Over 64,000 fans came to CenturyLink Field on Saturday night (October 15) to honor the last regular season home game for retiring Sounders goalkeeper and local boy Kasey Keller.
Keller did his very best to make it memorable. Keller made saves with every body part and apart from a Chris Wondolowski goal for San Jose in the 24th minute, Keller was more than good enough to make up for a very flat, very sloppy Sounders team.
The Sounders defense, in particular, was not playing well at all. Wondolowski’s goal, for example, came from a perfectly placed pass by San Jose teammate Rafael Baca, which came as a result of a horrible pass by Sounders defender Jhon Kennedy Hurtado.
Keller fought back, making seven saves including a set of three in the 65th minute when San Jose pounced on a bad pass by Patrick Ianni. Keller charged forward, racing Khari Stephenson to the ball. Wondolowski snagged the loose ball and unleashed a rocket from the left side, forcing Keller to make a diving save. Simon Dawkins got the rebound but Keller rejected the follow up and Seattle finally cleared their line to relieve the pressure.
Manager Sigi Schmid went to his bench in the 64th minute, bringing on midfielder Mauro Rosales. Rosales has been a find for the Sounders but has been out since suffering a sprained MCL against D.C. United on Sept. 17.
Rosales paid off in the 82nd minute when he found fellow substitute Sammy Ochoa with a long through pass. Ochoa, a summer pick up beat Earthquakes goalkeeper Jon Busch by using the right post as a backboard. The score was his first goal since joining the Sounders.
He picked the best possible time to get his first, breathing life into the moribund Sounders and igniting the crowd looking to celebrate.
Article comments
1 - Sam Smith
Glad to see KK going out on a high note. He's been nothing but class for a long time and here's hoping he continues his career in ways that continue to boost the profile of US Soccer.
2 - Dr Dreadful
Wow, they left that late. I watched the game up until about the hour mark, when the Sounders were losing one-nothing and didn't even look like scoring.
3 - cheap
It's easy to see why many Sounders fans are clamoring for Keller to return for 2012, or at least to help Seattle see out its promising CONCACAF Champions League campaign