Daniel Royer and Bradley Wright-Phillips scored a goal apiece and a late tally for Harry Shipp wouldn’t be quite enough to finish the comeback, as the Seattle Sounders eventually fell 2-1 to the New York Red Bulls in the Wednesday evening fixture between the sides at Red Bull Arena.
The hosts struck first in the 37th minute after Royer cashed home a long feed from Wright-Phillips that leaked all the way to the far post, giving the Red Bulls the 1-0 lead.
The Sounders had their chances at an equalizer, most notably on a breakaway from midfielder Víctor Rodríguez on the stroke of halftime that left the Spaniard in a one-on-one against NYRB goalkeeper Luis Robles. But Rodríguez would push the shot just wide, and Royer’s tally would stand as the difference headed into the halftime break.
Wright-Phillips then added the game-winner shortly after second-half kickoff, with a perfectly placed header to make it 2-0. Shipp pulled one back late with an 87th-minute finish off the post off a feed from Will Bruin, but the Red Bulls were able to hold the Sounders off the scoresheet the rest of the way and snare all three points.
THREE TAKEAWAYS
BWP strikes
Wright-Phillips is considered one of the most iconic strikers in MLS history for a reason, and the Englishman showed why once again with his tally on Wednesday. The goal was vintage BWP, an absolutely pinpoint flicked header that gave Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei no chance to react before it found the net.
Víctor Rodríguez dribbles towards the New York Red Bulls goal / Taylor Wilder
Missed opportunities
This loss didn’t mirror some of Seattle’s other defeats this season in that the Sounders’ attack had its fair share of chances to find goals in addition to Shipp’s that could have changed the dynamic of the contest. Bruin forced Robles into a great diving save off a well-placed header of his own off a first-half corner kick, while Rodríguez’s missed chance on the breakaway also wound up looming large in the match. It will be of little consolation to Head Coach Brian Schmetzer and his players, but as the Sounders get healthier, they’ll hope the attack can continue to progress after a stagnant start to the season.
Homeward Bound
Coming off the cross-country road trip, the Sounders now have a 10-day break before their next MLS match as the 2018 FIFA World Cup gets underway this week. Seattle returns to MLS play with a matchup against Eastern Conference foe Chicago Fire on Saturday, June 23 before a massive Cascadia Cup rivalry fixture with the Portland Timbers at CenturyLink Field on Saturday, June 30. In the meantime, as the World Cup festivities get started, keep an eye out for Seattle’s representatives in Swedish midfielder Gustav Svensson and Panama captain Román Torres.
SCORING SUMMARY
RBNY - Daniel Royer (Florian Valot, Ethan Kutler) 37'
RBNY - Bradley Wright-Phillips (Ethan Kutler, Sean Davis) 52'
SEA - Harry Shipp (Will Bruin, Waylon Francis) 87'
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
SEA - Jordan McCrary (Unsporting Behavior) 74'
SEA - Harry Shipp (Unsporting Behavior) 76'
SEA - Cristian Roldan (Unsporting Behavior) 90'+1'
