Sounders, Vancouver finish knotted at 2

SEATTLE – Mauro Rosales and Osvaldo Alonso scored 3 minutes apart for Seattle, but Vancouver’s Eric Hassli scored on an incredible half-volley from outside the penalty area in the 85th minute and the Sounders and Whitecaps played to a 2-2 MLS draw Saturday night.

Vancouver (1-6-8) appeared on its way to just its second victory of the season before Rosales collected a loose ball inside the penalty box and scored in the 81st minute to pull Seattle (5-4-7) even at 1.

Three minutes later, Alonso scored with a brilliant left foot strike from 20 yards out that beat goalkeeper Joe Cannon and gave Seattle a 2-1 lead.

It didn’t even last a minute. Hassli, who scored on a penalty shot in the first half, hit a half-volley from the right side of the penalty area that curled over goalkeeper Kasey Keller’s head and just inside the left post.

The frantic conclusion capped an otherwise mundane match in the renewal of the Pacific Northwest rivals and the second phase of the Cascadia rivalry between Seattle, Portland and Vancouver.

The Whitecaps remained winless since making their Major League Soccer debut in late March with a 4-2 win over Toronto, while Seattle came away with a tie for the second straight match.

The rivalry between Seattle and Vancouver dates to 1974 and the NASL.