2004 Aug 18

Seattle Sounders 2 - 1 Vancouver Whitecaps
Qwest Field, Seattle, WA

Goals:
50' SEA - Welton (Sakuda)
90' VAN - Heald (PK)
110' SEA - Brown (Sawatzky)

Seattle: Preston Burpo; Danny Jackson, Marco Velez, Ryan Edwards, Zach Scott; Kevin Sakuda, Jason Farrell (Craig Tomlinson 87'), Sean-Michael Callahan (Scott Jenkins 71'), Ben Somoza (Chad Brown 79'); Roger Levesque, Welton (Darren Sawatzky 82'). Substitutes not used: Danny Waltman, Kei Kinoshita, Kyle Smith.

Vancouver: Alex Marques; Nick Dasovic, Geordie Lyall, Chris Franks (Carlo Corazzin 59'); Mark Gomes, Oliver Heald, Dave Morris (Jeff Clarke 46'), Steve Kindel, Johnny Sulentic; Alfredo Valente (Jason Jordan 66'), Dave Xausa (Winston Griffiths 99'). Substitutes not used: Mike Franks, Tino Cucca, Martin Nash.

Additional match reports: King County Journal, Seattle Times, Bremerton Sun, Whitecaps, Sounders.

Match report by Ron Stickney:

In a thriller of a match, the Seattle Sounders' Chad Brown scored in the final minute of extra time to give the home side a 2-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps. Seattle took the first lead early in the second half on Welton's goal, then seconds before what would have been the final whistle Oliver Heald tied it up with a penalty kick.

The match winner was Brown's first professional goal. The win gave the Sounders the edge in the season series 2-1-1.

Seattle started the same 4-4-2 as they had 3 days earlier in Vancouver, while Vancouver started 7 different players. Vancouver were apparently resting some players for a match at home against Minnesota the next day.

First Half

Vancouver had just a pair of chances in the first half, both in the first 15 minutes. Valente's long shot up the middle was caught by Preston Burpo at the bar, and Nick Dasovic' header from Dave Xausa's corner went over the bar.

Seattle had the better chances in the half. Welton beat the offside trap in the 11th minute and crossed to the far post for Roger Levesque, whose pressured shot at the 6 went high. Midway in the half Ben Somoza drove a corner kick to the near side and Danny Jackson headed it sharply at the near side and couldn't believe it when Alex Marques dove sideways to slap it off the goal plane. Somoza and Ryan Edwards each had a shot late in the half, each missing the target by a yard or two.

Halftime: Seattle 0 - 0 Vancouver

Xausa and Levesque traded shots to open the second half, Xausa forcing a save and Levesque missing.

50' Welton (Sakuda). Kevin Sakuda claimed a loose ball 30 yards from Vancouver's goal and popped it to Welton. With the ball coming down between three Vancouver defenders, Welton got there first to chest-trap it 25 yards from goal, juggle it with his thigh, and fire a bouncer inside the far post. With defenders blocking his view, Marques didn't see the shot until it was too late. 1-0 Seattle.

Vancouver had a great chance in the 57th when Alfredo Valente beat his marker on the left to get into the penalty area near the bye line, from where he dropped a 45-degree pass for Xausa alone 15 yards from goal, but Xausa shot just wide of the far post.

Seattle came right back by springing Sean-Michael Callahan up the middle for an open shot from 20 yards, but he sent it 2 yards over the bar. Brown entered in the 79th with play stopped for a Seattle free kick, and Brown's first touch was a shot, but well off the mark.

Then Vancouver pressed hard beginning in the 86th minute. A 30-yard free kick in the middle was touched to Xausa for a shot that deflected off the wall and forced a diving save by Burpo. In the 90th Jeff Clarke's 18-yarder missed the top near corner by a half yard. Jason Jordan made space in the penalty area to force a save that was announced as Burpo's 500th in the A-League (we got Burpo to sign the stat sheet after the match). Then Jordan got inside the goal area for a shot at the near post that Burpo chested wide for a corner, which led to ...

90' Heald (PK). The corner kick found its way to the floor in front of goal, where Scott Jenkins tried to clear it but deflected the ball up and it hit Ryan Edwards in the elbow. After the match Edwards said that it wasn't deliberate handling, but referee Cory Dean apparently thought differently and awarded a penalty kick. Heald fired the PK into the top right corner, glancing off the post on the way in. 1-1.

The 90-minute whistle blew seconds after the restart.

90 minutes: Seattle 1 - 1 Vancouver

The Sounders did everything but score in the first 10-minutes of extra time. Brown's free kick from the right corner past goal was headed off the bar at the top far corner by Zach Scott, and Jackson's shot from the rebound from a steep angle glanced off the outside of the far post. Substitute Craig Tomlinson weaved his way from the circle into the penalty area and dished it off to Levesque for a low shot from 15 that just missed the far post. From Brown's corner kick, Levesque was in close to shoot just wide of the near post. From a throw-in play, Levesque's low shot at the near side was kicked clear by a defender on the goal line.

Vancouver's first shot in extra time came in the 104th when Steve Kindel was just over the bar when he shot a cleared corner kick back in.

In the 108th for Seattle, Brown's corner kick was headed at the top far corner by Jackson, and Winston Griffiths was at the post to head it clear from the goal plane.

It looked like Vancouver would win it in the 109th when a counterattack sprung Jordan past Scott and into the penalty area. With Burpo coming out, Jordan shot low past the keeper only to bounce it off the far post, leaving Jordan holding his head in disbelief. Darren Sawatzky claimed the rebound off the post, which led to ...

110' Brown (Sawatzky). After collecting the rebound off a Seattle post, Sawatzky sent the ball to the middle and took off up the right touch line. Jackson fed Sawatzky to set up a 40-yard run up the right line, ending with Sawatzky whipping a cross into the box. Levesque was waiting for the cross, but Brown at full speed ran in front of Levesque and headed it powerfully inside the far post, stunning the Vancouver defense, a few of whom collapsed to the ground and lay there. Brown never stopped running, sprinting off the pitch and into the player tunnel.

Final: Seattle 2 - 1 Vancouver

Statistics:
         Seattle  Vancouver
Shots:      21       13
Saves:       5        4
Corners:     9        5
Fouls:      14       19
Offsides:    5        4

Misconduct:
13' SEA - Scott cautioned for a late challenge under Sulentic.
106' VAN - Corazzin cautioned for sliding under Brown at the touch line.

Referees: Cory Dean; David Simon, Rachel Berg; Mark Matthews.
Attendance: 2,896