Seattle, Wednesday 7 March 2012.– Brad Evans scored his second goal in the CONCACAF Champions League in the 63rd minute and gave the Seattle Sounders a 2-1 victory over Santos Laguna Wednesday night in the first leg of their quarterfinal series.
The goal came less than two minutes after Herculez Gomez equalized for Santos and sent the teams to Mexico next Wednesday for the deciding leg.
The result ended a three-game winless streak in the Champions League for Seattle, which won't open its Major League Soccer season until March 17 against Toronto.
Santos has lost only one of its last nine at home, but has won only one of its last five overall.
Seattle, which hadn't played a competitive game since November 2, started quickly with David Estrada testing Santos keeper Oswaldo Sanchez with a shot from distance in the fifth minute.
Estrada put the Sounders ahead in the 12th minute. Fredy Montero had time and space from 30 meters to launch a cross to the far post, where Estrada ran in and headed a sharp ball a step inside the six between Sanchez, who was able to get a hand to it, and the near post.
While Seattle had a bit more of the possession through most of the first 45 minutes, Gomez troubled the Seattle defense and Santos then dominated the play for about 10 minutes late in the half.
Oribe Peralta and Marc Crosas forced goalkeeper Michael Gspurning - the replacement for retired Kasey Keller - into saves on shots from distance and Aaron Galindo touched a header just over the bar seconds before the halftime whistle.
Gomez - who has told reporters that he left the LA Galaxy when then manager - and now Seattle coach - Sigi Schmid told him he should consider another career - continued to cause issues for the Sounders and finally scored when Crosas curled a ball into the American international.
Standing at the left post, Gomez settled the ball with his right thigh, turned quickly and put a left footed shot past Gspurning in the 61st.
Seattle responded quickly. Mauro Rosales sent his free kick from the left side into the middle of the area where Evans outleapt a seemingly static Peralta and headed it in from just outside the goal box.
The game was a contentious encounter with Costa Rican referee Walter Quesada issuing seven yellow cards, including three in a five minute-span midway through the first half.
Seattle will head to Torreon as one of only two MLS teams to have won a competitive match in Mexico, 1-0 over Monterrey, in August.
*With information from the CONCACAF
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