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Sounders Score Four In Win Over Silverbacks

May 18, 2008 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Seattle Sounders News Release


Sebastien LeToux scored one for the team early in the first half, then took one for the team early in the second. And Josh Gardner?

He simply got himself into the right place at the right time -- times two.

Gardner scored two goals that bounced through traffic into the net, and LeToux tallied an early one, then suffered a knockdown foul in the box that led to a Leighton O'Brien penalty kick as the Seattle Sounders prevailed in a wild 4-2 victory against the Atlanta Silverbacks on Sunday night.

The four-goal output during Sunday's 90 minutes matched Seattle's entire offensive production through its first five games of the season.

"Our boys came out sharp, and we've been working on finishing during training," Gardner said. "It's always good to score some goals. We just have to be sharp off the kickoff."

The victory in front of 1,927 fans at Starfire Sports Complex, the first home field win in three games for the Sounders, boosted their record to 2-1-3 with 9 points. That vaulted Seattle from seventh place into a tie with Carolina for fifth place. Atlanta fell to 2-2-2 with 8 points.

"We have worked on nothing but offensive tactics for the last two weeks," Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said. "We had some decent play and started clicking. But unlike the other day against Rochester, we finally put away some chances. I told the team before the game, 'Don't panic. We created enough opportunities against Rochester; the goals are going to come.'"

For the Sounders, who managed just one goal in their first two home games, two of them came during the first 45 minutes.

Sebastien LeToux needed just 68 seconds from the opening kickoff to give Seattle a 1-0 lead. Youssouf Kante, making his first start, had the ball on the right wing side and tapped it forward to LeToux, who danced around a defender in the right side of the penalty area and sent a shot across the goalmouth that rolled into the back left corner.

Atlanta tied it at the 24:44 mark. Matt Bobo, playing about 20 yards up from the goal line on the right side, sent a target ball toward the far post, which Jason McLaughlin nodded in past goalkeeper Chris Eylander.

The Sounders made it 2-1 on an opportunistic play at the 34:05 mark. Josh Gardner, on a quick break downfield, took the ball into the box, shot from about 12 yards straight in front, but was saved by Felipe Quintero. But Quintero couldn't latch onto the ball, and it rebounded right back to Gardner, who fired again and watched it bounce in before Quintero could turn around.

The lead lasted just 60 seconds. On the ensuing kickoff, the Silverbacks worked the ball toward the top of the box on the right side. Macounba Kandji sent it straight across to Ansu Toure, playing straight in front from 18 yards away, who then launched one that flew into the left side.

The Sounders had another one into the net at 37:55 on another Gardner corner kick. The ball bounced around in traffic in the box, and Danny Jackson put it in, but an offside flag nullified the goal.

Just 2 ¼ minutes into the second half, Seattle's Kevin Sakuda chased down a ball in the right corner, catching up to just before it would have rolled over the end line for a goal kick. He crossed a target into the box, and LeToux went up to head it, but was hammered by Atlanta's Zach Kirby, who had just subbed into the game at the start of the half.

LeToux crashed to the turf, and referee Alejandro Mariscal immediately pointed to the penalty spot. LeToux remained on the turf, and Kirby was shown the red card. After he was helped off, O'Brien stepped up and buried the penalty kick into the back left corner with Quintero going the other way at the 49:51 mark.

The Sounders got an insurance goal at 69:25. A long ball toward the left corner was crossed into the box. Quintero couldn't pull it down, and Roger Levesque went up for the header, It was still loose when Gardner found it right at the top of the 6-yard box, shot and watched it bounce in.

"You just have to be in the right place at the right time and make sure you can finish those off," Gardner said.

No stranger to near-misses this season, the Sounders had four of them -- in addition to the goal that was called back -- during the first half. Atlanta kicked a shot by Gardner off the line; Roger Levesque saw a point-blank try from 10 yards go just wide of the far post; Quintero slapped away a point-blank shot by LeToux; and Taylor Graham headed the rebound of a corner kick just wide left.

Seattle heads onto the road for its next four games, beginning Friday at Vancouver, its only regular-season visit to Swangard Stadium.

QUICK KICKS -- Kante tweaked his left ankle and left the match in the 23rd minute. ... Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar and Andre Schmid both missed their second straight games, Cuellar with a right ankle sprain, and Schmid with a broken nose. Both injuries were sustained during practice early last week. ... Atlanta had gone 429 minutes over its last five games against the Sounders without scoring a goal.

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