Sounders FC's offense cools off without Fredy Montero

CARSON, Calif. — Fredy Montero couldn't come to the rescue again.

The Sounders FC forward had been the catalyst of a recent hot streak and came into Saturday night's road game against Chivas USA with either a goal or assist in his last nine MLS games.

But in the 38th minute of a 0-0 draw at The Home Depot Center, Montero was flattened by a nasty collision in the penalty box with opposing goalkeeper Zach Thornton, who is listed at 230 pounds.

The impact knocked both of Thornton's contacts out and had even more of an effect on Montero, who suffered a thigh bruise on the play and more.

"He was also, maybe a little bit not clearheaded," said Seattle coach Sigi Schmid. "So I think Fredy in the second half was not as effective as he was in the first. We ended up taking him out, but maybe we should've done that a little sooner."

You can forgive Schmid for wanting to leave his star forward in the game. Seattle hasn't generated much offense in recent months without the 23-year-old Colombian.

Without a full-strength Montero, the Sounders FC offense never got in sync. Several Seattle players looked visibly frustrated as each attacking buildup failed, resulting in the team's first game without a goal in 15 contests.

"I thought our final third just wasn't as sharp as it's been lately," said goalkeeper Kasey Keller. "We got ourselves in a good position and mistouched a trap, messed up the cross. It just seemed like it was one of those days."

Credit Chivas USA for some of that aggravation. In the 88th minute, Seattle midfielder Osvaldo Alonso fired a picture-perfect shot from distance that had all the makings of a game-winner, but Thornton deflected it wide with his fingertips on a diving save.

Sounders FC defender James Riley called the save "unbelievable."

For Chivas USA, it might have been a season-saver as the Los Angeles-based side is one of several teams eager to leapfrog Seattle in the playoff hunt — a situation that isn't lost on the Sounders, who have played a league-high 21 games.

"We have a lot of teams that are chasing us from behind, so we need to make sure that we get points, also because they have games in hand," said midfielder Sanna Nyassi.

Joshua Mayers: 206-464-3184 or jmayers@seattletimes.com