August 2, 1997

Adair (S) 57
Roy (M) 60

Seattle: Hudock; James, Jenkins, McNiel (Barton 72), Watson; Megson (Gelvezon 46), Aunger, Hoggan, Hattrup (Stoddard 63); Gailey, Adair.

Milwaukee: Isacco; Gansler, Sweeney, Lopez, Moxom; Szczepanski, Igel (Marshall 60), Gentile, Willan; Roy (Siers 103), Berdusco.

Cautions:
Adair (S); Moxom (M)

Sent off:
Megson (S) (long after he had been substituted)

Shots: Seattle 25, Milwaukee 19
Saves: Hudock 5, Isacco 7
Corners: Seattle 6, Milwaukee 6
Fouls: Seattle 13, Milwaukee 8
Offside: Seattle 3, Milwaukee 1

The Seattle Sounders had plenty of good chances to win this game, but drew 1-1 with the Milwaukee Rampage. Milwaukee had played and lost in Vancouver the previous night and looked ready to die in the sudden death  overtime, but the Sounders couldn't put them out of their misery. Milwaukee won the CrapShootout (TM Chris Allen). Chugger Adair opened the scoring early in the second half for Seattle, then Travis Roy closed it 3  minutes later with a goal for Milwaukee.

Several Sounders missed good opportunities for a game winner, most notably forward Adair, who wasted two perfect crosses from overlapping left fullback Scott Jenkins. The first was a rolling cross that Adair shot over the bar from 4 yards away, and the second was right on Adair's head 7 yards out but he shot wide.

For the first time this year in Seattle, the MLS-style countdown clock was used. Your writer hated it, especially when the referee stopped the game for an injury and the clock kept running, then stopped, then started, then stopped again; the end result was 45 seconds lost, which would have been added if the official time had been kept by the referee instead of by nobody.

First Half

Three minutes in, Seattle's Adair was nicely served in the Milwaukee penalty area but was held and pushed to keep him from getting to the ball. He deserved a PK, but got a yellow card for dissent instead. A minute later, Adair had a chance for revenge when a corner kick from the left went over the crowd, then was headed by Gailey back to Adair 3 yards out from the left post. Adair volleyed a hard shot under pressure, but hit Milwaukee goalkeeper Carmine Isacco squarely in the chest and the ball rebounded harmlessly away.

After a cleared corner kick was sent back in by Seattle, player/coach Neil Megson took an 18-yard shot that forced a good save at the post by Isacco. Mike Gailey beat his man at the offside line and tried to bend a
25-yarder over Isacco, who was off his line, but the shot hit the crossbar squarely.

Midway in the half, Eddy Berdusco received a short pass at the penalty spot, turned and fired Milwaukee's first good shot, but Dusty Hudock threw away his legs and saved the low, far-post shot.

From Peter Hattrup's corner kick, Sounder defender Mark Watson headed sharply on goal from the spot, forcing a diving save by Isacco, who stopped the ball at the goal line.

Near the end of the half, David Hoggan's 25-yard free kick for Seattle was bent towards the upper near corner, but Isacco got a hand on it to deflect it off the post and out. On the ensuing corner kick, fullback Scott Jenkins headed on goal, but Isacco made another fine save.

At halftime, Seattle had outshot Milwaukee 13-4 and forced 7 saves by Isacco, but Isacco wouldn't have to make any more saves until the CrapShootout.

Second Half

Three minutes into the second half Milwaukee forward Travis Roy was just beaten to the ball by a slide-tackling Bernie James, and Roy came down feet last after going over James. Nearly a minute was lost from the now official clock on the scoreboard as the game was stopped and Roy went to the bench for treatment. Roy returned 3 minutes later.

57' Adair (Watson). From a ball that rattled around in the penalty area after a Seattle corner kick, Watson dove to head Hattrup's far-post cross back to Adair near the other post. Adair juggled the ball, turned and volleyed it in from one yard.

60' Roy. Seattle's lead didn't last long. Roy got an open shot from the spot after the ball rattled around Seattle's penalty area too long, but the shot was wide and hit Watson who was laying on the ground. Roy got to the rebound first and finished his second chance inside the far post.

In the 73rd David Marshall, who had come on for Milwaukee's Nicholas Igel after the last goal, collided with keeper Hudock and went down hard. Marshall had leaped and just beaten Hudock to an air ball behind  Seattle's defense and headed it just wide left. Hudock was intending to punch the ball away, but the ball was gone and his forearms hit Marshall in the head instead, sending the airborne Marshall down on his back. Play was stopped as Marshall was tended to, and it was Milwaukee's turn to ask the referee why the deserved PK was not awarded.

Berdusco nearly put Milwaukee ahead when he sent a wickedly bending shot on goal from 35 yards. The shot had so much speed that it was all Hudock could do to put his arms straight up like a fence and let the ball carom around the post for a corner kick.

Gailey had a chance for a game winner at 82' when he got around the onrushing Isacco during a breakaway, only to shoot over the bar from the right side. In the 87th, Jenkins' low cross was met 4 yards out by Adair, charging in free of his marker, but Adair managed to shoot over the bar from point blank range.

In the final minute, Adair exchanged passes with Hoggan in the area and Hoggan dropped a nice short pass for Adair to run onto, then Adair was unceremoniously tripped from behind before he could shoot, and still no PK was given. Finally, with five seconds left it looked like Geoff Aunger was going to beat keeper Isacco to a ball 12 yards from goal, but he was obviously obstructed for a couple of seconds, allowing Isacco to  collect the ball. Still no whistle. The crowd booed the referee long and loud.

At the end of regulation, Seattle coach Megson, no longer one of the 11, came out onto the field for an extended, animated conversation with the referee regarding the two non-calls in the final minute. Megson's  comments must have had some sting to them, as the referee chose to not caution Megson for dissent, but rather to send him off for foul or abusive language.

Overtime

Seattle put on some intense pressure in the overtime period. In the first minute Gailey sped free for an unpressured shot from the right, but hit the inside of the far post when he might have done better. A  minute later Jenkins' cross from the left was right on the head of a charging, unmarked Adair 7 yards out, but Adair headed wide left when he had plenty of target available.

Milwaukee's first shot in overtime came at 100' when Roy headed well over. Mike Gentile got a chance from 25 yards, but hit it wide right.

In the final minute Hoggan missed a cross that rolled all the way across the goal mouth, then grabbed his head in dismay. Justin Stoddard's throw-in from the right went through the crowd to Aunger, but his 12-yard shot sailed over the bar.

CrapShootout

Milwaukee won the CrapShootout, as Seattle's shooting woes continued:

Milwaukee                       Seattle
-------------                   -------------
Szczepanski 0 (saved)           Hoggan      1
Berdusco    1                   James       0 (wide right)
Willan      0 (saved)           Gailey      0 (over the bar)
Gentile     0 (wide left)       Aunger      0 (saved)
Siers       1                   Gelvezon    0 (hit right post)

The Sounders have now lost 7 in a row (4 of them nonleague games) after a 9-game winning streak (2 nonleague).