PORTLAND, Ore. — By now, I think we probably all agree that Raúl Ruidíaz is at least in the running for the best close-range finisher the Seattle Sounders have ever had. Time and time again, the Peruvian makes shots from in and around the six-yard box look extraordinarily easy.
The latest example came on Sunday when he briefly gave the Sounders a 1-0 lead, finishing off Cristian Roldan’s cross.
I don’t think this necessarily looked like an easy finish at full speed, but LevyFilms’ footage better illustrates just how difficult it was. Not only did Ruidíaz need to track Roldan’s pass after it took a deflection, but he needed to hit it first time to elude center back Liam Ridgewell and angle it over a well-positioned Jeff Attinella.
This footage also shows some good positioning that allowed Nouhou to make the interception that started the counter-attack.
Even though the Sounders were unable to build on this momentum, it’s plays like this that should give us hope in Leg 2.