MLS Seattle Sounders FC

SOUNDERS FC PLAYS TO SCORELESS DRAW WITH VANCOUVER IN FIRST LEG OF WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

Published on October 30, 2017 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Seattle Sounders FC News Release


Sounders FC Plays to Scoreless Draw with Vancouver in First Leg of Western Conference Semifinals
Sounders FC Plays to Scoreless Draw with Vancouver in First Leg of Western Conference Semifinals
(Seattle Sounders FC)

VANCOUVER, B.C. - Sounders FC began its MLS Cup title defense on the road Sunday evening in a postseason Cascadia clash against Vancouver Whitecaps FC, with Brian Schmetzer's side playing to a scoreless draw at BC Place in front of a partisan Vancouver crowd of 27,837. The first leg of the 2017 Western Conference Finals was a back-and-forth affair at BC Place, with Seattle claiming 54 percent of the possession and generating six shots over the course of 90 minutes. The two teams continue their run in the 2017 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs in just four days, with the series moving Stateside to the Emerald City on Thursday, November 2. Kickoff for that decisive fixture at CenturyLink Field is slated for 7:30 p.m. PT, with FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes televising the match to a national audience.

The first half of play proved to be a cagey opening between the two sides, as both teams settled into the series. Vancouver's Nosa was issued a yellow card for an elbow to the face of Sounders FC midfielder Cristian Roldan in the 45th minute, while Whitecaps FC earned first-half advantages in possession (51.3 percent) and duels won (55.3 percent). Seattle ended the first 45 minutes with an advantage in passing accuracy, putting together a 90.3 percent mark to Vancouver's 84.6 percent.

The second half started out promising for Sounders FC, with Chad Marshall putting a header on frame in the 48th minute, in what ended up being the lone shot on goal for both teams all match. The last 45 minutes proved equally physical to the first, with a caution each issued to Vancouver's Aly Ghazel and Seattle's Cristian Roldan to go along with 10 combined fouls. Ultimately, the match would remain scoreless after 90 minutes, with Seattle out-passing Vancouver 508-435.

Following Sunday's match, the Western Conference Semifinals now shifts south of the Canadian border to CenturyLink field, where Seattle prepares to host Vancouver on Thursday, November 2 (7:30 p.m. PT / FOX Sports 1, FOX Deportes). As the higher-seeded team at the conclusion of the 2017 regular season, Seattle earned the right to host the second and deciding match of the series, a fifth matchup between the two sides this season across all competitions. Thus far throughout the campaign, Seattle is 1-1-2 against their Cascadia rivals (including tonight's Audi MLS Cup Playoffs match at BC Place). The winner of the Western Conference Semifinals advances to the Conference Championship, facing the winner of the Portland Timbers and Houston Dynamo series.

MATCH SUMMARY

Seattle Sounders FC 0 - Vancouver Whitecaps FC 0

Sunday, October 29, 2017

Venue: BC Place

Referee: Kevin Stott

Assistants: Jeff Hosking, Kermit Quisenberry

Fourth Official: Ricardo Salazar

VAR: Mark Geiger

Attendance: 27,837

Weather: Clear

MATCH NOTES

Following tonight's draw, Seattle and Vancouver head into the second leg of the Western Conference Semifinals this Thursday on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field. With no goals scored in the first leg, the winner of Thursday's match advances to the Western Conference Championship. A scoreless draw after 90 minutes would force extra time, while a draw with any goals scored would result in Whitecaps FC advancing, due to the away goals tiebreaker. Sunday marked the first meeting between Sounders FC and Whitecaps FC in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. After meeting three times in the regular season, the two sides are even at 1-1-2 across all competitions in 2017. Dating back to 1974, Seattle and Vancouver have met 146 times, with the Rave Green leading the all-time series 69-52-25. By not allowing a goal Sunday evening, Sounders FC has recorded a shutout in its last three matches across all competitions. Dating back to September 16, Seattle has kept its opponents off the scoresheet in five of its last seven outings. Sounders FC is now unbeaten in its last four postseason matches, with its last loss in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs coming in last season's second leg at FC Dallas (Sounders FC advanced on aggregate). The Rave Green have lost just twice in their last 11 postseason fixtures (7-2-2), dating back 2014 Western Conference Championship. POST-MATCH AUDIO

Post-match soundbytes from Sounders FC Head Coach Brian Schmetzer, goalkeeper Stefan Frei, defender Kelvin Leerdam and midfielder Cristian Roldan are available for download via the following link: http://sndrs.com/audio.

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Sounders FC Plays to Scoreless Draw with Vancouver in First Leg of Western Conference Semifinals
Sounders FC Plays to Scoreless Draw with Vancouver in First Leg of Western Conference Semifinals
   



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