By Mazvita Maraire Posted on

Danny Musovski’s late equalizer salvages a 1-1 for Seattle Sounders FC with San Diego FC

 In his last press conference leading up to the game, Sounders head coach Brian Schmetz was looking for someone to win the starting center-forward position. He was looking for that player to step up in Saturday’s match with San Diego FC

“ I wish someone would win the competition Schmetzer was quoted in the competition between Jordan Morris, Danny Musovski, and  Osaze De Rosario. While one goal in one game is a small sample size,  Danny Musovski’s game-tying goal put Schmetzer on notice.

USUAL  FAST START

 The Sounders started early on the front foot, as Schmezter likes to do, with a high press and quick ball movement. The other wrinkle in the Sounders’ early-game strategy was to congest the middle of the field from goal box to goal. San Diego’s favored method of attack is through the middle. And as has been the case in the last several games, the Sounders had an early chance to take the lead but were unable to convert.

 In the fourth minute, an Albert Runsnak pass into the box was too high for Morris, who was given the nod  up front. Minutes later, Nouhou pounced on a loose ball inside the San Diego goal box and was involved in a collision, but no foul was called.  A Snyder Brunell shot in the 11th minute went high and wide. For all their forays into the  San Diego goal box, the Rave Green came up empty.

VISITORS TAKE THE LEAD

In a bizarre turn of events, it was the visitors who took the early lead and quieted the home crowd in the 18th minute.  After getting a foothold in the game, San Diego took advantage of a defensive mishap after finding a pocket between the Sounders’ midblock and backline. Center back Jackson Ragen pushed the backline up from the top of the defensive goal box.

 Everyone received the message except for left back Kolani Kossa Rienze, who kept San Diego midfielder Onni Valkari on side. The  Danish international fed a swift through ball to forward Marcus Ingvartsen, who scored his third goal in two games.

SAN DIEGO DOMINATES POSSESSION

The goal invigorated the visitors, who settled into their possession-based attacking style, forcing the Sounders to play deeper in a more defensive style. With the Sounders playing a deeper block, Morris was isolated up front.  Morris’s best chance of the half came in the 30th minute when he rifled Jesus Ferreira’s pinpoint pass into the back of the net. The offside flag went up, and the goal was disallowed.  The first half ended with an offensive slugfest with both sides trading possession stints with nothing to show for it.

SECOND HALF SIMILAR TO THE FIRST

The second half started with the Sounders on the front foot and with the lion’s share of possession, but, just like the first half, they had nothing to show for their efforts. The Sounders were slow to shoot, which allowed the San Diego defenders time to get in front and block the shots. Seeing no end to the stalemate on the field, Schmetzer shuffled the deck in the 63rd minute.

SUBSTITUTIONS MAKE AN IMPACT

Peter Kingston replaced Kalani Kossa-Reinzi, and Musovski was inserted for Synder  Brunell. Albert Rusnak dropped behind Musovski and became a facilitator. The change paid instant dividends for the Sounders as the momentum and possession battle tipped in their favor.  Rothrock and Morris stayed wide, which gave Musovski room inside the San Diego goal box.  Musovski hit the post in the 77th minute, forced a kick save in the 79th minute  and hit paydirt on his third attempt in the 80th.  A defeated Runak corner kick fell in front of a charging Musovski, who rifled it home as the equalizer.

GAME OPENS UP

The goal opened the game up and both sides threw caution to the wind and went hunting for  the game winner.  San Diego nearly found the winner in the 82nd minute, were it not for the right post, which repelled Ingvartsen’s right-footed shot.   Both sides had decent looks at the opponent’s goal but were unable to convert, and the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

MATCH NOTES

  • Seattle sits in fourth place in the Western Conference with the result with 21 points (6-1-3). The club is unbeaten in its last eight matches (5-0-3) in league play, with its lone loss coming on February 28 at RSL.
  • The result extends Sounders FC’s club-record home unbeaten streak to 21 games in all competitions (15-0-6), a club record. Seattle also has a 13-match home unbeaten streak in MLS regular-season play (9-0-4), tied for third-longest in club history.
  • Danny Musovski’s goal in the 80th minute was his third in all competitions and first in MLS. The forward scored a team-high 18 goals in all competitions last year.
  • Cristian Roldan and Albert Rusnák both provided assists on Musovski’s goal, their third and fourth in all competitions, respectively.
  • Brian Schmetzer made one change to the lineup from last week’s match at Sporting Kansas City, with Albert Rusnák replacing Danny Musovski.
  • Seattle now faces two more home matches this week, a Wednesday fixture against the San Jose Earthquakes on May 13 (6:30 p.m. PT / Apple TV, 93.3 KJR FM, El Rey 1360 AM) and a matchup with the LA Galaxy on Saturday, May 16 (6:15 p.m. PT / Apple TV, FS1, 93.3 KJR FM, El Rey 1360 AM).

MATCH SUMMARY

Seattle Sounders FC 1 – San Diego FC 1

Saturday, May 9, 2026

Venue: Lumen Field

Referee: Armando Villarreal

Assistants: Adam Garner, Kevin Lock

Fourth Official: Elijio Arreguin

VAR: Guido Gonzales Jr.

Attendance: 31,528

Weather: 61 degrees and clear skies

SCORING SUMMARY

SD – Marcus Ingvartsen (Onni Valakari, Aníbal Godoy) 18’

SEA – Danny Musovski (Cristian Roldan, Albert Rusnák) 80’

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY

SEA – Jesús Ferreira (caution) 51’

SEA – Snyder Brunell (caution) 56’

SEA – Cristian Roldan (caution) 57’

SD – Alex Mighten (caution) 75’

SD – Oscar Verhoeven (caution) 78’

LINEUPS & STATS

Seattle Sounders FC – Andrew Thomas; Kalani Kossa-Rienzi (Peter Kingston 63’), Alex Roldan, Jackson Ragen, Nouhou (Antino Lopez 65’); Snyder Brunell (Danny Musovski 63’), Cristian Roldan – Captain; Jesús Ferreira, Albert Rusnák, Paul Rothrock; Jordan Morris

Substitutes not used: Stefan Frei, Kim Kee-hee, Hassani Dotson, Sebastian Gomez, Paul Arriola, Osaze De Rosario

Total shots: 27

Shots on goal: 4

Fouls: 9

Offside: 2

Corner-kicks: 8

Saves: 4

San Diego FC – Duran Ferree; Oscar Verhoeven, Christopher McVey, Manu Duah, Luca Bombino (Kieran Sargeant 87’); Aníbal Godoy – Captain, David Vazquez (Alejandro Alvarado 86’), Onni Valakari; Anders Dreyer, Marcus Ingvartsen, Amahl Pellegrino (Alex Mighten 74’)

Substitutes not used: Jacob Jackson, Bryan Zamblé, Pedro Soma, Wilson Eisner, Ian Pilcher, Anisse Saidi

Total shots: 15

Shots on goal: 5

Fouls: 9

Offside: 1

Corner-kicks: 2

Saves: 3

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