Turbulent Tie For Seattle Sounders And Columbus Crew

SEATTLE, Wash.—The first meeting ever between the Seattle Sounders FC and Columbus Crew ended in a 1-1 draw in front of another Qwest Field sellout crowd of 29,126.  Seattle (4-2-5) and Columbus (2-2-7) kept their unbeaten streaks intact in all competitions at seven each.

Crew forward Alejandro Moreno scored his second goal of the season in the first half.  Sounders FC forward Nate Jaqua earned his third goal of the year to tie the game in the second 45 minutes of play.  Seattle missed a golden opportunity when midfielder Freddie Ljungberg missed a penalty kick in the first half. The game featured an indirect free kick awarded to Seattle from six yards out for an illegal backpass by a Columbus defender.  In extra time, Tyrone Marshall was ejected for serious foul play.

The match had an extra element of tension due to the fact that Seattle coach Sigi Schmid coached the Columbus Crew to Major League Soccer's championship last season.

First Half

Seattle Sounders FC saw the return of Freddie Ljungberg to the starting lineup after sitting out the last two games with severe migraine headaches.  The match’s first 10 minutes got off to a slow start and featured few scoring threats. 

However, Columbus then scored in the 12th minute.  Forward Pat Noonan, starting in place of Guillermo Barros Schelotto, crossed the ball from the right sideline into the box.  Forward Alejandro Moreno headed the ball low past Seattle goalkeeper Kasey Keller to give Columus a 1-0 lead. 

Seattle appeared to have a chance at tying the game in the 31st minute.  Crew defender Jed Zayner dragged down Sounders midfielder Freddie Ljungberg on the left side of the penalty box near the endline.  Referee Michael Kennedy immediately pointed to the penalty spot.  Ljungberg lined up and pulled the shot wide left, allowing Columbus to maintain its lead.

The Crew had an opportunity to increase that lead in the 39th minute.  Columbus midfielder Samuel Ekpo ran between two Seattle defenders and shot  a low ball towards the Seattle goal.  Seattle’s veteran keeper, Kasey Keller, made a fabulous save by extending his right arm to prevent another Columbus goal.  The half ended with Columbus maintaining a one goal margin.

Second Half

Seattle opened the second half with more energy and were almost rewarded for their efforts in the 50th minute.  With Freddie Ljungberg taking corner kick, Crew goalie Andy Gruenebaum punched the ball directly back to Seattle midfielder Peter Vagenas.  His shot bounced off a Crew defender to stop the threat.

Eight minutes later, Sounders FC midfielder Steve Zakuani started a run on the left side of the field.  He ran across the pitch towards the top of the box and passed it to Ljungberg.  Ljungberg kicked the ball to the  right of the box to forward Nate Jaqua.  With a one-timer, Jaqua made no mistake in shooting the ball past Crew ‘keeper Gruenebaum to tie the game 1-1.

Schelotto, Columbus’s leading scorer, finally entered the game in the 69th minute.  He immediately took charge and barely missed the top part of the net on his first shot towards the Seattle net.

Seattle was awarded an indirect free kick in the 72nd minute when Columbus midfielder Eddie Gaven passed the ball back to his keeper.  Gruenebaum inadvertently picked up the ball with his hands and Seattle now had the ball six yards away to his left.  Sounders forward Fredy Montero passed the ball to Ljungberg.  The ball was deflected past the end line for a Seattle corner kick.  Seattle failed to convert the corner and the match remained at 1-1.

Five additional minutes were added after the full 90 minutes were played.  As Keller was preparing to take a freekick, referee Kennedy told him to stop and placed the ball five yards outside of the penalty area.  Sounders defender Tyrone Marshall was shown a red card and ejected from the game.  After the game, Keller said the referee indicated that Marshall was ejected for taking a swing at one of the Columbus players.

What had really taken place was unclear to most of the supporters watching the game, however. The match concluded in confusion and a torrent of boos directed at the officials from the partisan Seattle fans.

Both clubs play on the road next week.  Columbus, which is winless away from home, travels to Kansas City.  Seattle will play Western Conference leaders Chivas USA at the Home Depot Center.

 John Zielonka, Goal.com

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