Barrett leaves it late as Seattle edges Sporting
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Seattle, WA (SportsNetwork.com) - Chad Barrett came off the bench to score in the final minute of stoppage time, lifting Seattle Sounders FC to a dramatic 1-0 win over Sporting Kansas City at CenturyLink Field in the opening match of the 2014 MLS season on Saturday.
After a scrappy 90 minutes, Barrett rescued all three points for Sigi Schmid's team in the dying moments as Clint Dempsey headed a ball off the crossbar that Barrett finished off from a few yards during a scramble in front of the Kansas City net.
Sporting had the better of the play in the first half with forward Dominic Dwyer causing problems for the Seattle defense.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dwyer forced a diving save from Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei that saw Jacob Peterson fire the rebound over the net, while Dwyer came within inches of putting his team in front in the 36th minute with a deflected shot that skipped just wide of the right post.
The second half saw a big improvement from Seattle in the attacking third as Lamar Neagle forced Sporting goalkeeper Eric Kronberg into a save with his legs from a tight angle before Kenny Cooper flashed a shot just wide of the far post from six yards.
The match appeared to be headed for a draw as time ticked away, but Seattle made the most of its final opportunity with Sean Okoli providing a right-wing cross that Dempsey nodded off the crossbar, allowing Barrett to score on the rebound.