The supporters section cheers on the Sounders.
Aaron Weinberg / NSS
About an hour after the match, not much evidence remained of the 2-1 Sounder victory over Houston. Aside from sparkling blue and green confetti swirling on the East side of the pitch and dozens of grounds crew collecting trash left behind by the 32,000 fans, all was quiet.
It was an eventful day as usual during the match. I have a unique perspective being on the pitch where I can hear and see things from multiple viewpoints as I traverse the sidelines with my cameras looking for angles of the action.
Here are a few stories from yesterday's victory, including the incident with defender Craig Waibel.
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Waibel makes friends, then loses them
A few minutes before Waibel, a Washington native and former Sounder from 1999-2000, gave Freddie Ljungberg a tap on the head with the ball, he was in a similar position on the sidelines deep in his zone.
Waibel runs ahead of Montero. Aaron Weinberg / NSS
Waibel was readying himself for the throw-in on the West side of the field, shadows creeping along his feet as the sun moved over Qwest Field. Fans were screaming in his face, blasting their horns and generally trying to get in his head any way possible.
The referee was busily breaking up an argument so Waibel took the time to say something to the fans, which surprisingly shut them all up, even drawing smiles. I was about 10 yards from Waibel but I couldn't hear what he was saying. He started chatting with one man for a few seconds as they both laughed and it looked like Waibel had made a few friends in the stands.
Play resumed and minutes later Waibel was the victim of 32,000 boos when he was again preparing for a throw-in. Ljungberg was looking at the referee and arguing as usual when Waibel tapped him in the head with the ball from behind.
Waibel was met by a chorus of boos everytime he touched the ball after the incident. He explained his actions after the game.
"I gotta' be honest, I’m a bit embarrassed," Waibel said. "I pride myself on respecting the game and I think I had a brief lack of respect. By no means am I proud of it. I think I play the game well and with good intent and I think that was a little lapse in concentration and judgment."
Right in the face!
You come to expect these sort of thing on blooper reels, but I don't think the cameras were rolling during the pregame warm-ups.
I had just sat down next to my colleague Jeff Richards in the press box to eat some of the complimentary muffins and fruits. It was about 45 minutes until game time and the Sounders were practicing their shots at 'keeper Kevin Boss when one shot careened wide left and high into the ECS section to connect dead on with a fan's forehead.
Ouch! After grabbing his face for a few seconds he looked OK but, boy, did that ball go in hard. I've had a few close calls myself so I can only imagine how that one felt.
Onstad sucks?
Houston's Pat Onstad, who is arguably the best goalie in the MLS at this point in the season, took the animosity of the crowd well, as do most goalies who visit Qwest.
If you've been to a game then you've heard the "you suck" chants by either side of the pitch whenever the 'keeper takes a kick. Whichever side the opposing goalkeeper is on, the fans let the 'keeper know they're there by heckling him the entire half.The chants vary, but on this particular game the fans chaotically yelled "Pat." Then, just as Onstad connected with the ball the crowd would uniformly yell "sucks."
So which side is more brutal to the 'keeper: the supporters section or the North end? Surprisingly, it's the North end.
There's a particular group of individuals who constantly spouted at Onstad. The most popular put-down seemed to center around his sideburns, or lackthereof. I even heard some kids getting into it.
Actually, as you can see on the photo, Onstad does have some burns, but at 41-years-old, they're beginning to gray. A rarity on the pitch, Onstad comes in at two years older than Keller.
"I was telling him before the game I was just happy because it’ s the first time I’ve played with someone older than me on the field,” Keller said.
Reach Aaron Weinberg at nextseasonsports@gmail.com
