SEATTLE — Defender Pa-Modou Kah scored early in each half from redirected corner kicks and Pedro Morales’ rocket free kick led the Vancouver Whitecaps (12-8-3, 39 pts) to a 3-0 victory over the Seattle Sounders FC (10-11-2, 32 pts). The win moved Vancouver atop the Western Conference standings.
Seattle’s defeat was their fourth consecutive shutout loss. The Sounders are on a run of seven setbacks in their last eight games and scored a mere two goals in that stretch.
The return of forward Clint Dempsey and goalkeeper Stefan Frei failed to fix the Sounders’ tepid offense and defensive woes. Dempsey last played on June 13th. He served a three-match suspension for his actions in a U.S. Open Cup game against arch rivals Portland. Dempsey then played in the CONCACAF Gold Cup with the U.S. Men’s National Team. Frei hurt his shoulder on July 3rd in a matchup against D.C. United.
The dominant Whitecaps took the early lead in the sixth minute of play. Nicolas Mesquida’s corner kick was headed by Kendall Watson into the chest of Sounders FC defender Brad Evans positioned near the top of the six-yard box. The ball bounced off Evans and landed at the feet of Kah. His right-footed volley sailed past Frei for Kah’s first goal of the year.
The Whitecaps were within inches of doubling their lead with six minutes left in the first half. A streaking Jordan Harvey received a pass along the left flank from Octavio Rivero. Frei made an excellent save on Harvey’s left-footed volley headed inside the near post.
Four minutes into the second half Kah struck again to double Vancouver’s advantage. Cristian Techera sent his short corner kick to Kekuta Manneh near the edge of the 18-yard box. Manneh passed the ball towards Kah in front of the Seattle goal. The former Portland Timbers defender made a slight move with the inside of his right ankle to redirect the ball into the net for his second goal of the match. Kah’s tallies ended a goalless streak dating back to June 11, 2014.
Second half substitute Pedro Morales added a third Vancouver goal in the 75th minute. Morales nailed his kick from 20 yards outside the box. His strike moved past the Sounders FC wall and inside the left post for a 3-0 Vancouver advantage. The goal was Morales’ fourth of the year.
Mark Geiger was given the assignment to officiate the Cascadia derby between the two long-time Pacific Northwest rivals. One of the MLS’ top referees will be remembered for his controversial calls in the recent Gold Cup clash between Mexico and Panama.
The Sounders and Whitecaps play again in Vancouver in a CONCACAF Champions League matchup on Wednesday.
