SEATTLE -- Víctor Rodríguez scored twice and Will Bruin and Cristian Roldan added a goal apiece, pacing the Seattle Sounders to a 4-1 blowout over the Houston Dynamo at CenturyLink Field on Monday night.
Both sides were short-handed with a handful of absences due to the FIFA international break, with the Sounders playing without striker Raúl Ruidíaz (Peru) and midfielder Gustav Svensson (Sweden). But, Seattle was able to pull out the three points on an explosive night for the attack, moving the club’s record to 15-11-5 and 50 points on the season.
Bruin opened the scoring in the 18th minute after collecting the ball in the Houston penalty box, making a nifty turn and firing home a clinical left-footed finish, staking the Sounders to the 1-0 lead. Roldan then doubled that in the 34th, finishing off a gorgeous counterattack fueled by Nicolás Lodeiro with a laser finish of his own, giving the Sounders the 2-0 lead they would take into the halftime locker room.
Rodríguez then added the insurance with two finishes in the second half, before Houston’s DaMarcus Beasley netted late to seal the 4-1 final.
THREE TAKEAWAYS
BRUIN STEPS UP
With Ruidíaz away on international duty, Bruin drew the start against his former club and capitalized on the opportunity, bagging the crucial opener with his first-half tally and setting up Rodríguez’s dagger with a highlight-reel dummy. The veteran forward now has seven goals and five assists on the season and clearly loves scoring against his former employer, with Monday’s tally marking his fourth in five career matches against the Dynamo.
V-ROD HEATING UP
It’s been a difficult, injury-filled season for Rodríguez, but the Spaniard might be heating up at exactly the right time. Monday’s brace moves him up to four goals and three assists on the season and his standout play has been necessary in the absence of injured teammate Harry Shipp. If Rodríguez continues this form going forward, it could be a sneaky difference-maker come playoff time.
Víctor Rodríguez celebrates after scoring his second goal of the match | Mike Fiechtner
ROLDAN KEEPS ROLLIN’
The fourth-year midfielder was already in the midst of a career campaign before Monday’s one-goal, one-assist performance, but Roldan padded his stats in this contest, bringing his totals on the season to four goals and eight assists. Roldan has shifted between playing in the defensive midfield and higher up in the attack this season, but the numbers he’s putting up this year show that the University of Washington product is getting an increasingly refined handle on how to make his impact on games. He’s also been an iron man for Seattle this season, as his second-half substitution for his brother Alex marked the first time he didn’t go a full 90 minutes since Oct. 1, 2017.
SCORING SUMMARY
SEA - Will Bruin (Cristian Roldan, Nouhou Tolo) 18'
SEA - Cristian Roldan (Nicolás Lodeiro) 34'
SEA - Víctor Rodríguez (Kelvin Leerdam) 64'
SEA - Víctor Rodríguez (Handwalla Bwana) 73'
HOU - DaMarcus Beasley (Arturo Álvarez, Tomás Martínez) 87'
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
HOU - Juan Cabezas (Unsporting Behavior) 55'
HOU - Leonardo (Unsporting Behavior) 76'
