After playing one of their worst halves of the season, the Seattle Sounders fought back to put themselves in position to snatch all three points against Atlanta United on Saturday. A Pedro de la Vega goal in the 54th minute and an Osaze De Rosario goal in the 90+5th minute seemed to be enough.
But on what turned out to be the game’s final play, Aleksey Miranchuk was allowed to take a rip from 25 yards that beat Andrew Thomas to the far post. It was a spectacular strike and cost the Sounders’ two points they had worked hard to secure.
The late goal aside, it was really a tale of two halves. The Sounders came out a bit flat and were playing from behind almost right away after Yeimar Gomez Andrade conceded an own goal in the 7th minute.
Although the Sounders were allowed to control possession from that point forward, they weren’t really able to generate much real danger. They finished the first half with just two shots, neither of which gave Atlanta any real trouble.
The Sounders made two big adjustments in the second half. Rather than playing for second balls, the Sounders increased their pressing intensity on defense. Offensively, they identified some weaknesses in the gaps Atlanta was leaving on the wings.
It took them less than 10 minutes to exploit those. Quickly transitioning after a turnover, Yeimar played a long pass that found de la Vega streaking down the left sideline. Similar to the two goals he contributed to last week, de la Vega streaked into the open field and with two runners occupying the defense, he fired a shot that beat Brad Guzan to the near post.
The Sounders looked like the team more likely to grab all three points from that point forward. They made good in the 5th minute of stoppage time when Nouhou put a cross right on the head of De Rosario for what felt like a sure game-winner.
But Atlanta wasn’t quite done. Following a Nouhou clearance that went out of bounds, Atlanta took the throw-in and found Miranchuk for an open look. His shot was pure.
The Sounders will now head into Leagues Cup where they’ll open against Cruz Azul on Thursday before facing Santos Laguna on Aug. 3 and Tijuana on Aug. 6. They will return to league play on Aug. 10 against the LA Galaxy.
Lineups
The Sounders basically ran it back from last week, with the two changes being Danny Musovski in place of the injured Jordan Morris and Jackson Ragen for Jon Bell at left centerback. That meant a second consecutive start for Pedro de la Vega on the left wing and Reed Baker-Whiting at left back.
Key moments
4 — Miguel Almiron gets free in the box but Cristian Roldan slides over to make a big block.
7 — Goal. After Reed Baker-Whiting seems to misjudge a ball over the top, Atlanta works the ball around to Emmanuel Latte Lathe near the endline. He sends in a cross that deflects off Yeimar Gomez Andrade’s back and over Andrew Thomas’ head. Atlanta, 1-0.
18 — Jackson Ragen comes up with a block after Aleksey Miranchuk gets free at the top of the box for an open shot.
33 — Miranchuk gets free in the box but his header sails high.
38 — Latte Lathe gets out on a breakaway but Obed Vargas closes him down to prevent a chance.
41 — Post! Luke Brennan breaks in off the right wing but his attempt at the near post rings the post and stays out.
43 — Offside! Brennan scores after picking up a deflected shot but he’s way offside.
54 — GOAL!!! Yeimar sends a ball over the top. Albert Rusnák battles with Stian Gregerson enough that the ball clears both of them, allowing Pedro de la Vega to run onto it. He dribbles about 50 yards and beats Brad Guzan to the near post. 1-1
WHAT. A. RUN ‼️
— Sounders FC (@soundersfc.com) 2025-07-27T01:05:51.636Z
64 — Bartosz Slisz gets a good look from about 22 yards out, but his shot is just over the bar.
68 — Post! Alex Roldan sends in a cross toward Danny Musovski at the near post that Derrick Williams makes a sliding attempt at. The ball loops over Guzan and hits the far post.
78 — Referee Ramy Touchan has to be replaced after an apparent injury.
88 — Jackson Ragen is forced to take a yellow card to break up a counter-attack.
90 — Alex Roldan whips in a gorgeous cross that finds the head of Osaze De Rosario, but he doesn’t make much contact and it goes wide.
90+4 — Slisz gets a good rip on a shot from about 24 yards but Andrew Thomas handles it easily.
90+5 — GOAL!!!! Nouhou whips in a cross to De Rosario, who fights off a defender and heads it in. Sounders, 2-1.
90+9 — Goal. After forcing a throw-in, the Sounders are a little slow to rotate as Miranchuk is able to step into a shot from about 28 yards out. The ball is perfectly struck and finds the side netting on what proves to be the game’s final play. 2-2.
Quick thoughts
Dropped points are never fun: I suppose you can be philosophical about this result and say that heading into halftime, a single point would have sounded just fine. Even halfway through stoppage time, I think most fans would have taken that result. But after De Rosario grabbed what seemed like the winner, the Sounders simply needed to find a way to see that game out. If you count the two points they dropped to Charlotte FC in the season opener and the two points they dropped against the Colorado Rapids, that’s now six more points they really should have right now. That’s only the difference between third and fourth in the Western Conference right now, but it would also put them securely in contention for the top spot.
Showing resiliency: The result wasn’t ideal and that first half was a genuine stinker, but let’s give the Sounders some credit for battling back and putting themselves in position to get all three points. Once again, they did it during a week where they lost two potential starters to injury. That’s now the fifth time they’ve come back to at least get a point after giving up the first goal. They also improved to 3-0-3 since the Club World Cup. This team does genuinely seem to be heading in the right direction, even if it’s not as smoothly as we’d like.
Redemption arc: Let’s take a moment to appreciate that Nouhou provided the go-ahead assist in his first game back from a two-game suspension. I don’t think this means the concerns about him are over, but it was a good reminder that he’s still a very useful player when he keeps his head in the game. If it were me, I’d still like to see Reed Baker-Whiting getting the nod for now — yes, even with his mistakes in the first half — but I hope Nouhou continues to fight to get his spot back.
Notable quote
Roldan’s assessment: “Overall frustrating game. We weren’t consistent throughout the game. We’ve yet to have a complete 90-minute game since Club World Cup. This is a moment we should learn from.”
— Sounder at Heart (@sounderatheart.com) 2025-07-27T02:29:41.555Z
Player spotlight
Pedro de la Vega — It wasn’t a perfect performance by any stretch of the imagination, but for a player who has struggled as much as he has to get consistent results it was imperative that he build off his starring performance a week ago. I think he mostly did that. His goal was wonderfully taken, carrying the ball about 50 yards and beating Guzan near post with a defender closing down. If there’s one player who can raise the Sounders’ level, it’s de la Vega.
