SEATTLE — Soccer is a game where randomness can sometimes decide the outcome. Rarely was that more on display than on Cristian Roldan’s opening goal in the Seattle Sounders’ 1-1 draw with the Portland Timbers on Sunday.
The extent of that randomness was captured perfectly by LevyFilms (video above).
When Roldan basically blocks Darren Mattocks’ clearance attempt into the goal, the ball had been touched at least 15 times on the sequence. That includes Nicolas Lodeiro hitting a well-placed corner kick, the ball deflecting off Roldan’s head then shoulder then head again, Roman Torres’ knee, Mattocks’ chest, Torres’ foot, Mattocks’ thigh and then arm, Torres’ shin, Mattocks’ head and then foot, Roldan’s shoulder and finally Mattocks’ foot and Roldan’s shin.
There was absolutely nothing pretty about the goal in real time, but it’s a virtual ballet of flailing bodies in this version.
“I closed in, I tried to react to it,” Roldan said of the goal sequence. “You know Román was kind of tussling for the ball. I thought I could make a play and get closer and it ricocheted off my shin and it went in so I’m going to celebrate.”