(Puerto Rico 2, Seattle 0)
1-0 min. 20 Mauricio Salles (Puerto Rico)
2-0 min. 24 Sebastián Rozental (Puerto Rico)
Bayamón, PR - The Puerto Rico Islanders earned a huge victory over the Seattle Sounders by a 2-0 score in a Tuesday Night match-up at Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium. The win keeps Puerto Rico in the playoff hunt with two games to go.
Puerto Rico debuted their third kit (orange and black) and some could argue it gave the locals good luck; but the Islanders did not need the luck anyway. Puerto Rico played a complete, intelligent game throughout. In four minutes of fury in the first half, they sealed the deal; and the defense (even with Velez, Gores, and Rivera serving suspensions) did the rest.
The Seattle Sounders started the game strong, getting close to the goal defended by Dan Kennedy on various occasions. The first quarter-hour was theirs, but after that the Islanders settled and took control.
Sebastián Rozental, on a shot from 20 yards out that went over the crossbar, and Petter Villegas on a free kick, warned the visitors of what was to come.
In the 20th minute, Petter Villegas executed a great individual play with some of his signature moves. He then was surrounded by three Sounder defenders, but found Mauricio Salles to his left. Salles, from just outside the box, rifled a wicked shot past Preston Burpo for the 1-0 lead.
Only four minutes later, the Islanders struck again. Kennedy had just preserved the Islander lead with a spectacular save on a great shot by Sounder C.J. Klaas a couple of minutes earlier. In the 24th minute, Corey Woolfolk found an open Sebastián Rozental inside the box. Rozental just controlled the ball and blasted it into the netting perfectly, like the true pro he is.
Seattle reacted, but Puerto Rico did not have to suffer to maintain the lead. Despite their efforts, the Sounders rarely made Kennedy sweat becuase the Islanders, especially Dante Poli, stayed solid in the back. The Islanders defended well, even when going down to ten men in the 57th minute after Alejandro González saw his second yellow card of the match.
Puerto Rico is now at 32 points with an 8-10-8 record. If Puerto Rico wins its two remaining games against the Toronto Lynx, and the Portland Timbers fail to win both of its remaining ones, the Islanders would make the playoffs. Easier said than done, but the Isles are up for the challenge.
The stage is now set. The Islanders play the first of two huge matches against the Lynx on September 9th at Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium. (8:00 p.m. kick-off)
