MLS Midweek: Late goal stuns Sounders, but Blaise of glory awaits..?

Thursday night. While many in the United States were watching the NFL Draft, they missed out on a fabulous MLS game full of drama and great goals.  The Seattle Sounders traveled to Texas to take on FC Dallas in the only mid week match up, and the game did not disappoint for those that made the trip.

Fans had to wait until the twenty-sixth minute for the first goal of the game. Jhon Hurtado failed to clear a poorly played through ball, allowing Jeff Cunningham to get a touch on the ball before Kasey Keller felled him in the box.  The referee pointed to the spot and Cunningham took the penalty himself, squeezing it past Keller to put FC Dallas up 1-0.

The traveling Sounders fans were silenced but only temporarily, as Steve Zakuani gave them reason to celebrate seven minutes before the break.  Zakuani took advantage of bad positioning by the Dallas defence to latch on to a through ball down the left side and advance all the way to the edge of the six, before opening up his body and firing the ball home to the far post.

The score remained knotted at one until the fifty-fifth minute, where a seemingly innocuous free kick was struck by Freddy Montero from thirty-five yards out and flew right into the top left hand corner. Dario Sala did not move until late, but had little chance with the perfectly struck scorcher. The Sounders led 2-1.

Montero’s fabulous strike looked to have won the game, but as has been a common theme recently a penalty given in the injury time once again changed the outcome of the game.  Jason Yeisley struggled through the defence at the top of the box before pushing the ball between two defenders, who somewhat blocked his path and caused him to fall down.

The controversial decision would go against the Sounders giving FC Dallas their second penalty of the game. Cunningham again went left to find a dramatic equalizer for the Texas squad.  The two goals in the game brought Cunningham’s MLS career total to 124, and he is second and quickly closing on all time leader Jaime Moreno.

FT: FC Dallas 2-2 Seattle Sounders

While allowing a late goal will have undoubtedly been disappointing for Seattle, the letdown will be softened by news of a future Sounders signing.  Blaise N’Kufo of Dutch Eredevisie side FC Twente, who has twelve goals in thirty games for the league leaders, has agreed to terms and will join the Sounders after this summer’s World Cup.

N’Kufo is a Swiss international who scored five goals in World Cup qualifying for Switzerland, and should be a tremendous boost to a squad already boasting a talented array of attackers in Zakuani, Montero, and Freddie Ljungberg, among others.  With the point, Seattle move up to second in the Western Conference, and with news of the impending arrival of N’Kufo, things seem to be looking up for the second year west coast franchise.

Blaise N'Kufo, FC Dallas, Jeff Cunningham, Major League Soccer, Seattle Sounders FC, USA