Standing 6-foot-4, Sounders forward Nate Jaqua lumbers over most defenders on the pitch, giving him a distinct advantage during headers.So it's no surpise Freddie Ljungberg targeted the forehead of Jaqua during last Saturday's 1-1 tie against the Chicago Fire at the 74th minute.
The Fire knew it too, and that's why Seattle scored.
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Crowding Jaqua in front of goal, the Fire devoted several defenders to make sure Jaqua would not connect with Ljungberg's kick.
However, the ball sailed just above the heads of Jaqua and his surrounding company, and wound up landing next to Tyrone Marshall, who wasted no time sending the ball to the back of the net.
Chicago Keeper Jon Busch was noticeably upset, pointing to Marshall while looking at his teammates as if to ask, "Who was marking him?"
Whoever it was, he was probably drawn off his man to defend against the 6-4 forward.
The play was so seamless it looked as if Ljungberg purposely mislead the defense. But, it was an accident.
Jose Romero has Ljungberg's plan:
Ljungberg was aiming for the big man in the middle, Nate Jaqua, but the ball sailed over his 6-foot-4 frame as a Fire defender knocked him away.
Reach Aaron Weinberg at nextseasonsports@gmail.com
