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PHOTO COURTESY OF BRADLEY BOGUE

BIG MAC. Tacoma midfielder David Machael scrambles for the ball in the Tides’ 2-2 tie against the visiting Seattle Sounders July 7 at Curtis High School.

Tacoma FC snags 2-2 draw with Sounders

By Matt Enloe

The crown of Puget Sound soccer supremacy is still up in the air.

After 90 minutes of end-to-end action July 7 at Curtis High School Stadium in front of 1,000 fans, the Tacoma FC finished tied 2-2 with the Seattle Sounders.

Although both teams belong to the same soccer governing body, the United Soccer League (USL), the Sounders are in the top professional tier, whereas the Tide are a part of the amateur league. This didn't stop Tacoma from coming out on the attack as it pushed the professional players to the limit to earn respect.

Within the heated match-up, there was a sibling rivalry. The Tide's midfielder Ciaran O'Brien faced his older brother Leighton, a midfielder for the Sounders, with father Fran barking instructions as the coach of the Tacoma side.

Ciaran O'Brien, the college standout who will play for defending national champion UC Santa Barbara next season, made a huge impact early when he helped the Tide take an unexpected lead in the 23rd minute. His long pass found a streaking Machael David, who was one-on-one with the Sounders' keeper Ben Dragavon. The Tacoma midfielder touched the ball past Dragavon, who was forced to bring him down, resulting in a penalty kick. O'Brien completed the play that he had started moments later by blasting the ball into the right corner of the net to give the Tide the one-goal lead.

With Tacoma's confidence growing by the minute, the Tide set out to double the lead late in the half. In the 43rd minute, it was another O'Brien pass paving the way for a goal. This time he picked out Brayton Knapp, who drew Seattle defenders but not before he crossed the ball. On the back post, Taylor Hoss cracked a shot which the Sounders keeper couldn't stop as it glanced off him and in.

Tacoma was in an unexpected position at halftime as the team went into the locker room with a 2-0 lead. The Sounders made substitutions early in the second half to try to shift the momentum and switch up their chemistry. It seemed to work as they cut the lead in half only minutes into the second half. Substitute Sebastien Le Toux of France made the instant impact when his first touch of the game was a dish to Craig Tomlinson for a goal.

The Tide's defense held strong in the second half as the Sounders' offense pushed for the equalizer. Tacoma lost Tide left back Hoss in the 85th minute when he had a head-to-head collision with Seattle's Taylor Graham. The Sounders took advantage of the short-handed defense on a corner kick in the waning minutes. The ball flew to the back post and ricocheted off multiple players before being flicked in by the heel of Seattle's Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar.

The game ended in a 2-2 tie in the first match-up of what is sure to be an annual rivalry. With the two teams being so close to each other, the rivalry is a friendly one and is actually more of a partnership. Seattle has supported the Tide from its conception, as the Sounders organization had to sign an allowance for another team inside its franchise boundary before Tacoma could receive its league rights in 2006.

"From the beginning, the Sounders organization has been supportive of our team and in getting this game off the ground," said Tide General Manager Mike Jennings. "It's always a treat for our boys to test themselves against a quality side such as the Sounders."

For those who missed the game or want to watch it again, it will be available on Comcast On Demand. The Tide will be back in action at home July 14 when they face the Yakima Reds at Curtis High School Stadium.

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