Instead, the Sounders were forced to settle for a draw.
To be fair, the Sounders were without the services of players like Eddie Johnson (national team commitment), Steve Zakuani (injury), and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (injury), and at times, it seemed like referee, Ricardo Salazar, was the 12th player on Real's squad. Defender Zach Scott was given his second yellow-card of the day and ejected in the 30th minute, leaving the Sounders with only 10 players for the majority of the match.
"Proud of our team," Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid told reporters after the game. "I thought we had to play the game under very difficult circumstances with the amount of players that were missing, but also playing a man down. I thought our team showed a lot of character. We battled. We created some counter-attacking chances. … Obviously, [Michael] Gspurning made a few big saves at the end of the game, and when added time is added to added time it makes it more difficult."
Real had a few good chances to score during the game, but Gspurning wasn't having any of it. He finished the contest with five saves (two spectacular diving stops), leading the Sounders to their third consecutive shutout.
The Sounders still trail Salt Lake by three points in the MLS Western Conference table, so there's still a small chance they'll finish with the second seed in the west. It won't be easy though, since their last two games will be against Dallas FC and the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Given how dominant the Sounders have been at CenturyLink Field, their path to the 2012 MLS Cup will be a lot harder if they're unable to finish with the second seed in the west. Fortunately for Seattle soccer fans, the Sounders are capable of competing with any team in the MLS when they are on form, so there's still some hope for the postseason.
David has been a fan of the Seattle Sounders for the past 3 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter.
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