The Seattle Sounders defeated Minnesota United 3-1 at Lumen Field on Saturday behind goals from Jordan Morris, Hassani Dotson and Paul Arriola. Anthony Markanich scored the lone goal for the visitors.
In a first half dominated by the Sounders, Morris opened the scoring in the 16th minute after Albert Rusnák played a perfectly weighted through ball over the top of the Loons’ defense. Morris ran onto it on the right side of the box and one-timed a difficult half-volley across his body to the far post that beat goalkeeper Drake Callender. In a season hampered by injuries, it was Morris’ second goal of the campaign and first in MLS since April.
Seattle nearly doubled its advantage in the 32nd minute when Danny Musovski made a hard near-post run and redirected a low cross toward goal, but Callender did well to get big and keep it out.
The Sounders found their second goal three minutes later when Rusnák whipped in a corner that Morris headed on goal, but Callender made a reaction save. Dotson was there for the rebound, though, and cleaned up for a tap-in on the goal line.
Minnesota was close to pulling one back in the 40th minute when an attempted clearance by Sounders goalkeeper Andrew Thomas was intercepted and fell to Marcus Caldeira at the penalty spot, but Thomas recovered well and denied Caldeira’s effort.
Alex Roldan had time and space deep in the Loons’ box in the 54th minute before attempting to score from a tight angle that was saved by Callender.
Minnesota halved its deficit in the 57th minute when Bongokuhle Hlongwane clipped a cross from the right side into the path of a late run for Markanich in the center of the box, and Markanich connected well on a volley that Thomas got a leg to but couldn’t quite keep out.
Callender made a massive stop in the 70th minute when he dove to his left to deny a dangerous strike from Cristian Roldan at the top of the box.
Dotson was inches away from a brace in the 75th minute as his outstretched effort at the back post couldn’t reach a flicked-on header from Morris on a corner.
Arriola closed out the match in the 83rd minute when he capitalized at the end of a Sounders counterattack. Sebastian Gomez drove down the left flank and picked out Rusnák, who played a beautiful pass into the path of Arriola, who hammered home a shot that beat Callender up high.
Rusnák has been spectacular over the past three matches, notching a goal and four assists in addition to setting up Dotson’s goal from his corner kick on Saturday.
The Loons should have pulled one back in the 89th minute when Markanich crossed a ball to Maurice Malone, who appeared to have a tap-in in front of an empty goal, but he fluffed his lines and allowed Jackson Ragen to recover and miraculously clear the ball off the line.
After a 13-match winless run, the Sounders have earned crucial back-to-back wins at home over the last four days to jump into eighth in the Western Conference table with 35 points form 26 matches.
Seattle will finish its three-game homestand on Thursday against Wooden Spoon-leading Sporting Kansas City (6:30 p.m. PT; Apple TV | **TICKETS**).
THREE TAKEAWAYS
Dotson burns former team
Dotson’s second career Sounders goal came against the club for whom he plied his trade for the first seven years of his professional career. The 29-year-old Federal Way, Wash., native returned to the Pacific Northwest for his hometown team this past offseason.
Spreading the love
With Designated Player Dejan Joveljić away on international duty for Serbia, the Sounders have gotten five goals from five different goal scorers over the last two matches.
Yeimar returns
The Sounders received a big emotional lift in the 85th minute after Yeimar, who suffered multiple injuries this season, entered for just his fourth appearance of the season and first since March 8.
