Seattle Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer met with the media Monday morning and the coach squashed any notions that his team was not playing for a win in Sunday’s scoreless draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps in Leg One of the Western Conference Semifinals.
The game was a tough physical match that had more yellow cards than shots. The game had ten fouls, three yellow cards and just one shot on goal. Vancouver’s Nosa Igiebor was issued a yellow card for an elbow to the face of Sounders FC midfielder Cristian Roldan in the 45th minute. Aly Ghazal received the Whitecaps second caution of the game in the 79 minute and the Roldan received the visitor’s lone caution in the 87th minute.
The games lone shot was a 48th-minute header by Chad Marshall.
Western Conference Semifinals now shifts south of the Canadian border to CenturyLink field, where Seattle prepares to host Vancouver on Thursday, November 2 (7:30 p.m. PT / FOX Sports 1, FOX Deportes).
As the higher-seeded team at the conclusion of the 2017 regular season, Seattle earned the right to host the second and deciding match of the series, a fifth matchup between the two sides this season across all competitions.
Seattle is 1-1-2 against their Cascadia rivals including Sunday night game Audi MLS Cup Playoffs match at BC Place The winner of the Western Conference Semifinals advances to the Conference Championship, facing the winner of the Portland Timbers and Houston Dynamo series.
MATCH SUMMARY
Seattle Sounders FC 0 – Vancouver Whitecaps FC 0
Sunday, October 29, 2017
Venue: BC Place
Referee: Kevin Stott
Assistants: Jeff Hosking, Kermit Quisenberry
Fourth Official: Ricardo Salazar
VAR: Mark Geiger
Attendance: 27,837
Weather: Clear
SCORING SUMMARY
None
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
VAN – Nosa (caution) 45′
VAN – Aly Ghazal (caution) 79′
SEA – Cristian Roldan (caution) 87′
LINEUPS & STATS
Seattle Sounders FC – Stefan Frei; Chad Marshall (Lamar Neagle 78′), Kelvin Leerdam, Nouhou, Román Torres; Nicolás Lodeiro – captain, Jordy Delem (Gustav Svensson 64′), Joevin Jones, Harry Shipp (Osvaldo Alonso 74′), Cristian Roldan; Will Bruin
Substitutes not used: Tyler Miller, Tony Alfaro, Oniel Fisher, Henry Wingo
Total shots: 6 (Six players, 1)
Shots on goal: 1 (Marshall, 1)
Fouls: 6 (Roldan, 2)
Offside: 1 (Lodeiro, 1)
Corner-kicks: 5 (Lodeiro, 5)
Saves: None
Vancouver Whitecaps FC – Stefan Marinovic; Jakob Nerwinski, Marcel de Jong, Tim Parker, Kendall Waton – captain; Christian Bolanos (Cristian Techera 76′), Brek Shea (Nicolas Mezquida 89′), Nosa (Yordy Reyna 62′), Tony Tchani, Aly Ghazal; Fredy Montero
Substitutes not used: David Ousted, Andrew Jacobson, Jordan Harvey, Bernie Ibini-Isei