The Seattle Sounders ( 8-5-9, 29pts) hard fought 2-1 win over Minnesota (9-1-13 28 pts) Saturday night at TCF Bank Stadium was all about belief and trust. That is not to say the Sounders believed and trusted the process from start to finish. While they have gained a bit of a swagger due to their recent run of form, the Sounders have not shed their occasional loss of mental concentration.
The Rave Green have now won four games in a row and are unbeaten in their last games. In each one of those games, there has been a point or points in which there is a lack of execution. On Saturday the Sounders loss of mental concentration came in the 19th minute when Minnesota forward Darwin Quintero was given time in Seattle’s goal box and the Colombian made the Sounders pay with a left footed shot that gave the home side the 1-0 lead. Despite the Sounders dominated the first 20 minutes of the game.
“That’s the way soccer is though. I thought we played very well in the first 20 minutes and if you give that guy (Quintero) a half a yard, he will make you will pay.” Said Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer in his post-game press conference.” Good goal by him. That’s what propelled Minnesota into controlling some parts of the game.”
The difference between the current Sounders team and the one that started the season is a belief in each other, determination, and the ability to execute when needed. After going down 1-0 the Sounders never wavered in their mission to leave TCF Bank Stadium with three points. The Sounders were lucky to go into the halftime break down just 1-0 , as Minnesota’s Angelo Rodriguez hit the left post at the 43rd minute and Stefan Frei pushed Quintero’s right-footed shot to the post just before halftime.
With belief, determination, and a sense of urgency, the Sounders started the second half the way they started the game, moving the ball from one end of the field with quick accurate passes and turned up the pressure on Minnesota with a high press that forced the home side into make numerous turnovers.
The Sounders pressure on offense paid dividends in the 88th minute when Minnesota midfielder Miguel Ibarra was whistled for a handball in the box and the visitors were awarded a penalty kick. Nicolas Lodeiro’s left-footed laser beam kick leveled the game at 1-1 in the first minute of stoppage time.
The Sounders continued pressure that was fueled by belief resulted in a game-winning goal by Will Bruin in the 7th minute of stoppage time and giving the Sounders their fourth win in four games.
“To go down 1-0 on the road and create chances and not score and regroup and be able to put two in it’s a good reward and we deserved it for the way we played the first 25 minutes and then the whole second half. ” Said Bruin after the game.” It’s just. We can do better, we know we can go in there and finish chances, work on little things – passes to proper feet, crosses in.”
GAME NOTES
- The result extends Seattle’s unbeaten streak to seven games (5-0-2), dating back to July 4 at Colorado. The run is the longest spell without a loss this season, and matches the club’s fourth-longest unbeaten streak in club history (5-0-2 from August 25-September 29, 2013 and July 11-August 28, 2010). The longest unbeaten streak in club history is 13 games (6-0-7) from June 21-September 23 of last season.
- Part of the club’s seven-match unbeaten run, Sounders FC has now won four straight matches dating back to the 2-0 win over Vancouver on July 21.
- Seattle moves to 4-0-0 all-time against the Loons, having won every match against Minnesota dating back to the team’s expansion campaign in 2017. Sounders FC claimed the season’s other matchup against Minnesota United at CenturyLink Field on April 22 by a final score of 3-1.
- On the season, Sounders FC is now 4-5-3 on the road in 2018, good for 15 points. The club has five regular season road matches remaining in 2018.
- Will Bruin scored his team-leading sixth goal of 2018 tonight.
- Nicolás Lodeiro’s penalty-kick goal keeps him in second place on the team with five strikes in 2018.
- Darwin Quintero scored his 10th MLS goal of the season for Minnesota during the 19th minute, having joined the Loons as a Designated Player in March of 2018. Quintero has now scored against Seattle while playing for three different clubs. Previously he recorded goals with Liga MX sides Club América and Santos Laguna against Sounders FC in CONCACAF Champions League play.
- Sounders FC had 23 overall shots in tonight’s match and 63.3 percent of the game’s possession – both season highs.
Leerdam to Ruiduaiz who heads the ball to Will Bruin ( 6 goals ) who flicks the ball over the kick,
Sounders four games in a row unbeaten in last seven.
