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Montero rescues 10-man Sounders in Toronto

Montero - AP

By CALEB SONNELAND

Fredy Montero was back to his goal-scoring ways when he whipped a 90th minute free kick into the upper corner of the Toronto net for the 1-0 win and all three points at BMO Field in Toronto.

Coming off their respective draws the week before, Toronto and Seattle were looking to bounce back with a win and get their campaigns back on track.  Earlier in the season, the Sounders mauled the Reds 3-0 at Qwest Field, but with Seattle making its way out East, the hosts were looking to return the favor.

The all-important goal came in the 90th minute from about 22 yards out after Mauro Rosales was felled outside the Toronto area to give Seattle a free kick.  Up stepped the DP to curl the ball into Stefan Frei's net to put his team on top and pole position for all the spoils.  The goal was the first by a Sounders FC forward in 713 minutes and Montero's third of the season, having been held in his last seven matches.

After a relatively lifeless first half of play, the match seemed to take a turn when Seattle's Jhon Kennedy Hurtado was sent off with a second yellow.  The big defender brought down Stevanovic in the opening stages of the second half to throw coach Sigi Schmid's half-time game plan into the trash as Schmid then brought on defender Zach Scott.

Toronto attempted to take advantage of its numerical edge as it pushed further up the field searching for a goal.  The hosts came within inches of doing exactly that when Javier Martina was found unmarked at the far post but the Dutchman could only put his effort off the inside of the post and out of the goal mouth.

Despite being reduced to 10, Seattle actually founds itself pushing up the field on a number of occasions, chiefly through Mauro Rosales and DP Alvaro Fernandez, who subbed in to make his first appearance since the mid-May game against Sporting Kansas City.  The Uruguayan had a handful of chances to get his side off the mark but the Toronto back line held firm until the 90th minute winner from Montero.

TFC midfielder Nathan Sturgis welcomed his old club to Toronto and got the start in midfield before eventually being replaced at the break.  Sturgis was selected in the 2008 Expansion Draft by Seattle before eventually making his way to Vancouver and then Toronto.  

It wasn't all good news for Seattle, however, as midfielder Brad Evans was forced from the field with an ankle contusion in the second half following a clash with a Toronto defender.  News on the severity of the injury is yet to be known.
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Did you think Hurtado deserved the red?  What did you think of Montero's goal?  What does the result mean for Toronto FC?

Share your thoughts below 

Comments

  1. If you don’t card the dives you don’t give the second card to hurtado. I can see that it can be a card, but so were the two dives.
    It really doesn’t matter because the sounders won and hurtado would have probably sat either next Thursday or Sunday anyway

    Reply
  2. Both of Hurtado’s yellows were deserved – I thought they were pretty obvious. Especially the second where he had his arm wrapped around the defender. A little disappointed that the two dives by the same player went unpunished.

    Toronto was unlucky not to come away with something. Ironically Toronto started to lose control when they took Sturgis off; he was helping them win the battle in midfield.

    Outside of not carding for the dives, I thought the ref did a pretty good job… which is so rare these days that you notice it when it doesn’t completely suck.

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  3. Please tune up your game, it is almost 1/2 the way through the season and it takes you this long with the “annoying” fans comment.

    What did you do in the offseason ?

    No wonder you aren’t half as good a fan as the Seattle fans…..you stink.

    Reply
  4. Rosales can’t catch a break. This weeks and that challenge in Chicago (where the perpetrator didn’t even draw a card!)were terrible tackles.

    There’s no incentive not to make them. Just make sure you don’t snap the players leg in half. A fracture? That’s maybe a yellow.

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  5. It was the same player twice, and got nothing either time.
    I really love how wiping a player out with a tackle and supposedly pulling a player down have the same penalty. If a tackle could injure some one it should be a red.
    It is 3 weeks in a row Rosales has been wiped out by nasty challenges and still no red. It must take an injury to get a red

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  6. That dive in the first half was disgraceful, I dont remember who it was who dove but it was a slide by Riley and the Toronto guy was not touched at all and went writhing on the ground.

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  7. Being that Stevanovic never had possession and hadn’t even touched the ball prior to being taken down I’d of called obstruction or maybe given a direct kick but I thought the 2nd yellow was harsh. Nevertheless that’s why playing with 1 yellow is dangerous. JKH has played well of late. Hope he enjoys his rest.

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  8. I thought the second yellow on Hurtado was a little harsh, both players were out of control and it wasn’t worth altering the course of the game with a red card. Montero’s strike was fantastic, I only hope that it gives him the confidence to actually start playing up to his potential for the rest of the season. Another great article Caleb, it was nice meeting you at the Market Arms today. Cheers

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