2005 Jun 25

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

Seattle: Preston Burpo; Taylor Graham, Ryan Edwards, Scott Jenkins, Kevin Sakuda; Ben Somoza, Leighton O'Brien, Gabe Sturm (Brett Wiesner 76'), Brent Whitfield (Franklin Chacon 61'); Roger Levesque, Welton. Substitutes not used: James Ward, Josh Hansen, Jake Besagno, Andrew Gregor.

Vancouver: Mike Franks; Nick Dasovic (Mark Watson 83'), Liam de Silva, Kevin Harmse, Geordie Lyall (Dave Morris 81'); Jeff Clarke, Steve Klein, Steve Kindel (Martin Nash 81'), Alfredo Valente (Chris Franks 63'); Ian Fuller (Joe Gjertsen 71'), Jason Jordan. Substitutes not used: Josh Wicks, Carlo Corazzin.

Goals:
19' VAN - Kindel
64' SEA - Edwards

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

Match report by Ron Stickney:

In their second meeting of the year, the host Seattle Sounders and the Vancouver Whitecaps played to a 1-1 draw. Vancouver won the first half with Steve Kindel's goal, and Seattle won the second half with a goal by Ryan Edwards. Their previous match, also in Seattle, ended in a scoreless draw.

With lots of starters out due to suspension (CJ Klaas and Billy Sleeth) or injury, the Sounders got help with the loan of ex-Sounder Leighton O'Brien from Real Salt Lake. Sweeper Taylor Graham was a trooper, playing with a very sore shoulder after his arm came out of its shoulder socket when he crashed to the ground in the previous match. Graham would play a key role in Seattle's goal.

First Half

Vancouver got a really good chance in the opening minute when defender Scott Jenkins tried for the ball and didn't get it, and Ian Fuller sent a pass to Jason Jordan free on the right to earn an open shot from 15 yards, but the low shot missed the far post by a foot.

Seattle's first shot came in the 5th minute when Brent Whitfield got a cleared corner kick, but the shot was hit weakly and the defense cleared it.

For Vancouver in the 8th, Alfredo Valente's 20-yarder curled nicely towards the top far corner, but cleared the bar by a foot.

Graham overlapped on the left in the 11th and found an open Gabe Sturm with a well-paced cross, but again rookie finishing skills were absent and the 15-yard shot went two yards wide. A Jenkins throw-in into the penalty area was headed down by Graham and the ball rattled around, but O'Brien couldn't quite gain control.

Jeff Clarke's free kick from the top left corner of the penalty area forced the first save of the match, a diving save by Preston Burpo at the near post.

19' Kindel. A cross from the right went over everyone and was collected by Kindel wide left. He turned 180 degrees toward goal and beat two defenders to get a 12-yard shot from a steep angle, and he rocketed it in off the underside of the crossbar. 1-0 Vancouver.

In the 26th, Vancouver defender Kevin Harmse got into the penalty area on the left for a shot that was slowed by his marker's foot and collected at the near post by Burpo.

The first Vancouver foul didn't happen until the 30th minute, when Clarke fouled Welton. From the resulting free kick play, Welton volleyed a powerful shot on goal that goalkeeper Mike Franks knocked right back at Welton, and on Welton's put-back volley Franks reached up from the ground with one arm for a second save.

Edwards seemed to have a good chance to head a shot over M Franks in the 35th, but if the shot had found the goal the offside flag was up.

There were no more good shots until added time, when Kevin Sakuda tried from 35 yards but sent it a yard wide with M Franks there just in case.

Halftime: Seattle 0-1 Vancouver

As in the first half, Vancouver had an early good chance. This time Valente was open on the right on a counterattack, but Jenkins and Burpo converged in time to pressure the shot and it was block-saved by Burpo and cleared by Jenkins.

A long free kick by O'Brien was claimed by a temporarily open Welton in the penalty area, but the Vancouver defense got there to pressure the shot and Welton shot wide when he ought to have put it on frame.

64' Edwards. A long throw-in by Ben Somoza was headed down toward the far post by Graham, a flick-on play. Roger Levesque and a Vancouver defender at the post came to the ball, and Levesque got a touch on it. Edwards claimed the loose ball, carried it to the right, fired once as a defender blocked and M Franks went down, then put the rebound in from 5 yards, hitting the underside of the bar on the way in. 1-1.

Four minutes later Edwards earned another statistic when he collected a yellow card for a tactical foul, the only card of the rather civil match.

Joe Gjertsen, a Vancouver rookie forward out of Lakewood and Evergreen State College, entered in the 71st minute and a cheer was heard from local family and friends. But Gjertsen would be stymied by the Seattle defense.

For Vancouver in the 72nd, defender Nick Dasovic headed a long free kick on goal but Burpo had it well covered.

The best chance for a match winner came in the 80th for Seattle when rookie substitute Brett Wiesner claimed the leftovers after Welton and M Franks reached a through ball simultaneously. Wiesner carried the ball leftward along most of the 6-yard line and earned a shot with a good share of the target open, but his shot was a bit short on velocity and Franks recovered just in time to dive on the ball at the goal line.

Seattle had two more chances. Substitute Franklin Chacon put a nice cross in front of Levesque, running up the middle at full speed, but M Franks played it well and was there to block-save the shot. Last chance was Graham's when he got his head on a corner kick from O'Brien, but Graham couldn't reach enough of the ball to direct it down.

Final: Seattle 1-1 Vancouver

Statistics:
          Seattle  Vancouver
Shots:      15        12
Saves:       7         6
Corners:     4         4
Fouls:      18        14
Offsides:    1         4

Misconduct:
68' SEA - Edwards cautioned

Referees: Colin Arblaster; Cory Dean, Babboucarr Jallow; Mark Matthews

Attendance: 2,696