The Seattle Sounders defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps 4-0 on Tuesday night at Lumen Field behind a goal from Nicolás Lodeiro, a brace from Raúl Ruidíaz and a late tally from Alex Roldan.
The Sounders got off to a flying start when Fredy Montero drew a penalty kick in the fourth minute. His initial shot was saved by Cody Cropper, but the Whitecaps goalkeeper tripped Montero on the rebound. Lodeiro stepped up and coolly buried his third goal of the season a minute later.
Ruidíaz doubled the lead in the 28th minute after he finished a beautiful buildup that started with Stefan Frei in goal. Kelyn Rowe picked out Jimmy Medranda, whose first touch found the path of Ruidíaz, and the Peruvian buried the one-time finish to the far post.
The Whitecaps’ best chance in the first half came in 37th minute when Jackson Ragen made a huge block from six yards out.
Lodeiro nearly extended Seattle’s lead in the 51st minute when his shot from distance rattled the crossbar.
Ruidíaz scored his second of the evening and fifth of the MLS season in the 54th minute when Léo Chú picked him out at the near post for a close-range tap-in.
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A Concacaf Champions League celebration, theme matches, and a long home stretch make Sounders matches at Lumen Field your perfect Seattle summer destination.
Ruidíaz almost bagged his first career Sounders hat trick in the 62nd minute when his effort was cleared off the line after he rounded Cropper and had a decent look at goal.
Roldan capped the scoring in the 89th minute when Danny Leyva picked out Roldan’s late-arriving run on the right side and he fired home his second career MLS goal. The assist was the first point for Leyva in his MLS career.
Of note, Sounders Homegrown Player and University of Washington product Danny Teves made his MLS debut as a second-half substitute.
Seattle put in a complete performance despite missing several starters with Jordan Morris (United States), Cristian Roldan (United States) and Albert Rusnák (Slovakia) all away on international duty. Nouhou (Cameroon) returned and was available on the bench, while Xavier Arreaga (Ecuador) earned the start. Morris also scored a 90th-minute equalizer for the U.S. in a 1-1 Concacaf Nations League draw at El Salvador on Tuesday.
The Sounders have now won four of their last five matches and the first two of a five-match homestand at Lumen Field. Seattle will next welcome LAFC on Saturday (12 p.m. PT; ABC, ESPN Deportes, 93.3 KJR FM, El Rey 1360 AM | TICKETS) before Sporting Kansas City and CF Montréal come to town to round out the month.
THREE TAKEAWAYS
Vancouver vanquished
The Sounders extended their unbeaten run over the Whitecaps to 15 matches (10-0-5) dating back to April 2017. It’s the longest unbeaten streak against one team for Seattle and the longest winless streak against a single opponent for Vancouver.
Clinical performance from Ruidíaz
Ruidíaz recorded his 13th career brace for the Sounders in all competitions. He is now tied with Montero for first all-time in Sounders history with 55 goals in MLS play and 69 goals in all competitions.
Clean sheet
The Sounders recorded their second clean sheet of the MLS season and their second in the last four matches after none in their opening nine league matches. Seattle had four in eight Concacaf Champions League contests and are finally having that form carry over into MLS play.
