“True nostalgia is an ephemeral composition of disjointed memories.” – Florence King
King likely wasn’t referring to the sports world with that quote, and would never have expected it to be tied into games involving two disparate soccer clubs whose home stadiums are over 2,400 miles apart. Nevertheless, the favorable (and unfavorable) recollections of both Columbus Crew SC fans and those of Seattle Sounders FC when the two sides have clashed probably contain a healthy mix of elation, triumph, torment and heartbreak. That potent cocktail of emotions gets etched into the psyches of supporters and become the means for their interpretations of past events.
You don’t need to dig too deep into your memory to recollect the standout moments from this series. The two teams have only contested ten total matches against one another since Seattle became a full-fledged member of Major League Soccer for the 2009 season. It’s a series where the Sounders currently own a slight advantage, having won four, lost two and drawn three in their nine regular-season meetings.
When they take the pitch at MAPFRE Stadium on Saturday night (7:30 pm ET, TWC Sportschannel Ohio, MLS Live), the home team will be in search of their first ever home win against Seattle. That’s right. Both of Crew SC’s victories over the Sounders took place in the famously raucous environment that is CenturyLink Field. In the four games the Black and Gold have hosted in the series they sport an 0-3-1 mark. Needless to say there should be a great deal of motivation to add a W this weekend.
The Sounders arrive in Columbus on a roll, having won four of their last five that included dual 3-1 victories on the road against Colorado and New York City FC. Forwards Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins have clearly picked up where they left off in 2014 as perhaps the best one-two punch up front in the league. Head coach Sigi Schmid’s 4-4-2 is as potent a formation as there is when you have two goal-dangerous players who have the rapport and chemistry that Dempsey and Oba exude on the field.
That said, Fortress MAPFRE has been a veritable house of horrors for visiting teams in 2015 for the most part. Crew SC is currently 3-1-0 at home and in those three wins the club has outscored their opponents 9-1. The Black and Gold currently possess an MLS-leading plus seven goal differential in the friendly confines. Only three other teams in the league have scored more over the course of all their home games than Crew SC has done in the last two.
As we prepare for the 10th regular season meeting between an MLS original and one of the most storied brands in American soccer (dating back to their NASL days in the 1970s and 80s), let’s look back at five matches that stand out from their previous encounters over the past six seasons.
5 Memorable Matches from the Crew SC-Sounders Series
May 30th, 2009 – Sounders FC 1, Crew SC 1
This was the one that got it all started and intrigue certainly abounded ahead of the inaugural match between the two at the facility known as Qwest Field at the time. After leading Crew SC to their first and only MLS Cup title the year before, Schmid would bolt for the Pacific Northwest to become the only head coach Sounders FC has ever known during its MLS era.
Two things occurred in this match that gave it an “only fitting” kind of aura when all was said and done.
There were myriad bizarre occurrences. Seattle’s Freddy Ljungberg missed a penalty kick. Columbus made an illegal back pass to goalie Andy Gruenebaum that resulted in an indirect free kick essentially right in front of goal which the Sounders were unable to convert. In second-half stoppage time, the home team would lose Tyrone Marshall to a straight red card after he allegedly threw a punch at Crew SC’s Steven Lenhart.
After that, sharing the points via a 1-1 draw seemed a fair result. Alejandro Moreno’s 12th minute strike that beat legendary American goalkeeper Kasey Keller was responded to with a 58th minute Nate Jaqua goal for the Sounders. Again, a fitting conclusion to a back-and-forth, drama-filled match.
October 5th, 2010 – U.S. Open Cup Final – Sounders FC 2, Crew SC 1
A little over a year after that first-ever clash, the two teams would face off with quite a bit more on the line. After emerging as the final teams standing from the playing of the 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, Crew SC and the Sounders would contest the final in front of a tournament record crowd of 31,311 in Seattle.
The Black and Gold were making their third appearance in the final and seeking to win the trophy for the first time since 2002. They would strike first as Kevin Burns put them on top in the 24th minute, but two Sana Nyassi replies (in the 38th and 66th minutes respectively) turned out to be the difference. With the win, Seattle would repeat as U.S. Open Cup champions, and have won two more since.
May 23rd, 2012 – Crew SC 2, Sounders FC 0
Seven was a lucky number for Crew SC, at least within the context of the games they’ve played against the Sounders. It was their seventh regular season meeting that finally produced a Columbus victory, one week short of three years to the day from the first. Making it even more special was the fact it occurred on the opposition’s home turf in front of the vocal and always hard to play in front of Emerald City supporters.
Former coach Robert Warzycha put together a sound tactical game plan to come away with the win. Despite being out-shot 21-6 and possessing the ball only 39.5% of the time, Crew SC were able to escape Seattle with a pretty convincing win by effectively absorbing the Sounders’ pressure and springing forth well-timed counters.
August 31st, 2013 – Sounders FC 1, Crew SC 0
This edition of Crew SC-Sounders wasn’t memorable as much for the action on the field as it was for what occurred in the skies above it. If you’re at all familiar with the weather in the Midwest during the summer, you know that sudden and intense early-evening thunderstorms are a common occurrence. This one caused a nearly two-hour delay before the two teams were able to get the game started.
The acquisition of Dempsey by Seattle earlier in the month brought out a sellout crowd of over 20,000 to MAPFRE Stadium. Even though the weather delay drove some away, those who stayed witnessed some added electricity on the pitch very early. In the seventh minute, Crew SC forward Ryan Finley was pulled down by last defender Leonardo Gonzalez, resulting in a straight red card. Unfortunately, the man advantage didn’t help, with Eddie Johnson heading in a Mauro Rosales set piece seven minutes later which proved to be the difference.
March 29th, 2014 – Crew SC 2, Sounders FC 1
Last year saw head coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter win his first three games in charge. It all culminated in Seattle as the Black and Gold not only won their second overall against the Sounders, but made it two in a row on the road. Nothing like owning an opponent on the road for a certain time if the results aren’t coming at home.
Much like the first ever meeting, this one had some crazy and controversial moments. Trailing 1-0 early in the second half, Crew SC’s Dominic Oduro was taken down in the box by Sounders defender Djimi Traore. It appeared to be minimal contact yet the referee sent Traore off, enraging the home support. Federico Higuaín would convert the ensuing penalty kick. In the final minute of stoppage time, Justin Meram received a short Higuaín corner, launching one of his patented meat hook shots towards the far post, and give the Black and Gold victory at the death.
Though these two teams lack any geographical proximity to one another and you can count the number of times they’ve played during the regular season on two hands, what has transpired in those few games can conjure up profound memories in both teams’ fans. Here’s hoping that Saturday night’s tilt adds to the old “ephemeral compositions.”
Main Photo: SEATTLE, WA – Emilio Renteria #20 of the Columbus Crew battles Osvaldo Alonso #6 of the Seattle Sounders at CenturyLink Field on May 23, 2012 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
