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Both teams took late shots at stealing an
advantage but could not score in the evenly contested game at
B.C. Place Stadium.
The Sounders came into the match slightly undermanned with
striker Clint Dempsey serving an automatic suspension for his
red card in the season finale.
Midfielder Victor Rodriguez was also a scratch as he misses time
with a quad-muscle pull.
Still, Seattle aggressively sought out a score knowing that away
goals are the first tie-breaker if the aggregate score is tied
after the two-game series. Seattle’s Kendall Waston nearly put
his team ahead as he took a cross from Nicolas Lodeiro but hit
the crossbar.
Chad Marshall failed to direct his header past Whitecaps keeper
Stefan Marinovic, two minutes into the second half.
“We understand that there’s an away goal rule," Sounders
goalkeeper Stefan Frei told reporters.
“But you can’t bank on that. I mean, they have to score now. A
0-0 tie isn’t going to do them anything at our place. And like I
said, we fancy our chances going home."
Vancouver’s own chances came up short in front of its home crowd
when Brek Shea's attempt was saved by Roman Torres in the 30th
minute.
Each team will again fire away searching for victory when the
series resumes with the second leg in Seattle on Thursday.
“We know we can play a little bit better but it’s about how well
you play. I’ve been in enough games where you play really well
and you don't win the game,” said Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson.
“It’s about finding a way to win and we’ve done it all season.
We have to go on the road to a difficult place. They’re the
reigning champs for a reason."
The series resumes with the second leg in Seattle on Thursday.
(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Amlan
Chakraborty)
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