2001 Jun 1

Seattle Sounders Select  2 - 0  Okanagan Predators
Memorial Stadium, Seattle, WA

Goals:
49' SEA - Watson (Sagare)
57' SEA - Reeves (Sagare)

Seattle: Brandon Sewell (Brandon Mitalas 74'); Kurt Ness, Scott Burcar, Casey Barber, Todd Stauber; Christian van Blommestein, Ben Somoza (James Vert 66'), Zach Kingsley, Jake Sagare; Chris Raymond (Joe Watson 45'), Sy Reeves.

Okanagan: Steve London; Matt Mori, Morgan Marrs, Pieter Koopmans, TJ Sugars (Kyle Bilinski 34'); Laurent Scaligine, Nico Vraviero, Will Moore, James Coble; Sam Wingham (Matt Raulick 67'), Steve Rowe.



Match report by Ron Stickney:

A pair of goals early in the second half by Joe Watson and Sy Reeves gave the Seattle Sounders Select a 2-0 win over the Okanagan Predators. Seattle finished the match with ten players after Jake Sagare was sent off in the 68th minute. Seattle coach Teddy Mitalas served a suspension for a red card in an earlier match.

First Half

Seattle controlled the first 14 minutes but couldn't manage a good chance. A long shot by Okanagan's Will Moore at 15' was at the top near corner but managed well by goalkeeper Brandon Sewell.

In the 27th, Seattle's Chris Raymond had a shot from 20 yards but sent it right to goalkeeper Steve London's midsection. Sagare showed skill in beating two defenders at the left touch line to get into the penalty area all the way to the edge of the goal area, but his diagonal drop from the bye line went right to a defender and was cleared. From the arc, Scott Burcar forced a diving save by London. Zach Kingsley got a poke at a loose ball inside the goal area, but London saved overhead.

Seattle outshot Okanagan 15-3 in the first half, but the scoreboard still showed goose eggs.

Halftime: Seattle 0 - 0 Okanagan

In the 48th, Sagare took a quick 18-yard shot from a throw-in play and just missed the top far corner with a hard blast.

49' Watson (Sagare). Christian van Blommestein sent a cleared ball back towards goal. Sagare headed it over the defense for Watson, who beat the offside line and from the top left corner of the goal area put a low shot past London and inside the far post. 1-0 Seattle.

57' Reeves (Sagare). From the left corner, Sagare dropped a pass for Reeves, who touched the ball towards goal and finished with a rocket from the 18-yard line to the top near corner. 2-0 Seattle.

In the 68th minute as Seattle was about to take a corner kick, Okanagan's Matt Mori was pushing Sagare from behind and Sagare put up his arm. Referee Jim Konenos saw the arm hit Mori's face, and Mori went down like a sack of flour. Sagare was shown the red card, but some felt that it would have been more appropriate to award Mori an Oscar. Only Sagare and Mori know for sure.

Mori soon had a shot, a 25-yard blast up the middle that just cleared the crossbar. In the 87th, Morgan Marrs was allowed to carry the ball up the middle and fire from 30, but he missed by two yards. At 90', Mori's shot from the left touch line forced substitute goalkeeper Brandon Mitalas to make Seattle's first save of the half at the bar. In injury time, Laurent Scaligine got lucky when a loose ball went his way for a shot 10 yards from goal with Mitalas out of position, but the shot went wide of the near post when it ought to have been sent into the net.

Final: Seattle 2 - 0 Okanagan

Statistics:
         Seattle  Okanagan
Shots:     21        9
Saves:      2        6
Corners:    6        2
Fouls:     11        7
Offsides:   4        1

Misconduct:
68' SEA - Sagare sent off after an altercation before a Seattle corner kick.

Referee: Jim Kokenos; Asst Refs: Chuck Talbot, Chris Barnes; 4th: JC Plott
Attendance: 50