The Seattle Sounders took a huge comeback 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place on Saturday, as Yeimar Gómez Andrade struck for a dramatic game-winning goal in second-half stoppage time.
Léo Chú also scored a brace as part of a stellar individual effort for the Brazilian U-22 Initiative signing. Chú netted equalizing goals in the 60th and 76th minute before Yeimar’s decisive strike just before the final whistle.
Vancouver took leads of 1-0 and 2-1 via goals from Ranko Veselinović and Ryan Gauld, which were both offset by Chú. After a late red card to Vancouver’s Mathías Laborda, the Sounders capitalized on the man-advantage almost immediately, as Yeimar pounced on a loose ball during a frantic scramble in the box and cashed home the decisive goal, delivering Seattle all three points and silencing the BC Place crowd.
The result moves the Sounders into sole possession of second place on the Western Conference table (10W-7L-5D, 35 points), three points off the pace of first-place St. Louis CITY SC.
THREE TAKEAWAYS
Chú breakout
In what could already be tabbed a breakout campaign in MLS, this was Léo Chú’s finest performance yet. It was a monstrous performance from the dynamic winger, who was all over the pitch throughout the night, playing a role in all three goals. He’s now up to three goals and eight assists through 21 matches, establishing himself as one of the league’s brightest young attackers.
Cleveland comes through
With goalkeeper Stefan Frei out for the match due to concussion protocol, Stefan Cleveland made the most of his opportunity. The 29-year-old made a pair of huge, full-extension saves. Without Cleveland’s heroics in goal, this three-point result doesn’t happen.
Yeimar to the rescue
He’s known for preventing goals more than scoring them, but Yeimar couldn’t have picked a much bigger spot to open his account for the 2023 season. The 31-year-old Colombian is a crucial cog of this team in defense, but this marked his fifth career MLS goal since his 2020 arrival to the club.
