Match report from Preston North End's website:
www.pne.com
In their first match on its preseason tour, Preston North End lost 2-1 to the Seattle Sounders at Qwest Field, despite Patrick Agyemang's first half strike. In the fantastic 67,000 capacity stadium it proved a good work out for the Lilywhites on the artificial surface with the scoreline something that wouldn't concern Manager Paul Simpson
North End started brightly and Patrick Agyemang looked lively from the outset, shooting from 25 yards in the first minute, but straight at Eylander in the Sounders' goal
North End had good possession in the opening minutes and Jason Jarrett looked strong in the middle of the park and it was a powerful run from PNE's number four that brought another good save from Eylander
On 16 minutes Agyemang should have broken the deadlock. He picked up the ball just outside the box, twisted and turned into the area, but shot straight at Eylander's legs when clean through
However, this didn't deter him and he got a deserved opener on 23 minutes. This time he again tricked his way past a Seattle defender, before unleashing a low shot past the keeper
Jarrett and Agyemang were the only ones shooting in the first half and JJ again went close on 30 minutes after good inter-play with skipper Chris Sedgwick.
Josh Gardner had looked good for the home side on the left wing and on 37 minutes he had the home side's best chance of the game, getting space in the left hand corner of the box, but Chris Neal pulled off a fine diving save to deny him
The Sounders finished the first half strongly and started the second in the same vein and it was certainly not against the run of play when they equalized on 50 minutes. It was a bizarre goal though, as Gardner crossed from the left and found Levesque. He headed against the bar, but it came back to him; he again headed against the bar and this time it fell to Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar who fired home low from 12 yards out
Then just before the hour mark the home side took the lead. It was again Gardner who was the tormentor as he ran in from the left flank to a central position 20 yards out and then hit a shot that deflected off Liam Chilvers and looped over Chris Neal and into the back of the net
North End pushed to get back onto level terms, Simon Whaley having a flurry of three shots in five minutes, the closest brilliantly tipped over for a corner by Eylander, but as Paul Simpson made a series of substitutions, despite long spells of possession, the Reds couldn't get an equaliser and the majority of the 3,390 fans went home happy
PNE line-up: C Neal, Jones, Hill (Alexander, 84), St. Ledger, Chilvers, Whaley, Jarrett (Nowland, 72), Sedgwick (Pugh, 76), L Neal, Agyemang (Anyinsah, 72), Ormerod. Subs not used: Lonergan, Collins.
Seattle Sounders line-up: Eylander, Merl, Graham, Scott, Sakuda, Akarez-Cuellar, Trascuk, O'Brien, Gardner, Levesque, Howes. Subs: Dragavon, West, Besagno, Rivera, Starm, Le Toux, Knox, Boyden, Tomlinson.
Referee: Richard Heron
Attendance: 3,390
