June 10, 1998

Seattle Sounders  0 - 0  San Francisco Bay Seals (Seattle wins CrapShootout)
Memorial Stadium, Seattle
 

Seattle: Dusty Hudock; Brandon Prideaux, Jason Annicchero, Randy Mann; David Hoggan, Stoner Tadlock, Paul Gelvezon, Fabian Davis; Mark Baena, Patrick Beech (80' Shannon Murray), Erik Storkson.

San Francisco Bay: Bill May; Rob Bonta, Angelo Sablo, Keith Ratzburg, Shani Simpson; Alberto Cruz (80' Rodney Dumlao, 104' Chuck Lively), Robert Gallo, Kenneth Folan, DJ Johnson (78' John Cowmey); Shane Watkins, Ryshiem Henderson.


Match report from Ron Stickney:
 
The Seattle Sounders and the San Francisco Bay Seals battled to a scoreless draw. It was one of those nights when the Sounders could not have scored in a bordello. However, they were not lacking for chances, taking 22 shots to the Seals' 9, but nobody could find the back of the net until the CrapShootout, won by Seattle.

Earlier in the week the Sounders cut Jamaican forward Kevin Lamey after playing him in just three matches, the first of which he scored in. This left the Sounders' roster carrying just three forwards, all of whom started the match, and none of whom had any goals in their boots this particular evening.

New midfielder Randy Mann joined the Sounders for the first time and took the field not as a mid, but in the left back spot normally occupied by Scott Jenkins. Seattle again fielded an offensive-minded 3-4-3 formation. San Francisco used a 4-4-2 lineup, but their back four included Ratzburg, listed on the roster as a forward.

First Half

The opening 15 minutes of play was quite sloppy both directions, with the only notable chance created by Seattle midfielder Hoggan when he carried the ball into the penalty area for a shot with Johnson tugging at Hoggan's shoulder the whole way.

Seattle's next chance came on a corner kick when Hoggan dropped the ball to the vicinity of Gelvezon and Davis, but the pair didn't communicate and collided. Davis then stepped up to the sitter and shot low through the crowd but was two yards wide of the far post.

Late in the half Seattle created plenty of good scoring opportunities. Storkson's 10-yard header from Davis' free kick was just wide right. Davis' 30-yarder up the middle was smothered by San Francisco goalkeeper Bill May, the rookie fresh out of the University of Washington (May was quite impressive the whole match, coming out often to foil the Seattle attack and always succeeding). Beech was sprung on the right for a shot from a steep angle, and got another shot when Storkson flicked on a long pass, but May saved both.

San Francisco's Watkins got a shot close in from Henderson's short cross, but Hudock parried the blast and his defense cleared the ball away for a corner. This was to be the Seals' only shot of the first half.

Seattle nearly scored thrice in the 42nd from a pair of their dozen corner kicks. From the right corner, Beech sent a ball low to the top of the area for Davis, whose 20-yard blast beat May but was headed out for a corner by the man at the left post, Ratzburg. The next corner came from the left side and produced a shot by Gelvezon to the right post, blocked there by the same Ratzburg. The rebound fell for Tadlock with the Seals' defense in disarray, but Tadlock's putback from 8 yards skinned the outside of the left post.

As so often happens in soccer, the Sounders would regret not having put away one of their multitude of first-half chances.

Second Half

Baena got the first chance of the second half, but was wide with his 25-yard shot up the middle from a busted play.

San Francisco finally earned some chances, often from Ratzburg's runs up the right from his position in the backfield. His first run produced a rolling cross that was just out of reach of a pair of teammates before Johnson reached the ball for a steep shot from the left that missed. S. Simpson, playing garbage collector on a rare Seals corner kick, got a shot from the right but sent it over the bar.

Seattle started firing again at 64' as Baena broke free up the right side for a shot, just over. A minute later Davis' 30-yard blast up the middle rang the left post like a bell and rebounded back up the middle.

Ratzburg made another run up the right that looked like it would earn him a shot from close in, but rookie sweeper Prideaux's slide tackle cleared the ball from danger just in time. Johnson's flick-on header just missed finding the top far corner.

Overtime

For the final 20 minutes of regulation, neither side could threaten the other's goal. The overtime saw only one good chance either way, both by substitutes with fresh legs.

Seattle's opportunity came at 100' as Tadlock broke up the right side and sent a nice short cross for Murray, on a near-post run. Murray bent a soft shot around the charging May but hit the wrong side of the near post.

San Francisco's chance was in the final seconds as Lively sent a 30-yard shot up the middle, but a yard wide right.

CrapShootout

Seattle won the charade known as the CrapShootout:
SF Bay: Seattle:
Cowmey 0 (wide left) Hoggan 0 (saved)
Folan 0 (saved) Baena 1
Lively 1 Tadlock 1
S. Simpson 0 (saved) Gelvezon 1
Statistics

Shots: Sea 22, SFB 9
Saves: Hudock 2, May 5
Corners: Sea 12, SFB 2
Fouls: Sea 16, SFB 15
Offside: Sea 2, SFB 1

Misconduct:
21' Watkins (SFB) cautioned for encroaching on a free kick.
47' Mann (Sea) cautioned for tripping Watkins from behind.
50' Johnson (SFB) cautioned for fouling Beech.
65' Henderson (SFB) cautioned for a foul from behind.
96' Dumlao (SFB) cautioned for taking Prideaux down from behind.

Referee: Sandy Hunt
Attendance: 2,049 (on opening day of Coupe de Monde 98)