Sounders' unbeaten streak climbs to 12

For the first time in 12 matches, it looked as if the Seattle Sounders couldn't keep the magic going.

But they salvaged things late against the Minnesota Thunder on Saturday night and saved face in the end.

Defender Taylor Graham nicked a header off the turf and into the right corner of the goal during added time as the Sounders scored just in time for a 2-2 tie in front of 3,867 at Qwest Field, putting their unbeaten streak at 12.

Graham's goal — his first in league play this season — at the right post came off a beautiful 30-yard free kick from Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar, who assisted on both Seattle goals.

"There's nothing good that came out of this," said Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer, upset that his team blew a 1-0 second-half lead. "We're up 1-0 and have the game in control. It should be game over, but credit Minnesota, the last-place team, because they could've packed it in."

Keisuke Ota, a Japanese native who was in training camp with Seattle, scored a pair of second-half header goals about five minutes apart for a 2-1 edge to put the Sounders' unbeaten streak in jeopardy in the 82nd minute.

"I didn't take [Ota] because he wasn't good enough," Schmetzer said. "Those are the kind of stories I like. The guy sticks its to the coach who cut him. It just sucks when it happens to you."

Seattle hasn't lost since a 1-0 home defeat to Montreal on June 23. The Sounders are 14-1-4 in their past 19.

"I know life is funny and that the odds are stacking up that we're going to lose," Schmetzer said. "There's no such thing as absolute perfection."

With the United Soccer Leagues First Division tie, the Sounders (11-5-6, 39 points) missed a chance to move ahead of Portland and into first place in the USL First Division. The Timbers (11-4-7, 40 points) tied with Vancouver 0-0 at home Saturday to stay atop the standings.

The Thunder (3-8-9, 18 points) nearly halted a six-match winless streak.

"It feels like a loss," Schmetzer said. "I'm disappointed, because Portland tied and we should be in first place. But no championship comes easy. It's about the pain to get to the final-end result."

Santa Maria Rivera, a second-year pro from Seattle University who grew up in Yakima, skied high to head in his first goal in league play as a Sounder for a 1-0 lead in the 63rd minute.

Note

• Sounders MF Kenji Treschuk sat out with an accumulation of yellow-card points.