Nate Jaqua and Fredy Montero combine for three goals as Sounders FC defeats Colorado

A day before he guided Sounders FC to a commanding win before a record crowd at Qwest Field, forward Nate Jaqua looked into the brave eyes of Steve Jenkins and made a promise.

"I'll score a goal for you tomorrow," Jaqua said.

A 3-0 Seattle victory against Colorado on Sunday had many plots, from the striking, versatile performance of 21-year-old forward Fredy Montero to the team's first shutout in more than a month. But at the heart of the win was Jaqua, playing for a cancer-stricken man he just met Saturday.

And Jaqua didn't score just one goal. He scored two. After each, he began pointing, just the way Jenkins had showed him Saturday.

"He obviously gave me a little luck," Jaqua said.

Jenkins has had that effect lately.

The son of former Seattle Sounder Tom Jenkins, he played soccer at Kentwood High School and at Seattle University despite suffering from cystic fibrosis. Then, after a lung transplant in late 2007, Jenkins was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and he has been fighting the cancer since.

Two weeks ago, he told former Seattle U. teammate Cam Weaver, a forward for the Houston Dynamo, to score a goal from him. Weaver scored twice, pointing at the camera, to Jenkins, after each. On Saturday, at Sounders FC practice in Tukwila, Jenkins was telling the players the story.

"I told him, 'I'll use that, too. I'll score a goal for you tomorrow,' " Jaqua said.

Jaqua was coming off a tough match in New York the previous week, which had been the Sounders' third game in eight days.

"He was off a little bit, and he said he felt tired in that game," coach Sigi Schmid said. "Today, I thought he was full of energy."

In the 23rd minute, Jaqua broke right on a corner kick by Freddie Ljungberg. At 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, Jaqua leaped and hit a strong header toward the net. Montero was able to get his head on it to deflect it past baffled Colorado goalkeeper Matt Pickens for Montero's fourth goal in as many games.

The improving chemistry between Jaqua and Montero was on display for the 32,526 fans. In the 46th minute, Jaqua won a ball on the right side and passed to Montero at the top of the goal box. Montero stopped the pass and immediately hit it back to Jaqua, who put the ball past Pickens into the left side of the net.

"Little by little, we are finding each other and understanding each other," Montero said. "That's always good for the team because it translates to goals."

Holding a two-goal lead, Seattle did not recoil as it did June 17 against D.C. United in a 3-3 tie. In the 68th minute, Sebastien Le Toux launched a centering pass that Montero left perfectly for Jaqua, who pelted it past Pickens to give Sounders FC a commanding 3-0 lead.

As he scored that second goal, Jaqua realized that once again, a guarantee to Jenkins had translated into a pair of goals.

"We may have to have him out for every game," Jaqua said. "It was cool meeting him."

Seattle (6-3-7), which put four points between itself and Colorado (5-3-6), allowed the Rapids few true scoring opportunities.

"The second half was a truly professional performance," goalkeeper Kasey Keller said.

Tom Wyrwich: 206-515-5653 or twyrwich@seattletimes.com

Sounders FC 3, Rapids 0

Colorado	0 0 — 0
Seattle FC	1 2 — 3

First half — 1, Seattle FC, Montero 8 (Jaqua, Ljungberg), 23rd minute. Second half — 2, Seattle FC, Jaqua 5 (Montero), 48th. 3, Seattle FC, Jaqua 6 (Montero, Le Toux), 68th. Goalies — Colorado, Matt Pickens; Seattle FC, Kasey Keller. Yellow Cards — Ihemelu, Colorado, 17th; Ljungberg, Seattle FC, 19th; Mastroeni, Colorado, 29th; Palguta, Colorado, 41st. Referee — Alex Prus. Assistant Referees — Emiliano Monje. Jeff Hosking. 4th Official — Mike Rottersman.

A — 32,526 (33,000)

LINEUPS

Colorado — Matt Pickens, Cory Gibbs, Pat Noonan, Ugo Ihemelu (Kosuke Kimura, 83rd), Scott Palguta, Jordan Harvey, Colin Clark, Nick LaBrocca (Jacob Peterson, 65th), Omar Cummings, Pablo Mastroeni (Greg Dalby, 72nd), Mehdi Ballouchy.

Seattle FC — Kasey Keller, James Riley, Tyson Wahl, Fredrik Ljungberg (Peter Vagenas, 87th), Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Brad Evans, Osvaldo Alonso (Patrick Ianni, 39th), Sanna Nyassi (Sebastien Le Toux, 67th), Nate Jaqua, Tyrone Marshall, Fredy Montero.