In just the 4th minute of the match, a strong Seattle attack that looked like it earned a corner turned into much more; referee Ricardo Salazar showed FC Dallas defender Maynor Figueroa a red card for blocking Andreas Ivanschitz's goalbound shot with his hand and awarded Seattle a penalty. Clint Dempsey dispatched the penalty into the top corner and put Seattle up 1-0 after just 6 minutes.