SEATTLE – Fredy Montero continued his torrid streak, collecting a goal and an assist to Álvaro Fernández as the Seattle Sounders extended their winning streak to four straight with a 2-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo on Sunday night at Qwest Field.
In the 64th minute, Montero collected Kasey Keller’s punt, shielded Houston defender Eddie Robinson and struck a right-footed shot inside the far post. Montero now has eight goals and nine assists on the year as Seattle continue to climb in the standings.
Montero’s magic spoiled what had been a superb performance in goal from Houston goalkeeper Tally Hall. Pat Onstad’s understudy finished the match with seven saves but was helpless on each of Seattle’s goals.
Hall was the bright spot for Houston, who failed to muster much offense despite the presence of Brian Ching in the starting lineup. The Dynamo finished the match without a shot on goal.
Seattle monopolized the scoring chances but had a difficult time getting past Hall, who hails from nearby Gig Harbor, Wash. The first solid chance came off the boot of Montero in the 25th minute, but Hall pushed the shot away.
The Dynamo ‘keeper came up big again in the second half, diving to his right to deny Osvaldo Alonso’s shot from distance. Houston’s best chance on the other end came when Joseph Ngwenya had a goal called back in the 57th minute for offside.
After Montero put up 1-0 in the 64th, the Dynamo started to push forward in search of a tying goal. The gamble failed to pay off, and Fernández opened his account for Seattle in the waning minutes. Despite a poor first touch, the Uruguayan was able to collect a nicely weighted pass from Montero and finish a breakaway against Hall.
With the win, Seattle have now gained 13 of a possible 15 points in their last five league games and keep pace with FC Dallas and Colorado in the Western Conference. They face another West opponent in Chivas USA next weekend.
For Houston, who haven’t won an MLS match since May 22, the task doesn’t get any easier – they face a road game against a New England Revolution team which hasn’t lost in its past seven matches.
Scoring Summary:
SEA -- Fredy Montero 8 (Kasey Keller 1) 64
SEA -- Alvaro Fernandez 1 (Fredy Montero 9, Nate Jaqua 1) 88
Misconduct Summary:
SEA -- Sanna Nyassi (caution; Unsporting Behavior) 28
SEA -- James Riley (caution; Reckless Foul) 32
SEA -- Blaise Nkufo (caution; Unsporting Behavior) 50
HOU -- Brian Mullan (caution; Reckless Tackle) 59
HOU -- Mike Chabala (caution; Reckless Foul) 59
SEA -- Nathan Sturgis (caution; Unsporting Behavior) 70
Lineups:
Houston Dynamo -- Tally Hall, Eddie Robinson, Bobby Boswell, Andrew Hainault, Mike Chabala, Corey Ashe (Brian Mullan 58), Danny Cruz (Dominic Oduro 76), Richard Mulrooney, Brad Davis (Geoff Cameron 58), Joseph Ngwenya, Brian Ching.
Seattle Sounders -- Kasey Keller, James Riley, Patrick Ianni, Jeff Parke, Leo Gonzalez, Sanna Nyassi (Mike Seamon 85), Osvaldo Alonso, Nathan Sturgis, Steve Zakuani (Alvaro Fernandez 69), Fredy Montero, Blaise Nkufo (Nate Jaqua 87).
Referee: Michael Kennedy
Referee's Assistants: Chris Strickland; Jeff Hosking
4th Official: Alejandro Mariscal
Time of Game: 1:50
Weather: Partly Cloudy and 67 degrees
Attendance: 36,111
