Raul Ruidiaz scored the game-winning goal in his first MLS start, pacing the Seattle Sounders to a 1-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes at Avaya Stadium on Wednesday.
Neither side managed to find the scoresheet in a first half that saw chances difficult to come by and a game that was a defensive slog for much of the contest. But Ruidiaz came through with his first league goal in his second appearance coming off his club debut against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday, slotting home a 62nd-minute finish past San Jose goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell for what turned out to be the game-winning tally.
ONE START, ONE GOAL
The Sounders got a brief look at what Ruidiaz brings to the table against Vancouver, but on Wednesday, the Peruvian showed exactly why the Sounders decided to bring him to the club on a Designated Player contract during the summer transfer window. The striker’s second-half finish was clinical, like many of the goals he’s scored in Liga MX the past two seasons, and gave Tarbell no chance to react as he fired home the match-winning tally. For Sounders Head Coach Brian Schmetzer, the hope is that the goal is the first of many as Seattle look to make a second-half playoff push.
UNBEATEN STREAK IN TACT
The match also marked the fifth straight match without a defeat for Seattle, a stretch that has seen them go 3-0-2 with road results in New England, Atlanta and now San Jose. Overall, the Sounders moved to 6-9-5 and 23 points, now seven shy of Real Salt Lake for the sixth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
TOUGH OPPOSITION LOOMING
If the Sounders want to keep that unbeaten streak alive another game, they’ll have to do it against some tough opposition. It’s powerhouse New York City FC and star striker David Villa up next on the docket for Seattle in a cross-conference matchup between the sides at CenturyLink on Sunday (2 p.m. PT; ESPN, YouTube TV, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM | TICKETS). Overall, Seattle will have three of its next four matches at the CLink, with the lone road match in that stretch against Minnesota United on Aug. 4. If the second-half push to the postseason is to materialize, the Sounders need to procure as many points as possible in this upcoming window starting against a New York City side that will be making a trip all the way from Orlando, where they play on Thursday leading up to Sunday’s match.
