Sounders FC advanced to its first MLS Cup Sunday afternoon with a 1-0 win over the Colorado Rapids in the second leg of the Western Conference Championship at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Jordan Morris scored his second postseason goal in as many games as the Rave Green advanced past the Rapids 3-1 on aggregate after a 2-1 win in the first leg at CenturyLink Field on Tuesday. Seattle is set to face the winner of the Eastern Conference Championship between Montreal and Toronto, with the second leg taking place this Wednesday, November 30. Should Montreal advance, the Rave Green would host MLS Cup on December 10 at CenturyLink Field, while Toronto would host on that date should they get past Montreal.
Taking a 2-1 lead into Dick's Sporting Goods Park following Tuesday's first leg of the Western Conference Championship at CenturyLink Field, Seattle weathered a first-half storm from the Rapids, including an 11-2 shots advantage for the home side. Despite conceding nearly 60 percent of first-half possession to the Rapids, Seattle's backline held firm, preserving the Rave Green's one-goal advantage heading into the halftime intermission.
However, it was Sounders FC that broke through the match's deadlock, as Morris continued his sensational rookie campaign by providing Seattle a crucial away goal in the 56th minute of play. Despite battling illness during the game, Morris broke through the 18-yard-box, combining with forward Nelson Valdez to beat Zac MacMath with a stab of his right foot.
For the Mercer Island native, the strike was his second goal in as many postseason games after recording the first tally against Colorado at CenturyLink Field in the first leg of the Western Conference Championship on November 22. Morris has appeared in every MLS game this season (regular season and postseason), scoring a team-high 14 goals.
Sounders FC kept the Rapids' attack at bay for the final 30 minutes of the match. Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei maintained his third clean-sheet of the postseason, despite 16 shot attempts from the host side. The Rave Green have now posted a 3-0-0 mark against the Rapids in postseason play.
The MLS Cup is a single-match competition that is held at the venue of the conference winner that had more points in the regular season. Aggregate scoring is not in effect in the match, nor do yellow cards from previous rounds count toward the final. In the event of a tie through 90 minutes, the match has two, 15-minute overtime periods, followed by a penalty-kick shootout if needed.
MATCH SUMMARY
Seattle Sounders FC 1 (3) - Colorado Rapids 0 (1)
Sunday, November 27, 2016
Venue: Dick's Sporting Goods Park
Referee: Ricardo Salazar
Assistants: Ian Anderson, Corey Parker
Fourth Official: Fotis Bazakos
Attendance: 17,695
Weather: Partly cloudy and 49 degrees
SCORING SUMMARY
SEA - Jordan Morris (Nelson Valdez) 56'
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
SEA - Román Torres (caution) 14'
COL - Marc Burch (caution) 68'
LINEUPS & STATS
Seattle Sounders FC - Stefan Frei; Tyrone Mears, Román Torres, Chad Marshall, Joevin Jones; Osvaldo Alonso - captain (Oniel Fisher 74'), Cristian Roldan, Nico Lodeiro, Jordan Morris, Andreas Ivanschitz (Alvaro Fernandez 51'); Nelson Valdez (Zach Scott 88')
Substitutes not used: Tyler Miller, Aaron Kovar, Tony Alfaro, Herculez Gomez
Total shots: 5 (Valdez, 2)
Shots on goal: 3 (3 players, 1)
Fouls: 8 (Mears, 2)
Offside: 0
Corner-kicks: 2 (Lodeiro, 2)
Saves: 0
Colorado Rapids - Zac MacMath; Eric Miller, Jared Watts, Axel Sjoberg, Marc Burch; Micheal Azira (Marco Pappa 74'), Dillon Powers, Jermaine Jones, Sebastien Le Toux (Marlon Hairston 59'), Shkelzen Gashi (Dominique Badji 85'); Kevin Doyle
Substitutes not used: John Berner, Bobby Burling, Caleb Calvert, Mekeil Williams
Total shots: 16 (Gashi, 5)
Shots on goal: 0
Fouls: 12 (4 players, 2)
Offside: 0
Corner-kicks: 3 (Gashi, 3)
Saves: 2 (MacMath, 2)
MATCH NOTES
- Sounders FC is scheduled to play its first MLS Cup on Saturday, December 10 at 5:00 p.m. PT. Seattle's opponent is set to be determined on Wednesday, November 30, as Toronto FC hosts the Montreal Impact at 4:00 p.m. PT. Montreal enters the match with a 3-2 lead. Seattle is set to host the final if Montreal advances, otherwise Toronto FC would host the Rave Green.
- Seattle now has a 11-10-4 record all-time in the MLS Cup Playoffs, including a 3-0-0 mark against Colorado.
- Forward Jordan Morris scored his second career postseason goal in the second half. Morris leads Sounders FC in total appearances this season, as he has appeared all but one of the club's matches across all competitions (Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match vs. Kitsap Pumas).
- Sounders FC occupied the ninth position in the Western Conference on September 16, before embarking on a 9-2-1 run, including a 5-1-1 mark to close out the regular season and a 4-1-0 run in the 2016 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.
- Seattle extended its club records with a third series win and four victories in a single postseason.
- Head Coach Brian Schmetzer has posted a 12-3-4 record since taking over managerial duties on July 26.
