Sounders season unceremonious cut short

Fans sour after rival Galaxy kill the comeback and advance to MLS Cup Final

SEATTLE – Questionable calls leading to a disappointing result has resurfaced for another Seattle sports team in the playoffs.

Heading into the second leg of the MLS Western Conference Final between the Seattle Sounders and the LA Galaxy, Sounders fans knew they would need a miracle if they were going to make up a three-goal deficit to advance to the MLS Cup Final. To the 44,545 fans inside Century Link Field Sunday night, it looked like the Galaxy had an extra player on their side, the referee.

While Seattle won the game 2-1, it was not enough to win the series as LA won on aggregate 4-2 and advanced to set up a rematch against the Houston Dynamo in the MLS Cup Dec. 1.

The question many Sounders fans have posed throughout the blogosphere: Was the referee paid off to make sure the Galaxy advanced to the championship game so LA superstar David Beckham can retire on top?

I was one of the 44,545 in attendance rooting for the rave green. Despite the difficult circumstances and the pouring rain, I believed the Sounders had the capability to accomplish something special.

The atmosphere in the stadium was electric like always. At the start of the game, fireworks went off and green streamers floated down from the rafters as heavy rain could be seen falling through the bright lights. The Emerald City Supporters on the south end of the stadium jumped up and down singing and kept the energy level high.

Seattle came out aggressive and did what they needed to do, score an early goal. Eddie Johnson connected on a lead pass from defender Zach Scott for a goal in the 11th minute. Just one minute earlier, it appeared Johnson scored, but the goal was disallowed by referee Mark Geiger who called him offside. Replays showed Johnson timed his run and was onside by the time the pass was made. The sound of the referee’s whistle would be a recurring frustration for Sounders fans all night.

Two goals by halftime would have been nice, but the Sounders struck quickly in the second half to make things very interesting.

Scott scored on a diving header off a corner kick in the 57th minute to give the Sounders a 2-0 lead in the game which sent the fans into nirvana. With more than 30 minutes left, Seattle needed just one more goal to draw level with the Galaxy.

But the nervous excitement turned to resounding boos which echoed throughout the stadium when Geiger whistled Seattle for a handball in the box, awarding a penalty kick for LA in the 68th minute.

Galaxy forward Robbie Keane kicked a harmless cross into the middle which caught Sounders defender Adam Johansson’s arm. In a critical moment in the game when Seattle is fighting so hard to catch up, a judgment call by the referee to give LA a free goal on their only real attack of the night felt like a slap on the face to the Sounders fans. Keane’s ensuing goal made the score 2-1 and pushed LA’s aggregate advantage to 4-2, all but ending the Sounders comeback.

At the end of the game, the boo birds came out and some bottles were thrown onto the field.  A couple Sounders players’ frustrations also boiled over. Osvaldo Alonso and Johnson got in the faces of the officiating crew with Alonso drawing a red card which will carry over to next season.

While it is easy for the fans to blame the referee when their team loses, the Sounders did bury themselves in a gaping hole. The fight and resiliency they showed Sunday night should be commended.

In the first game on Nov. 11, the Sounders lost 3-0 in LA, an almost insurmountable deficit in playoff soccer. In the MLS playoffs, the two teams play two games and the combined score of both, or aggregate, determines who advances.

Seattle was in a similar situation in last season’s playoffs against Real Salt Lake. They lost the first game 3-0, before winning the next 2-0, falling short then. If the team has learned anything from the playoffs, it should be, do not give up three goals in the first game.

While Seattle has made the playoffs all four years of their MLS existence, they did not win their first playoff series until a 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake on Nov. 8. With that hurdle now achieved, the Sounders had their sights set on a MLS Cup Title.

Injuries and inconsistent scoring plagued Seattle during this year’s playoff run. On Sunday, team captain, midfielder Mauro Rosales was out of the starting lineup with a hamstring injury, although he did sub in late. In his place was Steve Zakuani, the Sounders first overall pick in 2009 and a fan favorite who has slowly returned from a broken leg suffered last season.

It does not help that star forward Fredy Montero has played 10 playoff games without scoring a goal. Keane by comparison has scored five goals in the Galaxy’s four playoff game this season.

Since 2009, the Sounders have elevated American soccer with the largest attendance in the MLS. The timing of the NBA’s Sonics moving to OKC to become the Thunder coinciding with the Sounders inaugural season created a perfect storm that gave Seattle sports fans a team to fill the void. While football continues reigns the national scene, the Sounders continue to be the best ticket in town and my money on Seattle’s best hope at a winning a championship.

NHL in PNW??

City of Seattle releases plans for new arena to lure back NBA, NHL

Looking to quench my thirst for some live hockey action, I traveled north to Vancouver last Wednesday to watch the Canucks take on the Colorado Avalanche.

Following their tragic letdown in coming one game away from hoisting the Stanley Cup last season, the Canucks are in the midst of another dominating season atop the Northwest Conference and unbeaten in their last 10 games.

On game days, downtown Vancouver is buzzing with excitement. People all over the city are wearing hockey jerseys as they make their way to Rogers Arena for another sellout game. In Canada, hockey is the national identity. It is no different in British Columbia where the slogan goes, “We are all Canucks.”

For me, hockey is the perfect sport with a thrilling blend of speed, skill, physicality, intensity and passion. The exhilaration of a breakaway goal, a punishing check into the boards or the frantic final seconds of overtime is what makes hockey great.

While I don’t mind crossing the border to get my hockey fix, I cannot help but get excited about recent reports that the city of Seattle has unveiled plans for a new arena to attract an NBA and NHL franchise to the Pacific Northwest.

Seattle native Chris Hansen, a hedge-fund manager from San Francisco, has come forward with a proposal to pay $290 million to build an 18,000-seat arena south of Safeco Field. The city of Seattle would be responsible for financing $200 million to cover construction costs and recoup their money through the revenue two professional sports teams would generate. Construction cannot begin until Hansen’s investment group secures an NBA team to lease the building.

While I was devastated when the Seattle Supersonics were stolen and hitched their wagons for Oklahoma City, in the four years the NBA has been gone, I do not miss it one bit.

Growing up, my first love was basketball. Watching Supersonic legends like Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp and Detlef Schrempf battle Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in the 1996 NBA Finals is still one of my favorite sports moments. The Sonics were one of the best teams in the 90’s and Key Arena hosted the biggest party in town. That all changed when the big business NBA, led by villain commissioner David Stern, did not see Key Arena as a suitable moneymaker for the league and allowed Oklahoma businessman Clay Bennett take the team to the Midwest, erasing 40 years of basketball history in Seattle.

The NBA game has changed drastically in the past decade. It is a league with overpaid, overhyped stars who chose where they want to play and when they want to play hard. The passion and excitement is gone and Seattle is better off without it.

The Seattle Sounders of the MLS have helped fill the void as the most exciting team in town, showing the country that Seattle has some of the most passionate fans in sports. I think a hockey team can have that same success, even if it means the NBA returns to Seattle.

Seattle is a great market for an NHL team with a great tradition of hockey dating back to the Seattle Metropolitans who became the first American team to win the Stanley Cup in 1917, long before the NHL existed.  In more recent years, the game has developed a growing fan interest from two Western Hockey League teams the Seattle Thunderbirds and Everett Silvertips. Being in proximity to one of the league’s most popular teams could also create a thrilling Cascadia rivalry. If hockey can survive in warm climate cities like Tampa Bay and Nashville, why not Seattle?

Speculation is that either the Sacramento Kings or New Orleans Hornet are the most likely NBA teams to be relocated for similar reasons Seattle left the league. Hansen has made it clear he is only interested in owning an NBA team, so another owner would have to step up to bring hockey to Seattle.

 In the NHL, the Phoenix Coyotes and New York Islanders are two teams hockey fans in the Northwest should watch out for. The Coyotes are currently owned by the league and are looking for another owner to either keep the team in the desert or move them. The Islanders, who have a long history on Long Island, play in an outdated arena and are having trouble financing another venue.

If professional hockey comes to Washington state, I will support it. I will always maintain my loyalty to the Canucks, but I have room in my heart for two teams.

Just 13 seconds after the puck dropped at Wednesday’s game, the Canucks scored for an early lead. Center Ryan Kesler won the faceoff to Kevin Bieska who sent the pass to winger Mason Raymond who skated into the Colorado zone and passed to David Booth who drove through traffic and beat the Avalanche goalie with a backhander over his glove.

Vancouver put the game away in the third period with a one-timer goal from Janick Hansen and added an Alex Burrows empty net goal to give the Canucks a 3-1 victory.

The Canucks looked primed to make another title run with the offensive firepower, defensive fortitude, depth and dominating goaltending. Hockey has never been more popular in Vancouver and it would be great for fans in Seattle to experience the rush.