Zach Scott jumps the huddle in the rain.(Rick Morrison)
The Seattle Sounders were looking for favorable bounces last night at Starfire in their Cascadia Cup duel with the Vancouver Whitecaps.
On the defensive side the Sounders got plenty of them, including avoiding an embarrassing own-goal in stoppage time that would have sunk the club. Well, that was less a 'favorable bounce' and more a 'great stabbing save' by Chris Eylander that rescued Zach Scott from the wrong side of the score sheet.
The rest of the night the Whitecaps had the better chances to score while the Sounders had the better possession. Still, things are not 'clicking' like they should and can up front for Seattle. No favorable bounces either.
The weather was not really a factor in the match. These two clubs seem to love to play to 0-0 draws. They have done it numerous times in their 34-year history of derbies. Oh, it did rain, and in the second half the rain came down in sheets as both clubs tried to mount attacks and avoid mistakes.
Kevin Forrest looks surprised and the Vancouver defender just can't look.(Rick Morrison)
The stalemate means that the winner of the September 20th match between the two sides at Starfire will take the Cascadia Cup. Sounders supporters can hope that Portland knocks Vancouver off this Friday, too. If they do then Seattle would need only a draw to take the Cup in September.
The Sounders played better in this match than they did against Puerto Rico in that 3-0 loss on August 15th. Brian Schmetzer listed three forwards to start the match: Kenji Treschuk, Sebastien Le Toux and Kevin Forrest. Treschuck appeared to drift back into midfield before the first half was over.
Seattle hosts Carolina Railhawks Sunday night August 24th at Starfire as the 7-match final homestand approaches the half-done mark.
The Sounders will look at that match as a must-win for the playoffs and for getting their form even closer to where they'd like it to be for this late in the campaign.
Match Report Links:
Cascadia Cup Standings
The Seattle Pitch
ProstAmerika.com
Seattle Sounders
Vancouver Whitecaps
Seattle Times
Seattle P-I
Seattle Soccer Show Player Ratings
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