[CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] Seattle is the only team in the Concacaf Champions League to take maximum points after beating Herediano, 2-1, in Heredia, Costa Rica, Wednesday night. Fredy Montero scored on either side of halftime to lift Seattle (3-0-0) atop Group D.
Former Rev Jose Cancela converted a penalty kick for Herediano, which with a 0-3-0 record sits at the bottom and is very close to elimination.
Comunicaciones (2-1-0, 6 pts.) took over second place by beating defending CCL champion Monterrey (1-2-0, 3 pts.), 1-0, at home on Wednesday. Carlos Ramirez scored the goal in the 45th minute.
A clever reverse pass from Nate Jaqua found Montero knifing through the Herediano back line in the third minute, and the young Colombian fired a precise, low shot inside the far post to put the Sounders on top. For the rest of the first half, Seattle fended off Herediano and occasionally launched attacks, but a very soft foul whistled when Cancela went down easily in the penalty area yielded a penalty kick that he thumped home as keeper Kasey Keller went the wrong way.
Seattle regained the lead in the 54th minute when it attacked down the left side. Jaqua nodded a ball to Roger Levesque, whose shot was parried by goalkeeper Daniel Cambronero but floated across the goalmouth. Montero -- from practically under the crossbar -- acrobatically stretched his right leg to poke the ball out of the air and into the net.
Keller tipped over a rising blast from Marvin Angulo in the 85th minute and from the ensuing corner kick defender Pat Ianni blocked a fierce attempt by Marvin Obando. In the first minute of stoppage time, Servando Carrasco snuffed another attempt and his teammates hacked the ball out of danger.
Seattle will clinch a spot in the quarterfinals if it beats Herediano in the return game Tuesday at CenturyLink Field, and Monterrey does not beat Comunicaciones the same day.



Luis Arreola


