Despite playing with 10 men for the majority of the second half, Seattle Sounders FC (9-10-2, 29 points) rode goals from Jordan Morris and Nicolás Lodeiro to a gutsy 2-1 victory over the visiting Colorado Rapids (6-9-6, 24 points) at Lumen Field. After Kelyn Rowe received a second yellow card in the 47th minute of play, Seattle pushed hard for a short-handed winning goal, finding it through a Lodeiro penalty kick in the 71st minute. By claiming all three points, Sounders FC snaps last week’s three-match losing skid, while also moving to within a point of the playoff line in the race for the MLS postseason.
Colorado got on the board first in the third minute of action, courtesy of Jonathan Lewis. Diego Rubio was fed the ball and split two Sounders defenders with a pass, finding the feet of Lewis, who dribbled around a charging Stefan Frei and finished into the back of the net.
Seattle leveled the score just before halftime. Coming off a quickly-taken free kick, Jimmy Medranda received a long ball just outside the area before slipping a pass to a streaking Morris, who finished with a deft chip over Colorado’s goalkeeper William Yarbrough. For the Mercer Island native, the goal was his team-leading sixth MLS goal of 2022 and his 41st career regular-season tally.
The second half of play was impacted by a second yellow card for Seattle defender Kelyn Rowe, who was booked and subsequently sent off in the 47th minute of play, leaving Sounders FC with 10 men for the remainder of the contest.
Midfielder Albert Rusnák drove up the pitch in the 69th minute, delivering a cutting through ball to Morris, who took a shot and was brought to ground by Yarborough on the rebound, drawing the penalty. Loderio finished the spot-kick into the top left corner to give Seattle the lead.
Seattle faces a quick return to action, this time at Los Angeles FC, who currently leads both the MLS and Western Conference standings with 45 points through 21 games. Sounders FC and LAFC last met on June 18, a 1-1 draw at Lumen Field. Friday’s match is slated for a national television audience on FS1 and FOX Deportes, with kickoff set for 8:00 p.m. PT at Banc of California Stadium.
MATCH NOTES
• With tonight’s win, Sounders FC snapped its three-match losing streak, the longest slump for the Rave Green in the 2022 MLS season.
• Tonight’s result moves Seattle up to within a point of the playoff line, one point behind seventh-place Portland. Seattle has played one less match than its Cascadia foe, with the club’s next contest coming on Friday, July 29 at league-leading LAFC.
• Scoring just before the halftime whistle, Sounders FC forward Jordan Morris netted his team-leading sixth goal in MLS play. Across all competitions, Morris has nine goals to his name in 2022.
• Morris’ goal was his 41st career regular-season strike.
• Jimmy Medranda recorded his third assist of the season on Morris’ goal, giving the Colombian six career regular-season assists with the Rave Green.
• With his penalty-kick goal in the 71st minute of play, club captain Nico Lodeiro recorded his fourth strike of 2022 and his 37th regular-season goal since joining Sounders FC in mid-2016.
• Lodeiro is now a perfect 17 for 17 from penalty spot in MLS regular-season play.
• With his assist on Morris’ goal, Lodeiro has six helpers in MLS play this season, leading the team. It marks his 79th assist in all competitions for the Rave Green, 29 more than any other player.
• Saturday’s game was the 32nd meeting between these two sides, with Seattle now leading 20-8-4, including a 13-2-1 mark at home.
MATCH SUMMARY
Seattle Sounders FC 2 – Colorado Rapids 1
Saturday, July 23, 2022
Venue: Lumen Field
Referee: Rosendo Mendoza
Assistants: Corey Rockwell, Ryan Graves
Fourth Official: Chris Ruska
VAR: Chico Grajeda
Attendance: 32,476
Weather: 72 degrees and sunny
SCORING SUMMARY
COL – Jonathan Lewis (Diego Rubio) 3’
SEA – Jonathan Lewis (Jimmy Medranda, Nico Lodeiro) 43’
SEA – Nico Lodeiro 71’
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
SEA – Kelyn Rowe (caution) 23’
COL – Bryan Acosta (caution) 32’
COL – Gustavo Vallecilla (caution) 43’
SEA – Kelyn Rowe (caution) 47’
COL – Michael Barrios (caution) 56’
COL – Jonathan Lewis (caution) 87’
COL – Darren Yapi (caution) 90’ + 1’
LINEUPS & STATS
Seattle Sounders FC: Stefan Frei; Alex Roldan, Yeimar Gómez Andrade, Xavier Arreaga, Kelyn Rowe; Cristian Roldan, Albert Rusnák, Jimmy Medranda (Ethan Dobbelaere 65’), Nico Lodeiro, Jordan Morris (Fredy Montero 90’ + 3’); Will Bruin (Jackson Ragen 83’)
Substitutes not used: Stefan Cleveland, Danny Leyva, Dylan Teves, Léo Chú
Total shots: 17
Shots on goal: 7
Fouls: 4
Offside: 2
Corner-kicks: 3
Saves: 2
Colorado Rapids – William Yarbrough; Keegan Rosenberry, Lalas Abubakar, Gustavo Vallecilla (Darren Yapi 85’), Lucas Esteves; Bryan Acosta, Michael Barrios (Dantouma Toure 80’), Diego Rubio, Ralph Priso-Mbongue (Max Alves da Silva 62’) Jonathan Lewis; Gyasi Zardes
Substitutes not used: Clint Irwin, Anthony Markanich, Drew Moor, Collen Warner
Total shots: 8
Shots on goal: 3
Fouls: 18
Offside: 0
Corner-kicks: 11
Saves: 4
