Fredy Montero scored the early winner as Seattle Sounders FC extended its unbeaten streak to five games with a 1-nil win over the defending MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids on Friday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo.
Sounders FC (2-2-3, 9 points) earns three points on the road for the first time in 2011 as it is now tied for third place in the West.
Colorado (3-3-0, 9 points) failed to win for the first time at home this season, dropping their third consecutive match.
Seattle took advantage of a counter-attack opportunity in the 19th minute. O’Brian White took the ball up the right side and passed it off to a streaking Mauro Rosales in the middle. Rosales found Montero who slid a one-touch ball past Colorado goalkeeper Matt Pickens and into the right corner of the net for the game’s lone goal.
Montero, starting for the first time in four games, recorded his first goal of the season and his third all-time against Colorado. He also had the late game-tying assist in last week’s 1-1 draw at Philadelphia.
Rosales leads the team with three assists.
Sounders FC played a man-up for the majority of the night after a harsh tackle on Steve Zakuani in the opening minutes.
Just three minutes into the match, Colorado’s Brian Mullan was issued a straight red card after a poor tackle on Zakuani. Zakuani was carted off the field to the emergency room for X-rays, where it was determined he had sustained a fractured right fibula and tibia and will undergo surgery. Alvaro Fernandez took Zakuani’s place in the ninth minute.
After the Montero goal, Colorado was relentless in pressing for an equalizer but Seattle’s defense held strong to earn its first shutout of the season.
In the 29th minute Kasey Keller beat Caleb Folan to a ball in the box and cleared it for a Colorado throw. Keller made another stop on a Jeff Larentowicz long-distance attempt in the 61st minute and also stopped Kosuke Kimura’s left-footed strike just two minutes later.
Seattle nearly tallied a second goal in the 54th minute after Fernandez headed a corner kick behind the Rapids backline. White got a shot off but Pickens sprung off his line to deflect the shot away.
Sounders FC held the advantage in shots 11-9 (4-2 on goal) and tied a club record with 19 fouls committed. Montero was issued a yellow card in the 81st minute.
Sounders FC defender Tyson Wahl made his first start of the year, while defenders Leo Gonzalez and Jeff Parke and midfielder Erik Friberg did not start for the first time all season.
Sounders FC will return to the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field to host Toronto FC on April 30 at 7:00 p.m. PT before traveling to D.C. United on May 4 and Columbus Crew on May 7.
