Seattle Clinches Playoff Berth

The Seattle Sounders wrote another chapter in their storybook inaugural season on a cold Saturday night in Kansas City by clinching a playoff berth with a 3-2 victory in a pulsating back and forth match.

To the uninformed spectator, the game at Community America Ballpark could certainly have been mistaken for a playoff match as both teams battled hard until the final whistle.

First Half

Despite already being eliminated from playoff contention, the Wizards came out with plenty of energy and resolve. During the first 10 minutes of the match they pressured the Sounders via the left wing and Claudio Lopez, but were unable to capitalize on any of the Argentine’s crosses.

However, the tide quickly turned and it was the visiting Sounders who would boast the lion’s share of opportunities throughout the first half.

As usual, it was Freddie Ljungberg who engineered much of the attack for Seattle. The Swedish veteran beat Jonathan Leathers with a series of cut backs on the wing in the 5th minute and found Fredy Montero alone on the far post. The young Colombian headed the ball on goal, but a diving Kevin Hartman was up to the challenge.

Seattle continued to pressure the Kansas City goal, and finally received the fruits of their labor when former Jamaican international Tyrone Marshall scored off of a corner kick. Ljungberg nearly caught Hartman napping on the corner, forcing the keeper to make a diving save at his near post, but Marshall was there to clean up the rebound.

Outside of a few more crosses from Lopez, the Wizards were forced to defend for the rest of the first half, and were extremely fortunate to only be down a goal at the half. Zakuani and Jaqua both hit the woodwork en route to a 1-0 halftime lead.

Second Half

The final 45 minutes proved to be an intense heart-thumping finish to the game, with momentum shifting back and forth between the two teams.

The usually cool finisher Fredy Montero missed his first of two golden opportunities early in the second half when he inexcusably missed the goal on a one on one with Hartman which was set up by yet another great pass from Ljungberg.

After the Montero failed to convert his opportunity, Kansas City tied up the game just minutes later  when Hungarian Zoltan Hercegfalvi  latched on to the end of a Harrington strike from the left side and beat the helpless Kasey Keller at the far post.

Just three minutes later, Josh Wolff added a goal to give the home team the lead. The native of Stone Mountain, Georgia found himself in an excellent position on the far post after a cross from Leathers somehow skipped through the Sounders defense and he slotted the ball past Keller.

With their playoff hopes in jeopardy, Sigi Schmid brought on Roger Levesque in place of Montero the 64th minute. The former Columbus Crew boss saw his tactical move pay off four minutes later when Levesque gave the Sounders new life after he headed home another Ljungberg corner that skipped through the Wizards six yard box.

The Sounders took the lead back for good with fifteen minutes to go in the match when Ljungberg beat his man and then dribbled towards goal on the touchline which drew out Hartman, and he found Jaqua alone inside the six for the game winner.


Isaac Heath, Goal.com

For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page!