By Mazvita Maraire Posted on

Sounders FC playoff chances take a hit with goalless draw with Red Bulls

A must-win match for the Seattle Sounders ( 7-9-6, 27pts )  turned into another draw. The  Sounders earned their third consecutive draw after Saturday night’s 0-0 draw with the New York Red Bulls. (7-6-10, 27pts)

Both the Sounders and the Red Bulls were looking for a return to form.  The Sounders were winless in their last five games, with three losses and three draws. The Red Bulls had three losses and one draw in their last four matches.  With both teams desperately seeking a win, it was the visitors who started on the front foot, and pressured the home side.

The Red Bulls dominated the possession battle, with the Sounders chasing shadows and unable to get a foothold in the game.  The lack of possession did not deter the Sounders, who were steadfast in their defending.  Synder Brunell replaced  Kalani Kossa-Rienze in the 38th minute. Kossa-Rienze suffered an ankle injury earlier in the game and was unable to continue due to swelling and pain. Despite the substitution, the Sounders were patient and behind the ball when defending.

The Sounders’ patient defending paid off as they slowly worked themselves into the game. Cristian Roldan’s energy and decisiveness in intercepting passes in the middle of the field turned the tide for the Sounders, who found a foothold in the game in the 23rd minute.

SOUNDERS LACKING THE DECISIVE PASS IN THE FINAL THIRD


With solid footing in the game, the Sounders used wingers Paul Rothrock and Jordan Morris to penetrate the Red Bulls defense and get into the primary assist zones on the left and right sides. What was lacking in the Sounders’ attack was decisiveness in the final third. Too often, the Sounders attacked possession with a wasted shot that went wide or a sloppy pass that never hit the mark. The Sounders’ best chance of the half came in the 41st minute, on a Jordan Morris counterattack on the left side. The half ended with both sides taking half chances that were easily saved by the goalkeepers.

START OF SECOND HALF A REPEAT OF THE FIRST

Sebastian Gomez replaced Jordan Morris, who was on a minutes restriction to start the second half, which started exactly like the first.

The Red Bulls were on top of the Sounders, with a high press that stymied the Sounders’ attack. The Red Bulls’ front line of right winger Cade Cowell, striker Julian Hall, and left winger Jorge Ruvaicaba were active in the counter-press and more dynamic when they had the ball on the attacking end. Midfielder Adri Mehmeti pulled the strings in the middle of the pitch for the Red Bulls, who forced some spectacular saves from Andrew Thomas. Similar to the first half, the Sounders clawed their way back into the game.

ROTHROCK AND NOUHOU OPEN UP THE GAME

 The interchange play between Rothrock and Nouhou on the left side of the field put Red Bulls midfielder Ronald Donkor and right back Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty on their heels. The runs by Nouhou and Rothrock opened up space for  Rusnák and striker Dejan Joveljic. The dynamic interplay opened up the Sounders’ attack, which forced spectacular saves from Ethan  Hovarth in the 64th  and  69th minutes.

IMAGES BY FRANCINE SCOTT

END-TO-END AFFAIR WITH NO CLEAR-CUT WINNER

Both sides threw caution to the wind, and the game became an end-to-end track meet. Thomas made a point-blank save in the 70th minute and the 90th minute to preserve the shutout for his side. Substitutes Hassan Dodson and Paul Arriola nearly won it for the Sounders.  Dotson’s glancing header was saved by a diving Horvath, and  Arriola’s last-gasp shot in the 4th minute of stoppage time bounced off the crossbar.

MATCH NOTES

MATCH NOTES

  • With the result, Seattle sits in 13th place in the Western Conference at time of writing with 27 points (7-9-6).
  • The result extends Sounders FC’s unbeaten run to three matches (0-0-3).
  • Andrew Thomas recorded his sixth clean sheet of the year. He had three saves in the contest.
  • Cristian Roldan and Jordan Morris started the match, their first starts since May 24 and July 16, respectively.
  • Paul Arriola made a substitute appearance in the 84th minute, his first action since August 1 as he’s been out with a quad injury.
  • Saturday marked the 16th meeting between the two sides, with Seattle leading the series 7-5-4. The Rave Green have a 6-1-2 record against RBNY at Lumen Field.
  • Seattle next travels to face the LA Galaxy on Saturday, September 12 at Dignity Health Sports park (7:30 p.m. PT / Apple TV, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360).

MATCH SUMMARY

Seattle Sounders FC 0 – Red Bull New York 0

Saturday, September 5, 2026

Venue: Emerald Queen Casino Pitch at Lumen Field

Referee: Ricardo Fierro

Assistants: Jeffrey Greeson, Rhett Hammil

Fourth Official: Malik Badawi

VAR: José Carlos Rivero

Weather: 69 degrees and mostly cloudy

Attendance: 31,691

SCORING SUMMARY

None

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY

RBNY – Ronald Donkor (caution) 45+3’

RBNY – Justin Che (caution) 51’

RBNY – Julian Bazan (caution) 63’

SEA – Paul Rothrock (caution) 81’

LINEUPS & STATS

Seattle Sounders FC – Andrew Thomas; Kalani Kossa-Rienzi (Snyder Brunell 37’), Alex Roldan, Stuart Hawkins, Nouhou; Peter Kingston, Cristian Roldan – Captain (Hassani Dotson 77’); Jordan Morris (Sebastian Gomez HT), Albert Rusnák, Paul Rothrock (Paul Arriola 84’); Dejan Joveljić

Substitutes not used: Stefan Frei, Ryan Sailor, Kim Kee-hee, Antino Lopez, Danny Musovski

Total shots: 17

Shots on goal: 6

Fouls: 10

Offside: 1

Corner-kicks: 8

Saves: 3

Red Bull New York – Ethan Horvath; Jahkeele Marshall-Ruty, Justin Che – Captain, Julian Bazan, Matthew Dos Santos (Devin Padelford 81’); Ronald Donkor, Adri Mehmeti (David Ruíz 74’), Mohammed Sofo (Emil Forsberg 74’); Cade Cowell (Cameron Harper 67’), Julian Hall, Jorge Ruvalcaba (Eric Maxim Chupo-Moting 67’)

Substitutes not used: John McCarthy, Dylan Nealis, Tim Parker, Majahir Jiménez

Total shots: 6

Shots on goal: 3

Fouls: 12

Offside: 0

Corner-kicks: 5

Saves: 6

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