2006 Jun 24

Minnesota Thunder  2 - 2  Seattle Sounders
James Griffin Stadium, St. Paul, MN

Minnesota: Joe Warren; Brett Branan, Alfredo Esteves, Chad Dombrowski, Dustin Branan; Godfrey Tenoff, Kiki Lara (Aaron Paye 69'), Matt Schmidt, Terry Alvino (Gotsmanov 80'); Tyrone Gordon (Leo Gibson 76'), Melvin Tarley.

Seattle: Chris Eylander; Noah Merl, Jake Besagno (Seyi Abolaji 46'), Stephen Keel, Jason Harvey (Santa Maria Rivera 86'); Kevin Sakuda, Leighton O'Brien, CJ Klaas (Craig Tomlinson 88'), Roger Levesque; Jamal Sutton (Andrew Gregor 58'), Cam Weaver.

Goals:
15' SEA: Weaver (Harvey)
27' SEA: Weaver (Harvey)
29' MIN: D Branan (Lara)
38' MIN: Lara


Additional match reports: Thunder.


Match report from the Sounders:

The Seattle Sounders battled the Minnesota Thunder to a 2-2 draw at James Griffin Stadium in St. Paul, Minn. The Sounders took a 2-0 lead early in the match on two Cam Weaver goals. The Thunder then scored two unanswered to tie the match at 2-2 just 10 minutes later. Weaver's two goals in the match now tie him with the league leader at nine goals on the season.

Rookie forward Cam Weaver connected on goals in the 14th and 27th minutes, giving the Sounders a 2-0 lead over the Thunder. Defender Jordan Harvey, on loan from the Colorado Rapids, assisted both of Weaver's goals.

The Thunder were able to claw their way back into the match. In the 29th minute, Minnesota defender Dustin Branan trimmed the Sounders lead to one goal. Nine minutes later, Minnesota tied the score at 2-2 with a goal from midfielder Kiki Lara.

The Sounders took five of their 14 shots in the second half, but neither team would score as the match ended in a 2-2 draw.

With nine goals on the season, Weaver is tied with Romario of Miami FC as the league's leading goal scorer. Weaver has tallied nine goals and one assist in 14 matches this season.

The draw helped the Sounders finish a four point road trip through Virginia Beach and Minnesota. On June 22nd, the Sounders defeated Virginia Beach 1-0 for their first road victory of the season and snapped a five game losing streak.

Both Sounders defender Jake Besagno (28th minute) and midfielder Leighton O'Brien (65th minute) were issued yellow cards. O'Brien has received a yellow in each of the last three matches.

The Sounders return home to face the Puerto Rico Islanders on June 28th at Qwest Field. The Sounders look to return the favor as the Islanders defeated the 2005 Champs 4-1 in Puerto Rico on June 16th. Kickoff is set for 7 pm.

Statistics:
         Minnesota   Seattle
Shots:       12        14
Saves:        3         2
Corners:      3        11
Fouls:       19        15
Offsides:     7         6

Misconduct:
24 MIN: Alvino cautioned
28' SEA: Besagno cautioned
65' SEA: O'Brien cautioned

Referees: Edvin Jurisevic; Steve Clark, Jim Engelking; Dale Foster

Attendance: 1,119