Oct 29, 2017; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei (24) blocks a shot on goal by the Vancouver Whitecaps during the second half at BC Place. Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
October 30, 2017
(Reuters) – Defending champions Seattle Sounders played out a goalless draw against host Vancouver Whitecaps in the first leg of the Western Conference semi-final of the Major League Soccer on Sunday.
Both teams took late shots at stealing an advantage but could not score in the evenly contested game at B.C. Place Stadium.
The Sounders came into the match slightly undermanned with striker Clint Dempsey serving an automatic suspension for his red card in the season finale.
Midfielder Victor Rodriguez was also a scratch as he misses time with a quad-muscle pull.
Still, Seattle aggressively sought out a score knowing that away goals are the first tie-breaker if the aggregate score is tied after the two-game series. Seattle’s Kendall Waston nearly put his team ahead as he took a cross from Nicolas Lodeiro but hit the crossbar.
Chad Marshall failed to direct his header past Whitecaps keeper Stefan Marinovic, two minutes into the second half.
Vancouver’s own chances came up short in front of its home crowd when Brek Shea’s attempt was saved by Roman Torres in the 30th minute.
Each team will again fire away searching for victory when the series resumes with the second leg in Seattle on Thursday.
(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)
