Jordan Morris made history as the Seattle Sounders secured an important win on the road against the LA Galaxy.
The hosts started the game dominating the opposition, and it wasn’t a great shock when the Galaxy took the lead through Robbie Keane just 21 minutes in with a glancing head from a great Sebastian Lletget cross.
Giovanni Dos Santos and Keane had chances to make it 2-0, but it was the visitors who would grab the second goal of the half when Jelle Van Damme headed the ball into his own net through a Jordan Morris corner ten minutes from half time.
The Sounders made the most of LA’s persisting attacking in the second half, as Jordan Morris became the highest scoring American rookie in MLS history after his nine-minute brace gave Seattle a two-goal cushion.
Osvaldo Alonso joined in on the party too, as the Cuban midfielder scored an outrageous 25-yard thunderbolt after a comedic one-two with the referee.
Keane pulled a goal back with six minutes to go from the spot, but it was too late for the hosts to come back, and Seattle claimed the three points they desperately needed.
LA start strong
Keane came close to opening the scoring seven minutes in when the LA Galaxy captain headed straight into the hands of Stefan Frei, and Emmanuel Boateng tested the Swiss goalkeeper moments later, when the silky winger cut down the left wing and fired a strike towards goal, but Frei was again forced into making a simple save.
Frei was called into early action again as Dos Santos, who had returned to Bruce Arena’s starting XI after a brief absence, fired from distance after some good build up play from Robbie Rogers, but once again the Galaxy attacker’s effort was easily dealt with by the Sounders keeper.
The hosts had dominated the opening stages of the first half, and Keane made them pay when the former Irish international headed LA ahead. Lletget whipped in a smart ball from the right wing, and Keane managed to sneak his way under the Sounders radar, and the striker finished off the cross with a simple header past Frei, to give the Galaxy the lead.
Dos Santos should have made it 2-0 to the hosts moments after the water break on the half hour mark, the Mexican striker was played through on goal after a brilliant pass from Lletget split the Sounders defense in two, but the former Villarreal striker scuffed his lines, and his strike was well saved by Frei.
Well, Damme
The miss proved costly as Seattle equalized 35 minutes in. A corner from Jordan Morris found the head of Brad Evans, the captain’s header deflected off Jelle Van Damme, and the Belgian converted the ball into his own net, gifting the visitors with a goal.
The goal changed the momentum of the match. Seattle had sprung out of their shells, and was now starting to boss in possession in the closing stages of the first half, however, the Sounders were unable to make the possession count, as the first half came to a close.
Frei continued to keep Sounders in the game shortly after the second half had started, making a great low save to deny Rogers a second LA goal. Both sides were looking desperate in two different areas. The hosts were frantically throwing numbers forward in an effort to score the decisive second goal, whilst the Sounders were panicking at the back due to the speed of which LA was coming forward at.
Morris makes history
LA’s ruthless attacking was their downfall, as it meant that numbers at the back were short, and Jordan Morris more than made the Galaxy pay for that as the striker made it 2-1 to the Sounders.
The Seattle native robbed the ball off Daniel Steres, and the forward sprinted towards goal, and unleashed a ferocious strike past Brian Rowe, to score his 11th goal of the season.
The hero from last week, Landon Donovan, was introduced shortly after Morris had given Seattle the lead, and shortly after Steven Gerrard was introduced to the game too.
The changes did little to faze Seattle, and in the 74th minute, Morris had bagged his second goal of the match. Morris started the move after the striker floated a ball to Nelson Valdez, who scuffed his volley but managed to force Rowe into a save. It was here when Morris pounced on the ball, and the USA international fired the ball past the helpless Galaxy keeper, to score his first brace in professional soccer, and to break the record for the most goals scored by an American rookie.
An Alonso screamer
Shortly after the second water break of the game, the Sounders had made it 4-1. Osvaldo Alonso collected the ball outside the box after the ball had rebounded off the referee, and the Cuban midfielder fired an unstoppable shot, and Rowe had no chance as the ball cannoned into the back of the net, to put the game way past the hosts.
The Galaxy was gifted a way back into the match when Gerrard was brought down in the box by Alonso. Keane stepped up to the spot, and the Irishman sent Frei the wrong way, to give the hosts a slight glimpse of hope.
However time was not on LA’s hand, and the Sounders sealed their first win against LA in the regular season since 2009.