The Seattle Sounders hosted their final two preseason scrimmages against USL Championship side Louisville City FC at the Providence Swedish Performance Center & Clubhouse on Wednesday afternoon. The Sounders defeated Louisville 4-0 in the first match and 3-0 in the second 90, with goals from Pedro de la Vega (2), Cristian Roldan, Yeimar, Stuart Hawkins, and Danny Musovski.
The Sounders nearly had the go-ahead with just six minutes into the first match after Ferreira whipped in a dangerous free kick into the box, but it went out for a corner.
It wasn’t until the 23rd minute, when the Rave Green began its goal-scoring agenda. A corner kick from Ferreira found Roldan in the center of the six-yard box, who then headed it across the goal for de la Vega to clean up and nod into the back of the net.
One minute later, it was Roldan’s time to shine. A pass down the right flank from Jordan Morris put Ferreira in position to pass the ball across the face of the goal for Roldan to finish one-time.
Yeimar extended the lead to three in the 39th minute after a Ferreira free kick just outside the right side of the eighteen curved far post for Ragen to dish back into the six where — after a series of back-and-forth headers — the Colombian international finished top left of the goal.
de la vega grabbed an insurance goal in the 79th minute when Paul Arriola found the Argentine running toward the top of the box. Arriola slotted it from the left flank for de la Vega to rocket the shot one-time and finalize the victory for the home side.
The next group of players in the second match followed suit, producing a total of three goals. The first came in the 28th minute when João Paulo curled the ball into the box for Stuart Hawkins to make a diving effort with his head and redirect past Louisville's keeper.
In the 52nd minute, in an attempt to clear Minoungou’s cross, Louisville’s center back scored an own goal, pushing the Sounders lead to two.
Danny Musovski closed out the second match in the 82nd minute with a banger from the top of the eighteen.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Dominant de la Vega
de la Vega continues to impress after providing two of the four goals in the first match. His ability to utilize his speed and skill on the dribble was found to be influential in several attacking buildups for the Rave Green.
Patient Possession
Despite the high-press efforts of Louisville, they were no match for Seattle’s off-the-ball movement to open up space. The team’s decision-making was impressive as the players strategically picked out moments to attack, resulting in seven goals to close out the 180 minutes of match-play.
Momentum Continues
After a solid preseason in Spain, the team maintained its momentum with two shutout wins over Louisville City. Whether it be the lockdown defense or crafty combination plays in the attacking half, the team’s presence was commanding in each of the 90 minutes.
Next Up
The Sounders will finish out this week of preseason training before heading to Guatemala on Feb. 19 to face Antigua GFC in Round 1, Leg 1 of the Concacaf Champions Cup.
