SEATTLE, WASH. - Jordan Morris scored his fifth goal of the season as Sounders FC (11-6-5, 38 points) earned 1-0 road win over the Houston Dynamo (9-10-3, 30 points) on Saturday evening at BBVA Stadium. The result marked the second consecutive road win for Seattle and the seventh straight victory over the Dynamo (including postseason), as Stefan Frei recorded his seventh shutout of the season. The win propels Seattle to second place in the Western Conference, 11 points shy of Supporters' Shield-leading Los Angeles FC and one point above the LA Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes. The Rave Green now return home to face Sporting Kansas City next Sunday, August 4 in a nationally televised fixture at CenturyLink Field (7:00 p.m. PT / FS1, YouTube TV, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM).
After nearly an hour of scoreless play, Morris scored the game's lone goal in the 59th minute. The play began when Harry Shipp sent a long ball from the right side that was mis-cleared by the Dynamo defense. The bouncing ball in the 18-yard-box fell to Morris, who shrugged off a Houston challenge and played to himself with a couple of deft touches, before poking a slow-rolling shot that hit the far post and went into the net. It marked the fifth goal of the season and 20th career strike for Morris, who is now tied with Kelvin Leerdam for second on the team in 2019.
Frei made three saves en route to his seventh shutout of the season, tied for third in MLS. The veteran goalkeeper now has 73 career clean sheets, good for seventh in league history.
Saturday marked the second consecutive road win for Seattle after a winning just once away from home prior. Sounders FC has now won seven straight games against the Dynamo (including postseason), with the last loss to Houston coming on March 4, 2017.
Following Saturday's match, Brian Schmetzer's side returns home to CenturyLink Field to take on Sporting Kansas City on Sunday, August 4 (7:00 p.m. PT / FS1, YouTube TV, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM).
MATCH NOTES
- With today's result, Sounders FC jumps to second place in the Western Conference with 38 points (11-6-5), 11 points behind Supporters' Shield-leading LAFC. The club sits one point ahead of the LA Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes, as well as three points clear of fourth-place Minnesota United FC.
- Sounders FC is 10-4-5 all-time against the Dynamo in MLS regular-season play, including a 2-4-4 record in Houston. Seattle has now won seven straight games against the Dynamo (including postseason), with the last loss to Houston coming on March 4, 2017.
- Forward Jordan Morris scored his fifth goal of the season, tied for second on the squad with Kelvin Leerdam. It was also the 20th career goal for Morris in 72 regular season appearances.
- Goalkeeper Stefan Frei made three saves en route to his seventh shutout of the season, tied for third in MLS. The veteran goalkeeper now has 73 career clean sheets, good for seventh in league history.
- Forward Raúl RuidÃaz and midfielder Gustav Svensson remained in Seattle due to injuries suffered against Portland, paving the way for Jordy Delem and Danny Leyva to start at central midfield. Cristian Roldan and Jordan Morris each moved up a line to right wing and forward, respectively. Saad Abdul-Salaam started at right back for Kelvin Leerdam, who is dealing with right ankle impingement, while Nouhou started at left back and Brad Smith slid up to the left wing.
- Brad Smith was forced to leave the game in the first half with left adductor pain. He was replaced by Harry Shipp in the 31st minute.
MATCH SUMMARY
Seattle Sounders FC 1 - Houston Dynamo 0
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Venue: BBVA Stadium
Referee: Nima Saghafi
Assistants: Ian Anderson, Gjovalin Bori
Fourth Official: Matthew Franz
VAR: Jorge Gonzalez
Attendance: 15,138
Weather: 86 degrees and clear
SCORING SUMMARY
SEA - Jordan Morris 59'
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
SEA- Jordy Delem (caution) 50'
SEA - Harry Shipp (caution) 72'
HOU - Ronaldo Pena (caution) 82'
LINEUPS & STATS
Seattle Sounders FC - Stefan Frei; Saad Abdul-Salaam, Román Torres, Kim Kee-hee, Nouhou; Jordy Delem (Xavier Arreaga 80'), Danny Leyva, Cristian Roldan, Nicolás Lodeiro, Brad Smith (Harry Shipp 31'); Jordan Morris (Joevin Jones 73')
Substitutes not used: Bryan Meredith, Kelvin Leerdam, Alex Roldan, Justin Dhillon
Total shots: 7 (Morris, 4)
Shots on goal: 1 (Morris, 1)
Fouls: 8 (Delem, 3)
Offside: 0
Corner-kicks: 1 (Lodeiro, 1)
Saves: 3 (Frei, 3)
Houston Dynamo - Tyler Deric; AJ Delagarza Jr. (Kevin Garcia 71'), Aljaz Struna, Maynor Figueroa, Adam Lundkvist; Matias Vera, Boniek Garcia, Tomas Martinez, Tommy McNamara (Ronaldo Pena 75'), Memo Rodriguez (Michael Salazar 64'); Mauro Manotas
Substitutes not used: Joe Willis, DaMarcus Beasley, Darwin Ceren, Juan Cabezas
Total shots: 15 (Manotas, 7)
Shots on goal: 3 (Manotas, 2)
Fouls: 9 (Martinez, 3)
Offside: 2 (Rodriguez, 2)
Corner-kicks: 9 (Lundkvist, 5)
Saves: 0
