2012 Feb 15 2012 Feb 15
Preseason training match (120 min):
Seattle Sounders FC 2 - 0 Columbus Crew
IMG Soccer Academy, Bradenton, FL
Goals:
54' SEA: Fredy Montero (Adam Johansson, Mauro Rosales)
114' SEA: Cordell Cato (Christian Sivebæk)
Seattle: Michael Gspurning (Bryan Meredith 91'); Adam Johansson (Amadou Sanyang 75', Lamar Neagle 84'), Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (Patrick Ianni 20', Zach Scott 75'), Jeff Parke (Andrew Duran 75'), Leo Gonzalez (Marc Burch 75'); Mauro Rosales (Roger Levesque 75'), Osvaldo Alonso (Andy Rose 75'), Brad Evans (Mike Seamon 75'), Alvaro Fernandez (Cordell Cato 75'); Fredy Montero (Babayele Sodade 75'), Mike Fucito (David Estrada 62', Christian Sivebæk 94').
Columbus: Andy Gruenebaum (Matt Lampson 75'); Sebastian Miranda (Aubrey Perry 75'), Chad Marshall (Eric Gehrig 75'), Carlos Mendes (Josh Williams 75'), Lance Laing (Korey Veeder 75'); Ethan Finley (Justin Meram 75'), Milovan Mirosevic (Kirk Urso 75'), Tony Tchani (Cole Grossman 75'), Bernardo Anor (Shaun Francis 63'); Olman Vargas (Tom Heinemann 75'), Emilio Renteria (Aaron Horton 75').
Match report from Sounders FC:
As the Sounders FC inches toward their first match of the 2012 season, elements keep appearing of the team that led MLS in scoring in 2011 and finished second in the chase for the Supporters' Shield.
On Wednesday at the IMG Academy, they stumbled out of the blocks, but took control against the Columbus Crew and got goals from Fredy Montero and Cordell Cato to lift them to a 2-0 victory in a 120-minute match that featured two 45-minute periods and one 30-minute period.
"It is a good feeling," Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid said. "We needed to get more people in midfield so we could build up better because they were dropping off. Once we started doing that I thought we got a hold of the game. We started to create some things."
Columbus was the aggressor in the early minutes of the match, but the Sounders withstood their pressure and turned the tide late in the first period.
After 25 minutes, though, Seattle was able to start to mount an attack. A header by Brad Evans in the 30th minute off a Montero free kick marked the first shot of the game for the Sounders as the remaining 45 minutes for the starting group looked much more like the type of game the club hopes to play in 2012.
Once the Sounders were able to regroup at the intermission, they came out strong in the second period.
However, it was Columbus who would have the first chance of the period, as Ethan Finley ripped a shot from 20 yards out, forcing Michael Gspurning into a leap to parry the bar over the crossbar for the save in the 51st minute.
The Sounders bounced right back though and Montero missed just wide with a left-footed shot in the 53rd minute before finally getting on the board in the 54th.
Mauro Rosales and Adam Johansson combined up the right side before Johansson found Montero with a cross into the six-yard box and Montero smashed it home with a header for a 1-0 Seattle lead – their first lead of the preseason.
That lineup, made mostly of returning starters, remained in control until they were all subbed out in the 75th minute, as both teams underwent wholesale changes.
In the final period, Christian Sivebæk and Babayele Sodade proved to be forces up front, with Sodade providing a strong, rangy target on several balls played forward and Sivebæk winding his way around and past defenders to set up goal-scoring opportunities.
Sivebæk had a few scoring chances of his own before he assisted on Cato's goal in the 114th minute. Sivebæk got to the endline up the left side, drawing the goalkeeper toward him as he moved toward the goal before popping it past the keeper to Cato for a running header in front of the net for a 2-0 lead.
"It's good to see the new guys involved. Johansson gets an assist. Sivebæk really made that goal for Cordell with a good move, a little scoop pass and Cordell got in there," Schmid said. "I think the fans will see that those guys give us a dimension, obviously with their pace and their speed and their athleticism from that standpoint and that's going to be a nice addition to our squad."
The game was marked by three red cards, obscuring the planned dispersal of playing time in a few spots. Jhon Kennedy Hurtado got two yellow cards in the first 13 minutes for an ejection and later Amadou Sanyang was shown red just seven minutes after entering the match.
Columbus midfielder Bernardo Anor was show a red card as well in the 60th minute, in addition to an earlier yellow card. All told, there were seven yellow cards.
Goalkeeper Michael Gspurning played 90 minutes and Bryan Meredith played the final 30 to combine for the clean sheet as Seattle moved to 1-0-2 in preseason.
Misconduct:
10' SEA: Hurtado cautioned
12' SEA: Alonso cautioned
13' SEA: Hurtado cautioned and sent off for his second caution
29' CBS: Anor cautioned
38' CBS: Tchani cautioned
60' CBS: Anor sent off
68' SEA: Gonzalez cautioned
82' SEA: Sanyang sent off
118' CBS: Heinemann cautioned
Live blog from Sounders FC:
First Period
The teams will play two 45-minute periods and one 30-minute period today. Should make for some entertaining soccer.
Sounders FC lineup - Michael Gspurning, Adam Johansson, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Jeff Parke, Leo Gonzalez, Mauro Rosales, Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans, Alvaro Fernandez, Fredy Montero, Mike Fucito.
Crew lineup - Andy Gruenebaum, Sebastian Miranda, Chad Marshall, Carlos Mendes, Lance Laing, Ethan Finley, Milovan Mirosevic, Tony Tchani, Bernardo Anor, Olman Vargas, Emilio Renteria.
The Sounders take the opening kick and we are under way.
In the opening minutes, Columbus earned two corner kicks that were easily dealt with by Seattle's defense.
10: Jhon Kennedy Hurtado is shown yellow after a play when Columbus misses high on a shot from the top of the box.
11: Tony Tchani gets a shot from the top of the box, but misses high for a goal kick.
Thus far, Columbus has held much of the possession.
12: Osvaldo Alonso is shown yellow for a tackle of Milovan Mirosevic.
13: Ethan Finley hits the 19-yard free kick over the top for a goal kick.
13: Jhon Kennedy Hurtado is shown a second yellow and is ejected.
Seattle will replace Hurtado momentarily, once they get somebody warmed up.18: Columbus earns a corner kick, but is whistled for a foul on the play.
On the yellows - definitely fouls, but you don't often see three yellows in the first 13 minutes of a game for those types of fouls.
20: Patrick Ianni comes on for Jhon Kennedy Hurtado.
21: Tony Tchani rips a wild shot from the top of the box that misses well wide for a goal kick.
25: Mauro Rosales wins a header from Tony Tchani and Tchani goes down holding his face. The referee stops play while Seattle was looking to attack.
Seattle is pushing on all sides of the field, but has not been able to get into the attacking third. Columbus got some chances in the opening minutes, but has since been limited.
29: Bernardo Anor is shown yellow for a take-down of Mike Fucito as Seattle was building the attack.
30: Fredy Montero plays the free kick from 32 yards out into the box and Brad Evans gets his head to it, but Andy Gruenebaum makes the save.
31: Emilio Renteria gets out on the counter-attack, but Patrick Ianni and Osvaldo Alonso close him down and take over possession.
32: Emilio Renteria takes a long-range shot, but misses wide for a goal kick.
34: Milosan Mirosevic gets into the box, but misplays the ball and it goes away for a goal kick.
36: Mike Fucito leads Mauro Rosales with a ball into the box up the right side, but puts too much pace on it and Andy Gruenebaum comes out to scoop it up.
38: Tony Tchani brings down Fredy Montero on another build up for Seattle and is shown yellow.
There is the first half whistle and they go into the break scoreless.
Seattle was able to get out on the attack in the last 20 minutes of the half, but weren't able to get any dangerous shots.
Second Period
Both teams go with the same lineups to start the second half.
Columbus takes the opening kick and we are under way.
47: Seattle puts pressure up the left side, stringing a series of passes together, but Mike Fucito misplays it and it roles away for a goal kick.
48: Mauro Rosales gets up to the right side of the box, but his cross to the far post is headed clear by Columbus.
51: Ethan Finley gets a shot off from the top of the box, and Michael Gspurning parries it over for a corner kick. Good save by Gspurning.
53: Fredy Montero gets into the box on the right side, but his left-footed shot curls wide of the far post for a goal kick.
54: Mauro Rosales spins a pass to Adam Johansson up the right side, then Johansson pops a cross into the box and Fredy Montero heads it home for a 1-0 lead.
55: Seattle gets forward again, but Mike Fucito is flagged offside.
60: Bernardo Anor goes in for a harsh tackle on Osvaldo Alonso and is shown red.
62: David Estrada subs on for Mike Fucito.
63: Shaun Francis replaces the ejected Bernardo Anor.
63: Shaun Francis sends a cross into the box and Emilio Renteria goes to head it, but Jeff Parke was swinging his foot to clear it and caught him in the face. The referee signalled a penalty, but his linesman signalled offside, so Seattle took over possession.
66: Milovan Mirosevic gets his foot to a ball in the box, but spins it just wide of the far post for a goal kick.
68: Leo Gonzalez is shown yellow when he collides with Ethan Finley off the ball.
73: David Estrada gets into the box on a ball from Osvaldo Alonso, but is flagged offside.
Line change for Seattle.
Mass substitution for Columbus too ... working on getting their lineup too.
Seattle 75th minute lineup - Michael Gspurning, Amadou Sanyang, Zach Scott, Andrew Duran, Marc Burch, Roger Levesque, Andy Rose, Mike Seamon, Cordell Cato, Babayele Sodade, David Estrada.
Columbus 75th minute lineup - Matt Lampson, Aubrey Perry, Eric Gehrig, Josh Williams, Shaun Francis, Korey Veeder, Kirk Urso, Cole Grossman, Justin Meram, Tom Heinemann, Aaron Horton.
82: Amadou Sanyang is shown a red card for a tackle on the left wing. I was shielded from view on the play, but the feeling of those around me was that it could have easily just been called a foul.
84: Lamar Neagle subs on for the ejected Amadou Sanyang. Roger Levesque shifts to right back, Cordell Cato to the right wing and Neagle to the left.
87: Babayele Sodade pressures Matt Lampson into playing the ball away for a Seattle throw, but Seattle can't get an attack out of the deep throw.
89: Good ball by Babayele Sodade to get David Estrada forward, but he is well-defended and deflects the ball away for a goal kick.
There is the end of the second period ... we'll take a short break, then play another 30-minute period.
Third Period
Because it's preseason, they are replacing ejected players.
Bryan Meredith replaces Michael Gspurning to start the third period.
94: Christian Sivebæk subs on for David Estrada.
96: Andrew Duran plays a great long-ball for Babayele Sodade, who shields his defender and gets into the box for a shot, but it's stopped by Matt Lampson.
97: Christian Sivebæk gets the ball on the left wing at midfield, shields his defender, then races up the left side, getting into the box unmarked, but his shot misses outside the far post.
99: Zach Scott makes a series of blocks to keep Columbus out of the box, then deflects a shot away for a corner kick.
100: Aaron Horton gets around Andrew Duran and tries to chip Bryan Meredith, but Meredith gets just enough of his glove to it to push it away for a corner kick.
104: Christian Sivebæk turns the corner on the right side, but his left-footed shot misses outside the near post.
104: Columbus subs a trialist in for Shaun Francis ... working on a name for him.
Sivebæk has been playing as a forward, the first time we've seen him in that role.
106: Off a Columbus corner kick, Zach Scott kicks out his left leg to make the save.
110: Another trialist subs on for Justin Meram.
114: Christian Sivebæk ducks and dodges up the left side, then chips a ball at the endline to Cordell Cato, who heads it home for the goal. Sounders FC 2, Crew 0.
118: Tom Heinemann is shown a yellow card for a hard takedown on Andrew Duran as Duran knocked a ball forward from the back.
There's the final whistle and Seattle comes out on top 2-0.
