after an introduction that could not have been more dramatic

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SEATTLE -- Once the scrum subsided, a visitor made his way over to Chad Barrett in the Seattle locker room after an introduction that could not have been more dramatic for the home side. Toni Kroo Black Jersey . "That," Sounders majority owner Joe Roth joked, "is why we brought you here." Barrett scored off a wild scramble in the penalty area in the final moments of second half-stoppage time to give Seattle a 1-0 victory over defending champion Sporting Kansas City on Saturday in the Major League Soccer opener. Seattle shocked Kansas City with a goal in stoppage time for the fifth time in the past eight matches. Barrett scored in his Sounders debut after Clint Dempseys header clanged off the crossbar and goalkeeper Eric Kronberg was caught out of his net. "When I scored I couldnt even hear myself scream," Barrett said. "Im pretty sure I was screaming or I was going through puberty. One of the two." The goal was a stunning conclusion after it appeared Kansas City would be happy to open its title defence getting out of Seattle with a draw. Barretts goal started with a strong crossing pass by substitute Sean Okoli, but the play itself started after Graham Zusi committed a turnover in the midfield. Kronberg came out of the net to try and punch Okolis cross and the deflection allowed Dempsey a clear header. Dempseys attempt hit the crossbar but he was able to keep the play alive and get his toe on the loose ball. He was trying for a scissor-kick shot on goal, but it trickled forward far enough that Barrett was able to finish off the game winner. "For 90 plus minutes, we were excellent. We were very hard to break down and had a couple chances of our own," Zusi said. "A stupid mistake by me in the 93rd minute, and we got punished. Thats something that cant happen." Dempsey came on in the 57th minute just a few days after playing 90 minutes for the U.S. national team in an exhibition loss to Ukraine in Cyprus. He was credited with an assist, his second since joining the Sounders. "Getting a goal in injury time does show that youre fighting to the end. But it is a long season," Dempsey said. It was the first match played with replacement officials after Major League Soccers referees and other on-field officials were locked out Friday. There appeared to be no egregious issues with referee Alan Kelly, other than the large number of fouls called. Kansas City was called for 25 fouls and Seattle 15. Both goalkeepers made their debuts as the No. 1 options for their clubs. For Kansas City, Kronbergs first match as the successor to long-time starter Jimmy Nielsen was a success for the first 93 minutes. He was peppered by chances throughout by Seattle and denied each one until the end. It was the first time in 90 matches someone other than Nielsen started in goal for Kansas City. "It was a lot of excitement for sure -- some nerves and stuff, but once you get out on the field its like every other day," Kronberg said. Stefan Frei wasnt challenged as much in Seattles goal, but came up with the shutout. Dempseys minutes were slightly surprising given his recent schedule. After playing against Ukraine, Dempsey travelled all day Thursday and trained with the Sounders on Friday. It was his first training with the Sounders since the end of last season after spending the winter on loan with English Premier League club Fulham. "With all the travel and stuff, getting in on Thursday, we wanted to be a little bit smarter because of the history of myself and some of the other players can pick up injuries if you push too hard, too quickly after long travel," Dempsey said. Oliver Kahn Germany Jersey .J. -- Thierry Henry and Lloyd Sam scored second-half goals to give the New York Red Bulls their first win of the season, 2-1 over the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday night. Miroslav Klose Authentic Jersey .com) - Six years ago, Danny Briere spurned the Montreal Canadiens in favor of signing with the Philadelphia Flyers.Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Martin Brodeur finally decided to hang up his pads this week, a decision that was hardly surprising considering the future Hall of Famer has nothing left to prove on the ice. The big question now is whether the longtime face of the New Jersey Devils plans to spend his post-playing career in the Garden State or if hell make his new home in St. Louis a permanent one? The 42-year-old goaltender ended his magnificent career as a member of the Blues and is following up his retirement announcement on Thursday by immediately joining the Blues front office as a senior advisor to St. Louis general manager Doug Armstrong. But, is Brodeurs decision to take the job in St. Louis a sign he is still bitter about the way things ended in New Jersey, or is the advisory position simply a stop-gap before he eventually transitions to front office work for the Devils? Lou Lamoriello, the Devils longtime GM and the man who drafted Brodeur in the first round way back in 1990, doesnt seem worried that his former franchise goaltender will choose St. Louis over Newark in the long run. To hear Lamoriello explain it, Brodeurs decision to take on a role in the Blues front office is simply a case of the veteran fulfilling a commitment to a club that gave him one last shot at manning an NHL crease. Lamoriello has said hes made a standing offer for Brodeur to join the Devils front office whenever he was ready to retire from the game, and the goalie couldve accepted the offer right now. He could have come back even now if he wanted to, but this is something he and I talked about, Lamoriello said. He made a commitment to St. Louis. They gave him a chance and players asked him to stay, so hell travel with the team and be in the coaches meetings with players. He might even find out whether he likes this business or not, who knows? But, until Brodeur himself chimes in and gives credence to Lamoriellos take on the situation, there will continue to be speculation that the legendary goalie is snubbing the Devils. Most of this drama stems from the way Brodeur left New Jersey, a franchise he won three Stanley Cups with while rewriting the NHL record book over a consistently great 21-season run. In the end, however, it was pretty clear Brodeur was unable to end his time with the Devils on his own terms. The club made a splash at the 2013 NHL Draft by acquiring Cory Schneider in a blockbuster trade with the Vancouver Canucks, a move which signaled the beginning of the end for Brodeurs playing days in New Jersey. Brodeur and Schneider had a fairly even share of net duties during their one season together with the Devils, with the younger netminder making 43 starts to Brodeurs 39. Although Brodeur boasted the better record -- 19-14-6 to Schneiders 16-15-112 mark -- the new kid on the blocks season was superior to the cagey veteran in just about every other way. Kevin Grobkreutz Jersey. Schneider boasted a 1.97 goals against average and a solid .921 save percentage during his debut campaign with the Devils, while Brodeur struggled to a 2.51 GAA and .901 save percentage. Flash forward to the present and Schneider is still sporting a .921 save percentage this season while making 42 of New Jerseys 48 starts. Brodeur, meanwhile, had a 2.87 GAA and .899 save percentage in seven appearances with the Blues, a team that counts itself among the best defensive clubs in the NHL. Although it was obvious both last season and in 2014-15 that Lamoriello made the right decision in choosing the present over the past, it never seemed to sit right with Brodeur. To his credit, the always honest Brodeur made it known he wasnt happy about being forced to share starts with Schneider. Some folks would call his attitude selfish and they wouldnt be wrong, but it was more complicated than that. After all, having a bottomless supply of confidence in his abilities is one of many things that made Brodeur perhaps the greatest goaltender of all time. Simply agreeing with public opinion about Schneider being the better option in net for the Devils would not have been consistent with what weve come to know and love about Brodeur. And its hard to blame Brodeur for not taking other peoples opinions about his play to heart. Long before Schneider arrived in Jersey, the critics declared Brodeur should call it quits, only to watch as the cagey veteran proved himself still worthy of an NHL starting job. One of those junctures came as recently as the spring of 2012 when Brodeur anchored the Devils run to the Stanley Cup Finals. Heading into that postseason the majority of us covering hockey believed Brodeur was too old to get it done in the playoffs anymore but he proved us wrong. This week, however, Brodeur finally accepted the inevitable and called it a career. But just because he eventually arrived at the same conclusion as Lamoriello did when opted not to re-sign Brodeur last summer, doesnt mean he is over the perceived snub. Maybe we should believe Lamoriello when he says everything is hunky dory with him and Brodeur. This could turn out to be a case of much ado about nothing if this summer Brodeur cuts tied with the Blues and takes a job with the Devils just like Lou said he would. Then again, if Brodeur keeps his post with St. Louis into next season it will become increasingly difficult to take Lamoriello at his word regarding this situation. Like everyone else, the hockey media loves a conspiracy. So, until Brodeur gives us a real reason to stop speculating theres a rift between him and Lamoriello this story isnt going anywhere. cheap jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '