The Seattle Sounders left CITYPARK with three points to show for after closing out Saturday’s match with a 2-1 victory over St. Louis CITY SC.
It was a tale of two halves as the Sounders and St. Louis struggled to create clear-cut chances in the opening period before the match opened up after the halftime break.
A prolonged spell of possession in the 9th minute led to a João Paulo shot at the top of the box that was blocked out for a corner. A few minutes later, Indiana Vassilev combined with Rasmus Alm in the final third before firing a shot attempt that sailed over the goal.
The Sounders had a chance to take the lead with a minute left to spare in the first half after a lofted ball from Alex Roldan into the box was placed perfectly toward the head of Jordan Morris, but an acrobatic punched clearance from St. Louis goalkeeper Roman Bürki denied the Seattle winger service.
The second half was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams, but it was the Sounders who capitalized first, scoring a pair of goals within a three-minute span.
In the 66th minute, a delivery from Cristian Roldan on the right flank took a deflection from Kyle Hiebert, causing an own goal from the home side and a 1-0 lead for the Rave Green.
Then just three minutes later, Morris doubled Seattle’s lead. The Mercer Island native raced onto an inch-perfect through-ball from Albert Rusnák and confidently placed his shot beyond St. Louis goalkeeper Roman Bürki to make it 2-0.
St. Louis pulled one back with a goal in the 83rd minute, but it wasn’t enough to get past the Rave Green’s defensive efforts, resulting in a big win for the visiting team.
THREE TAKEAWAYS
Dominant Defense
St. Louis was flying in the attacking zone in the closing minutes of the match, looking to steal a point at the death. Seattle’s defense stood tall as the Sounders managed to secure all three points at CITYPARK on Saturday night.
Morris Momentum
Morris’ goal in the 66th minute ultimately solidified the win for the Rave Green. He displayed composure and quality to score the go-ahead goal and nearly iced the match with a through-ball to put Danny Musovski through on goal, but the ensuing shot went wide. Morris has now scored in back-to-back games for the first time this season.
Playoff Positioning
The Sounders’ win tonight raises them to 9th place in the Western Conference, which sees the team rise into the final playoff spot. The Sounders will have another opportunity to climb the standings when they host Real Salt Lake (7:30 p.m. PT; MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, 93.3 KJR FM, El Rey 1360AM | TICKETS) at Lumen Field on Wednesday night for the club’s Bruce Lee Match.
