The Seattle Sounders bolstered their position atop the Western Conference with a 3-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday. The Sounders are now three points clear of second-place Portland Timbers and 10 points clear of the final playoff position as they head into a five-game stretch in which they’ll be missing several starters due to international duty.
MATCH SUMMARY
Seattle Sounders FC 3 – Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1
Saturday, October 3, 2020
Venue: CenturyLink Field
Referee: Timothy Ford
Assistants: Cameron Blanchard, Brian Dunn
Fourth Official: Farhad Dadkho
VAR: Armando Villarreal
Attendance: Closed Door
Weather: 56 degrees and fog
SCORING SUMMARY
SEA – João Paulo 46’
SEA – Erik Godoy (OG) 53’
SEA – Raúl Ruidíaz (Jordan Morris, Nicolás Lodeiro) 59’
VAN – Fredy Montero (penalty) 65’
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
VAN – Janio Bikel (caution) 26’
SEA – João Paulo (caution) 49’
VAN – Lucas Cavallini (caution) 52’
SEA – Yeimar Gómez Andrade (caution) 65’
VAN – Janio Bikel (ejection) 68’
LINEUPS & STATS
Seattle Sounders FC - Stefan Frei; Kelvin Leerdam (Alex Roldan 76’), Yeimar Gómez Andrade, Xavier Arreaga, Nouhou (Brad Smith 73’); Gustav Svensson (Jordy Delem 73’), João Paulo (Josh Atencio 89’), Cristian Roldan, Nicolás Lodeiro, Jordan Morris; Raúl Ruidíaz (Will Bruin 76’)
Substitutes not used: Stefan Cleveland, Shane O’Neill, Miguel Ibarra
Total shots: 22 (Morris, 5)
Shots on goal: 9 (Lodeiro, 3)
Fouls: 10 (Three players, 2)
Offside: 0
Corner-kicks: 6 (Lodeiro, 5)
Saves: 1 (Frei, 1)
Vancouver Whitecaps FC – Bryan Meredith; Jake Nerwinski, Erik Godoy, Derek Cornelius, Ali Adnan; Cristian Dajome (Patrick Metcalfe 75’), Janio Bikel, Andy Rose (Michael Baldisimo 65’), David Milinkovic (Ryan Raposo 65’); Fredy Montero (Theo Bair 75’), Lucas Cavallini (Tosaint Ricketts 89’)
Substitutes not used: Evan Bush, Isaac Boehmer, Ranko Veselinovic, Damiano Pecile
Total shots: 3 (Cavallini, 2)
Shots on goal: 2 (Cavallini/Montero, 1)
Fouls: 17 (Cavallini, 4)
Offside: 1 (Raposo, 1)
Corner-kicks: 0
Saves: 7 (Meredith, 7)
Sounders comments
SEATTLE SOUNDERS HEAD COACH BRIAN SCHMETZER – LINK TO SOUNDBYTES
On the adjustments that were made at halftime:
“Well the adjustments at halftime were just reminding them what the original game plan was. We had talked before the game about not getting frustrated because we knew they were going to sit back and look to Marc’s [Dos Santos] credit he didn’t sit back all the way, they were still pressing a little higher up the field, but you know we were certainly you know you could feel that the game was going to one of those games where we had a lot of possessions, a lot of shots but couldn’t score and this that and the other. I think your comment is spot on, Chris, João Paulo’s goal opened things up. I mean we just, again, reiterated what the game plan was getting the prime assist zones, how do we do that, crossing references, all those things. But JP’s goal, and a lot of, he makes it look easy. But for a lot of you guys out there, and I’m going to talk directly to my Academy players, the young players that we have here at the Seattle Sounders. If you really look at the concentration and the simplicity of that movement, the ball comes to him and his first touch you just see concentrating, his first touch is so perfect for him to set himself up to strike the ball cleanly in that moment. It’s such a simple goal but that’s the thing that young players are lacking, that is what young players have to strive for. In that moment, that was nothing more than a simple soccer move that João Paulo makes looks easy. Soccer is a simple game, and young players need to pay attention.”
SOUNDERS FC MIDFIELDER NICOLÁS LODERIO – LINK TO SOUNDBYTES
On what allowed them to open things up in the second half:
“We change a little bit. So, in the second half we have more possession and we have João [Paulo] open the [score]. The game was more easy for us for the second goal, for the third goal because then they want to score and after the third goal the game was open and when the game is open we feel more well that we can play with the ball, counter-attack, movement I think was more easy after the third goal.”
SOUNDERS FC DEFENDER BRAD SMITH – LINK TO SOUNDBYTES
On how it felt to be back with the team:
“Yeah, it’s an amazing feeling. The last time I stepped out was the MLS Cup Final, so a lot has happened since then. It’s different without the fans but we see all the fans on the big screen and we seem them on social media and we know how important they are to us. We know that they are with us and we try to give our all and get results and we are playing well at the moment so we are doing it for them.”
Referee comments
What infraction caused you to call a penalty kick and send off Yeimar Gomez Andrade (#28 in green)?
Gomez was penalized for a tripping foul in the penalty area which denied an obvious goalscoring opportunity (DOGSO), and which the referee did not consider in real time involved an attempt to play the ball.
What was discussed during your monitor review of the play?
The Video Review enabled the referee to establish whether a foul took place, exactly where that foul took place, and whether the action of Gomez could be considered an attempt to play the ball. These were the factors that were considered during the review.
What infraction occurred inside the area?
After reviewing the footage at the pitch side monitor, the referee maintained his opinion that a tripping foul had occurred inside the penalty area when the left foot of Gomez made contact with the right foot of Cavallini, and as such he maintained his penalty decision. He could also see that Gomez had actually attempted to play the ball and had been close to doing so, just prior to the foul contact. As such, even though the actions of Gomez did deny an obvious goalscoring opportunity, because it resulted in the award of a penalty kick and involved an attempt to play the ball, the correct outcome as per the Laws of the Game is a yellow card and as such the originally issued red card originally was rescinded and a yellow card was issued.