And, it turned out to be a very productive week for the defending MLS champions despite suffering another key injury to a fourth starter.

Alejandro Moreno scored early as the Columbus Crew settled for a 1-1 tie against their former coach Sigi Schmid and Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday night at Qwest Field.

Nate Jaqua scored for Sounders FC to level the score early in the second half. Seattle had missed out on a great chance to tie the score in the first half when Freddie Ljungberg missed a penalty kick.

The Crew were the last team to record a win in MLS play to open 2009. Now, they are one of the hottest teams.

The Crew exited the match with a seven-match unbeaten streak intact despite giving up a 1-0 lead and enduring a rash of injuries that kept four starters out of Saturday's match. The gravest loss was that of starting midfielder Brian Carroll, who seriously injured his right shoulder in Wednesday's 2-1 win against San Jose.

Columbus went ahead 1-0 in the 12th minute on a beautiful flying header by captain Moreno after a perfect cross from the right side by Pat Noonan. Moreno beat Seattle goalkeeper Kasey Keller to the middle of the net. It was Moreno's second goal of the season.

For Noonan, it was his first start of 2009 and first since Oct. 18, 2008 against New York, stepping in for forward and leading scorer Guillermo Barros Schelotto, the 2008 MLS Most Valuable Player. The scoring play started with a free kick from Jed Zayner.

Coach Robert Warzycha rested Schelotto after a midweek contest despite the 36-year-old leading the club with six goals and 13 points.

Seattle's Nate Jaqua hammered home a 9-yard volley into the left corner of the net on a looping pass from Ljungberg in the 58th minute to tie the match at 1-1. Jaqua's third goal of the season was a perfectly struck ball from the right side that sizzled past goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum.

After Sounders FC knotted the match at 1-1, Schelotto substituted in for Noonan in the 69th minute for a late push.

In a bizarre play, Seattle was awarded an indirect free kick from eight yards away in the 73rd minute when the ball was passed back to goalkeeper Gruenebaum, who scooped it up.

Ljungberg hit the indirect free kick, but it bounced harmlessly off Gruenebaum and out of bounds for a Seattle corner kick.

Sounders FC and Ljungberg missed a golden opportunity to tie the match at 1-1 much earlier -- in the 32nd minute -- as Ljungberg sent a penalty kick wide left.

Seattle earned the penalty kick when Ljungberg was fouled in the area by Zayner as Ljungberg got free outside the left post in the 31st minute. But Ljungberg couldn't convert on Seattle's first PK attempt of the season and the first against the Crew all year.

Sounders FC ended the game a man down when defender Tyrone Marshall was sent off, but even after more than seven minutes of added time, the Crew couldn't take advantage.