Photo Recap: Altidore’s PK bests Sounders in MLS Cup rematch

Toronto FC visited Seattle on Saturday for a rematch of the 2016 MLS Cup Final.

For the Reds, the match marked the first opportunity to try and avenge their defeat at BMO Field last December. They had to do it short-handed as well, after downing Orlando City 2-1 on Wednesday before flying west.

Additionally, Toronto had to cope with the absences of both Sebastian Giovinco and Victor Vasquez. The two have started the campaign as perhaps the most productive duo in the league.

Sounders, for their part, again had to make the best of their back line depth. Brad Evans returned to the 18 for the first time this season, but Chad Marshall again missed the bench entirely. Rookie Jordy Delem, pictured above, earned his fourth start of the season.

The hosts thought they had a goal after barely five minutes played. Jordan Morris headed a Roldan free kick on towards the far post, where the ball eventually crept in past Clint Irwin. However, Seattle center back Gustav Svensson attempted to play the ball from an offside position following Morris’ touch. The movement kept Irwin on his line until the ball went past Svensson, and surely impacted his ability to reach the ball. Sounders appealed to no avail.

Sounders came away without anything to show for their bright start, and Toronto promptly responded by taking the lead on 23 minutes. Roman Torres took Jozy Altidore down from behind in the area, and Altidore himself stepped up and slotted home the resulting PK.

The visitors defended well for 20 minutes, and were better value for their lead than the stats implied.

Seattle recorded five more shots before the break and possessed the ball nearly 63% of the time in the first half, but couldn’t break through. The numbers began to look eerily like last week’s statistically anomalous 3-3 draw with New England.

Sounders had several looks at their own penalty kick turned down by referee Jair Marrufo. Brian Schmetzer refused to use Marrufo as a crutch when asked about the Svensson offside decision in his post-game press conference, stating in part, “At this club, we will never blame the referees for why we lose games. They have a hard job to do and they do their job to the best of their abilities. The fact of the matter is that we have to make plays.”

Jordan Morris subbed off for Alvaro Fernandez after 71 minutes, clearly still hampered by his ankle injury.

The Reds defended in relatively comfortable fashion after taking the lead, packing the center and tightly marking Nicolas Lodeiro.

The injury bug bit Seattle again a few minutes later as Roman Torres departed upon feeling tightness in his hamstring. Using two subs on injured players crippled Schmetzer tactically, and Sounders’ chances at a comeback as well.

The visitors saw the rest of the game through with their goal advantage and secured a six point week, vaulting them at least temporarily to the top of the Eastern Conference standings.

Altidore scored the game-winning goal and forced Frei into another brilliant save. The powerful target forward had no problem doing it as the lone man up top.

For Seattle, the loss marked a second consecutive concerning home performance. Both featured fantastic statistical advantages for Seattle, but they took only one point from those matches. The numbers got worse from last week to this week, with Sounders putting up a similar number of total passes, possession and open play crosses in relation to their opponent, while failing to record even half as many shots.

Toronto FC will try to ride their momentum to a fifth consecutive victory next Wednesday at Columbus, their fourth match in ten days. Sounders travel to Chicago next weekend for a date with the Fire, looking to rebound from their first home loss of the season.