The Seattle Sounders pocketed three critical points at home Sunday afternoon, taking down Real Salt Lake by a 2-1 scoreline. Seattle’s victory represents the tenth straight regular season win by the home side in the two teams’ series.
Setting the pace
The match was a coming-out party of sorts for Seattle’s new designated player, Nicolas Lodeiro. The Uruguayan notched the game’s opening goal with a first-time, left-footed shot in the center of the RSL penalty area in the 24th minute before assisting the Sounders’ second goal, a Jordan Morris header, only 13 minutes later. Passing at a 77% clip, the midfielder largely set the pace the home team, notching a game-high five key passes (passes leading to a shot) to go along with his assist and managing four shots (two on target).
Effective Sounders strategy
Aspects of the Seattle game plan were on display early in the first half. On their first corner kick of the match in the ninth minute, Seattle loaded the six-yard box with attackers with the apparent objective of blocking RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando’s view of the ball. The strategy nearly paid off, as Lodeiro’s corner found Morris’s head, only for the redirected ball to harmlessly sail over the bar.
But the Sounder’s most effective plan featured an attack down the left flank which resulted in both of Seattle’s goals. In the 24th minute, Seattle midfielder Andreas Ivanschitz received a pass on the left wing and dribbled toward RSL right back Tony Beltran. Ivanschitz’s dribble isolated Beltran, and an overlapping run by Sounders defender Joevin Jones created a two-on-one. Beltran followed Jones’s run, and as a result, Ivanschitz was able to turn toward the top of the RSL 18-yard box. The Austrian then picked out Lodeiro, who had found a small gap in the RSL defense to slot home the game’s opening goal.
The home team struck again in the 37th minute under similar circumstances. Excellent hold-up play by Jones and Clint Dempsey created space once more down the left flank. This time, Beltran stuck with the ball-handler, Jones, but an overlapping run from Lodeiro freed the midfielder to receive a pass from Jones. Lodeiro’s ensuing cross to the near post fell to Morris, whose sprint from the far side of the field beat RSL left back Demar Phillips and allowed the Seattle homegrown player to head home past Rimando.
Plata scores his seventh of the season
Down two goals, the visitors fought back and nearly pulled a point out of their Emerald City visit. In the 59th minute, Real Salt Lake center back Jamison Olave chased down and blocked an attempt on goal by Dempsey. The rebounded ball was recovered by Kyle Beckerman, and the RSL captain launched a long ball directly to the foot of a sprinting Yura Movsisyan, who was making his first appearance since a hip injury sustained in late July. Movsisyan controlled the ball, faked a shot to get Seattle defender Brad Evans to slide, and carried the ball toward the center of the box. Although the move provided the Armenian national with a better shooting angle, it also provided Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei with time to charge out, and Movsisyan’s short range blast was saved.
But Frei’s heroics were short-lived. The Sounders ‘keeper became the goat moments later in the 62nd minute when he attempted to roll a ball out by hand and was immediately intercepted by Movsisyan. The RSL attacker managed to hold off Frei and a pair of Seattle defenders long enough to square the ball to Joao Plata, whose shot to an empty net brought the Utah-side to within a goal.
Closing out the match
The Sounders nearly put the game away for good in the 80th minute, when Seattle rookie Cristian Roldan drew a penalty from RSL center back Justen Glad, but Dempsey’s ensuing penalty kick rocketed off the crossbar and was subsequently cleared. Although RSL managed to get forward in the final minutes, the team was unable to earn a shot from their efforts.
Up next
Seattle faces three games in eight days, beginning with a match against the Portland Timbers at CenturyLink Field on August 21, followed by a Wednesday visit to the Houston Dynamo before returning to Cascadia for a rematch with the Timbers. Real Salt Lake returns home for a matchup against league-leading FC Dallas on August 20, before receiving Rocky Mountain Cup foe Colorado Rapids at Rio Tinto Stadium on August 26.