A major reason why soccer has been called “the beautiful game” is its international dimension, the idea of bringing people together from various cultures and life experiences throughout the world.

Steve Zakuani’s story falls into that dimension, a young man with international roots who followed his dream and is now one of the quickest and most productive strikers in Major League Soccer.

The Seattle Sounders star was born in Kinshasa in what was then Zaire and is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“We moved to London when I was 4,” Zakuani revealed following a Sounders training session. “It was 1992. London is so international and there are so many Africans there that I became friends with many of them, as did my family members. In fact, some of my first soccer games were with African friends in London.”

Perhaps Zakuani was destined by the stars to become a soccer player. The family, after all, was based in North London. Steve grew up near White Hart Lane and the famous stadium that the Tottenham Spurs of England’s Premier League call home.

As events emerged, however, Zakuani was destined to forge an important link with another famous North London club, that being Arsenal. Those roots launched the beginning of Zakuani’s soccer career that would ultimately reach the professional ranks with the Seattle Sounders.

There is a reason why so many young stars are developed for the English Premier League. The talent watch begins from the time that youngsters begin playing in parks and at school.

Arsenal liked what it saw in the quick, smooth movements of the speedy young Zakuani and before long he was given a pivotal opportunity that forged the player MLS fans see today.

“When I was 9 I was contacted and given the chance to play on the Arsenal youth team,” Zakuani related. “They taught me the Arsenal way. These are the rules and lessons that I have followed ever since.”

What lesson has been sturdily etched into Zakuani’s mind and is being followed by him today?

“The big thing is that Arsenal taught you to be creative, to be positive,” Zakuani enthused.

One element instilled in Zakuani has distinctly followed him into his career.

“What Arsenal taught you was to have fun, to enjoy yourself playing soccer,” Zakuani enthusiastically noted. “When you attacked and moved the ball toward the goal you were told to move with style and grace and in a way where you were always enjoying yourself.”

When Steve became involved in the Arsenal youth program he became a fan of the English Premier League club. While he was rooting for Arsenal he watched one famous player that he would later meet as a teammate.

“My father and I would go to the Arsenal matches and I would enjoy watching all their great players,” Zakuani said. “I loved watching Freddie Ljungberg play. Later when he was a teammate of mine with the Sounders I told him about being in the stands and cheering for him.”

Zakuani participated in the Tilburg Tournament in Holland in 2002. He played at the Independent Football Academy from 2004 to 2007.

At that point a pivotal event occurred as Zakuani came to America to play for the University of Akron. As with the Arsenal youth team earlier, Zakuani proved to be a quick and effective learner. In his sophomore season he led the nation in scoring with 20 goals and seven assists.

He finished as a runner-up for the Herman Trophy awarded to the nation’s best soccer player.

Sufficiently alerted to Zakuani’s prowess, the Seattle Sounders made him their first choice, and initial selection overall, in the MLS 2009 Super Draft on January 15, 2009.

A sought after Zakuani had two offers to weigh, that of the Sounders along with one from a club in his home country of England with Preston North End. He chose Seattle and has performed there with distinction ever since.

Steve was a finalist in the Rookie of the Year balloting. He led all MLS rookies in scoring with four goals and that same number of assists. Coach Sigi Schmid said, “Steve’s a dangerous dribbler, comfortable on either side of the field with good speed.“

Zakuani’s momentum from that first season has continued to the present. In 2010 he has thus far scored seven goals and three assists. On May 1 at home against the Columbus Crew Zakuani recorded the earliest goal in franchise history with a strike in the fourth minute.

In one of the most important matches of the season for the Sounders, as they sought to build points for a playoff spot, Zakuani was at his peak against the Colorado Rapids July 25 before a capacity throng of the Seattle home faithful.

The determined striker set a blistering pace, scoring two first half goals in a 2-1 Sounders victory. He guided the ball with swift determination goal ward on each occasion.

The impressive performance gained Zakuani MLS Player of the Week honors, the first time that a Seattle player was selected during the 2010 campaign.

Since the interview with Zakuani had been conducted Friday following the team’s final workout of the week on the same field where the match was played that Sunday evening, and considering that the talented striker was feeling so optimistic, the natural question to ask after his triumph was whether it was something he anticipated.

“I felt good and the team had a great week of practice,” Zakuani smiled. “I thought that we would do well.”

Steve is not the only Zakuani to achieve professional soccer ranks. His older brother Gabriel is a defensive star with Peterborough United in England. Having played earlier for Fulham and Stoke City, the transfer signing fee to make Zakuani’s move to Peterborough United permanent was estimated to be over the 500,000 pound record signing fee that the club had paid earlier for Joe Lewis.

Along with flashing a smile of optimism over having the opportunity to fulfill his goal of playing professional soccer as a Sounder, Zakuani, who plays with an aggressive style and favors wide open play, is happy about current trends he sees in the game.

“People enjoy watching goals being scored and I think that the trend today is for more

open play,” Zakuani declared. “That was what I saw in the World Cup. Both Spain and the Netherlands like to attack. I expect to see more of this in soccer all over the world.”

As a Major League Soccer player Zakuani watched with interest the series of friendlies occurring with top professional clubs from the United Kingdom and Europe.

“Before when teams would come over here it was some team like Barcelona or Real Madrid and the scores would be something like 4-1,” Zakuani said. “But those were the leading teams and when we see the MLS teams go up against some of the others you can see that it is very close. The MLS is catching up. There is a high talent level in this league.”

Zakuani demonstrated his humanitarian side after revealing that at Akron University his major was Sports Management. How would he like to put his knowledge in that area to use?

“I would like some day to go home to London and start an organization” he revealed. “You know, I was very fortunate to get the breaks and receive the chance to develop my talents and go into professional soccer. Some of my friends who had plenty of talent did not get the right breaks.

"What I would like to do is to have an organization so I could be a part of helping young people get the chance to develop their talents to go as far as those talents can take them.”

Steve Zakuani not only impresses with his soccer playing talents. He also wins plaudits for his humanitarian outlook and desire to help others.

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Fredy Montero continued his red hot streak Saturday night in a crucial MLS Western Conference showdown with an adroitly executed header to give visiting Seattle Sounders FC a 1-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes before 10,351 at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara.

The Montero goal, the only score of a fiercely contested defensive struggle, came in the 26th minute as the speedy Colombian striker took a cross from Sanna Nyassi in front of the goal and headed it past San Jose goalkeeper Jon Busch.

The blazing streak of Montero continued with the game clincher against the Earthquakes.  He has been involved in a score through a goal or assist over eight consecutive MLS games with four goals and five assists.  On the season Montero has seven goals and eight assists.

Montero’s scoring impetus carried into the international realm as well.  Last Wednesday at home against El Salvador’s Metapan in Champions League play Montero came off the bench in the second half to drill home a textbook perfect 40-yard missile to produce the only score of the game in another 1-0 Sounders success.

Since Sana Nyassi has become a regular, he has also been productive in the assist capacity after using his speed on the flank to push the Sounders into the scoring area.  Nyassi has now recorded an assist in three consecutive matches.  This productivity dates back to his first career assist on July 10.  All three have led to game winning goals.

Eyes were squarely focused on the two newly arrived designated players on the Seattle roster, recent World Cup players Blaise Nkufo and Alvaro Fernandez, who performed for Switzerland and Uruguay respectively.

Nkufo started at forward and played into the 86th minute before being replaced by Nate Jaqua, showing that the Dutch League record-setter has neared the point of returning to availability for the full 90 minutes of action.

While Nkufo was unable to break into the scoring column, he came close with two superbly placed shots.  The first was a header in the 2nd minute.  In the 63rd minute he took a pass in the middle of the field and engaged in some shifty footwork before delivering a left-footed drive that almost reached the net.  Both efforts were stopped on timely saves by Busch.

In addition to the near-miss goal efforts, Nkufo displayed solid field generalship.  His dribbling and passing demonstrated the sound technique of a veteran ball handler.

One excellent trait Nkufo evidenced was passing up long low percentage shots to instead pass and keep the ball in play for the Sounders.  He is a player who operates well in the center of the field and promotes goal activity for others when he is not taking shots himself.

Recent arrival Fernandez, acquired July 29, saw his first action in Sounders uniform after replacing Steve Zakuani in the 69th minute.  There was much for Sounders Coach Sigi Schmid to be positive about concerning Fernandez’ effort.

The tall, slender Uruguayan combined quickness and adroit technique in his ball handling, aiding the effort to hang onto the ball and run out the clock for a victory.  His smooth footwork demonstrated skill toward producing future Seattle goals.

There was one Seattle casualty, however.  Jeff Parke sustained a head injury in a collision in front of the Sounders’ goal near the end of the first half.  He was replaced for the entire second half by veteran Jamaican defender Tyrone Marshall, who stopped one San Jose goal effort with a dazzling header, receiving a grateful pat on the back from goalkeeper Kasey Keller.

On the subject of Keller, the former U.S. national team veteran and current MLS All-Star recorded his sixth clean sheet of the season.  He recorded two saves.

The visitors held a 9-8 advantage in total shots, a figure revealing the closeness of the hard fought match.  The breakdown reveals how the contest went as the Sounders held a 7-2 edge on goal shots while the Quakes had a narrow 6-5 advantage on corners.

The set piece game is a staple of San Jose Coach Frank Yallop’s attack.  It is led by former U.S. national team player and current All-Star left winger Bobby Convey.  All night Convey had the Sounders on edge with neatly placed corner shots that produced scoring opportunities near the Seattle goal.

With the win the Sounders stand in MLS play at 7-8-4 with 25 points.  They have won their last three league matches.  Seattle on the strength of the San Jose victory jumped from sixth in the West to fourth.

It was just a short time ago that many skeptics were writing off Seattle playoff chances for 2010 when the team stood at 4-8-4.  Aided by the return of previously injured players, Seattle appears to be in its best shape of the season and is playing its best soccer during the playoff stretch run.

The loss dropped San Jose to 6-5-5.  The Quakes have 23 points.  This was the first San Jose loss since the World Cup break, resulting in a fall to sixth place in the Western Conference.  In an earlier trip to Seattle this season San Jose had edged the Sounders by the identical 1-0 score by which they lost Saturday night.

Right after the match the Sounders departed for San Salvador and a Tuesday match against Metapan.  The teams are vying for a spot in the Champions League group stage.

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On Wednesday, the city of Houston played host to the Major League Soccer All-Stars.

Tonight, the Houston Dynamo will host the biggest star in the MLS today, who was ineligible for the “showcase” against Manchester United days earlier. Thierry Henry, the French International, will make his New York Red Bulls and MLS regular season debut.

On the heels of a World Cup that received a lot of attention, Henry has attracted a lot of focus to the Red Bulls and the league. Much like David Beckham in 2007, the high-profile star Henry will bring in a lot of money from jersey sales and extra fans to the games. He’ll also make a big difference on the field.

Henry played in two Red Bulls exhibition matches last week against English Premier League sides Tottenham and Manchester City and he impressed. He scored in the 25th minute of his debut against Tottenham and in both matches, showed creativity and a great vision with dangerous passes that sprung forth a strong attack.

In both those games, Henry only played the first 45 minutes. Against Houston, however, he will see increased time.

But what makes his MLS debut more special is that it will be the first pairing of him and New York captain Juan Pablo Angel.

Angel, another Designated Player with EPL experience, is the Red Bull’s all-time career goals leader (even though he has only played in three and a half seasons with the club). He is a quality finisher who the team has heavily depended on.

However, they have yet to find a strike-partner for him. The team has paired him with ten different players—Jozy Altidore, John Wolyniec, Salou Ibrahim, Macoumba Kandji, Dominic Oduro, Dane Richards, Francis Doe, Oscar Echeverry, Mike Magee, and Clint Mathis—before landing Henry.

The pairing could easily be the most potent in all of MLS. Henry played on the wing for much of the beginning of his career which has helped him become a great passer and crosser.

They are both dangerous scorers so defenses will not be able to key on one and double him. They will have to respect both forwards which should create more space than either is used to as well as open the field for their teammates, especially the wings like Richards, Jeremy Hall, and Danleigh Borman, who all have good speed.

Henry also has good pace and is able to get behind the defense. All of those skills should help the two players find each other and wreck havoc on their opposition. The opponent in their first game together could help expedite the process.

Houston—in seventh place in the eight-team Western Conference—has given up 25 goals, tied for most in the Western Conference, and will be further weakened.

Veteran goalkeeper Pat Onstad missed practice on Thursday and is not expected to start. Central defender Bobby Boswell will also miss the game due to a suspension he must serve for receiving a red card in the Dynamo’s previous game against Columbus.

If Henry and Angel can capitalize on the opportunity of playing together and against a vulnerable defense, the team can gain some much-needed momentum as they head into the end of the season pushing for a playoff spot.

Not only will a successful Henry/Angel tandem generate plenty of buzz for the league and the team off the field, but it may also finally bring home a trophy.

What once was a dream—not only landing Henry, but also winning the championship—becomes, at least partly, a reality tonight.

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Massimo Allegri who is the coach for the Italian Team AC Milan announced that he believes David Beckham "will not return to AC Milan for the third time."

David Beckham played for Manchester United and Real Madrid before playing for LA Galaxy.

Beckham was loaned by the LA Galaxy to A.C. Milan with the intention of keeping him in shape during the off-season of Major League Soccer. Mr. Allegri also insinuated that Beckham may not return since he is recuperating from an injury of the Achille's Tendon which sidelined him in the 2010 World Cup.

While Beckham was present in the pre-season game between A.C. Milan and Arsenal, which ended in a draw, many people have expressed doubts about the future of the football/soccer astro.

The US Latin Station Univision has conducted a survey about whether or not Beckham is able to recuperate his style if he also decided to return to the MLS. I would like to ask the readers about their opinion on the future of Beckham.

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The news has been swirling for weeks about Freddie Ljungberg and now, there is solid information to report concerning his status.

Seattle Sounders FC announced Friday that the Swedish international star has been traded to the Chicago Fire in exchange for a selection in the 2011 or 2012 Super Draft.

Ljungberg, 33, a two time MLS All-Star selection for the Sounders, led Seattle and finished fourth in in the league with nine assists in 2009. He was named the MLS October Player of the Month after assisting on the team's final four goals of the regular season, helping the Sounders reach the MLS Cup Playoffs in the club's inaugural season.

Ljungberg was also a finalist for MLS Newcomer of the Year.

"Freddie is a tremendous individual and an exceptional player who contributed greatly to the huge success of Sounders FC, both on and off the field, in the past year and a half," said Adrian Hanauer, general manager.

"Freddie, along with Kasey Keller, gave this club immediate stature in the world's game, and we are grateful for his service. We wish him all the best in Chicago."

"I want to start off by saying how proud I am to have been part of the most successful new franchise in MLS history, the Seattle Sounders FC. I didn't know exactly what to expect when I first came to Seattle but I have to say that how the city and the fans have embraced me has gone beyond my wildest dreams and for that I am forever grateful. I also want to thank my teammates who are absolutely great on and off the pitch. I have made some very close friends who I know I will be in contact with forever," said Ljungberg.

Ljungberg was signed as Seattle's first Designated Player on October 28, 2008. He came to Seattle after 10 seasons in the English Premier League. In his nine years with Arsenal, he was a member of teams that won two EPL titles, three FA Cups and a UEFA Champions League final appearance.  Ljungberg was recently selected in an Internet poll as one of the most popular players in Arsenal’s celebrated history.

This season, Ljungberg played in each of the first 15 Sounders games while starting 14 and contributing three assists. Altogether, over the two seasons with Seattle, he played in 37 matches, starting 35, scoring two goals and adding 12 assists.

In a related move that comes as anything but a surprise, the Sounders have added midfielder Alvaro Fernandez, 24, to the active roster. Fernandez, a member of the Uruguay National Team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, was acquired on Thursday and has received his International Transfer Certificate.

This makes Fernandez eligible to play Saturday night against the San Jose Earthquakes in a clash that was already replete with many interesting dimensions.  The Sounders will enter play at Buck Shaw Stadium in the San Jose suburb of Santa Clara for the 7 p.m. PDT match just one point behind the host Earthquakes. 

While Seattle stands at 6-8-4 with 22 points, the host team coached by Frank Yallop and led by former U.S. World Cup player Bobby Convey has a 6-4-5 mark and 23 points.

Saturday's Bay Area match affords an opportunity for Seattle to jump from sixth to fourth in the Western Conference. San Jose enters the week tied for the fourth and final playoff slot. The Quakes have been idle since drawing, 2-2, at Los Angeles July 22. They are undefeated in four games with a 1-0-3 mark since June 5.

The teams are even in the overall series at 2-2.  In their last meeting at Qwest Field May 22, San Jose won a tough defensive battle 1-0.

Following the San Jose match the Sounders are off for El Salvador.  On Tuesday Champions League play resumes as Metapán and Seattle vie for a spot in the group stage. Sounders FC defeated Metapán 1-0 in the first leg at home behind a 40-yard blast from Fredy Montero just seconds after entering the game as a reserve.

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On Thursday, the Seattle Sounders FC acquired Uruguay National Team midfielder Alvaro Fernandez. The 24-year-old Fernandez played in four matches for semifinalist Uruguay during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Fernandez qualifies as the club's third Designated Player. His signing will be finalized upon receipt of his International Transfer Certificate. Fernandez has not yet been added to the active roster. Per Major League Soccer and club policy, terms were not disclosed.

Fernandez started for Uruguay in the quarterfinal against Ghana, and was a substitute in wins over South Africa, Mexico, and South Korea. La Celeste took fourth in South Africa, its best finish since 1970.  He has been capped 11 times by Uruguay, including appearances in six qualifiers-since his debut in 2008.

"I'm very excited to be playing in the U.S. because the football has grown a lot in the last few years and keeps getting better," said Fernandez. "Seattle is beautiful and I think it's the ideal place to be with my family. All these things helped in making my decision."

Sounders Coach Sigi Schmid said:

"Alvaro is a versatile player who can play in a number of midfield positions. He brings good energy to the game as well as World Cup experience. He can score and also set up others."

Fernandez played the 2010 season for Chile's Universidad. Located in Santiago, Universidad finished second in the Primera Division.  The team is currently in the semi-final stage of the Copa Libertadores, the South American club championship.

"My goals are always the same whenever I join a team, to try to help, on and off the field,” Fernandez said, “to help the club achieve its goals and, obviously, win championships. I believe I can contribute through my experience. I describe myself as a fast, smooth player, who can play on either flank. I am strong in the air, and I work very hard."

Fernandez earned his first selection by the Uruguay National Team while playing for Nacional.

In addition to national team play, Fernandez has top-flight experience in Uruguay, Mexico, Portugal, and Chile. In 2009 Nacional won the Uruguayan Primeria Division and reached the semifinals of the Copa Libertadores.

"Alvaro is experienced internationally and he has demonstrated a tremendous work rate and great tactical awareness," Chris Henderson, Sounders technical director, said. "He likes to connect passes, possesses good pace, and moves well off the ball."

“We have been tracking Alvaro for a while,” Sounders General Manager Adrian Hanauer revealed.  “Versatility, quality, character, a lot of the same attributes that we have been interested in all along. Alvaro is a player who has a very good pace. He is good in the air. Versatility, he can play anywhere across the midfield. Again, we just felt like another quality player was necessary to continue to build on what we have got and certainly to make a run for the playoffs.”

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Soccer announcers have been fawning over the myriad successes and near-successes that MLS teams have had in their battles with European clubs, yet one must wonder if the victories have any meaning.

The culmination of these friendlies (The MLS All Star Game) sheds the most light on the fledgling position of the MLS in the footballing world.

Unlike the rest of the major American sports leagues, which showcase a match of their best star players in competition with each other, MLS chooses to field a team of its best players against a major European club.

Moreover, the European clubs in both the All-Star Game and the friendlies are in preseason form, with their best players watching from the stands.

The MLS All-Star Game is akin to a preseason match between the New York Yankees and the best that the Japanese baseball league has to offer.

Even if the underdog wins, the victory is attributed to the incomplete, preseason form of the favorite.

While Manchester United was praised for its 5-2 thrashing of the MLS All-Stars, had the result gone the other way, Manchester’s poor performance would have been blamed on the absence of Wayne Rooney, Nemanja Vidic, and the club’s other top stars.

Consequently, the most that the MLS could have hoped for in all of its friendlies was to be recognized as a decent breeding ground for talent...talent that is to be plucked by the real superpower leagues of the world.

Can American soccer grow under the current status quo? One needs to look south for the answer, to the leagues in Argentina and Brazil.

While the Brazilian and Argentinean National teams are arguably two of the best in the world, only three Brazilian and six Argentine members of their respective World Cup 2010 squads play at clubs in their home country. (The U.S. had four MLS-based players on its World Cup team.)

In fact, the remaining players on the national squads are playing in the major leagues of Europe.

It seems that the soccer leagues of the two South American powerhouses have perfected the art of developing young players, only to see them leave for the European leagues once they reach a certain level of professionalism.

Perhaps there is hope yet for American soccer? While MLS may not be a strong league, the U.S. has a strong grassroots soccer program that has produced many fine players.

One must not forget that the vast majority of the best U.S. soccer players, including most of the members of the World Cup squads, started out in MLS.

But can MLS ever achieve the level of the English Premier League, Serie A, or the Bundesliga? Highly unlikely!

Not only are the European leagues a path to stardom and World Cup glory, but they also pay significantly better than all other leagues. As a result, MLS is simply unable to retain its best players due to financial limitations.

Yet even if MLS were to become the richest league in the United States, it would still not be able to rival its European counterparts. One of the most important elements of European soccer is competition.

Domestic league competitions are second in most fans’ minds to the UEFA Europa League and Champions League, where the best clubs of Europe compete to be crowned the kings of the continent.

The level of competition is fierce, and the prize is coveted. Even if MLS were to become a strong league, the other leagues in CONCACAF and CONMEBOL would have trouble following suit.

As a result, interleague competition in the Western Hemisphere would remain weak, and the vast majority of fans (including American fans) would remain more loyal to their favorite UEFA team.

According to a report by Bleacher Report contributor Andre Rojter, MLS was ranked 88th in the world by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics.

With the financial situation of the U.S. and the dominance of Europe of as a football federation, the statistic is unlikely to change.

One can only hope that MLS will continue to produce young and talented players who will reach their full potential in the leagues of Europe.

To see the article by Andre Rojter, please follow the link: 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/423659-congrats-mls-you-are-ranked-88th-in-the-world

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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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