 Timbers - 0

August 22, 1982: Timbers - 0 Sounders - 1

May 11, 2001: Timbers - 2 Sounders - 0

May 12, 2001: Sounders - 2 Timbers - 1

July 13, 2001: Sounders - 0 Timbers - 0

July 21, 2001: Timbers - 0 Sounders - 1

May 4, 2002: Timbers - 0 Sounders - 2

May 5, 2002: Sounders - 4 Timbers - 1

June 23, 2002: Timbers - 2 Sounders - 0

July 19, 2002: Sounders - 2 Timbers - 1

May 1, 2003: Timbers - 0 Sounders - 1

May 2, 2003: Sounders - 2 Timbers - 0

May 18, 2003: Sounders - 1 Timbers - 0

August 9, 2003: Timbers - 0 Sounders - 1

August 10, 2003: Sounders - 1 Timbers - 3

August 18, 2003: Timbers - 1 Sounders - 0

May 1, 2004: Timbers - 2 Sounders - 1

May 15, 2004: Sounders - 0 Timbers - 1

July 17, 2004: Sounders - 3 Timbers - 4

July 24, 2004: Timbers - 0 Sounders - 2

September 1, 2004: Timbers - 2 Sounders - 1*

September 5, 2004: Sounders - 2 Timbers - 0*

April 30, 2005: Sounders - 1 Timbers - 2

July 8, 2005: Sounders - 4 Timbers - 2

July 12, 2005: Timbers - 2 Sounders - 0^

August 7, 2005: Timbers - 1 Sounders - 0

August 20, 2005: Timbers - 1 Sounders - 1

September 16, 2005: Timbers - 0 Sounders - 1*

September 18, 2005: Sounders - 2 Timbers - 0*

June 2, 2006: Sounders - 0 Timbers - 0



June 3, 2006: Timbers - 3 Sounders - 1

July 21, 2006: Timbers - 1 Sounders - 2

July 22, 2006: Sounders - 3 Timbers - 1

May 5, 2007: Sounders - 1 Timbers - 0

May 11, 2007: Timbers - 2 Sounders - 2

June 26, 2007: Sounders - 2 Timbers - 1^

August 1, 2007: Sounders - 2 Timbers - 0

April 26, 2008: Timbers - 2 Sounders - 0

May 10, 2008: Sounders - 0 Timbers - 0

August 7, 2008: Timbers - 0 Sounders - 1

July 1, 2009: Timbers - 1 Sounders - 2^

June 30, 2010: Timbers - 1 (3) Sounders - 1 (4) (OT)^

* - Playoff match
^ - U.S. Open Cup match

Prediction:

Why do I bother making a pick for this match. We know what's gonna happen. The Timbers are going to come to Qwest Field and they're going to get their asses whooped. 2-0 Sounders get the win.

Alvaro Fernandez's 91st minute goal salvages a point at Philadelphia

By Money Mike

When it looked as though the Philadelphia Union were gonna pull off another 1-0 victory, Alvaro Fernandez's equalizing goal a minute into stoppage time saved a point for the Seattle Sounders as the match ended all square at 1-1. With the draw, Seattle now has 6 points (1-2-3) and Philadelphia remains on top of the Eastern Conference table with 10 points (3-1-1). The Sounders now head to Colorado to face the defending MLS Cup Champion Rapids on Friday, then it's back home for a match Toronto before hitting the road again for matches at D.C. United and the Columbus Crew then after that the next three matches are at home, starting with the Portland Timbers.

The weather over there was really crappy, the conditions were poor, the ball movement was poor, I mean, the Sounders just looked miserable out there.

The man officiating this match by the way was Terry Vaughn, and you can tell that he was the referee, after a foul that led to a Philadelphia goal. Kyle Nakazawa's touch was a little too heavy and instead of going for goal, he just leans into Osvaldo Alonso and his arms were up in the air before Alonso even made contact with him, so it should've been a dive, instead Terry Vaughn signaled free kick in a dangerous position and showed a yellow card to Ozzie Alonso. That led to this.........

Carlos Ruiz with a free kick from 25-yards out, a bender over the wall toward the far post, Kasey Keller got a touch, but he couldn't keep the ball from sneaking inside the far past for the goal to put the Union up 1-0. It was Ruiz's 2nd goal of the season.

In the 51st minute, a mistimed header by Jeff Parke nearly led to a second goal, Ruiz with a good touch out of the air sent Sebastien Le Toux away but he didn't strike it hard enough and it was easily saved by Keller. A couple minutes later, Ruiz set up young Amobi Okugo for an open look from outside the area but again, no trouble for Kasey Keller.

In the 66th minute, Sigi Schmid went to his bench and brought on Nate Jaqua and Fredy Montero to boost the attack late on for Seattle. It was Montero's first game back since recovering from wrist surgery a couple weeks ago.

In minute 78', Alvaro Fernandez nearly made an immediate impact. Fredy Montero drove the ball across, hoping for a deflection of some kind, goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon got a hand to it, and the ball fell directly to Fernandez who struck it hard. It was goal bound, but Danny Califf got in the way of that shot and seemed to have saved a win for the Union. But Fernandez wasn't going to be denied a second chance.....

In the first minute of stoppage time, a corner by Mauro Rosales found Nate Jaqua who nodded it to Fredy Montero at the far post, after exchanging passes with Steve Zakuani, Montero chiped the ball to the middle of the area. There were three Sounder players unmarked and in the end, it was Alvaro Fernandez with the header, off the post and into the back of the goal to tie the match up at 1-1 and that's how it ended.

Scoring summary:

Philadelphia Union - Carlos Ruiz (unassisted) 32'

Seattle Sounders FC - Alvaro Fernandez (Fredy Montero) 91'+

Misconduct summary:

Seattle Sounders FC - Osvaldo Alonso (caution; Reckless tackle) 30'

Philadelphia Union - Stefani Miglioranzi (caution; Reckless tackle) 55'

Philadelphia Union - Amobi Okugo (caution; Reckless tackle) 65'

Philadelphia Union - Carlos Valdes (caution; Reckless tackle) 88'

Starting lineups:

Seattle Sounders FC - Kasey Keller; James Riley, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Jeff Parke, Leonardo Gonzalez (Fredy Montero 66'); Erik Friberg (Alvaro Fernandez 77'), Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans, Mauro Rosales; O'Brian White (Nate Jaqua 66'), Steve Zakuani

Philadelphia Union - Faryd Mondragon; Sheanon Williams, Danny Califf, Carlos Valdes, Jordan Harvey; Keon Daniel, Stefani Miglioranzi (Danny Mwanga 59'), Amobi Okugo, Kyle Nakazawa; Sebastien Le Toux, Carlos Ruiz (Justin Mapp 80')

Seattle Sounders FC vs Philadelphia Union preview

By Money Mike

The Seattle Sounders hit the road to PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania to take on the Philadelphia Union. Last season, following USA's World Cup exit, the Union opened up their new stadium against the Sounders. The Sounders got on the board first in that one after a late first half goal by Pat Noonan, but defensively they were awful, a clip inside the box resulted in a penalty kick which was converted by Sebastien Le Toux. Kasey Keller was left helpless as the backline just stood around almost all game and late on in that match, the Union made them pay with goals by Fred and Danny Mwanga. The Sounders, coming off a win against Chicago, are seeking revenge against the Union who are right now leading the east with 9 points. So far all of their matches ended in 1-0 decisions with three of them going their way. But the Sounders look to pick up where they left off last week and come away with another big victory.

Injury report:

Seattle Sounders FC - Well there's only one injury to report this week for the men in Rave Green. Fredy Montero, who missed the last two matches while recovering from wrist surgery, has been cleared by the doctors and is with the team for the trip to Philly.

Philadelphia Union - Gabriel Farfan has a dislocated right toe and is not going to feature in this match. Brian Carroll has a strained right hamstring and it's unlikely he'll play.

Key matchups:

Steve Zakuani vs Sheanon Williams - I like this matchup here, Zakuani and Williams. Steve Zakuani with his creativity and Sheanon Williams who is very good defensively and also add depth to Philadelphia's attack. Look for these two to battle it out.

Philadelphia front line vs Seattle Sounders back line - I already said the Sounders had difficulties shutting down Le Toux and Mwanga, but now Philadelphia's attacking front looks even more dangerous with the acquisition of Carlos Ruiz. I think this matchup will decide whether or not Seattle will win this game.

What's the difference between this years Philadelphia team and last years?:

Much like last year, Peter Nowak has done a fantastic job bringing in veterans like Danny Califf, and also bringing in some young talent. We of course remember the 2008 Expansion Draft. I was listening online that day and I had a bad feeling that Sebastien Le Toux was gonna be selected. There were some big names that Nowak selected, including Alejandro Moreno, Andrew Jacobson, Stefani Miglioranzi and when I heard Le Toux's name last, I can't remember what my reaction was, but I can tell you, there was nothing to smile about. Le Toux made 28 appearances with the Sounders in 09' and scored only 1 goal, then Peter Nowak picks him up in the Expansion Draft and he ends up scoring 14 goals in 28 matches, which is even more disappointing to me because I still felt like we should've kept Stebastien Le Toux. The fans loved him when he was with the USL squad and were really excited to see that he was the first player signed by the MLS Sounders, and seeing him go, I was just upset. Alot of us are still talking about that, saying that we should've protected Le Toux, and I'm sure that even though he did very little in terms of scoring goals, the fans were upset after hearing about Le Toux's departure.

Aside form Le Toux, Nowak drafted three players in the first round of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft, including former Oregon State Beaver, Danny Mwanga as #1 overall. Mwanga after his sophomore year considered leaving Oregon State to play in Europe, but Nowak talked him into staying in America and he selects him as the first overall pick. Other key acquisitions prior to 2010 of course included Danny Califf, they brought in Justin Mapp in the last half of the season. So Nowak already had this team going the right direction.

This year, it almost felt like they lost a lot of players, which they did. Michael Orozco is now back in Mexico, playing for San Luis. Shea Salinas, Alejandro Moreno, Chris Seitz and Fred have all left. But they brought in veteran goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon from 1. FC Koln, Carlos Valdes from Club Santa Fe, Brian Carroll from the Columbus Crew, Carlos Ruiz from Aris FC, Keon Daniel from the Puerto Rico Islanders and they also drafted goalkeeper Zach McMath in the first round of the 2011 draft. So this team is gonna get stronger and stronger.