MONTREAL — A weary Seattle Sounders squad fell 3-1 to the Montreal Impact yesterday in the teams' first meeting since last September's A-League championship game, also won by Montreal.

The Impact (7-0-4) struck first, with Ali Gerba scoring in the seventh minute. In reality, the ball went in off of Sounders defender Zach Scott as he attempted to play it over the end line for a Montreal corner kick.

Ryan Edwards tied the score in the 11th minute. Scott headed the ball into the middle of the 6-yard box, from where Edwards headed it into the net from 5 yards out.

It appeared the game would reach intermission at 1-1, but Montreal was awarded a free kick from 40 yards out in the 45th minute. With the setting sun directly in the eyes of Sounders goalkeeper Preston Burpo, Gerba fired a line drive into the goal.

The Sounders (6-2-4), drained from a day of travel after a match Saturday night in Minnesota, could not seem to get their legs under them in the second half and spent very little time in the offensive third of the field. Burpo kept it close with some diving saves, denying Gerba a third goal in the 51st and 53rd minutes.

Seattle next will face Portland at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila on Friday.

Sounders game summary

SOUNDERS 3, THUNDER 1

Seattle	0 3 — 3
Minnesota	1 0 — 1

Scoring summary — MINN: Menyongar 24 (Brundt); SEA: Welton 46 (Whitfield); SEA: Whitfield 61; SEA: Sleeth 73. Shots — SEA: 5, MINN 14. Fouls — SEA 12, MINN 12. Offside — SEA 2, MINN 2. Corners — SEA 1, MINN 6. Goalkeeper statistics — Pogue (SEA): Shots: 14, Saves: 7, Allowed: 1. Warren (MINN): Shots: 5, Saves: 3, Allowed: 3. Cautions — SEA: Levesque 57, Whitfield 79. MINN: Juarez 45, Brunt 71, Warren 73, Matteo 74. A — 2,668

Compiled from team reports