Chivas USA and Seattle play to scoreless tie

Seattle Sounders FC and Chivas USA battled to a scoreless draw in Major League Soccer action at The Home Depot Center on Saturday night.

The draw snapped a four-game winning streak by the Sounders, but stretched its unbeaten run to six games.

The game also marked the first in nine games that Sounders forward Fredy Montero didn’t record a goal or an assist.

Chivas USA, on the other hand, dropped important points at home as it struggles to get back in the playoff picture. The Los Angeles-based club is currently in last place in the Western table.

The teams battled to an uneventful first half before things picked up a little after the interval.

Chivas USA’s Rodolfo Espinoza forced Seattle goalkeeper Kasey Keller to make his first tough save just before the hour mark. A cross went through the box, but Espinoza’s tough-angle shot was scooped up by the veteran ‘keeper.

Seattle had its best chance of the game in the 62nd minute when a Blaise Nkufo cross was headed off the post by winger Sanna Nyassi.

Chivas USA narrowly missed taking the lead 20 minutes from time when Paulo Nagamura hit a shot from the top of the six-yard-box, but it went straight at Keller.

Seattle’s Osvaldo Alonso blasted a shot from distance that Chivas USA goalkeeper Zach Thornton stretched to knock away with his fingertips two minutes from time.

A scuffle between Chivas USA’s Mariano Trujillo and Seattle’s Leo Gonzalez earned them both red card in stoppage time, as the game ended in a draw.

Seattle (8-8-5) will aim to get back in the win column when it hosts Chicago on Aug. 28 in its next league fixture, while Chivas USA (5-10-4) will be desperate for points at Dallas next Saturday.