VANCOUVER - Playing its first Cascadia Cup contest of 2019, Seattle Sounders FC (3-0-1, 10 points) came away from BC Place with a hard-fought road point against Vancouver Whitecaps FC (0-3-1, 1 point) in front of 24,803 north of the border. With the result, Seattle remains unbeaten in 2019, having earned three wins and a draw through the club's first four matches. Tonight's match was the 139th all-time meeting between Seattle and Vancouver across all eras dating back to 1974. In MLS, the two Cascadia rivals have met 24 times (including postseason play), with Seattle holding a 11-7-7 advantage.
A cagey first half produced advantages for Seattle in possession (55.9 percent) and duels won (52.9 percent), but no goals after the first 45 minutes.
Seattle held the draw in the final moments with a series of crucial defensive stops, including a sequence in stoppage time in which Vancouver saw a penalty kick waived off due to VAR. Catching Seattle on the counterattack, JoaquÃn Ardáiz got behind the defense for a shot that forced Stefan Frei into a point-blank diving save to his right. Hwang In-beom pounced on the loose ball for a shot on an apparent open goal, but Kim Kee-hee quickly recovered to block his countryman's attempt. After initially awarding Whitecaps FC a penalty on the play, referee Robert Sibiga waived off the call after Video Review.
The win gives Seattle 10 points from four games to start the 2019 season, good for the best four-match start to a campaign in club history.
After spending the past two league matches on the road, Seattle returns home to CenturyLink Field on Saturday, April 6. Sounders FC is set to resume its rivalry with Real Salt Lake, as the Rave Green host the Claret and Cobalt in a 7:00 p.m. PT kickoff under the lights in Sodo (JOEtv, YouTube TV, 950 KJR AM and El Rey 1360 AM).
MATCH NOTES
- Today's starting lineup was the first time in the organization's MLS era that Seattle has fielded the same first XI for four consecutive league matches to start a season.
- Making his 400th regular-season start this evening, defender Chad Marshall became only the second field player to reach this milestone in MLS history. Among non-goalkeepers, only RSL midfielder Kyle Beckerman has started more regular-season games (436 starts).
- Tonight's match was the 139th all-time meeting between Seattle and Vancouver across all eras dating back to 1974. In MLS, the two Cascadia rivals have met 24 times (including postseason play), with Seattle holding a 11-7-7 advantage.
- Saturday's match in Vancouver marked Sounders FC's first Cascadia Cup fixture of the season. Last season, Seattle captured its fifth Cascadia Cup title (third in MLS) after earning nine points from four matches, including a 2-1 win at Vancouver to clinch the trophy.
MATCH SUMMARY
Seattle Sounders FC 0 - Vancouver Whitecaps FC 0
Saturday, March 30, 2019
Venue: BC Place
Referee: Robert Sibiga
Assistants: Kyle Atkins, Michael Barwegen
Fourth Official: Ramy Touchan
VAR: Edvin Jurisevic
Attendance: 24,803
Weather: 54 degrees and sunny
SCORING SUMMARY
None
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
VAN- Felipe (caution) 90'+1'
LINEUPS & STATS
Seattle Sounders FC - Stefan Frei; Kelvin Leerdam, Kim Kee-hee, Chad Marshall, Brad Smith; Gustav Svensson (Handwalla Bwana 83'), Cristian Roldan, Jordan Morris, Nicolás Lodeiro - captain, VÃctor RodrÃguez; Raúl RuidÃaz (Will Bruin 87')
Substitutes not used: Bryan Meredith, Román Torres, Nouhou, Jordy Delem, Alex Roldan
Total shots: 14 (RuidÃaz, 5)
Shots on goal: 3 (Three players, 1)
Fouls: 11 (RuidÃaz, 3)
Offside: 1 (Smith, 1)
Corner-kicks: 7 (Lodeiro, 7)
Saves: 3 (Frei, 3)
Vancouver Whitecaps FC - Maxime Crepeau; Jakob Nerwinski, Erik Godoy, Doneil Henry, Ali Adnan; Felipe, Jon Erice, Russell Teibert (Hwang In-Beom); Lass (Lucas Venuto 61'), Fredy Montero (Joaquin Ardaiz 87'), Victor Giro
Substitutes not used: Zac MacMath, Scott Sutter, Brett Levis, Yordy Reyna
Total shots: 12 (Montero, 4)
Shots on goal: 3 (Three players, 1)
Fouls: 12 (Felipe, 3)
Offside: 0
Corner-kicks: 5 (Felipe, 3)
Saves: 3 (Crepeau, 3)
