Atlanta United defeated the Seattle Sounders 2-1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday behind goals from Ronaldo Cisneros and Andrew Gutman.
The Sounders started the brighter of the two sides, creating a couple of dangerous moments inside the first 15 minutes. Atlanta struggled to get a foothold in the game as the Rave Green controlled possession.
Seattle struggled to convert that control into clear-cut opportunities, though, and the hosts capitalized in the 24th minute when a Cisneros opened the scoring. Luiz Araujo made a run in behind the Sounders’ back line and pulled the ball back for Cisneros, whose first-time shot took a deflection before settling in the back of the net.
After conceding the opener, the Sounders once again took control of the match but were unable to connect on the final ball.
Many of the same trends continued into early stages of the second half. Seattle generated a handful of half chances while Atlanta looked to hit on the counter. The tenor of the match changed, however, around the 55th minute when Danny Leyva and Raúl Ruidíaz entered as substitute.
The Sounders leveled the match in the 68th minute when Nicolás Lodeiro slipped a through-ball down the left for Nouhou, The Cameroonian left back’s cross eventually laded at the feet of Cristian Roldan, who punched home the equalizer.
Seattle nearly took the lead a few minutes later as Ruidíaz unleashed a venomous shot destined for the top corner, only to be denied by a sprawling save from Atlanta’s Rocco Ríos Novo.
Atlanta took advantage of the Sounders’ failure to score a decisive second goal when Gutman hit a rocket of a shot inside the far post four minutes into second half stoppage time to seal the win.
THREE TAKEAWAYS
Gut Punch
Seattle controlled much of the match and even managed to battle back after falling behind in the first half. Despite looking the most likely to score the go-ahead goal, a defensive lapse in the closing minutes of the match saw the Sounders drop a valuable point on the road.
Ruidíaz Returning
One bright spot from the match was the continued return of Ruidíaz, who missed most of July with a hamstring injury. The Peruvian striker showed several flashes of his stellar attacking talent during his 40-minute cameo. Having Ruidíaz healthy will be critical during the final 10 matches as the Sounders look to secure a spot in the postseason.
Next Up
After a grueling stretch of three games in eight days, the Sounders will have a full week of rest before hosting Real Salt Lake (7:08 p.m. PT; FOX 13+, Univision Seattle, Prime Video, 93.3 KJR FM, El Rey 1360AM | TICKETS) at Lumen Field on August 14. RSL currently sits three points ahead of Seattle and occupies fifth place in the Western Conference, giving this game massive playoff implications.
