MLS: Seattle Sounders 0 Real Salt Lake 0

3 November 2012 06:30

The Seattle Sounders were locked at 0-0 with Real Salt Lake after the first leg of their MLS Western Conference semi-final on Friday.

Both teams scored a total of one goal in three regular season meetings so the deadlock came as little surprise but Real Salt Lake will be the happier of the two sides given the second leg is at their home base in Utah.

The first half was a battle of the goalkeepers. Both made a series of impressive saves, with the best coming at the half-hour mark.

Seattle won a pair of corners with Sammy Ochoa and John Kennedy Hurtado getting their headers on target only for Nick Rimando to pull off two acrobatic diving saves.

Rimando's impact on the game continued and he came off worse for wear after a collision with Seattle duo Kyle Beckerman and Christian Tiffert in the second half.

But despite blood pouring from a cut on his face, the vociferous 35,000-crowd in CenturyLink Field (a record low for Seattle in the play-offs) booed the keeper when he next collected the ball.

At the other end of the field, Sounders keeper Michael Gspurning pulled off four saves of his own to play a part in the stalemate.

The teams met at the same stage in last year's playoffs with Salt Lake advancing from their two-leg clash.

The Sounders hope to have US international Eddie Johnson back in the squad for the second leg having missed the first through injury.