Sounders hang on for 1:1 draw in Portland

PORTLAND, Oregon – Fredy Montero scored in the second half to help the Seattle Sounders FC earn a 1-1 road draw against the Portland Timbers on Saturday afternoon at JELD-WEN Field. The Cascadia Cup match was played in front of a sellout crowd of 20,438 and national television audience on NBC.

Sounders FC (13-6-9, 48 points) remains second in the Western Conference and extended its unbeaten streak to five games (3-0-2).

Seattle trails Portland (7-14-7, 28 points) by three points in the Cascadia Cup standings. The two teams will face off for the third and final meeting of the season on October 7 in Seattle.

Montero scored in the 57th minute when Michael Gspurning sent a free kick the length of the field that found Montero at the top of the Timbers box. The striker took one touch, turned his defender and blasted a right-footed shot to the opposite upper corner.

It was Montero’s 12th goal of the season, matching his career high in 2009 and 2011. He leads all players with seven goals in eight Cascadia Cup matches.

Gspurning’s assist was the first from a Seattle goalkeeper since Kasey Keller assisted in Montero’s 64th minute goal in a 2-0 home win over the Houston Dynamo on August 8, 2010.

The goal came moments after Joseph Bendik replaced Donovan Ricketts in goal. Ricketts left the match after suffering an injury in the 51st minute.

Portland equalized in the 78th minute when Jack Jewsbury swung in a corner kick from the right side that found the head of Rodney Wallace and, after a collision in the box, the ball spilled into the corner of the net.

Montero nearly added a second tally minutes after his first, but his headed attempt was saved by Bendik.

Osvaldo Alonso also narrowly missed the frame with a volley in the 10th minute and a long-range shot in the 14th minute, and his hard shot from outside the box in second half stoppage time was saved by a diving Bendik.

Portland’s Franck Songo’o blasted a shot from outside the box in the 39th minute that Michael Gspurning dove to punch away. In second half stoppage, Bright Dike hit the post after a Jewsbury corner kick.

Eddie Johnson received his fifth yellow card caution of the season and will not be available for selection next week against the San Jose Earthquakes.

Seattle will resume CONCACAF Champions League group play on Wednesday against CD Marathon in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Sounders FC then returns home to host the league-leading San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field.

Scoring Summary

SEA – Fredy Montero (Michael Gspurning) 57′

POR – Rodney Wallace (Jack Jewsbury) 78′

Seattle Sounders FC: Michael Gspurning, Adam Johansson, Jeff Parke, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Leo Gonzalez, Brad Evans (Marc Burch 79′), Osvaldo Alonso, Andy Rose, Steve Zakuani (Mario Martinez 70′), Fredy Montero, Eddie Johnson.

Substitutes Not Used: Josh Ford, Zach Scott, Patrick Ianni, Alex Caskey, Sammy Ochoa.

Total Shots: 15; Shots on Goal: 3; Fouls: 11; Offside: 3; Corner Kicks: 2; Saves: 2.

Portland Timbers: Donovan Ricketts (Joseph Bendik 57′), Kosuke Kimura, Hanyer Mosquera, David Horst, Rodney Wallace, Darlington Nagbe, Jack Jewsbury, Diego Chara, Sal Zizzo (Kalif Alhassan 83′), Bright Dike, Franck Songo’o (Danny Mwanga 72′).

Substitutes Not Used: Mamadou Danso, Eric Alexander, Kris Boyd, Mike Fucito.

Total Shots: 17; Shots on Goal: 3; Fouls: 12; Offside: 1; Corner Kicks: 9; Saves: 2.

Misconduct Summary

SEA – Eddie Johnson 26′

SEA – Mario Martinez 79′

Referee: Ricardo Salazar

Referee’s Assistants: Peter Manikowski; Mike Kampmeinert

4th Official: Jesus Cisneros

Time of Game: 1:53

Attendance: 20,438

Weather: Sunny and 64 degrees

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