Sounders pull off late tie on the road

CHESTER, Pa. – The driving wind and pouring rain seemed somewhat Seattle-esque, but little else in Sounders FC’s road game Saturday against the Philadelphia Union (3-1-1) was comfortable.

Facing monsoon-like conditions and a tough, physical, defensive-minded opponent, Seattle trailed 1-0 late in the game to a team that had given up only one goal in its first four games.

Enter the drama.

Scrambling for an equalizer in stoppage time, Seattle found it in crowd-stunning fashion when second-half substitute Alvaro Fernandez confidently headed in a cross from Fredy Montero to secure a 1-1 tie at PPL Park.

“We were behind, so when I went in I knew we needed to score,” said Fernandez, who narrowly missed a goal in the 78th minute. “The first chance unfortunately didn’t go in, but thankfully the second one went in.”

It was the second straight draw for the Sounders (1-2-3) on the road and extended their unbeaten streak to four.

“One like this feels like a victory,” midfielder Brad Evans said.

The late boost on offense came when coach Sigi Schmid substituted in an extra forward in the 66th minute in place of a defender, resulting in an attack-minded 3-5-2 formation.