Montero, Whitecaps solve Sounders
VANCOUVER — Fredy Montero scored twice against his former club as the Vancouver Whitecaps defeated the Seattle Sounders 2-1 on Friday night.
The Colombian striker headed a Cristian Techera cross beyond the fingertips of Seattle ’keeper Stefan Frei in the 65th minute for his second goal in Major League Soccer for the Whitecaps.
Montero, who scored 47 times and added 34 assists in 119 regular-season appearances with Seattle from 2009 to 2012, dropped to his knees after the breakthrough and pointed to the sky in a muted celebration before he was joined by teammates.
The goal from the 29-year-old, who is on loan to Vancouver (2-3-1) this season from his Chinese club, was the Whitecaps’ first shot on target of the night.
Montero then doubled the lead in the 80th minute off a corner when he nodded home Kendall Waston’s flick on past a helpless Frei.
After Clint Dempsey hit the post in the 86th minute — his second time striking the woodwork — Will Bruin got one back for defending MLS Cup champions Seattle (1-2-3) in the 89th minute.
The Sounders, who saw their fourgame unbeaten streak snapped, had a late chance in injury time on a Dempsey flick that Waston cleared off the Vancouver goal line as the Whitecaps held on for the three points.
Seattle had a good opportunity six minutes into the second half when Dempsey forced a diving save from Whitecaps goalkeeper David Ousted before Waston blocked Nicolas Lodeiro’s follow up.
Ousted was at it again moments later, stretching to stop Lodeiro’s low shot from just inside the penalty area before Montero struck twice.
After falling 3-0 at Real Salt Lake in a blizzard last weekend, the Whitecaps and Sounders played under the roof of a raucous B.C. Place Stadium where both sets of supporters were in full voice.
Seattle had the game’s first chance in the eighth minute when Dempsey grabbed the ball in midfield and fired a dipping shot from 40 yards out that a leaping Ousted could only watch hit the crossbar and stay out.