BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – Blaise Nkufo scored a late goal to give the Seattle Sounders a crucial 1-0 win over the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park on Saturday night.
The win leapfrogs the Sounders past the Colorado Rapids and into seventh place in the league table. The result effectively ends the season for the 12th-place Fire, who now sit 11 points behind the Rapids for the eighth and final playoff spot with just six games remaining.
Nkufo clinched victory for Seattle in the 88th minute. The Swiss international ran onto winger Steve Zakuani’s through ball in the left side of the area, cutting back before firing a right footed shot off the leg of sliding Chicago defender C.J. Brown and into the back of the net.
Chicago desperately searched for a last-ditch equalizer after conceding, but couldn’t create a solid chance before the final whistle, extending their winless streak to seven games.
The game began with a Fire nearly taking the lead through a bizarre series of events in the third minute. Winger Marco Pappa ran onto the ball in an advanced position on the right wing.
The linesman raised his flag – presumably marking Pappa offside – but no whistle came, allowing Pappa to run in on goal unimpeded by the confused Seattle defenders. But Pappa didn’t take advantage of his surprising one-on-one with Seattle keeper Kasey Keller, hitting his shot from eight yards right at the veteran ‘keeper.
Seattle should have gone ahead in the ninth minute. Midfielder Nathan Sturgis sent an out-swinging corner kick in from the right side, finding fellow midfielder Osvaldo Alonso at the top of the six-yard box. Alonso, who was relatively unmarked, looked poised to put the Sounders ahead, but flashed his header just wide of the near post.
Chicago had a scary moment in the 39th. Brown was shielding a Seattle attacker in the box, ushering the loose ball towards ‘keeper Sean Johnson.
The veteran defender didn’t appear to touch the ball towards Johnson, freeing the rookie netminder to pick the ball up. Johnson saw something else, as he blasted a clearance directly at the helpless Brown, who nearly deflected the ball into the Fire’s net.
The Fire’s best chance came in first-half stoppage time. Forward Freddie Ljungberg lifted a pretty ball to left back Gonzalo Segares, freeing the Costa Rican defender to hit a cross from the left side of the box. A Sounders defender deflected Segares’ ball directly into the path of an onrushing Pappa, who forced Keller into a fine diving save with a hard eight-yard shot.
Seattle missed a solid opportunity in the 56th minute, when pressured Zakuani missed an empty net from 25 yards.
Fredy Montero should have put the Sounders ahead in the 63rd minute. Seattle sent an early ball in from the right wing, finding Montero alone at the top of the six-yard box. The Colombian forward – who scored two goals against the Fire on Aug. 28 in Seattle – couldn’t take advantage of the golden opportunity, heading the bouncing cross wide of the net.
Ljungberg nearly put one past his former team in the 76th. The Swedish Designated Player collected the ball on the left wing, dribbled into the box, and fired a right-footed shot from 15 yards, forcing Keller into a diving save.
Scoring Summary:
SEA -- Blaise Nkufo 4 (Steve Zakuani 5) 88
Misconduct Summary:
CHI -- John Thorrington (caution; Reckless Foul) 27
CHI -- Marco Pappa (caution; Reckless Tackle) 70
Lineups:
Seattle Sounders -- Kasey Keller, James Riley, Patrick Ianni, Jeff Parke, Leo Gonzalez, Sanna Nyassi (Roger Levesque 82), Osvaldo Alonso, Nathan Sturgis (Alvaro Fernandez 78), Steve Zakuani (Tyrone Marshall 89), Fredy Montero, Blaise Nkufo.
Substitutes Not Used: Michael Fucito, Zach Scott, Mike Seamon, Terry Boss.
Chicago Fire -- Sean Johnson, Bratislav Ristic, C.J. Brown, Kwame Watson-Siriboe, Gonzalo Segares (Deris Umanzor 58), Patrick Nyarko, John Thorrington, Logan Pause (Collins John 82), Marco Pappa, Calen Carr (Brian McBride 64), Freddie Ljungberg.
Substitutes Not Used: Corben Bone, Baggio Husidic, Dasan Robinson, Andrew Dykstra.
Referee: Jasen Anno
Referee's Assistants: Peter Balciunas; Claudio Badea
4th Official: Michael Kennedy
Time of Game: 1:53
Weather: Rain and 60 degrees
Attendance: 17,477
