Clint Dempsey’s late header lifts Sounders to 1-0 win over Montreal
Apr 2, 2016, 9:08 PM | Updated: Apr 3, 2016, 10:20 am
Seattle goalkeeper Stephen Frei makes a save during the Sounders' 1-0 win over Montreal on Saturday night. (AP)
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Staff report
The Sounders picked up their first points of the season, beating Montreal 1-0 on a late header goal by Clint Dempsey.
Seattle saw a number of changes to the starting lineup against the Impact, with Dylan Remick and Aaron Kovar coming in for Joevin Jones and Jordan Morris. Jones was seen with an ice pack on his knee on Friday, and coach Sigi Schmid hinted that Morris may not be psychologically ready after his loss with the USA U-23 squad on Tuesday.
The first half was fairly tepid, with the Sounders registering only a single shot on target. The Sounders’ tactics were a bit different than in their three previous matches, setting up in more of a 4-2-3-1 with Dempsey starting in the left attacking midfield role and Andreas Ivanschitz mostly moving through the middle.
There were a few solid chances, one coming from a Remick cross into the box that went right over Kovar’s head. The final fifteen minutes of the half were controlled by the Impact, but a handful of last minute blocks and an excellent save by Stefan Frei kept the match at 0-0 going into halftime.
The second half started in a similar manner to the first, as the Impact controlled the game without truly threatening the goal. The Sounders threatened when Dempsey took one of his signature free kicks from deep and nearly scored, but Impact goalkeeper Evan Bush had other ideas and tipped the shot over the bar.
Around fifteen minutes after that, Dempsey put the Sounders up 1-0 with a powerful header from an Ivanschitz corner.
Youngster Oalex Anderson, who came on for Nelson Valdez earlier in the second half, had an excellent and skillful run snuffed out after he failed to pass to an open teammate. Anderson broke through again near the end of regular time, but dragged his shot just wide of the goal.
Stoppage time saw the Impact threaten with a couple chances, and another Seattle youngster failed to capitalize as Morris made a great run near the box but failed to find a teammate. The match ended 1-0 to the Sounders, who earned their first win of the season.
Spenser Davis also covers the Sounders for Sounder at Heart.
