The Seattle Sounders defeated Minnesota United 1-0 on Saturday night at Lumen Field behind a 79th-minute goal from Albert Rusnák.
Seattle dominated the ball in the first half with nearly 68% possession and outpassed Minnesota 337-159. The Sounders couldn’t force goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair into too many difficult saves in the opening 45 minutes, though, registering just one shot on goal.
The best chance of the half came from new Loons acquisition Sang-Bin Jeong, whose one-time shot off a deflection from the top of the box sailed over the crossbar.
The Sounders nearly took the lead in the 53rd minute when Nicolás Lodeiro picked out Léo Chú at the six-yard box, but his shot was mis-hit just wide.
Seattle finally found the opener a little more than 10 minutes from full time when Rusnák fired home an open shot from the top of the box. Fredy Montero dropped a deft pass to the center of the 18-yard box for Rusnák to run onto it.
Seattle was without several key contributors on Saturday, with Raúl Ruidíaz (hamstring), Cristian Roldan (concussion protocol) and Nouhou (illness) all missing out. Jordan Morris, who played nearly the entire match midweek with the United States national team, came on as a second-half substitute.
Next up for the Sounders will be their quest for their fifth U.S. Open Cup title, which begins on Wednesday when they host USL Championship side San Diego Loyal (7 p.m. PT | TICKETS) at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash.
THREE TAKEAWAYS
Rusnák opens his 2023 account
Rusnák scored his first goal of the 2023 MLS season and fourth of his Sounders career when his team needed it most. His beauty of a one-timed strike from the top of the box finally found the breakthrough and, ultimately, three points.
Clean sheet streak continues
The Sounders have still yet to concede at home so far in five matches this season and have pushed their record at Lumen Field to an unbeaten 4-0-1. Seattle has outscored opponents 10-0 in that span.
More dominance over Minnesota
Seattle has run its record to 11-1-1 in 13 all-time meetings against Minnesota since the Loons entered MLS in 2017. The Sounders’ .846 win percentage is the best for any single team against a single opponent it’s played at least 10 times in MLS history. The Sounders also extend their perfect home record to 8-0-0 against the Loons, including a 3-2 comeback win in the 2020 Western Conference Championship.
