What we saw: A photo recap (Sounders vs Whitecaps)

Staff photographers Max Aquino and Kayla Mehring teamed together to put together a photo timeline of the Sounders’ victory

By Max Aquino and Kayla Mehring Jul 22, 2018, 2:50pm PDT

There are many ways to tell a story. Throughout a game, hundreds of moments happen and it’s impossible for one person to capture all of them. Having two photographers for a game allowed us to piece together the Seattle Sounders win over the Vancouver Whitecaps, as we saw it, and share it with all of you.

There was a definite buzz around the stadium, as the crowd anticipated the debut of Raul Ruidiaz. While he wasn’t destined to start, a large number of Peru jerseys could be seen throughout the stadium, with a large contingent in The Hawk’s Nest.

Along with Ruidiaz, fellow World Cup participants Gustav Svensson and Roman Torres returned to the Sounders, with Svensson getting the nod to start.

The second “official” Cascadia Cup match was dubbed the “Heritage Match” and featured an old-school scoreboard design, many nods to the old logos of both clubs, free hats, and the usage of the white “Heritage” kits.

Former Sounder coach/player/legend, Jimmy Gabriel, was on hand to announce “Scarves Up” to the crowd, announced at 41,849.

The Academy U-17 team was honored prior to the game for winning U.S. Soccer Development Academy Championship.

It’s been a while since I’ve been in school, but I’m pretty sure the scientific term for the match ball delivery kids is “totes adorbs.”

The Emerald City Supporters unfurled an overhead curtain display, using lyrics from “Roll on Columbia” (traditionally sung in the 12th minute) to remind the club that there is still a lot to play for. Over 5,000 square feet of fabric was sewn together and painted by the volunteers in just a few days.

Just minutes into the game, referee Chris Penso pointed to the spot after Whitecaps defender Doniel Henry handled the ball off a Chad Marshall header. Not only this photo catch the exact moment the ball hit the hand, it also got the sweat coming off Marshall’s head.

Nicolas Lodeiro took the honors of putting the ball in the back of the net and giving the Sounders the lead.

Timing is a funny thing in sports photography. Catching the exact moment a player heads the ball is notoriously difficult to get, but it isn’t generally regarded as a usable photo, due to the awkwardness of the ball sticking to a body part not known for holding things. Generally, photographers want to either catch the anticipation of it about to hit or the immediate aftermath, for the intensity.

With the way things have been going this season, you’d almost expect to see the Sounders try and bunker for the next 85 minutes. Luckily, that wasn’t the case, as the Sounders continued to press and put the ball into some goal-dangerous situations.

Despite having a pretty solid defensive game, a clumsy Nouhou challenge resulted in a yellow card.

A knuckling distance shot from Lodeiro sent goalkeeper Stefan Marinovic leaping in the wrong direction. Marinovic got a piece of it, but the ball still had enough momentum to bound into the net.

Lodeiro’s brace gave the Sounders a nice cushion, which hasn’t happened much this season, especially just 30 minutes into the game.

Frei’s decision to punch this save away was a bit curious, as he has some of the best hands in the league and wasn’t under a huge amount of pressure. I’m wondering if the ball dipped at the last moment or had an odd spin to it.

Slide tackles are, by far, one of the most difficult moments to capture in a game. They often come out of nowhere, are difficult to anticipate, and don’t always have a regular direction.

Heading into the second half, the Sounders weren’t afraid to shoot, although many of their shots resulted in defensive blocks (seven, to be precise). There’s something to be said, however, about being willing to pull the trigger and force your opponent to pack the box when they’re already down 2-0. Sometimes the best defense is a good offense.

As a testament to Nouhou’s intensity, if you had no context into the moment, you’d guess that he was the one attacking in this photo, not defending. This took place in the Sounders defensive half, as he and Jake Nerwinski battled for a loose ball.

After around 60 minutes, the crowd got what they were anticipating, as Raul Ruidiaz made his Sounders debut. He wasted no time getting to work, beating Kendall Waston to the ball and getting a shot off.

Another fantastic capture by Kayla, as Efrain Juarez slid in to try and win the ball from Lodeiro. He was whistled for a foul on the play.

Juarez, taking exception from Penso’s call, argued and was shown a yellow for dissent. It was quickly upgraded to a red after he made physical contact with the referee.

Although not as entertaining, the Sounders utilized their man advantage to hold possession, pass the ball around, and kill the clock.

One quirk of afternoon games is the sun moves, resulting in one side of the stadium being covered in shadows. This results in some very nice opportunities to have a darkened background and well-lit subject. Frei made a late-game catch to help settle the scoreline and see out a comfortable win.

A perk of shooting the games (besides being field-side) is being able to go into the Brougham End goal to capture the team saluting the Emerald City Supporters after a win.

The win, as well as the recent good run of form, definitely seems to have lifted the spirits of the players. Whereas in previous games, the players seemed to want to get into the locker room ASAP, they lingered longer on the field before eventually heading back into the tunnels.

Good news! Based on an extremely small sample size, we had been wondering if the first team was cursed when Kayla was shooting. I suppose it’s safe to finally say we can keep her around.

The complete game gallery can be found here: