The Seattle Sounders defeated Austin FC 1-0 on Saturday night in the Texas capital. After Tuesday’s game in Sacramento, tonight’s game against Austin had the potential to be a tough one. But the Sounders were able to put together a no-nonsense performance and fly home to Seattle with all three points.
The first half went pretty much as the Sounders wanted. No clear-cut chances for Austin and the game was played at Seattle’s pace. Sure, there were a few moments where you would have liked to see more composure in attack from the Sounders, but they had the upper hand in the first half after a short break. The most notable moment came when Danny Musovski led a counterattack in the 33rd minute, but lost the ball under his feet and couldn’t find a wide open Pedro de la Vega, who was free to run through to the goal.
The Sounders were able to execute the self alley-oop with their second half performance. Building on the foundation they had laid in the first half, Seattle came out of the blocks in the second half and took matters into their own hands. Bringing on Albert Rusnák and Jordan Morris allowed the veterans to immediately pick up the pace and take control. Morris’ impact was especially felt, as his instincts to get in behind caused all sorts of problems for Austin FC in general and Brendan Hines-Ike in particular. Within half an hour, Morris had a goal and Hines-Ike was sent off.
Important moments
5 – Austin get their first corner of the game but they can’t do anything with it. It results in a foul on Leo Chu to prevent the counter.
7 – Gyasi Zardes was played in at the back, but shot well over the bar.
12 – Brad Stuver tips a 30-yard free kick over the bar of de la Vega. Almost!
16 – de la Vega was brought down in the penalty area looking for a foul, but the referee waved it away. Julio Cascante left his feet to bring down de la Vega, but no whistle was blown.
24 – Danny Musovski is out for the second time with an apparent head injury. He was taken off the field for a checkup and due to MLS rules he had to stay off the field for 2 minutes.
33 – Sounders counterattacked dangerously, but Musovski couldn’t find any of his teammates, most notably de la Vega.
35 – Yeimar Gomez Andrade received a yellow card for hands in the face. Dangerous free kick for Austin on the edge of the penalty area.
40 – Dangerous moments for Austin, where they could make a few dangerous crosses, but no one could finish them.
45+2 – Austin ends the first half with a few chances, but nothing comes of it.
HT – Rusnak and Morris enter the match for de la Vega and Musovski.
49 – Frei had to make a great save at the near post to deny Sebastian Drussi a header.
52 – A very ambitious volley from Alex Roldan flew into the stands. Candidate for goal of the year if he had done that. 45 seconds later Paul Rothrock follows this up with a cut back shot.
58 – Brendan Hines-Ike was shown a yellow card for bringing down Morris on the counter-attack.
61 – Chu with a huge miss. The Sounders had a clear break on goal, Rusnak plays Chu perfectly, and Chu just fired it straight at Stuver.
63 – MORRIS GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!! Vargas with the beautiful dribble, Rothrock with the soft layoff and Morris with the beautiful finish. Also left-footed.
66 – Reed Baker-Whiting replaces Chu.
77 – Hines-Ike receives his second yellow card and is sent off.
79 – The subsequent free kick from the previous foul was NAILED off the crossbar by Rusnak. Almost a beautiful moment for the hot player.
90 – Diego Rubio is brought down in the penalty area by Ragen and the referee waves it away. No penalty! The ensuing corner is almost scored by Austin but goes just wide.
Quick thoughts
Jordan Morris this, Jordan Morris that: One of the best players in MLS right now didn’t even have to start to make an impact. Morris was a threat after coming on at halftime. Within 32 minutes of the game, he drew two yellow cards against Hines-Ike and scored a goal. Other than that, he was just a constant threat.
Schmetzer masterclass in management: The Sounders head coach decided to overhaul his starting lineup again rather than make any major changes, even with a packed schedule. Seattle made just three changes from their last MLS match, and the lineup that started the second half would likely be considered their first-choice XI by anyone fit. Selections aside, you have to think Brian Schmetzer is the happiest person in the world with the performance his team put in tonight.
Vargas’ victory: The unsung hero of tonight’s game was Obed Vargas. He will appear on the stat sheet with a second-assist on the goal, but his presence was much more felt throughout the game. He was sharp 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 the young lad.
Remarkable quote
Schmetzer on the team’s form: “The ball just seems to bounce our way. Maybe they gave a penalty earlier in the year. Maybe that corner sneaks in. Jimmy Gabriel always said ‘your luck is usually right’ and at the beginning of the year we had a lot of bad luck. It’s been even.”
— Jeremiah Oshan (@JeremiahOshan) July 14, 2024
Player in the spotlight
Stefan Frei – This game doesn’t end this way without Frei’s 111th career shutout, just one behind Kevin Hartman for second all-time. He made crucial saves throughout the game to keep it tied, and more importantly, kept it 1-0 when Austin sickened the kitchen on goal in stoppage time.