Sounders take first leg 2-1 as emotions run high

The most important thing on the night was that the Sounders gave themselves at least a fighting chance in Montreal on Sunday. Seattle's gutsy 2-1 win in leg one will give them a slim one-goal advantage with still at least 90 minutes to play in Quebec.

Hugo celebrates his goal that put Seattle up 1-0 in the 15th minute.
(Rick Morrison)

See Rick's match photos here!

Beyond the battle on the pitch were smaller confrontations that kept fans, officials, police and security busy through the night.

Montreal head coach John Limniatis (light blue shirt) approaches fans he thought had heckled him during the match. Montreal players arrive on the scene as a Sounders official (blue jacket) steps in.
(Jenni Conner)

Montreal head coach John Limniatis unbelievably came out into the stands after the match with his jacket removed. Later he spotted some fans, including myself, who he had heard / seen heckling him briefly during the match (I had called him 'Looney.') He bumped chests, spewed vulgarities, and became incredibly and quite unprofessionally 'unhinged.' As we tried to make our way past and to the cars, a Sounders rep held him back. Curious onlookers stood in disbelief as Montreal players then came down from the showers to see what was happening. The players then also began taunting fans and hurling insults. GOALSeattle photographer Jenni Conner caught some photos of the incident.

Limniatis confronts fans as they try to make their way to the parking lot. Yes, the guy in the cap is me.
(Jenni Conner)

Control of the match was lost by head official Edvin Jurisevic, who issued 8 yellow cards and two reds that resulted in an ejection for each side. Kevin Sakuda and Stefano Pesoli will miss the second leg on Sunday.

Seattle led 2-1 at the half after Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar scored in the 15th and Leighton O'Brien converted an iffy penalty kick call in the 42nd. Pesoli had brought the Impact level 1-1 in the 21st.

Who knows if the one-goal aggregate lead will hold for the Sounders, but the club did win a big home match and end a night of raw emotions with a glimmer of hope that the ride may not yet be over.

Match Reports:
ProstAmerika.com
Seattle Sounders
Seattle P-I
Seattle Times
Seattle Soccer Show Player Ratings
Seattle Sports Online