For the second time in their three-game series with the Minnesota Loons, the Sounders lost a penalty shootout at Alliaz Field. In their game one loss to the Loons, the Sounders were horrific in the penalty shoot-out stage. In the 3-2 loss penalty shootout, the Sounders converted just three of five penalty attempts. The Sounders overcame their poor penalty showing with a 4-2 home win that kept their season alive and forced a deciding game three back to Alliaz Field.
While the Sounders were improved in their penalty shoot-out, the result was the same, another penalty shoot-out ( 7-6) to the Loons. Saturday night’s penalty shoot-out ended with Andrew Thomas hitting the post to end the Sounders’ season.
Sounders had plenty of chances to win
Credit Brian Schmetzter for implementing a strategy that saw the Sounders take a 2-0 lead ten minutes into the game on goals by Albert Rusnak and Danny Musovski. The Sounders used their speed on the flanks and sent multiple runners into the Loons’ goal box.
A lack of discipline and sloppy defending allowed the Sounders to concede a set-piece goal. Yeimar’s rash tackle on the Loons’ Kelvin Yeboah led to an exquisite Free kick by Loons midfielder Joaquin Pereya. The 2-1 lead became more comfortable for the Sounders when the Loons went down to ten men after Joseph Rosales was shown a straight red card for his head butt of Jesus Ferreira.
Unable to take advantage of the extra man
The half ended with the same score line, but with the Sounders knocking on the Loons’ goal but unable to find a pathway to a third goal. The second half started the way the first half ended, with the Seahawks on the front foot with the lion’s share of the possession and getting good looks on goal. Cristian Roldan, Obed Vargas and Musovski had decent chances that went begging.
From bad to worse
The game took a turn for the worse when the Loons tied the game on another soft goal. Loons midfielder Morris Duggan’s cross from the left side found a wide-open Jefferson Diaz at the far post behind the Sounders’ defense. The game turned on its head when the Loons scored, yes, another soft goal. After conceding a corner kick, miscommunication between the Sounders defenders left Anthony Markanich unmarked. Markanich sent the home crowd into a frenzy with the go-ahead goal.
“ Look, credit to them on the first goal, ’cause that was a tremendous free kick. But certainly the start of the second half when you’ve got three really clear chances, because the message at the second half was to go out and find a third goal, “ said Schmetzer. “ That was the message in the second half. That we’re not gonna, you know, they’re down a guy, let’s push, let’s try and get the second third goal. And you’ve got Albert’s miss from the penalty spot that clanks off the left post to the right post.
You’ve got Christian, you know, inside the guy blocks it on the line. You’ve got a ball out wide to and you have two guys are sliding in. We’ve got multiple guys in the box and you know, it goes past to everybody, we can’t score. I think in that moment in time, that’s where we lost the game. But as far as my own feelings of when things were unraveling, probably came, you know, when Markanich scores the third goal, and then it’s like, well,. I mean, this might not be your night.”
If it was not to be there that night, the Sounders played it till the end. The Sounders found a way to level the game at three all in the 89th minute and force the game into penalties.
“ You know the motions are raw right now. It just doesn’t feel right, because of many things. We went up a man today. Had control of the game. And yet, somehow found ourselves down 3 2 and then fight just to equalize it,’ Said Rusnák “ And when you go man up in a playoff game on the road, and you have the lead when it happens, there is just, no way you can let the other team score two goals to take the lead. I had the easiest chance probably of the season to put it away at 3-1, and I hit the post. We get that equalizer. It goes to PKs. Again, we had two PKs to win the game. And I don’t know why, but it’s just, you know, right now, it feels like it wasn’t meant to be.”
BIG TAKE
The Sounders should have easily seen this game out after being up 2-0 and a man up . Giving up soft goals due to a lack of communication has been an issue for the Sounders all season long. It is an issue Schmetzer vowed to address in the offseason after some deep self-reflection. The team will also have to make some roster decisions and commit to signing one or two high priced players on the attacking end and backline. I assert that the Sounders overachieved.
MATCH NOTES
- The result ends Seattle’s 2025 campaign. In MLS regular-season play, the club finished fifth in the Western Conference with 55 points (15-9-10). In all competitions, Sounders FC finished with a 23-13-14 record, also competing in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup, FIFA Club World Cup 2025 and Leagues Cup 2025, winning the latter for the ninth major trophy since joining MLS in 2009.
- Albert Rusnák’s goal in the fifth minute was his 14th of the season in all competitions, second on the team. It was also his third playoff goal for Seattle since signing with the club in 2022, scoring twice in the 2023 postseason.
- Danny Musovski’s goal in the eighth minute was his second of the postseason and 18th in all competitions this year, the most on the team and one shy of the single-season club record set by Obafemi Martins (2014) and Raúl Ruidíaz (2021).
- Rusnák’s goal was the second-fastest strike in club postseason history. Clint Dempsey scored a goal at the 4:05 mark on October 28, 2015. The Rave Green’s two goals in the opening eight minutes are the fastest the club has ever scored multiple goals to open a postseason match.
- With his late equalizer, Jordan Morris now has 11 career goals in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, the most among all active players.
- Musovski and Nouhou provided assists on Rusnák’s goal, both their first of the MLS Cup Playoffs and fifth and third in all competitions, respectively.
- Rusnák and Cristian Roldan recorded assists on Morris’ equalizer, giving them 12 (tied for second on the team) and 14 (leading the team), respectively, across all competitions this season.
- Saturday’s match marked Seattle’s 50th contest of the season in all competitions, the most games played over a single campaign in club history.
- Alex Roldan made his 249th all-competitions appearance today for Seattle, tying Brad Evans for sixth in club history.
- Yeimar made his 200th all-competitions start for Seattle today, the eighth player in club history to hit that number.
- Schmetzer deployed the same starting XI and bench as Monday’s Game 2 at Lumen Field.
MATCH SUMMARY
Seattle Sounders FC 3 (6) – Minnesota United FC 3 (7)
Saturday, November 8, 2025
Venue: Allianz Field
Referee: Victor Rivas
Assistants: Micheal Barwegen, Walt Heatherly
Fourth Official: Marcos de Oliveira
VAR: David Barrie
Attendance: 18,645
Weather: 46 degrees and cloudy
SCORING SUMMARY
SEA – Albert Rusnák (Danny Musovski, Nouhou) 5’
SEA – Danny Musovski 8’
MIN – Joaquín Pereyra 19’
MIN – Jefferson Diaz (Morris Duggan) 62’
MIN – Anthony Markanich (Joaquín Pereyra) 71’
SEA – Jordan Morris (Cristian Roldan, Albert Rusnák) 88’
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
SEA – Yeimar Gómez Andrade (caution) 18’
MIN – Joaquín Pereyra (caution) 26’
MIN – Joseph Rosales (ejection) 41’
MIN – Michael Boxall (caution) 45’+6’
MIN – Jefferson Diaz (caution) 67’
SHOOTOUT SUMMARY
MIN – Joaquín Pereyra (miss)
SEA – Albert Rusnák (score)
MIN – Nectarios Triantis (score)
SEA – Jordan Morris (miss)
MIN – Owen Gene (score)
SEA – Jackson Ragen (score)
MIN – Morris Duggan (miss)
SEA – Ryan Kent (score)
MIN – Michael Boxall (score)
SEA – Paul Rothrock (score)
MIN – Carlos Harvey (score)
SEA – Georgi Minoungou (score)
MIN – Anthony Markanich (miss)
SEA – Obed Vargas (miss)
MIN – Hassani Dotson (miss)
SEA – Osaze De Rosario (miss)
MIN – Bongokuhle Hlongwane (score)
SEA – Alex Roldan (score)
MIN – Dayne St. Clair (score)
SEA – Andrew Thomas (miss)
LINEUPS & STATS
Seattle Sounders FC – Stefan Frei – Captain (Andrew Thomas 89’); Alex Roldan, Yeimar Gómez Andrade (Osaze De Rosario 74’), Jackson Ragen, Nouhou (Georgi Minoungou 89’); Obed Vargas, Cristian Roldan; Jesús Ferreira (Ryan Kent 74’), Albert Rusnák, Jordan Morris; Danny Musovski (Paul Rothrock 61’)
Substitutes not used: Jonathan Bell, Kalani Kossa-Rienzi, João Paulo, Danny Leyva
Total shots: 19
Shots on goal: 8
Fouls: 8
Offside: 2
Corner-Kicks: 5
Saves: 2
Minnesota United FC – Dayne St. Clair; Joseph Rosales, Morris Duggan, Michael Boxall, Jefferson Diaz (Hassani Dotson 84’); Joaquín Pereyra, Will Trapp (Owen Gene 90’+6’), Nectarios Triantis, Robin Lod (Carlos Harvey 84’); Kelvin Yeboah (Anthony Markanich 59’), Bongokuhle Hlongwane
Substitutes not used: D.J. Taylor, Julian Gressel, Alec Smir, Nicolás Romero, Dominik Fitz
Total shots: 10
Shots on goal: 5
Fouls: 13
Offside: 1
Corner-kicks: 4
Saves: 5
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