Seattle, WA – Following a stretch that saw them lose four matches in their past five outings, the Seattle Sounders were able to grind out a physical and tight victory over the New York Red Bulls at Lumen Field. Seattle had to play the final 15 minutes and stoppage time without midfielder Joao Paulo, who was called for a somewhat soft second yellow card, but were still able to secure the three points that push them back up to the top of the MLS’ Western Conference, at least for tonight.
The Seattle Sounders starting XI huddles prior to kick (Photo by Paul Kahl)
This match saw the Sounders win many of the attack statistics throughout the entirety of the 90 minutes and stoppage time, but Seattle struggled to put away chance after chance. That included a first half that was clearly in favor of the Sounders, but only resulted in one goal. That score came on the connection of Leo Chu to Jordan Morris, the duo that had paired up for Morris’ monster four-goal performance in Kansas City and that jettisoned Chu to the top of the assist list and Morris to the top of the goals scored list in MLS at the time. The pair had cooled down a bit since their solid run of a few matches, but they were able to rekindle a spark of that with the goal they combined for in the 22nd minute.
A ton of credit should be given to midfielder Albert Rusnak who’s through ball created the opportunity for Chu to connect with Morris in the first place. Initially, Chu had tried to keep the Seattle buildup going but was thwarted by New York defender Cameron Harper. The deflected ball went straight to Rusnak, who carried it up field before sending it through to Chu up the side of the field and into prime crossing territory. Morris had been lurking around the top of the box with the Red Bulls line as that sequence occurred, and was ready to jump into the action once Chu got into position. The bouncing cross was in front of Morris just enough for a quick and efficient motion to score, giving Seattle the lead and getting Morris on the board for the first time in his past eight matches.
Seattle Sounders forward Heber had three shots in the match, failing again to capitalize on his chances (Photo by Paul Kahl)
For the most part of the match Seattle, particularly Stefan Frei in goal, was able to ward off the chances and attacks that New York was trying to build. At the half, the Red Bulls only had one shot in total and no big chances created. Coming out of the break, that changed at New York challenged Seattle throughout the second half. The Red Bulls were ready and on the attack from kickoff, testing the mettle of the Sounders backline that included young Cody Baker, who continues to prove that he earned the first team contract he received this month. Things got even more dicey once Sounders midfielder Joao Paulo was given a second yellow card, and Seattle adjusted to this by dropping five players back while subbing on defenders and taking off attackers in the dying stages of the match to secure the victory.
With the help of his backline, Seattle Sounders FC goalkeeper Stefan Frei recorded his MLS-leading 8th clean sheet of the season (Photo by Paul Kahl)
Following tonight’s victory, Seattle is looking towards two Western Conference battles in the next week including their doubleheader match against the Portland Timbers at Lumen Field on June 3rd. Before we get to that battle, though, the Sounders will host the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday, May 31st with a kickoff time of 7:30PM PST. It’s the first time since the 2022 regular season finale that Seattle will battle against San Jose, and it won’t be an easy feat by any means as the Earthquakes are currently seated as the fifth seed in the Western Conference.
Check out Paul Kahl’s match gallery here!
