Whether it was a botched breakaway in the game's early minutes, numerous saves from two determined goalkeepers or multiple denials from the unfriendly woodwork, the ball flat out refused to find a home in the net for much of Tuesday night's U.S. Open quarterfinal match between the Kansas City Wizards and the Seattle Sounders at Qwest Field.
But penalty shootouts do not accept ties, and the Wizards found themselves on the losing end of that ritual Tuesday night, losing 6-5 in the seventh round of penalties thanks to a save from Sounders 'keeper Chris Eylander, followed by a coolly taken final penalty from Zach Scott into the right side of the net.
Scott rushed straight into Eylander's arms after the score, and the celebration ensued as the Wizards trudged off with a tough-break loss after a 0-0 tie through 120 minutes of play.
"That's the biggest thing is just try not to think about and be confident in where you're going to go with the ball," Scott said. "I knew where I was going to go the whole time, it was just a matter of whether or not I would be the seventh kicker or not."
The Wizards played hardly any of their regular players -- although bringing on Jimmy Conrad and Michael Harrington during the second half - mainly because they need to prepare for Thursday's MLS match against the New York Red Bulls. That said, they put up an impressive fight against a USL-1 team that has made a habit of knocking off MLS foes in Seattle.
"I do think there was some very good performances within our group," Wizards coach Curt Onalfo said. "Anytime you have an opportunity to play a game that really matters, you learn from it. We had five rookies on the field, we had a couple second-year players and a couple third-year players. We had a very, very young team on the field, and I think they did a good job."
Seattle came out the aggressor, a predictable occurrence for the USL-1 team that has given MLS opponents fits in the U.S. Open Cup during the past couple years. The Sounders played several long balls in the air early on, looking for the quick breakthrough. The young Kansas City visitors, starting almost none of their regular lineup, seemed content to feel the Sounders out and settle with some long, speculative efforts.
"I think it was two different styles," Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said. "We're a bit more direct when we get possession we like to try to get in behind and get Sebastien (Le Toux) in behind."
The Sounders got behind the defense early, but it wasn't Le Toux. Seattle received the opportunity of a lifetime as Andre Schmid beat the Kansas City backline without straying offside and took a looping through ball that left him completely alone at the top of the box behind the defense. But he was uncomfortable with the touch as he moved in on charging Wizards 'keeper Eric Kronberg and nudged the ball too far to the right of the goal.
But Kansas City had its own opportunity in the 19th minute, as Ryan Pore probed the right side of the box before sending a low boring cross through the area. Wizards forward Mike Kraus met that offering with perfect timing from point-blank range, but Eylander smothered the shot to keep terms level.
That was the theme for most of the game -- close opportunities, but nobody able to get the ball past that little white line.
"I thought our guys fought extremely hard, I thought we created quite a few chances, took a lot of shots on goal, fell a little bit short," Onalfo said.
Kronberg became a big fan of his crossbar as the night went on. The top part of the goal frame stopped a shot by Seattle's Josh Gardner in the 61st minute and then denied a beautiful chip in extra time from Le Toux, who is already set to play for Seattle Sounders FC in the MLS next season. It also stopped Le Toux's penalty kick during the shootout.
But Kronberg did his part, as well, stopping a Le Toux shot off a run down the right side late in the first half and then parrying a 94th-minute strike from Jason Cascio just right of the post.
"It definitely helps to get in the game, to make a few saves, get some hands on the ball," Kronberg said.
Extra time brought additional opportunities, but Wizards midfielder Nelson Pizarro's run along the top of the box ended up in a shot that faded high and to the right. Even in the 120th minute, Eylander had to stay focused to collect a deflected free kick to send the game into penalty kicks.
"Anytime you go into PKs, you never know what's going to happen," Onalfo said.
Le Toux and Conrad both missed their second-round kicks, but everyone else held serve until the fateful seventh round. The loss sends Seattle on to the semifinals against Charleston, while the Wizards will now turn their attention back to the MLS season.
"I think quite frankly it was an evenly played game. I think 0-0 was a fair result," Onalfo said. "And it comes down to PKs, and you know the luck went Seattle's way. I think that's the way I see the game."
Jesse Baumgartner is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
