Raúl Ruidíaz continues to prove why he’s the all-time leading goal scorer for the Seattle Sounders organization.
After reaching that major milestone in the Sounders’ match against the San Jose Earthquakes on Mar. 23, Ruidíaz put on a masterclass against CF Montréal at Lumen Field.
“He’s such an incredible finisher,” said forward Jordan Morris.
Ruidíaz carried the team to its first win of the season Saturday night, tallying the first two goals of the 5-0 result against Eastern Conference side.
“I'm very proud,” said Ruidíaz. “And I'll keep working that way so I can continue to contribute to the team.”
With the two golazo’s of the night, he currently leads the team with four goals in MLS regular season play this year and now carries a total of 82 career finishes. It was his 16th multi-goal game for the Rave Green across all competitions.
The Peruvian forward nearly had a hat trick in the first half but Montréal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirios made a diving effort to prevent the third for Ruidíaz. The long-time Sounder also registered an assist on Alex Roldan’s goal to make it 4-0.
“I was really hoping to get the third one but the more important thing was to actually get the win so I'm very happy for that,” said Ruidíaz.
Tonight’s match was a cathartic moment for the Seattle side. But more specifically, it served as a reminder of the talent and importance Ruidíaz holds for the Sounders as he paced the team to a dominant home win.
“He likes taking chances, he likes taking risks, he's a classic goal scorer, and he's scored many goals,” said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. “Him getting the first goal to break the ice to kind of get the train moving down the tracks is appropriate.”
A brace for the Sounders’ No. 9 on Saturday night was no surprise given his goal-scoring track record, and his teammates have no doubt several more golazos are in the foreseeable future for the veteran attacker.
“[Raúl] has a nose for goal,” said Morris. “He's a really special player in the box and in front of goal so we're fortunate to have him.”
“He’s had a great start to the year.”
Ruidíaz and the Sounders continue MLS regular season play on April 13 against FC Dallas (5:30 p.m. PT; Watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV) as they look to notch a few more goals and secure another strong victory.
“Even though we did have a relatively bad start to the season, we still have not forgotten how we play and the good things that we can do,” said Ruidíaz. “We need to keep the level that we have, we need to still raise up the level even more, and trust in ourselves, trust in our teammates and most importantly, trust the coaches as well.”
