Sounders don't win, so it's tie, tie again

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.Y. — There's something about playing against the New York Red Bulls that brings out the best in Fredy Montero.

With Seattle trailing later in the first half, the Colombian striker knocked in the Sounders' only goal, giving Seattle a 1-1 tie on a rainy Saturday night. The score was Montero's third this season against New York and seventh on the season, salvaging a tie in what would have been a tough loss to the cellar-dwelling Red Bulls.

"We were able to get one back," head coach Sigi Schmid said. "I was pretty pleased with how we played."

New York (2-10-4) grabbed the first goal after a defensive lapse by Tyrone Marshall. Trying to clear the ball out of the box, Marshall gathered the ball, turned and fired a shot directly into fellow defender Patrick Ianni. The rebound went to Red Bulls striker Juan Pablo Angel, who faked goalkeeper Kasey Keller to the ground and practically walked the ball into the net for his fifth goal of the season.

The Sounders (5-3-7) capitalized on a Red Bulls miscue in stoppage time. Montero stripped defender Jeremy Hall of the ball near the left corner, dribbled his way into the box, and fired an off-balance strike past goalkeeper Danny Cepero into the top right-corner of the net.

"That was an unbelievable goal," Schmid said. "That's got to be one of the candidates for goals of the week."

Montero was front and center for Seattle's best chances late. In the 76th minute, midfielder Steve Zakuani, starting in place of Freddie Ljungberg, pushed a pass into the box about 10 yards in front of the net. Montero came forward for the shot, but he lost his footing and slipped.

Eight minutes later, Montero dribbled into the penalty box, evaded two defenders, and was able to get his shot under a lunging Cepero, but the ball hit off the base of the left post.

Seattle was without two starters, Ljungberg and defender Jhon Kennedy Hurtado. Ljungberg has a tight hamstring. Hurtado was absent because his wife gave birth to a boy before the game.

Keller, who after last Wednesday's 3-3 tie against D.C. United was vocal about the team's lack of focus down the stretch, was proud of his teammates' effort in the second half against New York.

"We had said after the last few games that we really wanted to finish games off better than we have, and we did exactly that," said Keller, whose team blew a two-goal lead in the tie against D.C. United. "The width of the post kept us from winning the game."

Sounders FC 1, Red Bulls 1

Seattle Sounders FC	1 0 — 1
New York	1 0 — 1

First half — 1, New York, Angel 5, 40th minute. 2, Seattle FC, Montero 7, 48th+. Second half — None. Goalies — Seattle FC, Kasey Keller; New York, Danny Cepero. Yellow cards — Kandji, New York, 11th; Goldthwaite, New York, 36th; Marshall, Seattle FC, 83rd. Total shots — Seattle 16, New York 11. Shots on goal — Seattle 6, New York 4. Total saves — New York 5, Seattle 3. Fouls — Seattle 15, New York 9. Offsides — Seattle 3, New York 1. Corner kicks — Seattle 11, New York 1. Referee — Paul Ward. Assistant referees — Chris Strickland. Claudio Badea. 4th official — Jorge Gonzalez. A — 14,313 (26,500)

LINEUPS

Seattle FC — Kasey Keller, James Riley, Patrick Ianni, Tyson Wahl, Steve Zakuani, Sebastien Le Toux (Sanna Nyassi, 69th), Brad Evans, Osvaldo Alonso, Nate Jaqua (Roger Levesque, 74th), Tyrone Marshall, Fredy Montero.

New York — Danny Cepero, Kevin Goldthwaite (Danleigh Borman, 74th), Carlos Mendes, Albert Celades (John Wolyniec, 81st), Jorge Rojas (Dane Richards, 58th), Nick Zimmerman, Juan Pablo Angel, Macoumba Kandji, Jeremy Hall, Seth Stammler, Alfredo Pacheco.