Seattle Makes Itself at Home in RFK, Beating United Again

Sounders 2, United 1

The Seattle Sounders employ a forward who can change an MLS match in an instant. D.C. United does not. That difference was the reason United lost a regular season game at home for the first time this season, a 2-1 decision Saturday night before 19,592 at RFK Stadium.

After United striker Luciano Emilio butchered his late opportunities, Seattle's Fredy Montero scored an emphatic -- and perhaps fortunate -- goal in the 84th minute to break a tie and ruin D.C.'s chances of earning a share of first place in the Eastern Conference.

Montero's shot received help, a deflection off defender Julius James's foot that launched the ball toward the top right corner. But his ability to impact the game at a crucial stage set him apart from Emilio, the 2007 league MVP, who failed on two golden prospects about 10 minutes earlier.

"You need to score those," United Coach Tom Soehn said. "These games are going to be tight now for the rest of the time on. If you are going to get chances like that, they have to be goals."

Emilio's misses and Montero's finish could go a long way toward determining whether United qualifies for the playoffs. United (8-6-12, 36 points) remains jammed in a tight race with four games remaining, and with no league matches for two weeks, the club will watch helplessly as other contenders catch up in the number of games played.

In winning in Washington for the second time in 11 days -- they won the U.S. Open Cup here Sept. 2 -- the expansion Sounders (9-6-10, 37 points) pulled within three points of front-runner Houston in the Western Conference.

Steve Zakuani scored in the fifth minute for Seattle before fellow rookie Rodney Wallace answered early in the second half for United, which fell to 6-1-5 at home and had its four-game unbeaten streak in league play halted.

On the decisive sequence, defender James Riley slotted a perfect pass between three D.C. players to Montero in stride. From a difficult angle, he turned quickly and ripped a 12-yard shot that skimmed off James's foot and then off goalkeeper Josh Wicks's hand for his 11th goal of the season.

"That guy is really lucky," James said. "He did really well to get his shot off, I angled him pretty well and the only place the ball could go is right up inside there. Games are defined by one or two plays. . . . If it hadn't hit my foot, it would've gone straight into Josh's hands."

Perhaps. But Montero made something happen at a time when a tie was looming.

"He had plenty of time and he is going for goal," Wicks said. "He is going to try to do what he can do. He's one on one there and he's going to turn and try to get it on frame. He did a good job."

Added Soehn, "He is running kind of away from goal, and we all know you shouldn't give up near-post goals at that point."