Seattle striker Fredy Montero answered the call once more to give the Sounders one more dramatic win at a time of nervous deadlock.

The Sounders pulled out a 1-0 triumph over El Salvador’s AD Isidro Metapan before 17,228 fans at the Xbox Pitch of Qwest Field in the first leg of CONCACAF Champions League preliminary round series Wednesday night.

The game was moving into the final half hour and the Seattle Sounders had been unable to score despite numerous efforts and a stifling defense that kept the visitors at bay.

An element of urgency was present for good reason.  With this the home leg and a rematch set for San Salvador on August 3 the Sounders could fall into a big hole with a draw and the road test beckoning.

Montero had been kept on the bench until the 60th minute.  Seattle’s other speedy striker Steve Zakuani had come in during the 57th minute.  The stage was set and the booming leg of Montero, who was recently named to the MLS All-Star team for the second year in a row, was prepared for the occasion.

After trotting onto the pitch to replace Nate Jaqua, Montero scored on his first touch within seconds of entering the match.  On a free kick near midfield, Osvaldo Alonso rolled a short pass to Montero.

The Colombian fired toward the net from 40 yards.  More dramatics ensued.  Metapán goalkeeper Misael Alfaro got a touch on the ball before it bounced across the goal line.  The struggle in vain was reminiscent of the Robert Green moment for England against the U.S. in the World Cup.

The agony of defeat registered following the match in the Metapan dressing room, as described by Coach Edwin Portillo.

"Everyone is giving him moral support,” Portillo explained.  “He was in the locker room crying. The ball changed directions and he wasn't in a very good position at the time, but at the same time it was a surprising kick from the player who just came in. For the keeper with the years of experience with the national team, he is bothered by it, he is not happy."

At a later point, as Metapan fought to tie the match, goalkeeper Misael Alfaro figured in a rarely seen ploy.  He was designated to take a penalty kick.  When Seattle goalkeeper Kasey Keller retrieved the ball he hurled it quickly downfield, hoping to set up a scoring opportunity as Alfaro sprinted toward the goal to take charge of the net.

Neither that nor any other opportunity, save the Montero score, materialized for the Sounders, but there were some promising chances.  In the first half Michael Seamon came close to corralling a pass in the box that could have produced a score but the missile sailed out of bounds.  There was a header by Steve Zakuani in the 74th minute that forced a save.  A shot by Sanna Nyassi in the 83rd minute sailed just wide of the far post.

As for Montero’s goal, it was his seventh this season in all competitions. He has scored and assisted six times apiece on 12 of the last 14 goals by Sounders FC, dating back to April 22.

Seattle achieved a commanding 15-2 advantage in shots with a 5-1 edge on goal and 8-2 on corner kicks.  On the defensive end the Sounders were able to keep Metapan pinned for much of the night at midfield.  Kasey Keller had a clean sheet and was credited with one save.

Keller said afterwards, "Overall, we were not quite at our best today but we got the goal and we got the win. It's something to hold on to down in El Salvador. It's going to be a tough game. They are a crafty team. I thought we stuck with them pretty well. I think physically we were better and that showed at the end of the game. I had very little to do and I was happy about that."

While pleased with the victory, Seattle mentor Sigi Schmid after the contest expressed regret that his team could not post more than one score given its wide statistical edge.

"We had chances,” Schmid acknowledged.  “I thought we had chances to score more than just the one and we're disappointed that we didn't get more. It's most important not give up a goal at home.

“We have a lead. It forces them when we go down there to score a goal. They can't sit back. Here they can sit back. And for us on the road to score a goal, we force them to score three, so that's really important. We wanted to hold them to zero at home and get as many goals as possible at home.

“We also wanted to make sure that we can play with a strong lineup when we go down to El Salvador because it's going to be a hostile environment. The refereeing certainly is going to be a little different than it is in the MLS and it's going to be a situation where we're going to need our veteran players down there to get the result that we need to advance."

Schmid made a significant point regarding the 1-0 Seattle win compelling Metapan to take more risks in next week’s match in San Salvador to prevail in the two contest competition.  This was acknowledged by Coach Portillo.

"Playing aggressively, that will be the focus of our team,” Portillo said.  “We have to change our tactics. We need to score two goals and that comes with more risk, but that's the only game. We will have to run the risk.  We don't have any other alternatives, so we'll have to expose ourselves to keep in the tournament."

Portillo conceded, “We came looking for a tie and ended up losing.”

As for the Sounders, there is an important Western Conference MLS test waiting prior to the excursion to El Salvador.  The San Jose Earthquakes beckon in a Sounders road test at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara Saturday night at 7 p.m. PT.

Counting all competition, the Sounders have won five games in a row.  In the MLS they stand at 6-8-4 with 22 points.

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