Sounders lose Keller to red card, game to Kansas City, 1-0

• Wizards 1, Sounders FC 0
Three-hundred and 50 minutes into its history, Seattle Sounders FC gave up its first goal. Ten minutes later, the Sounders had their first loss. And a couple of minutes after that, they fell out of first place the MLS Western Conference.

If you think that makes Saturday sound like an eventful night at Qwest Field, that wasn’t the half of it.

The Sounders’ 1-0 loss to Kansas City came not only with the Sounders playing short-handed, but also playing in front of emergency goalkeeper Ben Dragavon, who took over after starter Kasey Keller was red-carded in the 29th minute.

“I think the thing I’m most proud of is we played a man down for (61) minutes, and Kansas City is celebrating quite extensively at the end of the game,” coach Sigi Schmid said. “And that shows how much respect we’ve already garnered in this league. If they’re really excited about playing a man up for (61) minutes and winning a 1-0 squeaker, it shows that there’s a lot of respect for what we’ve done as a team so far.”

Even through the first 28 minutes, Kansas City (2-2-0; 6 points) had pestered the expansion Sounders (3-1-0; 9) in a way they hadn’t experienced before.

Then, Wizards midfielder Herculez Gomez sped past Seattle defender Zach Scott. Facing Gomez one-on-one, Keller charged out of the penalty area and swung one elbow into the ball, deflecting it.

That may have saved the goal, but at high cost: an immediate red card for Keller, who had been in his 299th MLS minute without having allowed a goal.

“It was difficult,” Keller said. “I’ve not been sent off in 17 years, so it felt kind of strange when I saw that red card come out. Rules are rules I guess, but my arms weren’t out wide, they were kind of up against my chest. But like I said, rules are rules, it hit me in the arms, and I was sent off.”

Keller was replaced by rookie Ben Dragavon, who drew his first MLS action after playing at Monroe High School, Western Washington University and the United Soccer League’s Sounders.

Dragavon is on the roster as what MLS called an “extreme hardship call-up,” which is allowed when a team has fewer than two available goalkeepers. He is, in effect, the Sounders’ No. 3 goalkeeper behind Keller and top reserve Chris Eylander, who returned to practice this week after suffering a preseason knee injury.

Still, the Sounders held even for the next 51 minutes, with Dragavon making a couple of saves along the way.

But in the 80th minute, Wizards’ forward Davy Arnaud unleashed a low sizzler from about 30 yards out, and it beat the diving Dragavon low and to his right.

“It started off coming at me then it just broke off,” Dragavon said. “… I got a hand on it. I actually thought I got enough to push it around the post, but it hit the side netting. It’s rough.”

Schmid thought there was blame to go around.

“We made a mistake, obviously, because we didn’t step up on Davy Arnaud who can strike a good ball from distance,” he said. “We were a little late stepping out, he hits a good shot, it goes in the back of the net. Sometimes that happens.”

However, it had never happened to the Sounders before.

And a few minutes later, they walked off the field as losers for the first time.

And a few minutes after that, Chivas USA and the LA Galaxy concluded a scoreless draw in Carson, Calif. That single point in the standings moved Chivas (3-0-1, 10) one point ahead of the Sounders in the Western Conference standings.

Seattle returns to action at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Chivas.

According to MLS rules, Keller must sit out that game, too. However, Eylander indicated he should be ready.

“We start with even numbers, and I’m happy about that,” Schmid said. “Obviously, we have a goal-keeping change that we have to make, and we’ll go back at it. But we’re not afraid to go down to the Home Depot (Center) and we’re not afraid to play Chivas on the road.”

Don Ruiz, 253-597-8808

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