For Sounders it’s a draw, with a downside

Published 7:05 am Monday, July 26, 2010

SEATTLE — The Seattle Sounders FC gained a point but lost a Ljungberg in their 0-0 draw with the Chicago Fire in a Major League Soccer match Saturday at Qwest Field.

The draw helps Seattle (7-3-8) remain in second place in the Western Division, but midfielder Freddie Ljungberg was ejected in the second half after receiving two quick yellow cards and is suspended for the Sounders’ next two games.

Chicago (7-3-8) also has 29 points and continues to lead the Eastern Division.

Despite the lack of scoring, the crowd of 32,405 saw a game filled with excitement, especially in the second half when Chicago’s John Thorrington and Ljungberg were each ejected after receiving their second yellow cards of the match.

In the 54th minute, referee Baldomero Toledo issued a yellow card to Thorrington for a reckless tackle on Ljungberg. After receiving a yellow card in the first half for disrespecting the ref, Thorrington was automatically ejected and the Sounders received a man-advantage for the remainder of the match.

Seattle’s gain was short-lived, however, when five minutes later Ljunberg had his run-in with the official.

In the 58th minute, Baldomero whistled Ljungberg for simulation, or taking a dive. The yellow card was Ljungberg’s fifth of the season, meaning an automatic suspension for the Sounders’ next MLS match. Ljunberg’s reaction led the referee to pull out the yellow card a second time for dissent, ending the player’s day early.

“There’s nothing I said after the first yellow,” Ljungberg said. “I heard from other players he’s saying I said something but I didn’t.”

Ljungberg says he merely pounded his fist to his chest after receiving the first yellow, but he said he has to be more cautious when arguing a call.

“I have to be wise about it,” Ljungberg said. “If I just walk away it looks like I don’t care if we win, but that’s not me. I always want to win. It’s sad, because it’s destroying a beautiful game, but hopefully we can move on.”

With his fifth yellow card of the season, Ljungberg will miss next Sunday’s game against San Jose. Because of the red card, Ljungberg is also forced to miss the Sounders’ match against Real Salt Lake on Aug. 8.

Sounders coach Sigi Schmid was reluctant to talk about the Ljungberg ejection out of fear of “getting into trouble.”

“When you look at the NBA, the NFL and other leagues, respect is given to experienced players,” Schmid said. “I asked the ref what (Ljungberg) said and he said ‘He went too far.’ I don’t know what he said.”

Seattle had plenty of scoring opportunities throughout the entire game, but the Sounders offense came up empty every time.

“I thought we had enough chances to win the game,” said Schmid, whose team outshot Chicago 15-11, with five shots on goal. “We over-hold and over-pass. We need to finish.”

Nate Jaqua had a great scoring opportunity for the Sounders in the first half. Fredy Montero centered a pass to Jaqua just to the left of the goal in the 37th minute. Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch slid in to block Jaqua’s first shot, but the rebound went back to Jaqua for a second chance. Jaqua rifled a shot that went directly into Busch’s midsection for the save.

“Any time you play against a team like that you want to win,” said Jaqua, who began his career with Chicago and played for the Fire for four seasons. “You have to give them credit. They limited our ability to get the shots we wanted.”

The Sounders did a good job in shutting down Chicago’s main threat on offense, Cuauhtemoc Blanco. Blanco, a former star of Mexican club team Club America, is a favorite of Chicago fans and favorite villain for other MLS fans. Every time Blanco touched the ball, Qwest Field filled with boos.

“We did a good job today with Blanco,” Schmid said. “In Chicago (the last time the two teams played), he had a fantastic game. This time we didn’t give him too many good looks.”

Blanco, who assisted on Chicago’s lone goal in the Fire’s 1-1 draw with Seattle on May 2, took just two shots in 86 minutes played Saturday.

Both teams had near-misses in the closing minutes of the match. Fredy Montero’s shot from outside the penalty area in the 80th minute hit the top right crossbar, while Chicago’s Brandon Prideaux, a University of Washington alum, had his shot in the 88th minute go off the crossbar.

Seattle next travels to play San Jose next Saturday at noon. The Sounders return home to host FC Barcelona in an exhibition match on Aug. 5.