The Seattle Sounders defeated FC Dallas 2-0 at Lumen Field on Monday in the first match of a best-of-three first round postseason series. Albert Rusnák opened the scoring from the penalty spot late in the first half before Jordan Morris slammed the door shut in the 74th minute.
Jesús Ferreira nearly found the first goal for Dallas in the 24th minute when he was played through after a Sounders turnover, but his shot inside the box was saved by an onrushing Stefan Frei.
Ferreira had another golden opportunity three minutes later when Dallas broke through on another counter, but his shot from 12 yards out went over the crossbar.
Alex Roldan was on the end of nifty footwork from Léo Chú in the 40th minute, but Roldan’s eventual left-footed shot was parried wide by Maarten Paes.
The Sounders drew first blood in the 43rd minute when Rusnák converted from the penalty spot after Cristian Roldan was fouled in the box by Marco Farfan. Rusnák, who had five goals in the regular season, stepped up with Nicolás Lodeiro and Raúl Ruidíaz on the bench and snuck his penalty inside the left post.
Rusnák had an opportunity in the 60th minute when Alex Roldan picked him out on a cross at the penalty spot, but Rusnák’s effort went over the bar.
Morris sealed the victory in the 74th minute when he headed home a cross from Nouhou after a brilliant, extended period of possession. Morris, who scored the first postseason hat trick in club history against FC Dallas in 2019, tallied his seventh career playoff goal.
THREE TAKEAWAYS
One streak continues, one streak snaps
Both the Sounders and FC Dallas entered the postseason on nine-match unbeaten streaks. Seattle pushed its run to 10 matches without defeat — the club hasn’t lost since August — and has the upper hand to reach the conference semifinals.
Another clean sheet
Frei and the Sounders led MLS with 14 clean sheets this season and posted another shutout on Monday. Frei finished with four saves on the evening.
Match 2 in Texas coming
Seattle and FC Dallas will meet in the second match of a best-of-three first round series on Saturday at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. If the Sounders win, they will advance to the conference semifinals. If Dallas wins, it will force a decisive third match in Seattle on Friday, Nov. 10. If the match ends in a draw, there will be no extra time, and the contest will go straight to penalty kicks to determine a winner.
