Sounders FC top Galaxy in heated game

Zakuani, Montero score; Beckham, Lewis, Marshall ejected

Fredy Montero scored his 10th goal of the season and Steve Zakuani his third, as Sounders FC defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-0 for a pivotal road victory on Saturday night at The Home Depot Center in a game that saw three players sent off.

The three points earned for the win allowed Seattle (8-5-8) to leapfrog not only the Galaxy (7-4-10), but also Chivas USA and Colorado, and move from fifth to second place in the Western Conference standings.

Zakuani's goal came midway through the first half, while Montero's came in the second, ending a month-long, 336-minute scoreless streak in MLS play dating back to July 11 when Seattle beat Houston 2-1.

With the Galaxy already playing minus their captain, Donovan, who did not start after being diagnosed earlier this week with the H1N1 virus, Seattle caught an enormous break in the 17th minute. Ricardo Salazar hit Galaxy midfielder David Beckham with a straight red card -- his first red since Feb. 17, 2007 while playing with Real Madrid -- for a reckless tackle on Peter Vagenas, giving Sounders FC a one-man advantage.

It didn't take long for Seattle to capitalize, either. Just five minutes later, in the 22nd minute, Sounders FC took the lead on Zakuani's goal.

The play was set up by midfielder Brad Evans, who hustled past Galaxy defender Gregg Berhalter into the right side of the box and sent a cross 6 yards in front of the goal. Zakuani was there to tap the ball into the net past a diving Donovan Ricketts, who managed to get a piece of the shot but couldn't prevent the ball from going in.

With Beckham gone and his team facing a disadvantage, Galaxy coach Bruce Arena resorted to putting Donovan into the game at the start of the second half, substituting him for Stefani Migliorzani.

Arena's move to bring in Donovan almost immediately went for naught, as Seattle nearly extended its lead in the 47th minute but couldn't connect on three separate shots during a frantic sequence.

The missed opportunity occurred when Montero sent a cross into the box from right to left, and forward Nate Jaqua was there to take a shot that was stifled by Ricketts. The ball, however, bounced out about 12 yards straight to Seattle midfielder Osvaldo Alonso who shot for the net while Ricketts was on the ground, but was denied by Galaxy defender A.J. DeLaGarza. The block set up a third shot from the right side by Montero, which Ricketts was able to block, putting an end to the craziness.

Sounders FC continued to keep the pressure on, eventually leading to a corner kick by Vagenas in the 54th minute that set up Montero's goal to give Seattle the 2-0 advantage. Jaqua assisted the score, heading the ball to Montero who turned and fired the ball into the roof of the net after a quick bounce.

The ejections of Seattle defender Tyrone Marshall in the 76th minute and Galaxy midfielder Eddie Lewis proved to be irrelevant, and Sounders FC left southern California with a much-needed victory.

Simon Jude Samano is a contributor to MLSnet.com.

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