Sounders Escape with 2-2 Draw Against Whitecaps

The Seattle Sounders FC didn't get the result they were looking for coming off their loss to Real Salt Lake, but they did keep their unbeaten streak in the Cascadia Cup intact, walking away with the 2-2 draw against the Vancouver Whitecaps on May 19.

With the draw, the Sounders remain at the third spot in the MLS Western Conference table, trailing first place Salt Lake by only three points.

The Whitecaps struck first in the encounter against the Sounders, when defender Alain Rochat fired one into the post at the 12^th minute mark. The Sounders weren't able to get anything going offensively in the first half, but they went right to work in the second half. Sounders playmaker Mauro Rosales fed Eddie Johnson with a beautiful cross, and the forward made the most of it, nodding one past Vancouver goalkeeper Joe Cannon.

"It was one of those goals with good buildup," Johnson said about his third goal of the season. "Whenever the ball goes out wide to Mauro it was just trying to get in the box between the two center backs. I think for the first time tonight I was free on goal where I wasn't battling with one of the defenders."

However, the Whitecaps weren't done, and they tried to steal the victory in the 82^nd minute when Seattle goalkeeper Bryan Meredith let a free kick played by Camilo Sanvezzo slip right past him. Fortunately for Seattle soccer fans, Fredy Montero was able to even things out before the final whistle, preventing what would have been the Sounders' second consecutive loss.

"In the first half we didn't do a good job against the central part of their midfield," Sounders coach Sigi Schmid told reporters after the game. "Davidson was free a lot to orchestrate it, and they were constantly playing three against two. What we did at halftime is we dropped Montero into that hole a little bit to deal with Davidson and played more of a 4-3-2-1 to match up a little bit better with that."

Seattle's defenders played pretty well against the Whitecaps, but their offense did blow a few opportunities along the way. Fortunately for the Sounders, they managed to escape with a point, and they'll now get a few days to regroup before taking on the Columbus Crew on May 23.

David has been a fan of the Seattle Sounders for the past 3 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.
 
Sources:
Joshua Mayers, "Fredy Montero: "It's always good to get points away, but obviously…"