2003 Aug 9

Portland Timbers  0 - 1  Seattle Sounders
PGE Park, Portland, OR

Goals:
28' SEA - Smith (Jenkins)

Portland: Josh Saunders; Gavin Wilkinson, Aaron Heinzen, Nick Downing, Lee Morrison; Brian Winters, Jake Sagare, Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar, Scott Benedetti; Jason Melendez (McKinley Tennyson 68'), Byron Alvarez. Substitutes not used: Cole Burgman, Ryan Youngblood, Bryn Ritchie, Adam Wilson, Dan Antoniuk, Fadi Afash.

Seattle: Preston Burpo; Danny Jackson, Zach Scott, Ryan Edwards, Scott Jenkins; Jason Farrell, Alex Bengard (Ben Somoza 87'), Sean-Michael Callahan (Kevin Sakuda 71'); Darren Sawatzky (Chad Brown 76'), Kyle Smith, Marco Velez (Herculez Gomez 59'). Substitutes not used: Rich Cullen, Craig Tomlinson, Roger Levesque.

Match report by Ron Stickney:

On the road the Seattle Sounders eked out another 1-0 win over the Portland Timbers, who must feel snakebit, having failed to score against the Sounders in four matches this year. Kyle Smith tallied the goal and now has ten goals for the year, counting his two Open Cup goals. The match was the first leg of a home and home series on consecutive days.

Preston Burpo was king of the penalty area, earning a shutout mostly by snaring the dangerous corner kicks, crosses and through balls served into his area. The win had added significance for Burpo, for it was in the same PGE Park that Burpo had his jaw broken 15 minutes into the 2003 season in a collision with his sweeper.

Andrew Gregor sat out the home and home series due to yellow card accumulation.

First Half

Seattle shot first, Marco Velez firing low from Alex Bengard's corner kick, with Josh Saunders easily saving. Portland's first shot was also from a corner kick, Lee Morrison under pressure heading over the bar.

Halfway through the first half there was still nothing close to a goal. For Seattle, Farrell from the arc was two yards wide left. For Portland, Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar's 25-yard free kick was two yards wide right. Nick Downing's putback of a cleared ball was claimed by Burpo, diving forward for the save.

28' Smith (Jenkins). Sweeper Danny Jackson sent a long diagonal ball across the pitch from the intersection of the halfway line and the right touch line. Scott Jenkins was forward to claim the pass and carried it to the bye line, where he dropped a 45-degree pass for Smith to run onto. Smith blasted a shot to the near side from 15, and Saunders got a hand on it but the ball continued into the goal. 1-0 Seattle.

Seattle had another good chance in the 30th but Velez' cross was too far in front of Smith sliding in feet first.

For Portland in the 35th, Alcaraz-Cuellar's cross flashed through the goal area for Jake Sagare past the far post, but his short shot hit the side netting. A long Alcaraz-Cuellar free kick was bent around the wall but right to Burpo in the center of the goal. Portland came close in the 43rd when Morrison headed Alcaraz-Cuellar's corner kick just over the bar with a looping shot.

Halftime: Portland 0 - 1 Seattle

Seattle had the first shot in the second half when Bengard's long free kick was headed on goal by Velez from the spot, but Saunders was right there for the save.

For Portland, Byron Alvarez was fed for a quick turn and shoot at the left end of the arc, and with Burpo guarding the near post the shot just barely missed the far post.

A long Seattle free kick by Jackson gave Scott Jenkins a shot from 8 yards, but the half volley was skied.

Alcaraz-Cuellar was open on the right for a pass, and he did well to make space for a shot from inside the penalty area, but he wasted the shot wide of the near post.

A Seattle corner kick gave Smith a short shot, off the post to Saunders. In the 69th Burpo's throw release to Darren Sawatzky in the circle was passed on to Herculez Gomez open on the right, and his 20-yard shot forced a diving push wide by Saunders. And that would be it for Seattle.

Portland's best shot came in the 72nd when Alcaraz-Cuellar's corner kick was headed off the top of the bar from 15 by Scott Benedetti. In the 78th Alvarez was open for service on the right and crossed to the far post, where a 6-yard header by Sagare was barely wide. Tennyson at the top of the arc layed off a short pass for Brian Winters, but he blasted the shot a yard high. In the 83rd Tennyson almost got to a through ball, but Jackson managed to poke the ball wide. In the 89th a Tennyson free kick from the arc was shot a foot over the top right corner.

Four minutes were added, and all Portland could manage was Morrison's 25-yarder sent well wide.

Final: Portland 0 - 1 Seattle

Statistics:
        Portland  Seattle
Shots:      16       12
Saves:       5        3
Corners:     7        3
Fouls:      21       16
Offsides:    2        3

Misconduct:
45' SEA - Velez cautioned for a retaliatory elbow in Portland's penalty area.
47' SEA - Scott cautioned for fouling Alvarez near the halfway line.
65' POR - Wilkinson cautioned for getting Gomez near the halfway line, advantage given at the time.

Referees: Richard Heron; Scott Lawrence, Rich Wallace; David Grbavac..
Attendance: 6,831