(SUN BOWL STADIUM, El Paso, TX) - The El Paso Patriots and the Seattle Sounders played to a 0-0 tie Friday night, each earning a point to keep pace in their respective divisions.
The Patriots get their 17th point and remain in second place in the A-League's Central Division, while the Sounders can do no worse than remain tied for first in the Pacific Division at 5-1-3 and with 18 points.
Both teams showcased their tough defenses and solid goalkeeping. El Paso's Scott Alexander faced seven shots from a Sounders team strong on the counterattack while Seattle's Rich Cullen faced 13 shots from a Patriots' attack that was increasingly opportunistic as the match progressed.
El Paso had a number of quality chances, with perhaps the biggest coming in the 110th minute. Second-half substitute Tim Pierce found himself the recipient of a great through ball along the left wing, coming in all alone against Cullen with room to shoot. Pierce missed the goal wide left.
It was indicative of how the match went for both teams.
Patriots' assistant coach Jesus "Chuy" Enriquez stated before the match that El Paso needed to keep at least a man advantage in the back to negate the Sounders' speed and ability on the counter. Even missing team captain and defensive midfielder Federico Juárez, out with a slight concussion, the Patriots' defense did a fine job of clogging Seattle passing lanes and slowing the counterattack.
For their part, the Sounders also shut down the Patriots when it counted most, even though El Paso's technical ability got them in close to Cullen.
This match marks the first of seven consecutive road games for Seattle. The Sounders travel next to face Indianapolis this Sunday.
SEATTLE 0, EL PASO 0, 2OT
SEATTLE: Rich Cullen, Danny Jackson, Ryan Edwards, Zach Scott, Scott Jenkins, Jason Farrell, Viet Nguyen (80, Craig Tomlinson), Andrew Gregor, Alex Bengard, Kyle Smith, Sean Michael Callahan (62, Darren Sawatzky).
EL PASO: Scott Alexander, Hamlet Diaz, Joel Rios (86, Victor Arreola), Carlos Martinez, David de la Torre, Enrique Cervantes (90, Javier Carrasco), Ahmed Figueroa (70, Omar Mora 30, Jose Abarca), Pablo Cabrera, Laurenco Andrade, Mike Griego (76, Tim Pierce), Sidnei dos Santos.
Shots: S 3-3-1-0-7, EP 4-8-0-1-13. Saves: S 2-4-0-0-6, EP 3-1-0-0-4. Fouls: S 11-6-1-1-19, EP 10-3-2-0-15. Offsides: S 2-2-0-1-5, EP 5-3-0-0-8. Corner Kicks: S 3-3-2-0-8, EP 0-3-1-0-4. Cautions: S Edwards (10), S Jackson (25), EP Cabrera (32), S Gregor (88). Ejections: none. Referees: Jair Marrufo, Troy Travis, Ibrahim Nagim, Andrew Gage. Attendance: 722.
