Seattle Sounders FC returned home to Lumen Field on Saturday to face a resurgent Vancouver Whitecaps, following a disappointing 0-0 draw against FC Dallas last weekend. The hope was to spark a turnaround, but instead, the Sounders continued their early season struggle, creating very few clear-cut chances throughout the game.
The first half saw Seattle unable to break down Vancouvers organized defense. The Sounders best opportunity came when midfielder Albert Rusnák unleashed a shot from just outside the 18-yard box in the 23rd minute, which sailed narrowly wide of the Whitecaps goal. However, the defining moment of the match occurred when Sounders center-back Jackson Ragen received a straight red card following a VAR review for a dangerous tackle on Ryan Gauld. This left Seattle at a significant disadvantage, struggling to keep pace with Vancouver for the remainder of the game. Top scorer Raul Ruidiaz was replaced by Xavier Arreaga in a tactical move following the red card..
Entering the second half a man down, Seattles defense began to show cracks. Two costly mistakes by the Sounders center back pairing of Yeimar and Arreaga respectively, were
clinically exploited by Ryan Gauld and Ben White, who both found the back of the net, turning the game in favor of the visitors. The situation worsened for Seattle when Alex Roldan was also sent off for a dangerous play in the 75th minute, leaving the Sounders with nine men.
The Whitecaps capitalized on their numerical advantage, comfortably maintaining their lead and taking all three points from Lumen Field. This victory catapulted Vancouver to the top of the Western Conference standings, while Seattle was left with more questions than answers about their form and tactics to start the season.
The Sounders, now looking to rebound from this setback, face a challenging schedule ahead with road games against D.C. United on April 27 and a rescheduled match against Philadelphia Union on April 30, due to previous weather interruptions. Coach Brian Schmetzer and his team will have to regroup quickly and find solutions to their current form if they hope to get their season back on track.
Venue: LUMEN FIELD; SEATTLE, WASH.
Final Score: SOUNDERS 0 - WHITECAPS 2
58’ – VAN – Ryan Gauld assisted by Sam Adekugbe
71’ – VAN – Brian White
Possession: SEA 37% - VAN 63%
Shots: SEA 9 - VAN 8
Shots on Goal: SEA 1 - VAN 4
Saves: SEA 2 - VAN 2
Fouls: SEA 8 - VAN 12
Offsides: SEA 2 - VAN 2
Corners: SEA 6 - VAN 3
43’ – SEA – Jackson Regan – (Red)
45’ +6 – VAN – Ranko Veselinovic – (Yellow)
70’ – SEA – Danny Musovski – (Yellow)
75’ – SEA – Alex Roldan – (Red)
79’ – VAN – Brian White – (Yellow)
86’ – VAN – Andrés Cubas – (Yellow)
24. Stefan Frei, 5. Nouhou, 25.Jackson Regan, 28.Yeimar Andrade, 6.João Paulo (8.
Joshua Atencio 63’); 18. Obed Vargas, 11. Albert Rusnak (17. Danny Musovski 63’);
16.Alex Roldan, 7. Cristian Roldan, 13.Jordan Morris (33. Cody Baker 82’); 9. Raul
Ruidiaz (3.Xavier Arreaga 45’)
26. Andrew Thomas, 75. Danny Leyva, 99. Dylan Teves, 15. Jon Bell, 23. Leo Chu
18. Tohei Takaoka, 15. Bjørn Utvik, 4. Ranko Veselinovic, 6. Tristan Blackmon, 3.
Sam Adekugba (19. Damir Kreilach 63’); , 20. Andrés Cubas, 45. Pedro Vite (7. Ryan
Raposo 74’); 22. Ali Ahmed (23. Javain Brown 81’), 8. Alessandro Schöpf (16.
Sebastian Berhalter 73’); 24. Brian White, 25. Ryan Gould © (92. Jay Herdman 81’)
32. Isaac Boehmer, 28. Levonte Johnson, 2. Mathias Laborda, 13. Ralph Priso-Mbongue
