"The Seattle Sounders employ a forward who can change an MLS match in an instant. D.C. United does not," writes Steven Goff of the Washington Post after Seattle won its second consecutive 2-1 decision against D.C. United in RFK Stadium on Saturday. Goff points to the sparkling play and opportunism of the Sounders' Colombian striker Freddy Montero, who grabbed his chance to win the game as compared to the missed chances of Untied striker Luciano Emilio.
In the 84th minute, Montero ran onto a pass from defender James Riley, turned and fired a quick shot that deflected of defender Julius James' foot and past United goalkeeper Josh Wicks. "That guy is really lucky," James said of Montero, who also scored in Seattle's 2-1 U.S. Open Cup win over United. "He did really well to get his shot off, I angled him pretty well and the only place the ball could go is right up inside there. Games are defined by one or two plays. . . . If it hadn't hit my foot, it would've gone straight into Josh's hands." Ten minutes earlier, Emilio missed two golden opportunities in front of the Sounder's net. "You need to score those," United coach Tom Soehn said. "These games are going to be tight now for the rest of the time on. If you are going to get chances like that, they have to be goals." With 11 goals, Montero is MLS's third leading scorer, behind FC Dallas' Jeff Cunningham (12) Colorado's Conor Casey (13).
United (8-6-12, 36 points) remains jammed in a tight race for a playoff spot with four games remaining. But with no league matches for two weeks, the club will watch helplessly as other contenders catch up to the number of games United has played. In winning in Washington for the second time in 11 days, the expansion Sounders (9-6-10, 37 points) pulled within three points of front-runner Houston in the Western Conference.