Sounders reach half-way point of first season with 1:1 draw at New York Red Bulls

Seattle Sounders FC played well enough to win, but settled for a 1:1 draw tonight back east against the New York Red bulls. The match was the 15th of the season for Seattle, who have earned five wins, seven draws and suffered only three defeats half-way through their maiden voyage.

Let's be clear, to have suffered only three losses after fifteen matches is amazing for a first-year club, and pretty damn good for any club. The seven draws out number the five wins, but the Sounders keep making slow progress towards being one of the eight 2009 playoff teams.

Against New York it was Fredy Montero to the rescue. The Colombian scored the equalizer in first half stoppage time and was unlucky on several other occasions to not have given Seattle the win. Montero hit the woodkwork multiple times.

In a stretch of eight days Sounders FC have five standing points out of three matches. While it isn't a hot streak by any stretch, it does still keep the club on a positive pace.

If you are looking for signs that the Sounders have enough in them to battle all the way through October and perhaps beyond, the rebound in Montero's form is a good place to start. So is the depth the club has displayed during this recent match congestion. Patrick Ianni has proven to be an important cog of the bench on defense. The club can get road points while resting Freddie Ljungberg. We may find winning a challenge, but clubs are finding it nearly impossible to beat us.

It's all about point totals in MLS. Seattle have 22 standings points after 15 matches. We are on a pace to end the season with 44, which would likely mean a tight but successful entry into the playoffs. We can worry later about the final 8 of 12 matches in 2009 being away from Qwest Field. For now, right now, Seattle remains hard to beat and in the race for a playoff spot.

Happy expansion, Sounders fans. So far, so good? Well, at the very  least we can call it a draw.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Seattle's Fredy Montero scored off a defensive miscue to give the Seattle Sounders a 1-1 tie with the New York Red Bulls on Saturday night.

Juan Pablo Angel scored for New York (2-10-4) in the 40th minute, when defenders Tyrone Marshall and Patrick Ianni had the ball carom off each other as they were trying to clear and goalkeeper Kasey Keller slipped while coming out of the net.

Five minutes later, Montero stripped New York defender Jeremy Hall and scored from 12 yards out for Seattle (5-3-7), which tied D.C. United on Wednesday after blowing a 3-1 lead.

The goal was the 7th of the season for Montero, who twice had shots deflect off the post, including one in the 84th minute.