SEATTLE – The Seattle Sounders may have preferred a result that was a little easier on the heart rate in their Wednesday night CONCACAF Champions League matchup against Club Olimpia at CenturyLink Field.
But the ends would justify the means for Seattle, as the Sounders managed to pull out two dramatic late goals for a 2-1 victory to vault them to the top of Group F in CCL play.
“Obviously we left it for late,” Seattle head coach Sigi Schmid told reporters after the game. “It would have been a lot easier if we had scored some goals earlier.”
Easier, yes.
More entertaining? Not a chance.
The madness started in the 90th minute, with the Sounders trailing 1-0 and on the verge of a disappointing home loss that would have been a setback to their hopes of advancing out of an already-challenging group.
But the Sounders found an improbable equalizer after a throw-in into the Olimpia box deflected right to midfielder Erik Friberg, who headed home a simple finish. This was followed by a penalty kick call on Olimpia’s Arnold Peralta for a foul on Dylan Remick deep into stoppage time that set up Sounders captain Brad Evans with a chance at the game-winning penalty kick.
Evans described the fireworks that would ensue ahead of the penalty attempt after the game.
“In the beginning, I put the ball down [to take the penalty] and the ‘keeper’s standing there for a good three minutes,” he said. “At that point it becomes the referee’s responsibility to push the ‘keeper back on his line so I can take the penalty kick.
“The referee doesn’t say anything, doesn’t push the goalkeeper back. More guys come crowd around, I put the ball down, he touches the ball once, so I retouch the ball. He comes back, I push him and that’s when the melee starts.”
Shoving matches broke out both prior to Evans taking the penalty and after he slotted it by Olimipa ‘keeper Noel Valladares to give the Sounders the 2-1 lead that would hold as the final score.
Evans and Valladares exchanged words after the goal, leading to a lengthy confrontation between the sides that saw players from both side have to be physically restrained from going after one another before the final whistle.
“He’s talking trash, so I score a PK in the 97th minute, he’s going to hear it back,” Evans said. “I think we all know the outcome from there.”
Wednesday night’s theatrics are sure to add an even more compelling element to the side’s next matchup, which takes place next Wednesday in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
“I think it’s going to be a fiery game,” Evans said. “I’m sure they’ll be out for blood, obviously. We’ve got four points sitting in the group and we’ve got two games left so I think if we get one more win, we find ourselves in a great position of advancing.”
