2004 May 8

Goals:
38' SEA - Farrell
90' EDM - Lopresti

Seattle: Preston Burpo; Danny Jackson, Zach Scott, Marco Velez; Chad Brown, Robbie Aristodemo (Darren Sawatzky 72'), Jason Farrell, Sean-Michael Callahan, Billy Sleeth (Viet Nguyen 41'); Kyle Smith (Kei Kinoshita 80'), Roger Levesque (Scott Jenkins 68'). Substitutes not used: Danny Waltman, Kevin Sakuda, Welton.

Edmonton: Jose Luis Campi; Rick Titus, Liam DeSilva, Chris Devlin, Claudio Salinas (Paul Dhaliwal 59', Sipho Sibiya 80'); Kurt Bosch, Jaime Lopresti, Nikola Vignjevic, Gordon Chin; Sean Fraser (S Kassaye 110'), Chris Lemire. Substitutes not used: Nick Stankov, Daniel Drummond.

Additional match reports: Sounders, Seattle Times, King County Journal, Bremerton Sun. Photo gallery: the Museum.

Match report by Ron Stickney:

The Seattle Sounders looked like they would be winners in their home opener against the expansion Edmonton Aviators until a red card earned by Sean-Michael Callahan put the side a man down for the final 50 minutes. The Sounders had taken the lead with a first-half goal by captain Jason Farrell on a free kick. Jaime Lopresti tied it up in added time when he knocked in the rebound from his saved penalty kick.

Just over a year earlier, a red card to Callahan had contributed to a 2-1 loss at home to lowly Calgary. One week ago, a red card to Ryan Edwards contributed to a 2-1 loss at Portland in the season opener. The Sounders are beating themselves and now have just one point from their first two matches.

First Half

The match got off to a slow start. The first good chance came in the 19th minute when Sounders forward Roger Levesque found his way into the penalty area and got free for a shot, and goalkeeper Jose Luis Campi collapsed at the near post for the save. In the 29th Levesque fed Kyle Smith for a quick shot from the arc that missed the top right corner by a yard.

38' Farrell. A 25-yard free kick was taken from a bit to the left by Farrell. The ball was bent around the wall and slightly glanced off a couple of defenders on the way to the far post. Campi dove and got a piece of it but couldn't keep the hard shot out. 1-0 Seattle.

Viet Nguyen replaced Billy Sleeth near the end of the first half. Sleeth had limped off in the 10th but had returned.

In the 42nd Levesque went by defenders into the penalty area for a shot from 15 yards and tried for the far post, but Campi collapsed for the save.

Halftime: Seattle 1 - 0 Edmonton

Callahan had an early shot from the left, but was wide of the near post. Farrell's cross gave Smith a 15-yard shot in the middle, but the quick shot was wide of the far post. From a corner kick play, Marco Velez had a good chance from the corner of the goal area but skied it.

Edmonton's first good shot came in the 57th on a free kick play when Sean Fraser headed a shot from 10 yards at the bar, and Preston Burpo did well to push it over the bar with his fingertips.

Play was getting rough as defenders Rick Titus for Edmonton and Danny Jackson for Seattle had just received yellow cards, then near the touch line Callahan slid in late in the 58th minute and scissored the legs of an opponent. It was red for Callahan, and the Sounders were done scoring for the night.

For Edmonton, Lopresti took a 25-yard free kick in the 73rd but sent it too high.

90' Lopresti. It was just into added time when Lopresti got past the Sounders defense into penalty area and he was tripped by Zach Scott, resulting in a penalty kick. Lopresti aimed the PK at the lower right corner and Burpo was there for the block save, but the rebound went to Lopresti's feet and the rebound was shot in. 1-1.

90 minutes: Seattle 1 - 1 Edmonton

Neither side could do much in the 20 minutes of extra time. Four minutes into it Lopresti tripped Darren Sawatzky from behind and earned his second yellow card and off he went, evening the sides. But the only good chances were a 20-yarder by Edmonton's Chris Lemire, sent too high, and in the final minute a cross/shot by Seattle's Kei Kinoshita that went wide left.

Final: Seattle 1 - 1 Edmonton

Statistics:
         Seattle  Edmonton
Shots:      16        9
Saves:       2        5
Corners:     6       10
Fouls:      13       13
Offsides:    5        1

Misconduct:
12' SEA - Scott cautioned for tripping Fraser to keep him from reaching the penalty area.
30' EDM - Lopresti cautioned.
55' EDM - Titus a delayed caution for kicking Levesque, advantage being given at the time of the infraction.
57' SEA - Jackson cautioned for a straight-leg sliding challenge into Salinas.
58' SEA - Callahan sent off for a scissors slide into an opponent near the touch line.
94' EDM - Lopresti cautioned for tripping Sawatzky from behind, sent off for his second caution.
101' EDM - Bosch cautioned for complaining about a throw-in awarded to Seattle.

Referees: Ramon Hernandez; David Rowe, Calin Znamirovschi; David Simon.
Attendance: 2,913 (disappointing for the home opener)