Published: Sunday, April 12, 2009
Dragavon can't save Sounders in loss to Wizards
The Monroe High grad, who is forced into action in goal after Kasey Keller receives a red card, gives up Seattle's first goal of the season in a 1-0 loss to Kansas City Saturday.
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Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald
New Sounders goalkeeper Ben Dragavon yells out instructions to his wall after coming into the game for Kasey Keller.
SEATTLE -- Suddenly, 28,746 screaming fans went silent, seemingly unsure of how to react to something so foreign.
After opening its Major League Soccer campaign with three shutout victories, Seattle Sounders FC finally conceded a goal, and the brilliant second-half strike from Kansas City's Davy Arnaud was enough to give the Wizards a 1-0 victory over Seattle at Qwest Field, ending the home team's winning streak and shutout streak.
The goal was equally shocking to backup goalkeeper Ben Dragavon, who was in as a substitute for Kasey Keller. Keller received a red card in the 29th minute. Arnaud's 80th-minute strike from about 30-yards out dove sharply to Dragavon's right, and while he was able to get a hand on the shot, it wasn't enough to keep it out of the goal.
"It started off coming at me then it just broke off," said Dragavon. "I got a hand on it. I actually thought I got enough to push it around the post, but it hit the side netting. It's rough."
Only moments earlier, it looked like Dragavon, a Monroe High School graduate, would be the game's most unlikely hero when he made a spectacular diving save on a shot by Jack Jewsbury.
"It's rough," Dragavon said. "I made a good save on the one. That second shot, I'll be having a nightmare about that one. I'd love to have it back for sure."
Despite the goal, Dragavon became a small part of MLS history Saturday, as Seattle established the longest shutout streak to open a season in league history by keeping Kansas City off the scoreboard past the 62nd minute.
Dragavon, who led Monroe to a Class 3A state title as a junior in 2001, is only on Seattle's active roster because of the "extreme hardship" rule that allows a team to call a player up if it has less than two available goalkeepers. Regular backup Chris Eylander has been out all season with a knee injury suffered last month.
Keller had to leave the game after receiving a red card in the 29th minute. Keller came charging out of the box when Kansas City's Herculez Gomez broke free on a run, and slid to deny Gomez's shot. Keller, however, was that he was out of the box when he got a hand on Gomez's shot. Soccer rules call for an automatic red card for "denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball."
Keller thought he had his hands in at his body, making it a non-deliberate handball, but the referee thought otherwise.
"It was difficult," Keller said. "I've not been sent off in 17 years, so it felt kind of strange when I saw that red card come out. Rules are rules I guess, but my arms weren't out wide, they were kind of up against my chest, but like I said, rules are rules, it hit me in the arms, and I was sent off ... I'm very upset that I put the team in that situation and very upset that they had to play 60 minutes with a man down."
Despite playing a man down for the game's final 60 minutes, Seattle was the aggressor in the second half, pushing the pace and coming up with most of the scoring opportunities before Arnaud's goal.
In the 57th minute, Brad Evans nearly gave Seattle a lead, but KC goalkeeper Kevin Hartman made a diving save to deny the goal. Fredy Montero, who scored three goals in his first two games, nearly got his fourth of the season on a free kick in the three minutes later. Freddie Ljungberg was fouled just outside of the box to set up the free kick, which he tapped to Montero, who ripped a shot that went over Hartman, but hit off the crossbar and went out of bounds.
"I think the thing I'm most proud of is we played a man down for (61) minutes and Kansas City is celebrating quite extensively at the end of the game," said Sounders FC coach Sigi Schmid. "And that shows how much respect we've already garnered in this league. If they're really excited about playing a man up for (61) minutes and winning a 1-0 squeaker, it shows that there's a lot of respect for what we've done as a team so far and the quality that we've been able to put on the field. For us it's a matter of licking out wounds. I thought it was a great effort. I'm proud of our guys."
Seattle travels to Los Angeles next week to face Chivas USA, which moved into first place in the Western Conference ahead of Sounders FC with a 0-0 tie Saturday night. Seattle will again be without Keller, who must sit out a game following his red card. That could mean another start in goal for Dragavon, although Eylander practiced last week and is close to returning to the field.
"That's going to be a monster," Keller said of missing the next game. "I never miss games. Having to watch the rest of the game in here was really tough, but to know I can't play the next game is eating me alive as well. But we're a good team, and we're going to go down to Chivas and show that."
Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com.
After opening its Major League Soccer campaign with three shutout victories, Seattle Sounders FC finally conceded a goal, and the brilliant second-half strike from Kansas City's Davy Arnaud was enough to give the Wizards a 1-0 victory over Seattle at Qwest Field, ending the home team's winning streak and shutout streak.
The goal was equally shocking to backup goalkeeper Ben Dragavon, who was in as a substitute for Kasey Keller. Keller received a red card in the 29th minute. Arnaud's 80th-minute strike from about 30-yards out dove sharply to Dragavon's right, and while he was able to get a hand on the shot, it wasn't enough to keep it out of the goal.
"It started off coming at me then it just broke off," said Dragavon. "I got a hand on it. I actually thought I got enough to push it around the post, but it hit the side netting. It's rough."
Only moments earlier, it looked like Dragavon, a Monroe High School graduate, would be the game's most unlikely hero when he made a spectacular diving save on a shot by Jack Jewsbury.
"It's rough," Dragavon said. "I made a good save on the one. That second shot, I'll be having a nightmare about that one. I'd love to have it back for sure."
Despite the goal, Dragavon became a small part of MLS history Saturday, as Seattle established the longest shutout streak to open a season in league history by keeping Kansas City off the scoreboard past the 62nd minute.
Dragavon, who led Monroe to a Class 3A state title as a junior in 2001, is only on Seattle's active roster because of the "extreme hardship" rule that allows a team to call a player up if it has less than two available goalkeepers. Regular backup Chris Eylander has been out all season with a knee injury suffered last month.
Keller had to leave the game after receiving a red card in the 29th minute. Keller came charging out of the box when Kansas City's Herculez Gomez broke free on a run, and slid to deny Gomez's shot. Keller, however, was that he was out of the box when he got a hand on Gomez's shot. Soccer rules call for an automatic red card for "denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball."
Keller thought he had his hands in at his body, making it a non-deliberate handball, but the referee thought otherwise.
"It was difficult," Keller said. "I've not been sent off in 17 years, so it felt kind of strange when I saw that red card come out. Rules are rules I guess, but my arms weren't out wide, they were kind of up against my chest, but like I said, rules are rules, it hit me in the arms, and I was sent off ... I'm very upset that I put the team in that situation and very upset that they had to play 60 minutes with a man down."
Despite playing a man down for the game's final 60 minutes, Seattle was the aggressor in the second half, pushing the pace and coming up with most of the scoring opportunities before Arnaud's goal.
In the 57th minute, Brad Evans nearly gave Seattle a lead, but KC goalkeeper Kevin Hartman made a diving save to deny the goal. Fredy Montero, who scored three goals in his first two games, nearly got his fourth of the season on a free kick in the three minutes later. Freddie Ljungberg was fouled just outside of the box to set up the free kick, which he tapped to Montero, who ripped a shot that went over Hartman, but hit off the crossbar and went out of bounds.
"I think the thing I'm most proud of is we played a man down for (61) minutes and Kansas City is celebrating quite extensively at the end of the game," said Sounders FC coach Sigi Schmid. "And that shows how much respect we've already garnered in this league. If they're really excited about playing a man up for (61) minutes and winning a 1-0 squeaker, it shows that there's a lot of respect for what we've done as a team so far and the quality that we've been able to put on the field. For us it's a matter of licking out wounds. I thought it was a great effort. I'm proud of our guys."
Seattle travels to Los Angeles next week to face Chivas USA, which moved into first place in the Western Conference ahead of Sounders FC with a 0-0 tie Saturday night. Seattle will again be without Keller, who must sit out a game following his red card. That could mean another start in goal for Dragavon, although Eylander practiced last week and is close to returning to the field.
"That's going to be a monster," Keller said of missing the next game. "I never miss games. Having to watch the rest of the game in here was really tough, but to know I can't play the next game is eating me alive as well. But we're a good team, and we're going to go down to Chivas and show that."
Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com.
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