Sounders terminado?
That is the question fans are asking today after Wednesday night's frustrating 2:0 loss at Qwest Field to Monterrey in the CONCACAF Champions League. Are the Sounders finished after only two matches?
The rest of Group C would have to fall Seattle's way (split series, draws) for the Sounders to remain in contention. They would also have to do something they have been unable to do in the competition so far: score more than one goal.
Seattle dominated possession in the first half, but failed to convert a single chance. Fredy Montero seemed out of sync and well covered by the Monterrey defense. Blaise Nkufo looked more willing to shoot, but wasn't dangerous. The Sounders' outside shots were some of their best, but Monterrey goalkeeper Jonathan Orozco was up to the challenge.
"At times they collapsed around him (Montero) fairly well and took away his time and space a little bit. I don't think we got enough movement to him where he can play the ball away quickly enough," said head coach Sigi Schmid. "It's a matter of whether he's taking an extra touch because he doesn't have the option or does he need to play it a bit sooner. They certainly collapsed around him and make it difficult for him to play. They did a good job that way."
Schmid realizes that one competition is slipping away, and that he's got must-win matches coming up against Chicago (Saturday) and Chivas USA (Wednesday, US Open Cup Semifinals.) "It's tough. We have got a lot of guys who it's their first chance in this kind of situation," Schmid laments. "Sometimes you need that little bit of luck. You need that ball to bounce the right way. We had the chances down at Marathón [. . .] Today, same thing. We get an offside call that's not offside. Sometimes when you get that little bit of stuff going against you it's hard to pull yourself out of it. This game is over. We didn't come away with any injuries. I think guys are still pretty fresh and we have a huge game against Chicago on Saturday that would be a great time to bounce back and forget all about this game."
Seattle Sounders FC 0 vs. CF Monterrey 2 - August 25, 2010
SEATTLE - The Seattle Sounders FC fell to Mexico's CF Monterrey, 2-0, in round two of the CONCACAF Champions League group stage in front of 22,513 on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field on Wednesday night.
Sounders FC is winless through its first two Group C matches, having lost, 2-1, to CD Marathón in Honduras last week. Seattle is 10-10-7 overall and fifth in the Western Conference of MLS at 8-8-5 (29 points).
Monterrey now leads leads CONCACAF Group C with six points.
Neri Cardozo scored the first goal and assisted on the second for Monterrey, which had won its Group C opener at home, 1-0, over CD Saprissa of Costa Rica. Aldo de Negris added the second goal for the visitors.
Saprissa hosts Marathón on Thursday night. Seattle's next Champions League match is September 14 at Saprissa.
Monterrey opened the scoring in the 41st minute. Jesus Zavala played a long ball into the box where it took one bounce before Cardozo headed it past an onrushing Kasey Keller.
Monterrey struck again in the 58th minute. Cardozo chipped a ball behind the Seattle defense and de Nigris touched it once before sending a right-footed strike inside the near post.
Seattle finished with a commanding advantage in shots, 17-7 (6-3 on goal) and corner kicks, 12-5.
Sounders FC forward Nate Jaqua had a 90th minute goal called back. He knocked in the rebound of a Fredy Montero shot saved by Jonathan Orozco but the goal was disallowed due to offside.
Seattle nearly scored in the 61st minute off a Nathan Sturgis corner kick. Jaqua headed the ball towards goal but it was knocked down by keeper Jonathan Orozco. Montero had a chance to put away the rebound but the ball was cleared off the line.
Just minutes after entering the match as a halftime substitute, Jaqua served a ball to Sanna Nyassi who slid a shot past Orozco from 6 yards but it caromed off the right post.
Although no official attendance records are kept for Champions League (and, previously, Champions Cup) matches, tonight's attendance of 22,513 has been confirmed by CONCACAF officials as the second-largest for a Champions League/Champions Cup match played in the U.S.
The top mark is 26,528 for D.C. United v Chivas de Guadalajara, 3/15/07. The previous No. 2 crowd was 21,185 for D.C. United v Pumas, 4/6/05. Both games were played at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C
Undefeated in its last six league matches, Sounders FC resumes MLS play on Saturday night as it meets the Chicago Fire (6-6-6, 24 points) on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. PT. The three-game home stand concludes on September 1 with a U.S. Open Cup semifinal at Starfire Sports Stadium in Tukwila, Wash. against Chivas USA. First kick is 7:30 p.m.
Scoring Summary
MTR -- Neri Cardozo (Jesus Zavala) 41
MTR -- Aldo de Nigris (Neri Cardozo) 58
CF Monterrey -- Jonathan Orozco, Sergio Perez, Jose Maria Basanta, Hiriam Mier, Miguel Morales, Ricardo Osorio, Neri Cardozo (Sergio Santana 70), Jesus Zavala, Osvaldo Martinez (Luis Perez 81), Dario Carreno, Aldo de Nigris (Humberto Suazo 75).
Substitutes Not Used: Juan de Dios Ibarra, Severo Meza, Pierre Ibarra, Duilio Davino.
TOTAL SHOTS: 7 (Aldo de Nigris 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 3 (3 tied with 1); FOULS: 15 (Osvaldo Martinez 5); OFFSIDES: 8 (Aldo de Nigris 5); CORNER KICKS: 5 (Neri Cardozo 5); SAVES: 6 (Jonathan Orozco 6)
Seattle Sounders FC -- Kasey Keller, James Riley, Patrick Ianni, Jeff Parke, Leo Gonzalez, Sanna Nyassi, Osvaldo Alonso, Nathan Sturgis (Mike Seamon 67), Alvaro Fernandez (Roger Levesque 73), Fredy Montero, Blaise Nkufo (Nate Jaqua 46).
Substitutes Not Used: David Estrada, Taylor Graham, Tyson Wahl, Terry Boss.
TOTAL SHOTS: 17 (Sanna Nyassi 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 6 (Nate Jaqua 2); FOULS: 15 (Sanna Nyassi 4); OFFSIDES: 3 (Fredy Montero 3); CORNER KICKS: 12 (Nathan Sturgis 8); SAVES: 1 (Kasey Keller 1)
Misconduct Summary:
MTR -- Jesus Zavala (caution; Reckless Foul) 32
MTR -- Neri Cardozo (caution; Unsporting Behavior) 36
SEA -- Nate Jaqua (caution; Reckless Tackle) 52
Referee: Joel Aguilar
Referee's Assistants: -William Torres; Juan Francisco Zumba
4th Official: Jair Marrufo
Attendance: 22,513
Time of Game: 1:50
Weather: Sunny-and-78-degrees
Comments
David - what were you thinking when you wrote this disjointed paragraph?
"Sounders FC is winless through its first two Group C matches, having lost, 2-1, to CD Marathón in Honduras last week. Seattle is 10-10-7 overall and fifth in the Western Conference of MLS at 8-8-5 (29 points). Monterrey leads the group with six points."
Somehow Monterrey suddenly is playing (and winning) in MLS ?
Mixing two topics in one paragraph is confusing at best, even for those who know what's happening.
And one other thing:
"The rest of Group C would have to fall Seattle's way (split series, draws) for the Souners to remain in contention"
It's merely a typo but it echos a big banner we made one year in Denver where we left out the "D". It became a big joke, "Sounders with no "D", at a time when the defense sometimes did not show up.
Of course, given the altitude, the alcohol and the heat, we had an excuse. What's yours?
Miss you and our group. I wish we had planned to keep some of us old folks together (or at least nearby.
The lower part of the article, including the section you mention, is directly from the Sounders FC press. release.
The more I see of CCL matches the less enthusiastic I am about being in the competition. The league and US Open are more important. I actually hate that playing in CCL may hurt our team in the other matches. The opposing teams and their empty stadiums speak to the lack of support anywhere for this and the play on the field drives away the rest. Great showing by Sounder fans last night.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!