Fredy Montero warmed an otherwise frigid evening with a pair of goals as Sounders FC wrapped up its preseason with a 2-0 win over Mexican side Jaguares de Chiapas in the third annual “Community Shield” charity match Wednesday night at CenturyLink Field.
In front of 11,140 who attended the friendly free of charge while donating $36,500 to team-related charities, Sounders FC (5-0-2) finished the preseason undefeated and will prep for next Wednesday’s CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal match against Santos Laguna at the Clink.
Montero put the Sounders on the board in the 61st minute. Jeff Parke led the ball to the corner and a streaking Adam Johansson crossed it to Montero in front of the goal. Montero rose above a Jaguares defender for the header.
In the 73rd minute, Montero completed the brace when his chip shot from 16 yards out beat keeper Edgar Hernandez to the top corner. The shot was set up by a combination on the right side from Mauro Rosales and Osvaldo Alonso.
Montero a team-high five preseason goals.
Toward the end of the first half, it looked as if the Rave Green would get on the board multiple times. Rosales created three scoring chances between the 32nd and 38th minutes, all missing closely. In the 38th, David Estrada pushed the ball ahead to Rosales on the right wing, who then passed to Montero in front of the goal, but his shot was blocked by a defender.
Christian Sivebaek made his debut when he came in for Alvaro Fernandez in the 66th minute. The only other Seattle subs were Sammy Ochoa, entering for Estrada in the 76th minute, and Roger Levesque, entering for Mauro Rosales in the 85th.