The Seattle Sounders fell 3-1 to Austin FC on a brutally hot and humid evening at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday. Ilie and Paul Rothrock traded goals in the first half before Myrto Uzuni and Christian RamÃrez scored late to steal three points.
Austin took the lead inside 12 minutes when Ilie redirected a header off a Besard Šabović corner into the back of the net.
The Sounders equalized in the 26th minute off a beautiful bit of buildup play in the final third. Teenage center back Stuart Hawkins split the Austin defense on a backdoor cut from Peter Kingston, who dropped the ball into the path of Snyder Brunell. The Homegrown central midfielder’s shot ricocheted off the post and found a wide-open Rothrock at the back post, and Rothrock adjusted his body to deflect the rebound into the net.
Sounders goalkeeper Andrew Thomas made two crucial saves in the 34th minute to deny Austin a second. Thomas first did well to parry away a left-footed attempt from Brandon Vázquez before sliding to snuff out an Uzuni chance on the doorstep.
Brunell ripped a shot from the top of the box in the second minute of first-half stoppage time, but Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver got down to make the save.
Stuver made an incredible save in the 80th minute to keep an Albert Rusnák effort from finding the back of the net. Rusnák’s shot from the top of the box was dipping under the crossbar, but Stuver dove to push it over the bar for a corner.
Austin answered a minute later with back-to-back opportunities from Przemysław Płacheta and Jon Gallagher, but both were clipped too far over the net.
Austin found the winner in the 86th minute when Ervin Torres, who had just come on as a substitute two minutes earlier, knifed through the Sounders defense before setting up Uzuni, who slotted home to the far post.
Torres danced in the box in the second minute of stoppage time, and the 18-year-old picked out RamÃrez, who received a pass with his back to goal, turned and dinked a shot to the far post to ice the match.
Sounders center back Jackson Ragen, who had picked up a first yellow card in the 59th minute and was set to miss Seattle’s next match due to yellow-card accumulation, was sent off in the fifth minute of stoppage time after picking up a second yellow card and will now be ineligible for the Sounders’ next two games.
The Sounders end the match sixth in the Western Conference with 24 points from 15 matches and have lost four consecutive MLS matches dating back to before the break for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Seattle will continue its road trip by visiting the Philadelphia Union on Saturday (4:30 p.m. PT; Apple TV) before visiting the Portland Timbers on Aug. 1.
THREE TAKEAWAYS
Nouhou earns 300th appearance
Nouhou made his 300th Sounders appearance in all competitions on Wednesday evening, becoming just the fourth player and third outfield player to reach that mark. Only Stefan Frei (426), Cristian Roldan (408) and Osvaldo Alonso (339) have more.
Rothrock extends team-lead in goals
Rothrock scored his sixth goal of the regular season on Wednesday to extend his club lead. No one else on the Sounders has scored more than three.
Hawkins makes first MLS start
Since signing a First Team contract near the end of the 2023 season, Hawkins made his first career MLS start. The 19-year-old Homegrown center back and United States youth international enjoyed an overall solid evening paired alongside Ragen.
