The Seattle Sounders fell 2-1 to Austin FC at Lumen Field on Wednesday. Facundo Torres opened the scoring in the 66th minute and Guilherme Biro doubled the lead in the 87th minute for the visitors before Sounders defender Stuart Hawkins pulled one back in the 90th minute.
After an opening 26 minutes bereft of any major opportunities for either side, Austin rang the warning bell when Brandon Vázquez was played in behind and rattled the far post but was ultimately deemed offside.
Austin came close again in the 45th minute when Jorge Alastuey unleashed a half-volley from 25 yards out that rattled the near post and ricocheted out. Žan Kolmanič collected the rebound, and his left-footed effort from the top of the box was straight at Sounders goalkeeper Andrew Thomas.
Albert Rusnák found a good look at goal a minute later when he received the ball at the top of the box, cut to his left, and fired a shot across his body that took a deflection and just skipped wide of the far post.
Paul Rothrock had a half-chance on a loose ball in the box in the 50th minute, but he couldn’t get enough on it to beat goalkeeper Damian Las.
Rothrock had another opportunity five minutes later when he found space at the top of the box and ripped a shot, but it was right at Las.
The Sounders kept knocking in the 58th minute when Snyder Brunell fired a rocket from inside the box, but Las did well to parry it away.
Las made an even better stop in the 61st minute when Danny Musovski pounced on a loose ball in the box and looked for the far post, but Las dove quickly to his right to use one arm to push it away.
Austin took the lead in the 66th minute when Jayden Nelson played a wide pass for Kolmanič, who crossed a ball into the path of Torres in the box. The Uruguayan international one-timed a left-footed shot into the bottom corner past the outstretched arms of a diving Thomas.
Brunell had a great look off a corner kick in the 71st minute when the ball fell to him at the back post, but his effort went over the crossbar.
Kalani Kossa-Rienzi was inches away from equalizing in the 76th minute when Rusnák found the University of Washington product in the box. Kossa-Rienzi turned and shot in one motion, but his effort trickled just past the far post.
Rusnák forced Las into another amazing save in the 85th minute when the Slovakian pinged a one-timed shot on goal, but Las punched it away.
Austin doubled its lead in the 87th minute when Vázquez floated a ball from the right side of the box to the far post, and Biro flew to volley the ball into the net from a tight angle.
The Sounders found life in the 90th minute when Rusnák whipped in a free kick that Hawkins rose to meet and head past Las.
Vázquez tried to ice the match in the fifth minute of stoppage time when he was sent on a breakaway after Seattle was pushing for an equalizer, but Thomas came up huge to deny his attempt.
The Sounders finish their match 11th in the Western Conference with 24 points from 19 matches (7-9-3).
THREE TAKEAWAYS
Shots galore
Despite the result, the Sounders managed to take 19 shots, with 7 of them being on goal. The team closed out the 90 minutes with an xG of 1.27.
Hawkins opens MLS account
Nineteen-year-old Homegrown center back Hawkins scored the first goal of his MLS career on Wednesday in his 10th career league match.
Right back to work
Seattle will travel to southern Ohio to take on FC Cincinnati in a cross-conference clash on Saturday (4:30 p.m. PT; Apple TV).
