The first half played almost exactly how the Sounders wanted. There were no clear opportunities for Austin and the game was played at Seattle’s pace. Sure, there were some moments where you would have liked to see the Sounders be more composed in attack, but they were in control of the first half, albeit on a short rest, away from home. The most notable moment was when Danny Musowski led a counter-attack in the 33rd minute, but he lost the ball under his feet and was unable to find a wide open Pedro de la Vega who was clear on goal.
The Sounders were able to execute a self alley-oop with their second half performance. Building on the foundation they built in the first half, Seattle came out in the second half and took care of business. Adding Albert Rusnak and Jordan Morris, the veterans were immediately able to get into motion and take control. Morris’ influence in particular was well felt as his tendency to hold back caused all sorts of problems for Austin FC broadly and Brendan Hines-Ike in particular. Within half an hour, Morris scored a goal and Hines-Ike was sent off.
important moment
5 – Austin got the first corner kick of the match but he could not do anything with it. As a result, he fouled Leo Chu to prevent the counter.
7 – Gyasi Zardes was played in behind but fired a good shot over the bar.
12 – De la Vega takes a 30-yard free kick over the bar by Brad Stuever. to close!
16 – De la Vega is brought down in the box looking for a foul but the referee waves it away. Julio Cascante left his legs to bring de la Vega down, but no call.
24 – Danny Musowski goes down with a head injury for the second time. He was taken off the field to be examined and due to MLS rules he had to stay off the field for 2 minutes.
33 – The Sounders were on a dangerous counter-attack, but Musowski was unable to find any of his teammates, with De la Vega most notably the open teammate.
35 – Yemar Gomez Andrade receives a yellow card for a handshake to the face. Dangerous free kick for Austin on the edge of the box.
40 – Dangerous moments for Austin where they managed to get a few dangerous crosses in but none were able to finish.
45+2 – Austin ends the half with a few chances but to no avail.
HT – Rusnak and Morris enter the match for De La Vega and Musowski.
49 – Frei had to make a brilliant save at his near post on a Sebastien Drusy header.
52 – A very ambitious volley from Alex Roldan flies into the stands. Goal of the Year candidate if he was attached to it. 45 seconds later, Paul Rothrock followed it up with a cut back shot.
58 – Brendan Hines-Ike gets a yellow card for bringing down Morris on the break.
61 – Chu with a big miss. The Sounders had a clear break on goal, Rusnak played Chu perfectly, and Chu fired a perfect shot at Stuever.
63 – Morris Goal!!!!!!!!!!!!! Vargas with a beautiful dribble, Rothrock with a soft layoff and Morris with a nice finish. Left leg also.
66 – Reed Baker-Whiting on for Chu.
77 – Hines-Ike is sent off for his second yellow.
79 – The free kick from the previous foul was cleared off the crossbar by Rusnak. Almost a beautiful moment for the hot player.
90 – Diego Rubio is brought down in the box by Regen and the referee brushes it off. No fine! Austin almost scored on the ensuing corner, but went wide.
quick views
Jordan Morris this, Jordan Morris that: One of MLS’s most popular players at the moment didn’t even need to start a game to make an impact. Morris became a threat after coming on at half-time. Within 32 minutes of gameplay, he drew two yellow cards on Hines-Ike and scored a goal. Besides, he was just a constant threat.
Schmetzer Masterclass in Management: The Sounders head coach decided to go with his starting lineup again, even with the busy schedule, rather than make massive changes. Seattle made only three changes from their last MLS game, and the starting lineup for the second half will probably be a first-choice XI of everyone who is fit. Beyond just the selections, you have to think that Brian Schmetzer is the happiest man in the world with his team’s performance tonight.
Vargas wins: The unsung hero of the match tonight was Obed Vargas. He would appear on the stat sheet with a second-assist on the goal, but his presence was greatly felt throughout the match. He was agile and decisive on the ball, winning his duels and largely controlling the game from midfield against Austin. A real man of the match performance from a young kid.
Notable Quotes
Schmetzer on the team’s form: “The ball seems to be bouncing towards us. Maybe at the beginning of the year, they impose fines. Maybe that corner can come in. Jimmy Gabriel used to say ‘you run out of luck’ and we had a lot of bad luck at the beginning of the year. It is evening now.”
– Jeremiah Oshan (@JeremiahOshan) 14 July 2024
player spotlight
Stephen Frei – This game doesn’t end like this without Frei’s 111th career shutout, one behind only Kevin Hartman for second all-time. He made key saves throughout the game to keep it tied, and more importantly, kept it 1–0 when Austin fired a Kitchensick on goal in stoppage time.
