The Seattle Sounders secured a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City on Saturday. The Rave Green now sit just three points back of fourth in the West with a game in hand.
Seattle's win over Sporting featured fantastic team goals, resolute defending and compelling narratives. Here are six things you may have missed:
Patience Pays Off
Seattle's opening goal against Kansas City was a thing of beauty, with Cristian Roldan playing a picturesque cross to the back post for Will Bruin who supplied a perfectly placed header to the back post. The cross and finish were just the exclamation point on the sequence, though, as the goal featured a 17 pass build-up from the Sounders. Equally impressive were the 60-yard pass from Jackson Ragen and the leaping, one-touch pass from Alex Roldan to find his brother in a dangerous pocket of space.
Nobody Like Nico
Nicolás Lodeiro has been on fire this season. After missing much of 2021 with injuries, Lodeiro has been in scintillating form this year in both Concacaf Champions League and MLS play. On top of his usual dominance in possession and relentless running off the ball, Lodeiro's assist against Sporting Kansas City puts him at 13 goal contributions (eight goals and five assists) from just 16 starts across all competitions.
TAKING ON MONTRÉAL
Cheer on the Rave Green in a battle between two of the top sides in the Eastern and Western Conferences. Bring your furry best friend when you purchase a Pups at the Pitch ticket. In partnership with The Farmer’s Dog we’ll host our fans and their pups in a dedicated section complete with hydration stations and more. Don’t miss our Pups and Pints beer garden in North Plaza prior to kickoff.
Big Time Bill
Bruin is one of the most accomplished goal-scorers in MLS history. He added to his growing list of clutch goals for the Seattle Sounders as he scored the game-winner on Saturday. In just the last couple of seasons, the veteran striker has the sole goal in Seattle's 1-1 draw away to Austin, late game-winning goals at Sporting Kansas City and Columbus Crew SC in 2021, and the late tally that sparked the Rave Green's miraculous 3-2 comeback in the 2020 Western Conference finals against Minnesota United.
Future Is Bright
MLS rookie center back Jackson Ragen put in yet another composed performance in the win against Sporting. An aerially dominant defender capable of picking out passes all over the pitch, Ragen's distribution on Saturday was crucial to the win. The Sounders Academy alum completed 92.7 percent of his passes, highlighted by his cross-field diagonal that keyed the opening goal. Ragen completed an impressive 17 of 19 long-range pass attempts and led the Sounders with five successful passes into the final, one more than Lodeiro in second.
Wing Production
After playing a 3-5-2 for much of last season, the Sounders have shifted back to a familiar 4-2-3-1 in 2022. That type of formational shift requires heavy attacking output from the wingers. Jordan Morris and Cristian Roldan have exceeded expectations in this department, with the dynamic duo contributing 12 goals and 13 assists across MLS and CCL play.
Club History
Goalkeeper Stefan Frei joined elite company against Sporting Kansas City as he became just the third player in club history to reach 300 appearances across all competitions. Dating back to 1974, only two players have featured for the Sounders more often than Frei: Zach Scott and Osvaldo Alonso.
Portland Ticket Offer
With the World Cup coming to Seattle, we are offering tickets for $20.26 to our CCL Champions Celebration match against the Portland Timbers on July 9.
