Sounders
Late tie feels like loss to Sounders

By Matt Massey
Special to The Seattle Times

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A late goal during added time spoiled the Seattle Sounders' home opener last night. The tie, which felt more like a loss, infuriated Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer.

Jamie Lopresti-Travanic's rebound goal of his own penalty kick in the 90th minute pulled expansion Edmonton even, and the Sounders played two scoreless overtimes to settle for a 1-1 tie before 2,913 fans at Seahawks Stadium.

Seattle (0-1-1, 1 point) lost despite outshooting the Aviators (0-0-2, 2 points) 14-5. The Sounders played a man down the final 52 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute OT sessions.

"We lost two points because of another stupid move," Schmetzer said of midfielder Sean-Michael Callahan's red-card sendoff for a dangerous two-footed tackle in the 58th minute. "It was another stupid red card. We had control of the game. The game was over.

"(Edmonton) didn't create anything that made me nervous. That was three points we needed at home."

The Sounders, playing their second full season at Seahawks Stadium, were denied their bid to win a third consecutive home opener. The club is 6-3-2 in 11 home openers since joining the A-League in 1994.

The Sounders got on the scoreboard when captain Jason Farrell neatly tucked a 26-yard direct free kick inside the right post in the 38th minute. From the right side, Farrell hit the low liner around Edmonton's wall of players, and Aviators goalkeeper Jose Luis Campi guessed the other direction.

On the tying goal, Sounders goalkeeper Preston Burpo made a diving save at the right post, but Lopresti-Travanic gathered the rebound and booted it into the open left corner of the net.

"We had the game, and the game was flowing for us," said Burpo, who made two tough saves. "I kind of read the shot pretty well. It just kind of popped up wrong. The ball landed right on his foot.
 
"It was well done by him and unlucky for us."

Lopresti-Travanic took the penalty kick after Zach Scott was called for a foul in the penalty area.

"The guy (referee) makes that call half the time," Sounders veteran defender Scott Jenkins said. "It shouldn't have gotten to (Scott). The ball should've been tackled before that.

"We can't keep hurting ourselves with guys getting sent off. ... No question it hurts when we're down a man that much of the time."

In two games, the Sounders have played 100 of a possible 200 minutes with a man down because of red cards.