Sounders remain perfect after tense finale
- by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Jun 27, 2012
[U.S. OPEN CUP] Winless in MLS since May 9, the Seattle Sounders always had the safety net of the U.S. Open Cup to fall into.
Winners of the three
Open Cups they entered since joining MLS in 2009, the Sounders remained perfect in the competition with a 1-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes in a tense match played before a crowd of more than
7,000 fans at San Francisco's Kezar Stadium.
Trinidadian teenager Cordell Cato, a former Quakes trialist, had the lone goal for Seattle, and the hero
in goal was San Jose castoff Andrew Weber.
The Sounders needed a security escort after the final whistle.
The victory was Seattle's
first win against MLS opposition in eight games and moved it into the semifinals of the Open Cup against Chivas USA.
Cato put Seattle ahead in the 19th minute, but the Quakes had the
Sounders after that. Weber's best save came when he stopped a Shea Salinas breakaway in the 34th minute.
Quakes forward Alan
Gordon was red-carded late in second half, and Seattle forward Eddie Johnson was involved in an incident after the game with San Jose reserve Jed
Zayner.
Yes, Zayner came off the bench (he was never in the game) confronted and pushed Johnson, who was on the pitch at the end of the game, and whose celebration--after a particularly nasty game--seemed to have annoyed Zayner. Johnson smacked him back. Big deal--in the minds of San Jose fans, who appear to believe that they were entitled to win that game despite failing to score. COMPLETE lack of control by officials from the opening whistle.