Updated Aug 4, 2011 - 8:20 am
Match review (CONCACAF Champions League) Seattle Sounders FC 2 - 0 San Francisco FC (Panama)
by John Zielonka, mynorthwest.com
Entering the match, the Sounders were down by a goal in the two-match encounter against the San Francisco side from Panama. Alvaro Fernandez and Nate Jaqua scored for the home side. The 2-1 cumulative score allowed the Sounders to advance to the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League competition.
Alvaro Fernandez reacts to his goal (Photo courtesy of Jane Gershovich)
Link for additional game photos: http://mynorthwest.com/?sid=525183&nid=387
Man of the match: Miguel Torres
The 27-year-old Colombian single-handily kept the visitors in the match. He faced 34 shots and needed to make 11 saves in over 120 minutes of regulation and extra time.
"He had a great performance. We don't always want the goalkeeper to be the star of the team but he had a very lucky night and was able to keep the game going all the way to the extra time."--Leonardo Pipino, San Francisco FC head coach
Offensive star: Alvaro Fernandez
Fernandez scored the first goal of the game and received credit for an assist on Jaqua's game winner.
He was thwarted several times by the San Francisco 'keeper. Fernandez's persistence paid off when he scored four minutes before the end of the first half. He received credit for an assist when his pass found an open Jaqua in front of the net to seal the win.
"I was getting a little bit disillusioned with one shot outside the box and then two headers, but good thing about soccer is it gives those opportunities back to you."--Alvaro Fernandez
"It was very important to score in the first half, to have the [ability] in the second half to play a little more quiet, but we didn't."--Mauro Rosales, Sounders FC midfielder
Redemption: Nate Jaqua
The lanky forward has struggled this year to find the back of the goal. His extra time tally was his second of the year in all competitions.
Injuries have hampered Jaqua's playing time the last couple of years, and he's been continually frustrated to regain his touch.
His goal may be the turning point in getting back on track and providing the Sounders another offensive weapon.
"Maybe a little more time than you want but I took a touch to get it down and when they came across. I tried to roof it over them and put it in the back of the net. It was nice to see it go in."--Nate Jaqua
They said it:
"Wish we could have ended the game about 45 minutes earlier. I thought we had enough chances to finish the game. Sometimes when the luck has turned against you like with us over the last few games, sometimes it seems you have to grind out a victory. You have to work really hard at the victory and that was the case for us today."--Sigi Schmid, Sounders FC head coach
"The feeling of losing always brings sadness, especially in an important tournament like this. But coming from a league that isn't well known it's good to come here and play at the same level with a great team like the Seattle Sounders that play in a league that is more well known."--Leonardo Pipino
Bonneville Media encourages site users to express their opinions by posting comments. Our goal is to maintain a civil dialogue in which readers feel comfortable. At times, the comments can descend to personal attacks. Please do not engage in such behavior. We encourage your thoughtful comments which: have a positive and constructive tone, are on topic, are respectful toward others and their opinions. Bonneville reserves the right to remove comments which do not conform to these criteria.
John Zielonka is a lifelong fan of soccer. He previously lived in Detroit and attended numerous NASL matches featuring the Detroit Express. John follows the local soccer scene and is the Seattle correspondent for Goal.com, where he writes about the Seattle Sounders and MLS for Goal.com. Internationally, he's viewed matches at the World Cup, Confederation Cup, England's Premier and Championship leagues.
