Ballin ‘on the Bayou: Sounders Top Dynamo

The Sounders of Seattle made five undefeated games with a 3-1 victory when they traveled to face the Houston Dynamo at Shell Energy Stadium on Saturday evening. With a little luck or a clearer finish, it could easily have been 4 or 5-1, but in the end, an Albert Rusnák splint and another goal from Danny Musovski were sufficient to overcome one side of the dynamo which was 10 men after the Obafemi Awodesu scorer was sent late in the first half.

Houston had the best chances in the first minutes of the match, constituting a serious threat with looks in the 5th and 7th minutes from Jack McGlynn, but a backup of Stef Frei and a clearance of Nouhou traffic kept them out of the dashboard. Seattle really got out of his own end for the first time in the 12th minute, when Obed Vargas found Ryan Kent making a race with a pretty little shied ball over it, and Kent was able to open space for a cross to Alex Roldan with the rear post, but Roldan’s volley attempt decided.

From there, the Sounders seemed to have found their foot and a goal of opening of the 22nd minute for Danny Musovski was preseated a few minutes earlier in the 16th minute when Cristian Roldan struck a magnificent diagonal ball to Paul Rothrock on the right wing. Rothrock put a cross on this game, but he moved through a defender and for a corner. On the goal, Roldan again struck a diagonal ball in Rothrock on the wing, but this time, the crossing of Rothrock took a deviation which sent him in loop to the defenders where Musovski was able to meet him alone and direct him beyond the goalkeeper Jonathan Bond.

Ten minutes later, Houston found their own goal, somewhat surprised from a game game served by Jack McGlynn. McGlynn whispered a large free kick about 20 meters that Obafemi Awodesu jumped to go home to the rear post. Frei tried to go in front of the shot, but despite an arm in the ball, he could not keep it out of the net and just like that, the game was equally 1-1.

Things took a turn for the worst little time after Houston’s goal. In the 38th minute, Awodesu was fighting to defend Musovski while they both ran towards the goal with a ball played above and Awodesu managed the ball while trying to leave it. Referee Victor Rivas was quick to whistle, point to the place and show the defender a red card. After examination, it was determined that handball occurred outside the region, but the red card for the denial of an opportunity for a scorer has remained. For the rest of the game, the dynamo was forced to play a man.

At halftime, the Sounders exchanged Pedro de la Vega for Paul Rothrock on the right wing, and immediately of the Vega had an impact. Less than a minute after launched, he received a smooth blow through the defense of Alex Roldan while running in the box, and hit a pass to the penalty place where Albert Rusnák ran on it and broke him to resume the advance in the 46th minute. Rusnák has not finished scoring there, however. In the 58th minute, Ryan Kent showed another flash of what he is capable of while he was making his way through the defense of Houston on the way to the area before hitting a reduction on the edge of the six yard box where he had both Vega and Rusnák. Rusnák was the only one to get a gunshot, and he left no doubt when he put his shot aside to do it 3-1.

Frei had to offer a pair of quality stops and Seattle had a few chance of adding a total of the goal, but the score would remain 3-1. The victory marks the second victory of the Sounders of the season, which both came to Texas after their 1-0 victory against FC Dallas a month ago. Seattle is now sitting on 19 points in 12 games while continuing their three -game road weekly week with a trip to face Lafc on Wednesday May 14.

Key moments

5 – Save! Cristian Roldan gets his pocket and Houston Drive to the goal, but McGlynn’s shot at the top of the box is managed quite easily by Frei.

7 – Clariation! McGlynn sends a free kick that falls dangerously for Dorsey, but Nouhou erases the ball acrobatically before everything approaches.

12 – Chance! The first real Incursion of Seattle comes from a large ball above Vargas for Kent who creates space on the dribble to send a cross, but Alex Roldan cannot establish the contact he needs on his first shot and he is wide.

16 – Corner! Cristian Roldan hits a beautiful diagonal ball from the rear line to Rothrock on the right wing. Rothrock sends a cross bolish in the box and heads for a corner.

22 – Objective! Danny Musovski makes five games in a row! Another magnificent DEEP pass from Cristian to Rothrock, and Rothrock sends a cross that finds Musovski alone for the goal of going home! 1-0 Sounders

32 – Objective, Houston. Awodesu gets up on Alex Roldan to the back post to return to a mcglynn free kick to level the scoring. 1-1

35 – Corner! Bassi shoots the top of the box that seems intended for the lens, but Musovski gets a touch to publish it for a corner.

38 – Red card! Awodesu is tried to have managed the ball while fighting with Musovski in the box, making him a red and the pollsters. After examination, handball is determined to have occurred outside the area, but red is still standing.

45 – Chance! Rusnák and Cristian Roldan try a delicate little free kick, but the shot that followed is blocked by the wall and ends up going out for a kick.

HT – Sub. Seattle brings Pedro de la Vega for Paul Rothrock and Houston Exchange Pablo Ortiz for Amine Bassi.

46 – Objective! From the Vega obtains a small smooth pass from Alex Roldan to play it behind the defense. From the Vega then chooses Rusnák by running in the box for a first finish to resume the advance! 2-1 Sounders

52 – Chance! Houston has gathered a little possession and McGlynn appears with an outdoor shot from the area that is just off the goal of Frei.

55 – Sub. Yeimar stands out for the Sounders, replaced by Jon Bell.

58 – Objective! Kent has a slaloming through the box and a reduction up of the six -meter box with PDLV and Rusnák who run on it and Rusnák takes the first blow to double the head and pick up a splint! 3-1 Sounders

60 – Save! Kent gives a free kick on the right wing of Seattle. McGlynn sends a cross and Dorsey obtains a header that seems to sneak at the distant post, but Frei makes an excellent backup to repel it for a corner.

64 – Shooting! Some passers -by who pass and move to the Houston area sets up a flambé shot from Cristian Roldan which is blocked for a corner.

65 – Sub. Houston makes two changes, replacing Artur and Ethan Bartlow with Felipe Andrade and Junior Urso.

66 – Sub. Seattle brings Jesus Ferreira and Georgi Minoungou and removes Ryan Kent and Albert Rusnák.

71 – Sub. Houston takes off Ezequiel Ponce and brings Sebastian Kowalczyk

73 – Chance! Ferreira plays a fantastic ball through Minoungou which jumps a tackle from Dorsey to send a ball through the goal, but he is eliminated by a defender.

79 – Sub. Osaze de Rosario enters the game while Danny Musovski remains.

80 – Sub. Toyosi Olusanya enters the match for Houston with Ondrej Lingr in the process of making the place.

85 – Save! De Rosario abandons a dangerous free kick and McGlynn goes for the goal, but Frei plunges to his left and can catch and keep the ball.

87 – Chance! Minoungou Rag Dolls Dorsey while sailing in the box and crushes a low blow that Bond is able to block for a corner.

Rapid thoughts

The objectives are good: It is objectively good to score goals. This is the rarest and most difficult thing to do in the game, and lately, the Sounders have done it a lot. Musovski entered Rareified Air when he scored in this match, his fifth right match with a goal that makes him one of the four Sounders players to have ever accomplished this feat. During this five game section, the Sounders are undefeated after having disappeared 4-0-1, and they have ahead of their opponents 12-3. They had only scored eight goals in the seven games before this race. Seattle obtains goals from various places – they have so far have nine scorers this season and 11 players with assists – and they really show no signs of slowdown while players continue to become sharper and competition for minutes.

Just try: The absence of Jackson Ragen left the Sounders without a high quality distributor on the back line. It is simply not the game of Yeimar or Kim Kee-Hee, but it is a fairly important part of the way Seattle wants to play. To approach this lack, the team has partially moved to their 4-2-3-1 with Cristian Roldan in possession to help move the ball and it was really good in this game, but in the last two games, we also saw these two CBS which were apparently given to the team. This does not always work, but knowing that their teammates will do their buttocks to win the ball allowed a little more freedom to try these passes when they see them. They had a little more space in it after the red card, but the simple fact that these guys try to find players between the lines opened a lot of space and attack options.

Momentum of the building: After a difficult start to the season with Seattle by spending 1-3-3, -3 during their first seven games, the Sounders did not lose in five and changed this difference in goals to a +6 because they started to pick up goals with results. They still lack pieces due to injuries and work on the integration of new players, but the Sounders seem to round in the form at the right time. It is quite likely that their current undefeated race will not last throughout this trip which sees them confront the Lafc and the Tibers of Portland after the match of this evening, all in a week, because they have fought against both sides in the past. But Seattle is hot at the moment, have won their last two games with Lafc and won victories on the road against both sides at one point last season. Continue to collect points next week will help the Sounders continue to climb the table, put demons at rest, and this team seems more than capable of doing this. Hit while the iron is hot.

Notable quote

Player spotlight

Cristian Roldan – Cristian Roldan led the match in finished passes (71/75), faults suffered (5) and won duels (10/16). He also won 2/2 plated and was absolutely faced from the central midfielder finishing 10/11 balls.