until a backtracking Jhon Kennedy Hurtado headed it off the line.
• Sounders FC finished the game with 10 man after striker Nate Jaqua was sent off in the 88th minute after receiving a second yellow card.
• Here's Preki's team (4-4-2): Zach Thornton - Mariano Trujillo, Carey Talley, Shavar Thomas (Claudio Suarez 70), Jorge Flores - Atiba Harris, Michael Lahoud, Paulo Nagamura, Justin Braun - Maykel Galindo (Alecko Eskandarian 92+), Eduardo Lillingston (Sasha Victorine 68). Substitutes Not Used: Chukwudi Chijindu, Gerson Mayen, Lance Parker, Bojan Stepanovic
• Here's Schmid's team (4-4-2): Kasey Keller - James Riley, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Patrick Ianni, Tyson Wahl - Freddie Ljungberg, Brad Evans, Stephen King, Steve Zakuani (Sanna Nyassi 79) - Nate Jaqua, Fredy Montero (Sebastien Le Toux 65). Substitutes Not Used: Evan Brown, Ben Dragavon, Roger Levesque, Nathan Sturgis, Peter Vagenas
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC
Seattle Sounders FC became the first team to defeat D.C. United at RFK Stadium in league play, getting a second 2-1 win in Washington in 10 days' time. Sounders FC have 37 points from 25 matches, in third place in the Western Conference, three points behind the division-leading Houston Dynamo.
LAST MATCH
• D.C. United hauled themselves right back into the playoff picture by opening a five-game homestand with a 1-0 win against Kansas City, thanks to a 39th-minute goal from Luciano Emilio. Sounders FC were on a three-game league winless run, though their last match had been a 2-1 win against United right there at RFK Stadium, in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final.
• It took the visitors just five minutes to open the scoring. Peter Vagenas sent a perfectly weighted ball from deep inside his own half up inside-left channel, and Steve Zakuani outpaced Bryan Namoff to reach it in the area before slotting home between Josh Wicks' legs. It was the fourth goal of the year for the No. 1 overall selection in the 2009 SuperDraft.
• United pulled level in the 54th minute through a goal from a rookie of their own. Rodney Wallace hared forward through the center of the park and tried to find Emilio to his left, his blocked pass rebounding right to him in the area. Wallace banged it home for his third professional goal and the leveler.
• But Sounders FC hit for the winner in the 84th minute, and as in the Open Cup final, again it was Fredy Montero. This time the Colombian took a through ball in the right side of the area and hammering a rising blast on the half-turn that beat Wicks high inside the near post for his 10th goal on the league campaign.
• Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid made two changes to the team that played to a scoreless draw with Toronto FC on Aug. 29 at home. Patrick Ianni came into central defense for the injured Tyrone Marshall, and Sebastien Le Toux came in for the suspended Freddie Ljungberg.
• Here's Schmid's team (4-1-3-2): Kasey Keller - James Riley, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Patrick Ianni, Leo Gonzalez - Osvaldo Alonso - Sebastien Le Toux, Peter Vagenas (Brad Evans 62), Steve Zakuani (Tyrone Marshall 86) - Nate Jaqua (Roger Levesque 77), Fredy Montero. Substitutes Not Used: Terry Boss, Zach Scott, Nathan Sturgis, Tyson Wahl
TEAM NEWS
• After missing two games with another migraine headache following the trip to Los Angeles, Freddie Ljungberg missed out on the United match through yellow card accumulation.
• "We have had to play a lot of games without Freddie [Ljungberg] and some games without Montero. We knew they were going to come with a four[-man backline] this time so we didn't really have somebody drop in that hole and we tried to stay high on the two center backs," Schmid said.
• After scoring just one goal in the previous seven games (since July 11), Fredy Montero again hit the scoresheet with a wicked blast, his 11th goal in his initial MLS campaign, two off the Golden Boot lead held by Colorado's Conor Casey.
• "Obviously Montero can strike a great ball and when he turns around and gets all of it it's difficult for 'keepers to handle it. He hit it well, it beat him near post and it was good because it was a turning point in the game where they certainly had a little more of the game; they were starting to dominate the game or more possession for sure," Schmid said.
• After going more than four months without a victory on the road, Sounders FC have now won away from Qwest Field twice in the last three matches. After this weekend, the expansion club faces three consecutive road contests with trips to three Eastern Conference clubs - Columbus, New England and Kansas City.
• "We always felt we were a good team on the road; we felt we were close but with the exception of the San Jose game where we got blown out, we felt like in a lot of the other road games," Schmid said. "We were very competitive and we were there but sometimes we put ourselves in a hole with red cards and made it difficult for us to play. But we just felt it was a matter of time before we got those points."
CHIVAS USA
Chivas USA rebounded from back-to-back shutouts with a dominant victory, defeating the New England Revolution 2-0 on Sunday afternoon at The Home Depot Center. Chivas have 36 points from 23 matches, sitting in a tie for fourth place in the Western Conference with Colorado, four points behind division leaders Houston Dynamo.
LAST MATCH
• Chivas USA had followed up their first two wins in more than two months with two more losses, both by shutout, to the LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake. The Revolution had seen their three-game winning streak come to an end in a loss to Kansas City at home the weekend before.
• Chivas hadn't scored in 219 minutes coming into the game, but it took them just 10 minutes to open their account. Carey Talley flighted a long ball down the right flank for Justin Braun, who drove a low cross into the area for Maicon Santos to tap home for his first MLS goal.
• Sacha Kljestan put the game away deep into stoppage time, converting from the penalty spot for his third goal on the year (all in the last four games) after Revs goalkeeper Matt Reis was ruled to have tripped up Eduardo Lillingston as he tried to round on a breakaway.
• Chivas goalkeeper Zach Thornton recorded a third shutout in the last five games for Chivas, not called upon to make a single save on the day.
• Chivas USA coach Preki made three changes to the team that lost 1-0 to the LA Galaxy in the third SuperClasico of the season. Jorge Flores returned to the team at left back, for Marcelo Saragosa; Michael Lahoud came in for Jesse Marsch in the center of midfield, and Justin Braun returned from a long-term injury in place of the suspended Maykel Galindo.
• Here's Preki's team (4-4-2): Zach Thornton - Carey Talley, Jonathan Bornstein, Yamith Cuesta, Jorge Flores - Jesus Padilla, Michael Lahoud, Paulo Nagamura, Sacha Kljestan - Justin Braun (Mariano Trujillo 75), Maicon Santos (Eduardo Lillingston 51). Substitutes Not Used: Chukwudi Chijindu, Jon Conway, Jesse Marsch, Gerson Mayen, Shavar Thomas
• "I think we were the better team all night, it was just frustrating for us on the bench not to be able to score a second goal. I thought in the first 15-20 minutes, we should've at least had another one and put the game away," Preki said. "But the guys kept plugging away, and they kept working hard for each other, and in the end we got the three points.
TEAM NEWS
• Chivas have already won the season series against Seattle, important if the two teams are tied at the end of the season for playoff positioning. But the Red-and-White are still a point behind Sounders FC, though they have two points in hand.
• "Right now it's all about points, right now it's all about getting a position in the playoffs, and every game and every point is important," said Preki. "Every game now is like a final for us," said Maicon Santos. "You can't lose, you can't play badly; you must do everything you can and play hard every game."
• Off back-to-back defeats, Preki opted for a young lineup. It was just the third starts of the season for both Michael Lahoud and Flores Flores, while Justin Braun, who had been sidelined with a concussion, was making his first appearance in four months.
• "They've been working hard in training, they're young, they're athletic," said Preki of the three, none of whom is older than 22. "I thought we needed a little more athleticism, we needed a little bit more speed, and to be fair to all those three guys, they had a good game."
• Starting a fourth consecutive game since his signing, Maicon Santos scored his first MLS goal. "You can see in training, he's a good finisher, he moves around with ease, and he's good in the air," said Preki of the Brazilian. "We knew he was going to score goals, it was just a matter of time."
• But Chivas USA will again have a hole to fill, as Carey Talley was sent off along with Edgarus Jankauskas of New England. It was the second red card for Chivas USA in as many games. Maykel Galindo was dismissed against Los Angeles, also for violent conduct.
• "I'm very concerned," said Preki. "We've shown a little lack of discipline on the field and if we don't clean up our act in the key parts of the year, we might be having a difficult time. Hopefully, we can learn from our mistakes and become a little more disciplined as a team."
