SEATTLE WASH
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Seattle Sounders FC extended its current winning streak to eight matches, setting a new single-season Major League Soccer record in the process, as the Rave Green (12-9-5, 41 points) battled back to defeat Sporting Kansas City (13-7-6, 45 points) by a final score of 3-1. Coincidentally, Sporting KC held the previous single-season league record for a winning streak in the post-shootout era (seven games), and today's win halted their current four-match winning streak. Raul Ruidíaz and Nicolás Lodeiro combined their strikes with a Sporting KC own goal to secure the three points, moving Seattle's unbeaten run to 11 matches, just two games shy of the single-season club record that was set in 2017. The club's current streak extends all the way back to the Rave Green's last loss on June 30, with Seattle now occupying fourth place in the Western Conference. Brian Schmetzer's side is level with Real Salt Lake on 41 points and 12 wins, but ahead of the Utah side via the goals scored tiebreaker. With eight matches remaining in the 2018 regular season, Seattle is just five points out of first place in the West.
Prior to the match, Sounders FC and United States Men's National Team legend Clint Dempsey was celebrated by the home crowd, celebrating the career of the 35-year-old forward.
Earlier this week, Dempsey
announced his retirement from professional soccer
,concluding a historic 15-year run that saw him play for the New England Revolution, Fulham FC, Tottenham Hotspur and Sounders FC, in addition to the U.S. Men's National Team.
MEDIA RESOURCES
PHOTOS - CLINT DEMPSEY RETIREMENT CEREMONY:
http://sndrs.com/rq2gm
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS:
http://sndrs.com/2clj2
PHOTOS - MATCH IMAGES FOR MEDIA USE:
http://sndrs.com/vjk48
VIDEO - BRIAN SCHMETZER POST-MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE:
http://sndrs.com/6z5m6
VIDEO - STEFAN FREI POST-MATCH MEDIA SCRUM:
http://sndrs.com/yrh8j
VIDEO - NICOLÁS LODEIRO POST-MATCH MEDIA SCRUM:
http://sndrs.com/mmar2
VIDEO - BRAD SMITH POST-MATCH MEDIA SCRUM:
http://sndrs.com/4yydv
AUDIO - DOWNLOADABLE POST-MATCH SOUNDBYTES:
http://sndrs.com/audio
Sporting wasted little time in igniting the match, opening the scoring in just the second minute of play through Diego Rubio. The forward took advantage of a Seattle's misclearance inside the Rave Green's 18-yard-box, with Rubio opportunistically converting an attempt that was knocked down by midfielder Gerso Fernandes, giving Sporting the 1-0 lead.
Seattle battled back to find the equalizer 10 minutes later, as captain Ozzie Alonso unleashed a precision through ball that found new signing Brad Smith running down the left flank with space to spare. The Australian fullback used his signature speed to knife through Sporting's defense, crossing the ball to Tim Melia's far post, where Peruvian international Raúl Ruidíaz was waiting to pounce. The newly signed Designated Player needed just one touch to convert the opportunity, leveling the game and bagging his third goal for Sounders FC since signing during the summer transfer window from Liga MX. The strike was Ruidíaz's second tally in front of the Rave Green faithful inside CenturyLink Field, having scored his first home goal in a 5-0 win over the LA Galaxy on August 18.
The second half belonged to Seattle, as a Graham Zusi own goal and a penalty strike from Lodeiro bolstered Sounders FC's lead, helping their team cruise to the 3-1 victory. Harry Shipp drove home the club's second goal, firing a shot from an acute angle that caromed into the back of the net off Zusi, vaulting the Rave Green into the lead in the 52nd minute. Four minutes later, Lodeiro doubled his side's advantage from the spot, following the awarding of a Seattle penalty due to an Ike Opara handball during a Smith cross inside Sporting's area. For the Uruguayan, the goal was his team-leading seventh of the season, accompanying his club-best nine assists.
Seattle went down to 10 men in the 81st minute, when referee Baldomero Toledo used video review to rule that Chad Marshall had committed serious foul play for a challenge on Sporting's Johnny Russel. Sounders FC defended its lead for the remainder of the contest with 10 men, seeing out the victory seamlessly.
Seattle now heads into the upcoming FIFA international break, with
four Sounders already called into national team duty
. The club returns to MLS play on September 15 in Vancouver, with a Cascadia Cup showdown against Whitecaps FC (7:00 p.m. PT / JOEtv, YouTube TV, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM).
MATCH NOTES
- Sounders FC is now 12-9-5 on the season, and currently sits above the red line at fourth in the Western Conference with 41 points. Brian Schmetzer's side is level with Real Salt Lake on 41 points and 12 wins, but ahead of the Utah side via the goals scored tiebreaker.
- With eight matches remaining in the 2018 regular season, Seattle is just five points out of first place in the West.
- Sounders FC extends its club record toeight consecutive wins, setting a new single-season league record in the post-shootout era (since 2000). Seattle surpasses Sporting Kansas City's previous record, which was seven straight to start the 2012 campaign.
- The result extends Seattle's unbeaten streak to 11 games (9-0-2), dating back to July 4 at Colorado. The run is the longest spell without a loss this season, and is the club's second-longest unbeaten streak in club history. The longest unbeaten streak in club history is 13 games (6-0-7) from June 21-September 23 of last season.
- Raúl Ruidíaz scored his third goal of the season, and second in his last three games. Seattle today improved to 7-0-0 in games in which he starts, and 3-0-0 in games in which he scores.
- Lodeiro's goal was his team-leading seventh strike of the season. He has now recorded six goals and seven assists in his last 12 games dating back to June 30.
- Sounders FC is now 9-5-4 all-time against Sporting Kansas City in MLS regular season play, including a 5-2-2 record at CenturyLink Field.
- On the season, Sounders FC is now 7-4-2 at home, earning 23 of its 41 points at CenturyLink Field. The club has four regular-season home matches remaining in 2018.
- Seattle has allowed one goal or fewer in each of the club's 11 matches during the current unbeaten run, and its 27 goals allowed is the second-fewest in MLS this season.
- In the club's last four contests, Seattle has outscored its opponents 11-2. In sequential order, those games were against FC Dallas, LA Galaxy, Portland Timbers and Sporting KC - all teams that were above Sounders FC in the Western Conference table at the time.
MATCH SUMMARY
Seattle Sounders FC 3 - Sporting Kansas City 1
Saturday, September 1, 2018
Venue:
Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field
Referee:
Baldomero Toledo
Assistants:
Eduardo Mariscal, Ian Anderson
Fourth Official:
Alejandro Mariscal
VAR:
David Gantar
Attendance:
39,530
Weather:
65 degrees and mostly cloudy
SCORING SUMMARY
SKC
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Diego Rubio (Gerso Fernandes) 2'
SEA
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Raúl Ruidíaz (Brad Smith, Osvaldo Alonso) 12'
SEA
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Own Goal (Graham Zusi) 52'
SEA
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Nicolas Lodeiro (penalty) 56'
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
SEA
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Kim Kee-hee (caution) 27'
SKC
-
Diego Rubio (caution) 32'
SKC
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Ilie Sanchez (caution) 43'
SKC
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Ike Opara (caution) 45'+1'
SEA
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Chad Marshall (ejection) 81'
SEA
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Stefan Frei (caution) 82'
LINEUPS & STATS
Seattle Sounders FC -
Stefan Frei; Kelvin Leerdam, Kim Kee-hee, Chad Marshall, Brad Smith; Gustav Svensson, Osvaldo Alonso - captain, Cristian Roldan, Nicolás Lodeiro (90'+6'), Harry Shipp (Román Torres 85'); Raúl Ruidíaz (Will Bruin 89')
Substitutes not used:
Bryan Meredith, Alex Roldan, Jordy Delem, Henry Wingo
Total shots:
9 (Ruidíaz, 4)
Shots on goal:
3 (Three players, 1)
Fouls:
14 (Marshall, 3)
Offside:
1 (Smith, 1)
Corner-kicks:
4 (Lodeiro, 3)
Saves:
4 (Frei, 4)
Sporting Kansas City -
Tim Melia; Graham Zusi, Ike Opara, Matt Besler - captain, Seth Sinovic (Yohan Croizet 86'); Ilie Sanchez, Roger Espinoza, Felipe Gutierrez, Gerso Fernandes, Daniel Salloi (Johnny Russell 62'); Diego Rubio (Krisztian Nemeth 75')
Substitutes not used: Eric Dick, Gianluca Busio, Jaylin Lindsey, Andreu Fontas
Total shots: 19 (Rubio, 4)
Shots on goal:
5 (Rubio, 2)
Fouls:
17 (Four players, 3)
Offside:
0
Corner-kicks:
7 (Zusi, 4)
Saves:
1 (Melia, 1)
POST-MATCH AUDIO
Post-match soundbytes from Sounders FC Head Coach Brian Schmetzer, goalkeeper Stefan Frei, defender Brad Smith and midfielder Nicolás Lodeiro are available via the following link: http://sndrs.com/audio.
