2004 Jul 10

Seattle Sounders 0 - 0 Vancouver Whitecaps
Qwest Field, Seattle, WA

Goals:
none

Seattle: Preston Burpo; Danny Jackson, Marco Velez, Ryan Edwards; Scott Jenkins (Viet Nguyen 40'), Chad Brown (Darren Sawatzky 91'), Kevin Sakuda, Jason Farrell (Ben Somoza 43'), Jonathan Bolaños; Roger Levesque, Kyle Smith (Craig Tomlinson 101'). Substitutes not used: Danny Waltman, Zach Scott, Sean-Michael Callahan.

Vancouver: Alex Marques; Nick Dasovic, Geordie Lyall (Fuseini Dauda 87'), Justin Thompson; Dave Morris (Jeff Clarke 66'), Martin Nash, Steve Kindel, Alfredo Valente, Dave Xausa; Carlo Corrazin (Chris Franks 46'), Winston Griffiths. Substitutes not used: Mike Franks.

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

Match report by Ron Stickney:

The host Seattle Sounders and the Vancouver Whitecaps played to a scoreless draw in a rough, bitterly contested match. Preston Burpo for Seattle and Alex Marques for Vancouver came up with some big saves to earn their shutouts. Neither side's offense proved good enough to score.

Due to injuries suffered when the same two sides played in Vancouver the previous night, Seattle played without Welton and Vancouver played without Jason Jordan and Johnny Sulentic.

First Half

Seattle's Chad Brown set the tone for this match in the first minute when he knocked Steve Kindel over at the touch line well after Kindel had passed the ball. Three players would leave the match injured later on.

Seattle's attack looked promising early. Roger Levesque from 18 yards forced a diving save by Marques, and from the rebound Brown crossed to Bolaños on a far post run for a header that went wide of the near post. In the 15th minute Seattle moved the ball from the right side to the left for a low 20-yard shot by Scott Jenkins that missed the far post by a half yard. Jason Farrell tried a 30-yarder up the middle but was a yard high.

Vancouver's first shot came in the 25th when Kindel's cross from the left gave Carlo Corrazin a header that Burpo saved overhead. Jenkins and Corrazin banged heads hard on Corrazin's follow through and both players needed attention. Jenkins went to the locker room bleeding and would not re-enter. Corrazin did re-enter after awhile, but he would be replaced at halftime.

A Vancouver foul at the center of the 18-yard line gave Farrell a choice free kick, and he struck it well but Geordie Lyall at the post managed to stick out his leg and deflect it wide for a corner.

In the 32nd Corrazin took Vancouver's second shot, a 25-yarder up the middle with part of the target open, but he missed the left post by a half yard. Then Corrazin left-footed a powerful shot from 23, but right at Burpo.

In the 40th Vancouver's Martin Nash got a yellow card for taking Farrell down hard, and Farrell left the match for good with apparently an injured head and ankle.

Nash had the next good chance, a 25-yarder that was yards wide of the far post.

For Seattle, Levesque fired a nice 15-yarder from the left aimed at the far post, and Marques dove for a great save, giving up a short rebound but claiming it before Kyle Smith came sliding in hard. Smith was cautioned for the late, rough challenge.

The final minute saw another head banging incident, this time Vancouver's Justin Thompson called for a foul on Levesque.

Halftime: Seattle 0 - 0 Vancouver

Vancouver took the momentum for the first 15 minutes of the second half. The opening minute saw a quick blast from Alfredo Valente from the top left corner of the penalty area. Burpo had to make a reaction save with his arms at the top near corner, giving up a big rebound but retrieving it 10 yards towards the corner flag. In the 55th Valente bent a shot towards the bar from the top of the arc, and Burpo back-pedaled to push it over for a corner. Lyall tried a long shot that was a yard too high.

Seattle should have scored in the 61st when Smith dummied a pass up the middle, springing Levesque in alone against Marques. From the 18, Levesque's shot was blocked by a collapsing Marques. Smith claimed the rebound in open space on the right, but his attempted cross hit a defender.

Vancouver came right back a minute later with a powerful shot from the left by Kindel that forced a diving save by Burpo, and Vancouver was flagged offside going for the rebound.

Ben Somoza, who had replaced Farrell, fired a header from 18 on a broken free kick play in the 72nd, and it was another head-banging incident, Kindel being the other head. Kindel stayed down for awhile recovering.

Seattle dominated play the rest of regulation, but couldn't score. Bolaños took a 25-yard free kick but wasted it high. Levesque shot from the left while closely marked and missed the far post. A free kick by Bolaños from the right corner flag produced a close-in header by Levesque that broke the goal plane, but a defender headed it away before the ball completely crossed the plane. Bolaños had the last try in regulation with a 25-yarder up the middle, but it went right to Marques.

90 minutes: Seattle 0 - 0 Vancouver

Twenty minutes of extra time produced just three shots. Seattle was first with a 25-yard free kick by Bolaños that missed the top far corner by a yard.

For Vancouver, Kindel fired an 18-yard blast from the left, but Burpo collapsed for the one-handed save, the rebound going up the middle to the 18 where it was cleared.

A Seattle corner kick in the final minute gave Marco Velez a looping header at the top far corner that just barely missed.

Final: Seattle 0 - 0 Vancouver

Statistics:
        Seattle  Vancouver
Shots:      17       12
Saves:       6        6
Corners:     9        2
Fouls:      15       22
Offsides:    3        3

Misconduct:
40' VAN - Nash cautioned for knocking Farrell down. Farrell left the match injured.
45' SEA - Smith cautioned for sliding late into Marques, who was holding the ball.
56' SEA - Velez cautioned for dissent after being called for handling.
72' VAN - Thompson cautioned, probably for persistent infringement, after fouling Somoza.
97' VAN - Griffiths cautioned for delaying a Seattle free kick.
102' VAN - Xausa cautioned for knocking Somoza down from behind.

Referees: Yader Reyes; Jeff Hosking, Will Niccolls; Fred Mabbott.
Attendance: 2,759