Kasey Keller's night was nearly perfect. He is ending his club career in a fashion where anyone would be happy for him to still be playing. From saves of snap headers, to a sequence that is reminsent of that epic match against Brazil he was as good as he's even been in MLS. Opportune finishing by Sammy Ochoa tied the game and started the climax of an amazing night of soccer and spectacle. Players like Fredy Montero and Mauro Rosales remind us all that they are indeed both MVP quality players, and maybe their continued battle to lead the team offensively will hurt them both in the final standings for that award. This Seattle Sounders team may not be perfect, but it certainly great.
Statistics show that the time tested strategy of fouling Seattle more than they foul you is still in practice, but the San Jose Earthquakes seemd to miss an important element - they didn't have Keller's seven saves. Despite two misclears that set-up San Jose's most danerous moments, the defense managed to keep the Earthquakes to only 63% pass completion and Seattle won 60% of all duels. Passing for the Rave Green wasn't as crisp as usualy with only a 70% completion rate that was even from half to half, but obviously created more chances after the break.
The praise for Keller is throughout the quote sheet. But for me the comment that sticks out is when Kasey discusses what he did to before the game - watching Chelsea and then college football. He calls supporting many sports "being American." The record setting crowd is the other recurring theme.
|
Goals by Period |
1 |
2 |
Tot |
|
San Jose Earthquakes |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Seattle Sounders |
0 |
2 |
2 |
|
Scoring Summary: |
|
SJ -- Chris Wondolowski 15 (Rafael Baca 3) 24 |
|
SEA -- Sammy Ochoa 1 (Mauro Rosales 13) 82 |
|
SEA -- Fredy Montero 12 (Lamar Neagle 2, Brad Evans 4) 87 |
|
San Jose Earthquakes-- Jon Busch, Steven Beitashour, Bobby Burling, Jason Hernandez, Justin Morrow, Simon Dawkins, Sam Cronin, Brad Ring, Rafael Baca, Chris Wondolowski, Khari Stephenson. |
|
Misconduct Summary: |
|
SJ -- Justin Morrow (caution; Reckless Tackle) 6 |
|
SJ -- Brad Ring (caution; Reckless Foul) 40 |
|
SEA -- Patrick Ianni (caution; Unsporting Behavior) 48 |
|
SJ -- Jason Hernandez (caution; Unsporting Behavior) 57 |
|
Referee: Michael Kennedy |
|
Referee's Assistants:-Kermit Quisenberry; Bill Dittmar |
|
4th Official: Hilario Grajeda |
|
Attendance: 64,140 |
|
Time of Game: 1:52 |
|
Weather: Partly Cloudy-and-52-degrees |
| Seattle Sounders FC | San Jose Earthquakes | |
|---|---|---|
|
13 |
Attempts on Goal |
14 |
|
3 |
Shots on Target |
8 |
|
8 |
Shots off Target |
4 |
|
2 |
Blocked Shots |
2 |
|
3 |
Corner Kicks |
5 |
|
10 |
Fouls |
19 |
|
25 |
Open Play Crosses |
9 |
|
3 |
Offsides |
0 |
|
1 |
Yellow Cards |
3 |
|
0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
|
48 |
Duels Won |
31 |
|
60% |
Duels Won % |
39% |
|
406 |
Total Pass |
388 |
|
70% |
Passing Accuracy % |
63% |
|
51.3% |
Possession |
48.7% |
POSTGAME QUOTES: Sounders FC vs. San Jose Earthquakes - October 15, 2011
Sigi Schmid - Sounders FC Head Coach
(Open comments...)"First half wasn't our best half of soccer. I thought we gave away way too much space at midfield. We needed to control the middle part of the field. That was a big thing we talked about at halftime. I thought we did a better job of that in the second half. Certainly, you could see the impact that Mauro [Rosales] has on our game. When he came onto the field, he just changed our whole dynamic a little bit. It was great to see Sammy Ochoa get his first goal in a Sounder uniform and I thought Fredy Montero finished his goal very well. Not to neglect, certainly there were some great saves that Kasey [Keller] made throughout the game tonight that really kept us in the game and gave us the opportunity to win the game in the last 10 minutes. So not our best night but again we showed our resiliency and our character in being able to come back and pull out a win at home."
(On if there's a game of Keller's that stands out...)"Shoot, there's so many. I mean, obviously that game he played for the national team against Brazil that night in L.A. was one that ranks up there as one of the best all time for any goalkeeper but he's played so many outstanding games for the Sounders that you sort of, as a coach, sometimes you almost go, 'OK, it's expected.' But you can't ever become complacent. You can't ever expect it. Big goalkeepers make saves at crucial points in the game and they don't give up generally soft goals and that's what Kasey does. He makes saves at important junctures in the game to keep us in it and that keeps us in the game. He was able to do that for us tonight and he's done that numerous times."
(On the reaction to the go-ahead winning goal by Montero...) "I mean, I know I was elated. I think everybody else was elated. Certainly, when you look at our sport - I've said this - sometimes people say, 'Soccer, it's not enough...' How can you say a game like tonight wasn't exciting? Games like tonight just grip you. I was definitely elated and I think all of the football fans who showed up... What was it tonight? Like 120,000 people went to watch football but I think a few more came to watch the European version. So we're happy about that but it was pure ecstasy and knowing that we were able to fight back and come back again and that our character and our resiliency was still there just made me elated."
Kasey Keller - Sounders FC Goalkeeper
(Open comments...)"For me, with all of the anticipation for this game and knowing there was going to be a huge crowd, I'm not one who really likes to take focus. I like to just be a team guy and make the team happen. This was the most nervous I've been for a game since the World Cup because I just didn't want to disappoint. I just wanted to be able to come out and help the team win the game today so I'm just so proud of the guys to not quit (and) to keep going. We've done it so many times this year that once again, you definitely don't want to leave this stadium early because we're going to make things happen at some stage of the game. It might be a little bit late but we'll make it happen. I'm just proud of the whole franchise. By no way could I have imagined, or Sigi [Schmid], or Adrian [Hanauer], or Joe [Roth], or anybody, that three or four years ago when this thing got rolling that we would be at this stage right now where we are. Huge credit to everybody from obviously the ownership group, the coaching staff works tremendously hard, the players, the fans - they just keep coming out. We have an Open Cup game and 20,000 non-season ticket holders show up on a Tuesday night. I'm just humbled. I'm humbled not just for what the club has done for me and given me the opportunity to come home and finish my career back home in something that is just so incredibly special. You can ask my friends who were able to fly out, guys who've played around the world and they just can't believe it. They just are so proud of what's going on here in Seattle and I'm just proud to be a small piece of it."
(On late in the game when he saved four consecutive shots...)"I can't remember that long ago. Like I said, I just hoped I could play today and help the team get a result because I don't want to see 64,000 people go home disappointed. I want them to go home and say, 'That was a tremendous experience.' Take away all the motorcycles and Drew [Carey] driving in on a quad - that was pretty cool, that was worth watching for the attendance and then Zach Scott yelling I should take the other showcase. I'm happy with the showcase I got but this club is something special and like I said I'm just so proud to be a part of it and was able to help with what was the most important thing for tonight, and that was the result. Because, you know, like Sigi has said and Adrian, we still want five more games this season - no, six actually if you count the CONCACAF game. So we've got a lot left and there's no reason that with the resilience that this team has that we can't have a good time left."
(On when it will all sink in that he's done playing soccer...) "I don't think it will truly sink in until the end of January when everybody's getting back together for preseason and I'm realizing that I'm not for the first time in 20-some years, if you count college soccer, that's a long time ago. [...] Because, like you said, this isn't the last game. I'm used to a European system where the last game is the last game but now it's playoffs and you don't know when it's going to be and let's hope it's in November in L.A. That's what we're all hoping for because I think we would sell out Home Depot Center on our own. I think our fans would fly down and be there so I'm excited for that prospect."
(On what's next for him after the season ends...) "Chivas, next weekend...It's going to be interesting to sit down at the end of the season and figure that all out. What I didn't want to do was focus on something before I was done with something else and that's truly the way I've always tried to approach this thing is I'm going to have a whole lot more years when people don't want me to play than when they want me to play so while I'm playing focus one hundred percent on the job at hand and then when the time comes we'll sit down and get that side of things taken care of. I've said all along, I'm not one of those guys that's said, 'I definitely want to be a coach,' or 'I definitely want to go into media,' or, 'I definitely want to go back room.' I'm interested by a lot of things and I think what I'd love to do is wear a bunch of different hats and see which one fits right. I'm looking forward to that next step in the game."
(On if he says anything to his defenders when the defense breaks down ...) "No, no, no. I would have much rather preferred to sit here, have us win four-nil and I sat back there and took a few goal kicks. That would have been the ideal game for me. I think what we're trying to achieve is to get ourselves in good form for the playoffs and confidence comes with results. Nobody wants, coming out of last week's game, we don't want to go into the last game at Chivas having lost two games at home and having that. So the focus is all on being ready to go for the playoffs and if I am called upon to make a couple saves, that's my job. Do I prefer that I don't have anything to do? Of course, but sometimes you have to do your job."
(On over 120,000 people watching American and European football in Seattle today...) "Well, I had a lot of friends that went to both games and that just shows you the way that sports are perceived here in Seattle and the U.S. I'm a fan of football. I watched college football today in my preparation for the game. I also watched a bit of the Chelsea game this morning as well. That's just the way we are. We understand that there's a lot competition in this country and I'm one of those guys that enjoys that. There's no reason why we can't have our own little piece of the pie and actually a lot bigger piece because the sport's growing and growing and I'm just proud to have been able to be a part of it from the beginning and now I'm more than happy to go to a football game one day, go to a soccer game the next day, go to a baseball game, go to a basketball game - that's called being American."
(On what he attributes his successful career to...) "Well I think every successful person regardless if they're a businessman, whatever they're doing, they don't like to lose. I think sometimes they understand that it's inevitable and it's going to happen. I work just as hard in practice not to lose if I have a side. I get mad - I go home angry if I give up a bad goal in training. Because I know if I give up a bad game in training then I have a good chance of giving up bad games in games. So it's all that whole process and really it's an internal drive to try to be as good as you possibly can be and to help your team win and knowing that sometimes you're going to make mistakes and how do you bounce back. Sometimes you're going to have the best of days and then how do you come down from that? Because tomorrow this game's over. Tomorrow we're in for practice, Monday we're in for practice and then Tuesday we have a Champions League game and next weekend we have another game. The Open Cup game was great but we've had two games since then. Now we've had this game. So, it's how do you manage all of that? I think the best thing I've done for that side is I think the more consistent you are off the field as a person, the more consistent you'll be on the field. If your life is all over the place, how can you expect your career to be steady. I've been extremely blessed with a great family life, with a great wife and kids who when the phone rings and guess what, we're moving to Germany. Okay. Guess what we're moving to Spain. Alright. We're moving back to England. Yeah. Guess what kids, we're back, now we're going back to England again. It was like, 'Cool, there's the next adventure.' So I can't thank them enough for being that huge support system and that's been a big, big reason for my success as well."
Sammy Ochoa - Sounders FC Forward
(On if he checked if he was onside after scoring the goal...) "No, I didn't really check. As soon as the ball went in, I just ran. I didn't see the linesman. I was standing near the ref and everybody was running towards me so I was like, 'It's a goal.'"
(On the size of the crowd...) "There were a lot of people in here. I've never played with so many people in the stadium. It was nice. Nice because it was the last home [game] of Kasey's regular season. It was fun, and thank god we got the win, too."
(On how important the win was...) "I think it was really important. We didn't want to lose at home since the last game against Philly we lost and there's no more games at home, and to get this win was big. Plus we had the thing going with Kasey, so it made it better."
Fredy Montero - Sounders FC Forward
(On the large crowd...) "It was just amazing. This is my first time playing with that many people in a regular MLS season, so it was amazing. Thanks to all the fans for the support and for coming here for Kasey's last game."
(On if the crowd felt different than some of the friendlies...) "Yes, for sure. We had all those people cheering for us. When we played against Man U, at least half of the stadium was rooting for them. This was something special. I feel so proud to be part of this team and to play next to Kasey Keller."
Frank Yallop - San Jose Head Coach
(On his thoughts regarding the match...) "I'm not sure we could play any better and not be two up. We didn't get the second goal and that changed everything. It is the story of our season; we had good ball movement and created some chances to score the second one. I haven't seen the play [Seattle's first goal] but the boys said he was offsides. But we have to play as mentally strong as we can in those late stages. Maybe it was offsides, I will have to take a look at it. It is frustrating to play well and to get nothing out of the game."
(On Kasey Keller coming up with some very big saves tonight...) "Yeah, he did. I think he had a couple of moments where we hit it straight at him and should have picked a corner. I'm on the sidelines and can't see the angles, but I can't fault our boys for their effort. It is frustrating we can't seem to finish games out; the way the unit played tonight I was happy with that. I was disappointed we didn't get a point out of it, if not three. Seattle is a strong team til the end and they got their points. I thought the way we played was a credit to us for digging in, but obviously it is about winning and scoring goals."
(On Chris Wondolowski having a scoring hot streak...) "He started the season out well and had a little bit of a dry patch in the middle of the year. He is a goal scorer; he has 15 goals this season, no penalty kicks. That is a good tally for anyone in any league, not just this one. He is a good player. He is dangerous around the goal and when he gets a good chance he usually scores. I think in the second half when Keller saved it I was expecting him to make it. All in all he has done very well this year."
(On the team coming out with a little more focus with having the opportunity to play in front of the largest MLS crowd...) "Even if it's 40,000 it is a big crowd. I think our guys were up for the battle. If you look at the game as a whole we played well, overall we weren't outplayed. The two plays cost us the games, I haven't seen them so I can't comment on them. It is frustrating to come away with nothing."
Chris Wondolowski - San Jose Forward
(On Kasey Keller coming up with some big saves tonight...) "He made some really good saves and that is something he has done for a number of years now. He is a great goalkeeper."