For the Seattle Sounders and head coach Sigi Schmid, Sunday night’s 1-0 defeat at the hands of the LA Galaxy was certainly a frustrating affair. But after creating a flurry of good-looking opportunities throughout the contest – only to be stymied by some brilliant work from LA goalkeeper Jamie Penedo – the Sounders say the result can be attributed to bad luck more than poor form.
“I thought we played pretty well,” Schmid said after the game. “I don’t think, based on our performance, that we deserved to lose.”
Seattle center back Brad Evans took it a step further, saying that he felt his squad put on as good a showing as they have all season. But in the end, Seattle could never find a way past Penedo after surrendering the game’s only goal on a set-piece header to Galaxy forward Alan Gordon in the 23rd minute.
“I thought that was probably our best game this year,” Evans said. “Sometimes soccer is that way. One chance for them in the first half – a header where you lost your mark – and they’ll beat you that way.”
Despite playing without superstar forward Clint Dempsey, who didn’t travel with the team after tweaking a hamstring in training last week, the Sounders managed to keep their attack afloat fairly well. Lamar Neagle, starting up top beside Obafemi Martins in Dempsey’s absence, managed five shots on targets in six attempts and generally looked much more active after a sluggish start to the season.
“I personally had three [chances] that I know I could have done a lot better with,” Neagle said. “Just a frustrating game, knowing that we played pretty well and we were in control of the game at the beginning and then one free kick kind of changes things.”
The bounce-back effort for Neagle was surely a welcome sight for Schmid, who did say early in the week that he would like to see more production offensively from sources other than the ever-potent duo of Dempsey and Martins.
“[Neagle] brought a lot of energy,” Schmid said. “He played up top, which sometimes he’s more comfortable at. I just thought his energy was better … He had some good looks and I thought he played well.”
In the end, Penedo’s monster effort would be enough to keep Seattle off the scoresheet and give the Galaxy the three points. The LA ‘keeper saved all 10 shots that the Sounders put on target, including a diving effort to deny Neagle’s header in the 9th minute and a great reaction save to thwart midfielder Andy Rose in the 53rd.
“It’s the game of soccer,” Schmid said. “Their goalkeeper comes up with a ton of saves… I thought we were as good, if not better [than LA] for good portions of the game. But that’s the way the game goes sometimes.”
