NewYork City FC (6-5-6, 24 points) brought all of its big names, the Seattle Sounders FC (5-9-1, 16 points) fielded the best team it could minus Clint Dempsey who was finishing his COPA America duties.
Saturdays pre match activities were full of pomp and celebration. The Sounders honored head coach Sigi Schmid in a pre game ceremony for reaching a MLS record 500 games, as well as hosting its second annual Pride Day, a celebration of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer pride, at the end of the day, it was another excruciating loss for the Sounders.
The Seattle Sounders 2-0 loss to NYCFC Saturday afternoon at Century Link Field was another horrifying nightmare for the 47,537 fans who saw a festive atmosphere extinguished in the 38th minute by a disputed Frank Lampard goal.
After earning a corner kick, NYCFC’s R.J. Allen crossed the ball into the Sounders goal box to Lampard who hit the ball with his left pectoral muscle then his arm. The referee huddled with the linesman and the goal was allowed.
“It hit me on the chest. I think it might have deflected off of my a bit as well, bit it was mainly chested,” Lampard said after the game. “It was a goal. Sometimes, they go against you. But for me, it was a goal.”
For Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid, the goal changed the complexity of the game, “ It changes the whole game. It’s a hand-ball, the referee doesn’t call it, they discuss it…they don’t see it, [NYCFC] goes up 1-0, we are down 1-0 and their confidence is up and our confidence is down.”
Despite the heartbreak the Sounders kept their fighting spirit about them and started the second half as can be expected, on the front foot, pushing everyone up the field pressuring NYCFC looking for the equalizer.
The strategy had its moments, in the 50th minute Jordan Morris found space and went on gallop down the left flank but his left footed shot went wide left.
Substitute Nelson Valdez’s 67th minute right footed poke from an Andreas Ivanschitz free kick went wide once again. The Sounders continued their quest for the equalizer but like so many times this season, the moment of exhilaration never came.
What has showed up all too often is the Sounders having a momentary lapse of reasoning that opponents have pounced on and made the Sounders pay dearly. NYCFC put the game out of the reach in the 87th minute when Joevin Jones’s horrific back pass resulted in a Ronal Matarrita goal that sealed the victory for the visitors.
“Obviously we are not pleased with the result. The script was similar to last week in a certain regard. ” A dejected Sigi Schmid said after the game.
“The first goal is a hand-ball goal, but that’s just the way it has been going. We’ve got to find a way to create our own luck, we’ve got to find a way to pull ourselves up.”
The Sounders have now lost two consecutive games and five of their last six games. The Rave Green will head to Utah for a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup clash with Real Salt Lake on Tuesday, June 28th ( 7:00 p.m. PT) then head to Toronto to take on Toronto FC on Saturday, July 2 (4:30 p.m. PT)
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