Sounders get first win of season

The Seattle Sounders have done a great job of re-stocking their talent pool annually under general manager Adrian Hanauer and coach Brian Schmetzer.

That offseason success paid immediate dividends in the Sounders' United Soccer Leagues First Division home opener.

A pair of offseason free-agent signees — Nathan Knox and Josh Gardner — teamed up for game's only score to give the Sounders a 1-0 victory over Interstate 5 rival Portland Timbers on Saturday night in front of 8,247 fans at Qwest Field.

Knox, a former Minnesota Thunder forward, got his right shin on the ball for a short-range goal at the right post in the 20th minute off a curving cross from Gardner.

"I got a toe on it," Knox said. "Then it bounced around on the keeper. It was the slightest of touches, but I'll take it. Hopefully, they don't go review it."

The win was the first of 2007 for Seattle (1-2-1, four points), while Portland dropped to 1-1-0 with three points.

"I don't think we've quite clicked yet, but it was good to get a result," said Knox.

Gardner, formerly of Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy, shot a left-footed pass in front of Portland goalkeeper Josh Wicks, and Knox fought past defender Sean Higgins to knock the ball over the goal line. It was Knox's second goal as a Sounder.

The crowd was the second largest for a Sounders home opener in five years playing at Qwest.

Rookie Kenji Treschuk missed an open-net shot during added time in the 90th minute.

The match nearly ended on an unfortunate note when Wicks and Sounders midfielder Kevin Sakuda collided. Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer was upset about Wicks running into Sakuda's right leg.

"Their goalkeeper deliberately tried to hurt Kevin," Schmetzer said. "He tried to break Kevin Sakuda's leg. The league's going to get the video."

Notes

• Sounders midfielder Sebastien Le Toux, who recently received international clearance and his work visa, arrived from France on Friday and got his first action as a Sounder on Saturday.

He took a vicious shoulder to the face from Wicks in a collision in the penalty area, but no foul was called. Le Toux came out for about two minutes, but returned to the match.

• Sounders midfielder Leighton O'Brien (hamstring) missed his third consecutive match.

• Former Sounder Andrew Gregor started at midfielder for the Timbers. Gregor, known for his competitiveness, was issued a yellow card in the 13th minute for a wild two-footed tackle on Seattle's Josh Gardner.

The Sounders' Zach Scott was hit with a yellow in the 16th minute for a retaliatory hard tackle on Gregor, who collided with Roger Levesque in the 36th minute and came off for a short time.

SOUNDERS 1, PORTLAND 0