Seattle Sounders FC 3 at Caledonia AIA 1 –
lex Caskey, Sammy Ochoa, and Fredy Montero all scored a goal and an assist as Sounders FC (2-0-0, 6 points) defeated Caledonia AIA (0-2-1, 1 point) in CONCACAF Champions League group play at Ato Boldon Stadium on Thursday night.
With the win, Seattle takes a commanding five-point lead of Group 4 with just two games to play. Caledonia is eliminated with just one point through three games.
The Rave Green got on the board first right before halftime. Ochoa played a ball to Zach Scott on the right side of the box, who sent a low cross to Caskey for a tap-in inside the far post. It was the first goal in CCL play for Caskey, who assisted on Ochoa’s goal in the previous meeting against Caledonia.
Ochoa doubled the lead in the 60th minute when he blasted a shot into the top of the net after Montero found him at the top of the box. The goal marked the second straight game with a goal for Ochoa, who has six goals across all-competitions in 2012.
In the 66th minute, Caledonia was awarded a penalty kick after a Seattle foul in the box. Kareem Joseph, who netted a penalty in the previous meeting, converted it past Michael Gspurning to cut the lead to 2-1.
Three minutes later, Caskey made a couple of moves on the left side to create some space, sent a cross into the box and Montero tapped it in to regain the two-goal lead. Montero has scored in four straight games and has eight goals in his last seven games across all-competitions.
Sounders FC has just one loss (8-1-2) in their last 11 games across all-competitions. Seattle has scored multiple goals in nine of those 11 games, outscoring their opponents 30-12 in that span.
C.D. Olimpia 1-1 Houston Dynamo
The Houston Dynamo earned an important draw on the road on Thursday night, securing a 1-1 draw with C.D. Olimpia of Honduras in CONCACAF Champions League group play. Adam Moffat headed a second-half equalizer and the Men in Orange hung for the road point despite playing down a man after Nate Sturgis was issued a red card.
The result leaves the Dynamo and Olimpia tied atop Group 3, with four points through two rounds. The Dynamo has two home games remaining, while Olimpia has to play its final two games on the road, including a rematch with the Dynamo in Houston on Oct. 23, the final group stage game for both teams.
Olimpia seized an early lead in the seventh minute. Irvin Reyna swerved in a corner kick near the edge of the six-yard box, where Douglas Caetano beat the Dynamo defense with a diving header into the Houston net for a 1-0 Olimpia advantage.
The Dynamo had limited opportunites to equalize, with Cam Weaver coming closest for Houton in the 28th minute. Weaver received a clever chipped ball from Je-Vaughn Watson just outside the six-yard box and did well to stay on his feet, but Weaver hit his shot from six yards over the cross bar.
Dynamo goalkeeper Tyler Deric kept the visitors in the match with several key saves. In the 24th minute, he stopped a low shot from Sebastian Rosano, who broke free in the box and ripped a shot from 15 yards.
Four minutes later, Deric produced another vital stop, deflecting an Olimpia shot towards the far post, where Dynamo midfielder Adam Moffat cleared it off the line. Five minutes before the Dynamo equalizer, Deric came up big again, stopping a low, driven shot from the center of the area to keep his team within a goal.
Houstons equalizer came off a corner kick from Sturgis, who also delivered an assist from a corner kick in a 3-1 win at FAS on Aug. 22. Sturgis initial corner was cleared by Olimpia, but the defender served in a beautiful second ball to the middle of the area, where Moffat beat his defender and steered in a cool header for a tying goal.
Sturgis was shown a straight red card by referee Marco Rodriguez in the 62nd minute for a challenge in the middle of the field. The Dynamo survived the final 28 minutes down a man, securing a vital road point against Olimpia, which has not lost a Champions League game at home since 2008.
