The Seattle Sounders suffered a 1-0 defeat to Nashville SC behind a first-half goal from Hany Mukhtar at GEODIS Park on Wednesday evening.
Seattle started the match brightly, with Jimmy Medranda and Cristian Roldan carving out a couple of half chances inside the first five minutes.
The hosts then settled into the match, with Nashville SC exerting more control over proceedings. Stefan Cleveland came up with an acrobatic diving save on a Mukhtar free kick in the 14th minute, and Nouhou was forced into a last-ditch sliding block to deny CJ Sapong a tap-in 12 minutes later after Cristian Roldan had cleared a shot off the line.
Nashville's pressure paid on the brink of halftime as a route-one counter-attack culminated in Sapong picking out Mukhtar inside the box for a close-range finish to put the hosts 1-0 up.
The Sounders nearly found the equalizer in the 58th minute as midfielder Danny Leyva, who entered as a substitute two-minutes prior, uncorked a powerful shot from 30-yards out that missed the far post by a matter of inches.
With momentum shifting in the Rave Green's favor, Nouhou almost capitalized with his first professional goal in the 68th minute only to be denied by a sprawling, finger-tip save by Nashville goalkeeper Joe Willis.
The best chance of the half fell to substitute Will Bruin in the 75th minute, with Nouhou picking out the forward's clever run, but his first-time shot flashed just wide of the near post.
THREE TAKEAWAYS
Lively Leyva
After absorbing pressure for much of the opening hour, the tenor of the game shifted when Leyva entered the match and Seattle shifted into their familiar 4-2-3-1. The 19-year-old immediately helped the Sounders dominate possession with his quality on the ball. On the defensive side, he was often in the right position to intercept passes and pick off clearances as the Sounders set up shop in the attacking third for most of the second half. It was a promising outing Leyva, who has strung together a couple of solid performances after showing well in a starting role in the 2-0 win over Toronto FC.
Quick Turnaround
Seattle will take on the Chicago Fire (5:08 p.m. PT; FOX 13+, Prime Video, 93.3 KJR FM, El Rey 1360AM) at Soldier Field in the second of two consecutive matches on the road.
Reinforcements Coming
Seattle will have some additional options along the back line on Saturday. Xavier Arreaga returned from injury on Wednesday night, making his first appearance since the 1-1 draw against LAFC on June 18. Fellow center back Jackson Ragen will also be available selection after serving his one-game suspension following his red card against the Portland Timbers.
