Tri-City Herald Logo

Missed opportunities lead Sounders to scoreless draw | Tri-City Herald

×
  • E-edition
  • Home
    • Customer Service
    • Archives
    • Buy Photos and Pages
    • Contact Us
    • Mobile & Apps
    • Newsletters
    • Subscribe
    • Subscriber Services

    • News
    • Local News
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Hanford
    • Northwest
    • Nation & World
    • Obituary Listings
    • Politics
    • Elections
    • Health
    • Weird
    • Photos
    • Weather
    • Videos
    • Sports
    • Local Sports
    • Preps
    • Prep Countdown
    • Seattle Seahawks
    • Seattle Mariners
    • Tri-City Americans
    • Tri-City Dust Devils
    • Tri-Cities Fever
    • Hydros
    • Photos
    • Outdoors
    • Blogs
    • College
    • NFL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • NHL
    • MLS
    • Golf
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Public Records
    • National Business
    • Technology
    • Entertainment
    • Local Arts
    • Celebrity
    • Mr. Movie
    • Movie Times
    • Movie News
    • Music News
    • Calendar
    • Submit Event
    • Puzzles & Games
    • Contests
    • Living
    • Food & Wine
    • Wine Press NW
    • Antique Appraisals
    • Health & Science
    • Home & Garden
    • Light Notes
    • Religion
    • Spiritual Life
    • Births
    • Engagements
    • Weddings
    • Anniversaries
    • Opinion
    • Letters
    • Editorials
    • National
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Submit Letter
    • Guest Columnists
  • Obituaries

  • Classifieds
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Cars
  • Homes
  • Place An Ad

  • About Us
  • Mobile & Apps

Sounders FC

Missed opportunities lead Sounders to scoreless draw

DON RUIZ; The News Tribune

    ORDER REPRINT →

September 20, 2009 12:00 AM

Kasey Keller was gone from the Sounders FC locker room before the media were allowed in, presumably because there had been no particular need to shower or perhaps even to change clothes.

The Sounders’ goalkeeper from Lacey had to handle just one shot from Chivas USA on Saturday, and that was a soft floater that most guys in weekend beer leagues could have caught.

On the other end of the pitch, Chivas keeper Zach Thornton was acrobatically twisting himself in high-flying knots while fighting off a half-dozen Sounders shots – most of them serious potential game-winners.

But after 90 minutes, the bottom line was the same for both sides: a scoreless draw before a crowd of 32,710 at Qwest Field and one point in the increasingly clustered MLS playoff race.

SIGN UP

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to the Tri-City Herald

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

“(Thornton) stopped the ones that he needed to stop,” Seattle forward Fredy Montero said through an interpreter. “Our keeper is actually going to go home with a clean uniform. We managed and controlled the game but unfortunately didn’t score and didn’t win.”

Seattle also played with a one-man advantage over the final 19 minutes after Chivas defender Marcelo Saragosa was given a red card for a high kick that concluded with his cleat in Montero’s face.

Still, the lack of scoring shouldn’t have been much of a surprise. Thornton and Keller are Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in the MLS in goals-against average. Keller has nine shutouts.

Meanwhile, Seattle (9-6-11) has now been shut out in four straight home games, and Chivas (11-9-4) has been shut out in six of its past seven road games.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game here,” said Chivas coach Preki, the former Tacoma Stars standout. “We knew that they were desperate for points like we are. We knew defensively we had to be very strong and not allow them to get behind us. I thought we worked really hard, and Zach made a couple saves for us, and we got the point.”

The bigger surprise might have been that Seattle had so many chances. Several of them involved rookie Steve Zakuani – so many that he couldn’t recall which had been the most promising.

“I think the header where Thornton made kind of a good save,” Zakuani said. “Another one when I don’t know who put it across, but I took a touch and had to shoot fast, but I put it high. … There was one in the first half where I head to Seba (Sebastien Le Toux), and Seba hits the ball, and I don’t know how he keeps the ball out. There’s nothing you can do against that.”

Except that the Sounders’ consensus seemed to be that enough has to be enough. An opponent can cautiously pack it in – as Chivas did. And a keeper can be dazzling – as Thornton was.

But Seattle took 12 shots and put half of them on goal, and at some point, one of them has to rip the net.

“We created three or four very clear chances that usually, you score,” said Freddie Ljungberg, who started at forward alongside Montero. “I must give (credit), that goalie made some amazing saves. It wasn’t that our finishes were poor; he made some amazing saves. But in a normal game, that’s too many clear-cut chances, and you have to score on one of them.”

The Sounders haven’t scored at home since a 2-1 win over Houston on July 11. Since then, they are 0-1-3 at Qwest and have gone 404 minutes without a goal at home.

Meanwhile, they have done better on the road. And that’s where they’ll be for their next three games before returning on Oct. 24 to face Dallas in the regular-season finale.

“I’d rather play at home, but we’re going to go get the points on the road,” coach Sigi Schmid said. “The points are out there, so we’ve got to take the points wherever they are. We don’t want to be coming back here for the last game of the season in a must-win situation to get into the playoffs.”

Don Ruiz, 253-597-8808

don.ruiz@thenewstribune.com

Join the postgame discussion at blog.thenewstribune.com/soccer

  Comments  

Videos

‘Tiny but mighty’ 7-year old girl leaves players, fans stunned with amazing national anthem rendition at Seattle Sounders game

How to avoid becoming debit card fraud victim

View More Video

Trending Stories

Cattle-rustling scheme was inside job, deputies say. But suspects were foiled by DNA

February 19, 2019 07:34 PM

Richland stabbing leaves teen in serious condition

February 19, 2019 08:54 AM

ATM bandit steals $30,000 from credit union accounts in the Tri-Cities

February 20, 2019 11:50 AM

This Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band will play the fair

February 19, 2019 12:53 PM

Richland railroad crossing remains broken — and cars have little warning of oncoming trains

February 19, 2019 06:16 PM

Read Next

Celebrate good times: Sounders announce plans for a season-long celebration of 10 years in MLS

Sports

Celebrate good times: Sounders announce plans for a season-long celebration of 10 years in MLS

By Andrew Hammond

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 18, 2019 03:44 PM

On Monday, the Seattle Sounders announced a season-long celebration of 10 years in MLS.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to the Tri-City Herald

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE SOUNDERS FC

2019 Sounders will look different even with Jordan Morris returning

Sounders FC

2019 Sounders will look different even with Jordan Morris returning

January 22, 2019 06:47 PM
Sounders introduce new jersey sponsor for 2019 season

Sounders FC

Sounders introduce new jersey sponsor for 2019 season

January 17, 2019 12:53 PM

Sounders FC

Manchester United, Club America stir strong emotions

July 16, 2015 06:37 PM

Sounders FC

Sounders await right move, not just any move

July 16, 2015 07:27 AM

Sounders FC

Friberg working on fitness and touch

July 14, 2015 06:12 PM

Sounders FC

Sounders reassess tactics, personnel during goal drought

July 13, 2015 07:14 PM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Tri-City Herald App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
Advertising
  • Digital Solutions
  • Place a Classified
  • Local Deals
  • Contact Us
Copyright
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story