SEATTLE – Jesús Ferreira had a goal and an assist and Danny Musovski added a goal as the Seattle Sounders won their first game in almost exactly a month, beating Austin FC 2-0 on Saturday. The win pushes the Sounders into fifth place of the Western Conference, just one point behind the fourth-place Portland Timbers.
The Sounders looked like the better team throughout the match, dominating possession and chances in the first half. But they went into stoppage time still tied 0-0.
A shoving match between Dani Perreira and Paul Rothrock seemed to up the intensity, though, and shortly after that the Sounders created a turnover in midfield that quickly transitioned into a chance. Albert Rusnák found Rothrock on the left wing, Rothrock attacked the goal and floated a ball to the back post where Ferreira was there to volley it in.
The Sounders carried that momentum into the second half and added an insurance goal in the 54th minute. After a yellow card on Besard Sebovic, the Sounders pinged it around the field, inviting pressure and drawing Austin FC up the field. They would end up connecting 23 passes with every player on the field connecting at least one. Ferreira had the final pass of the sequence, putting Musovski in space. Musovki did the rest, driving at his defender, peeling to the right and then beating Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver with a perfectly placed shot that pinged in off the far post.
From there, the Sounders mostly put it in cruise control, at least until Reed Baker-Whiting received a second yellow card in the 89th minute. Baker-Whiting had picked up an earlier yellow when he handled a ball and this time went to ground in an attempt to break up a counter. Austin got a couple decent looks in the final minutes but nothing that was too serious.
Lineups
The Sounders made three changes from their previous game, most notably inserting Alex Roldan at centerback as Jackson Ragen was the only healthy natural centerback available.
Key moments
11' – CHANCE! Albert Rusnák plays in Musovski with a beautiful pass from deep. Musovski breaks in and forces a diving save. Rothrock almost gets to the rebound, but Brendan Hines-Ike nearly scores an own-goal after firing an attempted clearance off the post.
15' - Chance! Rothrock finds Obed Vargas with a cutback about 20 yards from goal but his shot is blocked.
33' – WIDE! Jackson Ragen heads a throw-in into the box. Musovski gets a shot off that goes just wide.
34' – GIVEAWAY! Jackson Ragen with a very poor decision and has his pass picked off at top of Sounders box. Vazquez’s shot is right at Frei.
45+2 – GOAL!!!! Jesús Ferreira puts away a volley from a Paul Rothrock cross. Rusnák played Rothrock into space after the referee played advantage. Sounders, 1-0.
You love to see it.
— Sounder at Heart (@sounderatheart.com) 2025-06-29T03:34:45.702Z
53' – Yellow card. Besard Sabovic picks up a yellow after clipping Obed Vargas from behind.
54' – GOAL!!!! Danny Musovski finishes off a 23-pass sequence, coolly passing the ball into the net after Jesús Ferreira played him into space. Sounders, 2-0.
This is so pretty.
— Sounder at Heart (@sounderatheart.com) 2025-06-29T03:57:51.526Z
64' - WIDE! Obed Vargas nearly bends it in from about 22 yards out.
67' – CHANCE! Ryan Kent drives into the box and finds Ferreira near the penalty spot, but his touch lets him down and he can't get off a shot.
89' – RED CARD! Reed Baker-Whiting picks up a second yellow after attempting to break up a counter from behind.
90+1' - Chance! Ball falls to Jon Gallagher about 16 yards out but he shoots high.
Quick thoughts
Much-needed three points: Although there hasn't been a ton of focus on it, the reality is that the Sounders came into this match on a five-game losing streak. That's actually the longest single-season losing streak they've ever had in their history. This wasn't necessarily the most impressive performance ever, but it was one in which they controlled the match for virtually all of the proceedings. There was a sense of relief that came with it and now the Sounders can focus on getting their regular season back on track.
Alex Roldan shows his flexibility: The Sounders were in a bit of a pickle for this game, down to just one natural centerback. In stepped Alex Roldan and I'm not sure there was a single moment where he looked remotely over his head. Roldan completed the most passes of anyone in the game and was instrumental in helping start the sequence that led to the second goal. I'm sure he'll return to right back next week, but it's a nice piece of info that he can play at centerback if needed.
Jesús take a bow: It's been an up-and-down season for Jesús Ferreira, but this surely goes down as his best performance in Rave Green. His back post finish was a wonderful volley and it was his pass that put Musovski into space on the second goal. This was pretty much the player the Sounders thought they were getting when they made him their big offseason acquisition. Now they need to figure out how to get that from him on a regular basis.
Notable quote
Ferreira cont: ‘We know that at home, nobody can compete, with our fans, with our style of play, and the little extra positive was that we had grass today.’
— Sounder at Heart (@sounderatheart.com) 2025-06-29T05:31:48.927Z
Player spotlight
Cristian Roldan: On a night when the Sounders knew they were a little vulnerable in the back, it was imperative that they dominated the midfield. Cristian Roldan was very much up for the task. Although maybe not as dynamic as he was during his best moments of the Club World Cup, Roldan was constantly there breaking up plays and spraying the ball around the field. He finished 62-of-68 passing, which included 11 for 11 on longballs, made three interceptions and won 9 of 15 duels.
