2004 Jul 24

Portland Timbers 0 - 2 Seattle Sounders
PGE Park, Portland, OR

Goals:
42' SEA - Levesque (Bolaños)
80' SEA - Levesque (Burpo)

Portland: Josh Saunders; Scott Thompson, Lee Morrison, David Henning; Brian Winters, Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar, Alex Bengard (Edwin Miranda 75'), Andrew Gregor, Jake Sagare; Alan Gordon, Byron Alvarez. Substitutes not used: Elfvin Bayard, Garrett Marcum, Scott Benedetti, Jarrod Weis, Eric Cronkrite, Dan Antoniuk.

Seattle: Preston Burpo; Danny Jackson, Marco Velez, Ryan Edwards; Sean Henderson (Chad Brown 13'), Kevin Sakuda, Viet Nguyen (Kyle Smith 89'), Ben Somoza, Jonathan Bolaños; Roger Levesque (Sean-Michael Callahan 82'), Darren Sawatzky (Craig Tomlinson 66'). Substitutes not used: Danny Waltman, Shawn Percell, Welton.

Additional match reports: Portland Oregonian, Sounders.

Match report by Ron Stickney:

This was a road win for the travelling fan to savor. Roger Levesque scored late in each half as the Seattle Sounders won away 2-0 over the Portland Timbers. It was a hot one, as the temperature hit triple digits, but by kickoff it was all shade inside the touch lines. Preston Burpo earned the shutout and got the assist for the second goal.

Suspended for the match were Gavin Wilkinson and Shawn Saunders for Portland and Zach Scott for Seattle.

First Half

The first half hour was all Portland. Free-kick specialist Andrew Gregor, the ex-Sounder, gave Burpo a scare in the 8th minute when the free kick just cleared the leaping Byron Alvarez and the bending ball came down an inch outside the base of the far post. In the 17th it was another free kick play and this time Alvarez got his head on it and the shot flashed just wide of the near post.

Seattle's first shot came in the 30th when Viet Nguyen turned the corner on the left side and crossed from the end line, giving Levesque a pressured shot that was blasted well wide. Levesque soon had the best chance yet when Marco Velez sent a long ball to the top of the arc for Darren Sawatzky, who with back to goal chipped it on for Levesque running up the middle. Alone 15 yards out, Levesque put the shot too close to goalkeeper Josh Saunders, who made the block save.

For Portland in the 36th, Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar's cross into the penalty area was controlled by Alan Gordon, double-teamed, but he managed a low shot that Burpo tracked down for his first save.

42' Levesque (Bolaños). Kevin Sakuda carried up the left side to cross along the 6-yard line. Jonathan Bolaños at the near post touched the ball along for Levesque at the far post, and Levesque's shot was deflected just over the bar. The resultant corner was curled in near the near post by Bolaños, and Levesque was open as he rose to head it into the center of the net. 1-0 Seattle.

In the 45th, a long cross from the right went over the crowd to Alex Bengard, wide open on the far-post run. Bengard blasted a shot from 2 yards and Burpo collapsed to block it with his hand.

After a couple minutes of stoppage time, the half was ended while Burpo held the ball. Burpo turned and punted the ball 30 yards up and it came down in the middle of the Timbers Army supporters, who had been giving Burpo the customary grief the entire half.

Halftime: Portland 0 - 1 Seattle

Brian Schmetzer's halftime speech must have been better than Bobby Howe's, as Portland wouldn't manage another shot until 27 minutes into the second half. For Seattle, Sakuda received Bolaños' pass and carried into the goal area from the right, but Scot Thompson stepped up to clear the ball from danger. Bolaños took the first shot of the half, but rolled it right to Saunders.

Portland sent two dangerous crossed in front of goal in the 54th, but Ryan Edwards cleared the first and Velez cleared the second.

For Seattle, Nguyen bent a free kick from just outside the left edge of the area to the top far corner, but Saunders had it covered. In the 62nd, Bolaños' 30-yard free kick up the middle bent over Saunders and hit the underside of the crossbar, rebounding into Saunders, then being cleared. A free kick from wide left in the 69th gave Danny Jackson a header, but right at Saunders.

For Portland in the 72nd, Thompson overlapped nicely up the right line and turned the corner for his side's first shot of the half, but it was well wide of the far post.

For Seattle, Burpo cleared from the end line all the way to substitute forward Craig Tomlinson, who cut back and found Bolaños, who took on two defenders and earned a shot from the arc that went well wide.

In the 77th a 30-yard free kick for Portland deflected going through the wall and had eyes for the lower left corner, but Burpo got there for the save.

80' Levesque (Burpo). After Alvarez was flagged offside 20 yards from the goal line, Burpo sent the free kick over everyone on the right side. Levesque beat his marker to it and from just outside the penalty area and 10 yards from the end line Levesque chipped perfectly over the charging Saunders and into the center of the goal. 2-0 Seattle.

Tomlinson had Seattle's last good chance in the 88th when he hesitated, then sped past Thompson for a shot from the top left corner of the penalty area, fired straight and a half yard over the bar.

Portland had two chances left from Gregor free kicks. A long one from the left was too high and wide of the far post. Then a free kick from the top of the arc was bent inches wide of the right post.

Final: Portland 0 - 2 Seattle

Statistics:
         Portland  Seattle
Shots:      15       12
Saves:       4        3
Corners:     2        3
Fouls:      13       22
Offsides:    5        3

Misconduct:
21' SEA - Edwards cautioned for a tactical foul on Alvarez.
45' SEA - Velez cautioned for what he said after being called for a foul.
61' POR - Winters cautioned for a tactical foul on Bolaños.
69' POR - Morrison cautioned for kicking Bolaños after a Portland foul.
83' SEA - Nguyen cautioned for delaying a Seattle throw-in.
90' SEA - Jackson cautioned for a tactical foul in the arc.

Referees: Ramon Hernandez; Jerry Gompers, Rich Wallace; Greg Hearlean.
Attendance: 4,267