JUST ENOUGH Joseph’s goal lifts Revs over Sounders
Shalrie Joseph scored the only goal the Revolution needed to defeat Seattle on Thursday. Linda Cuttone/Sports Vue Images
SEATTLE—It wasn’t pretty, but Shalrie Joseph’s falling, flailing goal was all the New England Revolution needed to knock off the expansion Seattle Sounders FC 1-0 Thursday in front of a packed house of 32,705 at Qwest Field.
Joseph broke into the box for a short pass from Steve Ralston in the 21st minute, muscling his way past defender Peter Vagenas before whiffing on his first attempt to get the ball past netminder Kasey Keller. In a split second, the off-balance midfielder made a second attempt, and toed a slow roller over the line as both he and Keller fell to the turf.
Seattle, who failed to put even one of their 11 shots on goal, had their best chance to equalize in the 44th minute, when New England defender Jay Heaps got a high foot into Fredy Montero’s chest in the left side of the penalty area. Referee Baldomero Toledo, who had at the time flashed only one of the game’s seven yellow cards, awarded a penalty kick, and seconds later cautioned the Revs’ Steve Ralston for dissent. Montero stepped up to the spot and cracked a shot off the underside of the crossbar and back into play. Patrick Ianni got off a follow-up header, but missed high.
The half ended in chaos, after New England’s Edgaras Jankauskas did his best Diego Maradona “Hand of God” imitation in the Seattle goalmouth, while battling a clump of defenders and Keller for Kenny Mansally’s cross into the box. Jankauskas got a yellow card, Revs assistant coach Paul Mariner was sent off for dissent – joining already-suspended head coach Steve Nicol in an upstairs suite and leaving goalkeeper coach Gwynn Williams behind the bench for the second half – and Jay Heaps made it a trifecta after mouthing off to Toledo as the teams walked off the field for halftime.
The Revolution came out after the intermission apparently determined to put the game out of reach. Barely 30 seconds into the second half, Jeff Larentowicz got free in the Seattle box and cracked a shot that was blocked out for a corner kick. Ralston’s service from the corner was blocked out of the box to Sainey Nyassi, who sent a shot over the bar.
Seattle also came out fired up for the second half, putting pressure on netminder Matt Reis in the 47th minute, but Nate Jaqua’s open shot from the far post was blocked and cleared by defender Emmanuel Osei. Seattle best sustained effort came ten minutes later, starting with Montero’s sharp cross to Brad Evans, whose 19-yard shot was blocked out of play. The ensuing corner kick found its way to rookie Steve Zakuani, who beat defender Kevin Alston on the left side to get off a wicked shot toward the far post. Reis one-handed the ball out of the goalmouth, then ran it down higher in the box and sent it back upfield.
The Sounders kept the momentum for a while longer, and forced Osei to block a shot by Leo Gonzalez, who was on the finishing end of a neat give-and-go with Montero. Reis punched away the resulting corner kick, and dodged a late bullet from his own side of the lines in the 83rd, when Larentowicz got a foot on Zakuani’s lively cross and sent it in the direction of his own goal.
As things wound down, the Revolution contented themselves with protecting their lead, but they did come up with a couple of solid chances. Kheli Dube, who entered the match for Jankauskas in the 65th minute, volleyed a long pass from Darrius Barnes into the side netting in the 68th minute, and sent an open 18-yarder straight at Keller in the 72nd. Seattle’s last challenge came from long-distance and, although it appeared that Reis got a hand on it, Sebastian Le Toux’s 25-yard blast went wide for a goal kick.
The win closes the gap between the fifth-place Revs (7-6-6, 27 pts) and fourth-place DC United to a single point with four games in hand. Seattle lost an opportunity to retake second place in the MLS West, and falls to 8-6-8 (32 pts).
