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Sounders Fall 2-1 To Impact

September 10, 2008 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Seattle Sounders News Release


TUKWILA -- A playoff spot for the Seattle Sounders will have to wait awhile longer.

Needing just a tie and a single point from Wednesday night's game against the Montreal Impact, the Sounders instead came up short, dropping a 2-1 decision in front of 2,539 fans at Starfire Sports Complex.

However, the result didn't change the arithmetic: A win or a tie in either of Seattle's final two regular-season games -- Saturday at Starfire against the Atlanta Silverbacks at 7 p.m., or a week later on Sept. 20 against the Vancouver Whitecaps at Starfire -- will secure a postseason position.

"We're not going to panic. We're just disappointed in the result," Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said. "When it was still 0-0, we had the chance to score a couple goals and put the game in our favor, but we just didn't do it."

The Sounders (10-9-9, 39 points) went down for the second time on a season-ending seven-game homestand. They can still finish as high as third in the standings, but now are fifth, having dropped one spot.

While the Sounders weren't able to clinch a playoff bid, the Impact (12-10-5, 41 points) did. They stretched their unbeaten streak to six games (5-0-1), despite playing this one without six starters who remained in Montreal for some rest in advance of a CONCACAF Champions League game next week.

"They've been playing with a range of lineups because of their schedule. Whoever they bring, they're still a good team," Schmetzer said. "But I'm not so concerned about their team. I'm more concerned with my team and letting in what I feel were two soft goals. That's the story of the game."

Montreal's first goal came on a counterattack just moments after goalkeeper Andrew Weber went to his knees to stop a point-blank shot from right in front by Seattle's Roger Levesque. Joey Gjertsen, a former Tacoma-area star, took the ball downfield and crossed a target to Tony Donatelli stationed wide open at the right post. Donatelli's header sailed into the back left side at 58:05.

The Sounders equalized just more than three minutes later. Zach Scott delivered a through ball down the left wing side, and Josh Gardner caught up with it in time to send it across the box. Yousouff Kante took an initial shot from at the top of Weber's front porch. Weber blocked it, but the rebound came right back out to Kante, who wound up from 12 yards away and drilled it into the left side at 61:24.

A Seattle miscue at the back gave the Impact the opportunity they needed to make it 2-1 at 69:24. Scott's attempted clearance went right to the foot of Antonio Rabeiro, and Rabeiro, inside the left of the box, poked it in from 12 yards away.

Neither side created much during the opening 45 minutes. The Sounders, in fact, got off just one official shot, a header by Roger Levesque that went just wide of the left post on a 25-yard free kick by Leighton O'Brien during stoppage time.

The Impact got off six shots in the first half, the most dangerous of which was 25-yarder from straight on by Gjertsen. But Seattle goalkeeper Chris Eylander made the easy save.

QUICK KICKS -- The Impact's victory left the season series tied, 1-1-1. All time, the Sounders now have a 13-9-2 edge. ... Of the 30 goals Montreal had scored coming into Wednesday's game, players who accounted for 19 of those were either at home resting, started the night on the bench, or were no longer with the team. ... O'Brien and Sebastien Le +Toux both were named to the USL-1 Team of the Week for their performances in last Saturday's 3-0 victory against Miami FC. O'Brien scored two goals, and Le Toux tallied one. ... The Sounders will have the services of midfielder Nik Besagno, on loan from Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer, through the end of the season. The Maple Valley native was to have returned to Salt Lake on Sept. 8, but he also can be recalled as any time. ... Zach Scott returned from a two-game suspension for yellow-card accumulation. He has missed four games for card-related reasons this season: three for yellows, and one for a straight red. If Scott gets two more, it'll mean a three-game suspension. ... Neither defender Adam West (mildly separated shoulder) nor midfielder Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar (strained calf) were on the active roster on Wednesday. Both sustained their injuries in the victory against Miami last Saturday.



USL First Division Stories from September 10, 2008


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