In front of a record crowd for a soccer match in the Pacific NW (67,052), Manchester United stormed into Century Link field and pillaged the Seattle Sounders on their home turf. The final score: Manchester 7, Seattle 0. Not too surprising, especially when you consider the salary gap between the two teams: Rooney makes 10 million euro annually, whereas Fredy Montero, the highest paid Sounders’ player by a long shot, makes a mere $636,000 annually. To put it another way, it was sort of like watching a really good high school team play one of the best college teams in the world.
While the scoreboard shows a slaughter, those watching the first half would have seen a very different game. The score at the end of 45 minutes was 1-0. Seattle came out hungry to score, unleashing six shots before Manchester United had taken even one. However, the Englishmen’s first real opportunity resulted in a goal from Owen (unguarded at the far post). Defensively, Seattle played intelligently and respectably in the first half. They played off the ball and cautiously, no doubt in preparation for the amazing speed of their opponents.
Kudos to Kasey Keller, who was only scored on once during his field time in the first half. Keller, who used to play in the EPL, the German Bundesliga, and the Spanish La Liga, had a truly Keller save in the 44th minute against Owen in a 1 v 1 situation. Owen should have sealed his second goal, but Keller’s save was still spectacular.
The second half was horrendous on behalf of the Sounders. They did not look like their usual, poised selves, but rather like scared sheep fighting against a pack of ravenous wolves. The six unanswered goals scored by Manchester United can be explained by three things: 1) missed opportunities, 2) poor defense, 3) Wayne Rooney. Rooney had a hat trick, despite resting for the first half of play.
The Seattle Sounders defense was shaky and almost non-existent in the second half. However, the offense sent a wave of shots, narrowly missing or hitting the cross bar several times. Jauqua had several wide open, promising opportunities, but his nerves must have been on the fritz because he was unable to turn chances into points. Seattle also subbed in their entire bench, giving the MLS players a unique opportunity to play against one of the top teams in the world. Manchester United’s defense was in top form, playing safe and shutting down strikers before they could get off shots. In the final minutes of play, a defensive mistake from Manchester left Mrisho Ngassa with a wide open net, yet he was unable to find the back of the net and instead lofted the ball into the stands.
