22 games and running: Sounders take care of Dallas

SEATTLE – The Seattle Sounders hosted FC Dallas in their second consecutive game at Lumen Field and with absences throughout the lineup and a bench almost entirely comprised of recent Tacoma Defiance players they came away with a 2–1 win. First-half goals from Jesús Ferreira (15’) and Jordan Morris (30’) proved the difference, but a Nolan Norris header from a corner in the 40th minute and a 54th-minute Ferreira penalty that was saved made things tense for the final 40 minutes.

The game started in a rhythm similar to the way the game against St. Louis City SC last weekend, as Dallas had more control of the game in the opening minutes. That shifted hard and fast in the 15th minute when Jackson Ragen cleared a ball out of the back that went over the defense and hugged along the side line allowing Morris to pick it up and carry it down the field. Morris spotted the run of Ferreira to the top of the box and played a pass to him centrally, Ferreira took a touch to set himself up and then fired a shot that was favorably deflected and went in the back of the net to give Seattle a 1-0 lead.

Danny Musovski had a chance to double the lead with a header from the edge of the 6-yard box off of a cross from Kalani Kossa-Rienzi, but Dallas goalkeeper Michael Collodi was able to keep him off of the scoresheet. Then in the 30th minute it was Morris’ turn to provide the finishing touch. Snyder Brunell received a pass on the turn near the center circle from Hassani Dotson, then played a perfectly weighted ball through the defense for Morris to run onto. Morris carried the ball into the box, then hit a right footed shot from the right side of the area past Collodi and into the far side of the net to double the lead.

The two sides exchanged looks over the next few minutes, but it was Dallas who scored next to pull a goal back. In the 40th minute on a corner Santiago Moreno sent the ball in and Nolan Norris outjumped Dotson to connect with a header that beat Andrew Thomas. Thomas came up with a huge save in first half stoppage time, diving to his left but throwing his right arm up behind him to get a strong hand to a deflected shot headed for the back of the net, conceding a corner rather than a second goal.

Early in the second half the Sounders had a golden opportunity to extend their lead when Paul Rothrock did some magical work to get down the left wing and into the box before being tripped from behind by Lalas Abubakar and earn a penalty in the 52nd minute. Jesús Ferreira stepped up to the spot looking to secure a brace against his former club, but telegraphed his shot and had his penalty saved by the GK.

The Sounders continued to create chances, but lacked the final pass or finishing touch to turn any of their chances into goals. Seattle now prepare for another road game, as they next head to play Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, May 2.

Lineups

The changes just keep coming, with four changes from the XI against St. Louis. With Paul Arriola, Albert Rusnák and Cristian Roldan all unavailable, Paul Rothrock, Jesús Ferreira and Jordan Morris start in the attacking band of three, while Snyder Brunell and Hassani Dotson man central midfield. Jackson Ragen returns to the starting lineup next to Alex Roldan, while Antino Lopez is available from the bench.

Key moments

6 - Save. Moreno snaps off a shot after a quick series of passes, but Thomas is easily able to catch the ball.

15 - GOAL! Morris gets on the end of a ball over the top that runs along the right sideline, then plays a pass centrally for Ferreira to run onto. Ferreira took a touch to control the ball at the top of the box then hit a shot that was deflected before beating Collodi! 1-0, Sounders

17 - Header. Musovski gets on the end of a cross from Kossa-Rienzi, but Collodi easily catches the close-range header.

30 - Goal! Brunell plays a fantastic ball through the Dallas backline that Morris runs onto before poking his shot past Collodi and into the far side of the goal. 2-0, Sounders

37 — Save. Musovski takes too big of a touch and gives the ball up in Seattle’s own end, but Simmonds’ shot is saved by Thomas.

39 - Save. Collodi makes a huge save to deny Kossa-Rienzi from a shot off of a rebound, and Musovski can’t turn towards goal with the ball.

40 - Goal, Dallas. Nolan Norris rises up over Dotson and heads home a corner to close the gap to one goal. 2-1, Sounders

45+2 - Save! Thomas dives to his left and makes a great reaction as he gets a strong hand up to knock a deflected shot out for a corner.

HT - Sub. Louicius Deedson exits the game, replaced by Herman Johansson for Dallas.

51 - Chance. After Dotson earns a free kick near the edge of the box, Ferreira sends in a ball that just misses Rothrock at the back post and goes out for a goal kick.

52 - Penalty! Rothrock dribbles through traffic into the box and is brought down for a penalty by Abubakar who receives a yellow for the trip.

54 - Stopped. Ferreira telegraphs his shot and Collodi reads it and dives to his left to stop the penalty and keep the game at 2-1.

54 - Sub. Lalas Abubakar is subbed off by Dallas, and Shaq Moore enters the game.

65 - Squandered. Ferreira plays a clipped ball over the defense for Morris to run onto who then attempts to play the ball across with Musovski and Rothrock both making runs but the pass hits a defender and goes behind Rothrock.

68 - Subs. Seattle brings on Peter Kingston in place of Danny Musovski, while Dallas takes off Patrickson Delgado and Ran Binyamin, replaced by Chris Cappis and Joaquin Valiente.

73 - Header. Kossa-Rienzi receives the ball on the edge of the box and sends in a cross that floats to the back post where Rothrock gets his head to it, but it’s easily caught.

77 - Sub. Samuel Sarver comes off for Dallas, replaced by Kaick.

83 - Sub. Osaze De Rosario enters the game in place of Jordan Morris for the Sounders.

90 - Sub. Snyder Brunell subs off and is replaced by Cody Baker for Seattle.

Quick thoughts

Finding their footing: Jordan Morris and Jesús Ferreira both notched their first goals of the season in any competition tonight. Ferreira came into the match with 6 assists across all competitions and had started to find his shooting boots over the last couple of games, and Morris had contributed a pair of assists between MLS and CCC, but with the club’s eyes set on lofty targets like a real challenge for the Supporter’s Shield, a chance to defend their League’s Cup title and a push for a return to MLS Cup they’ll need goals from two of their marquee attacking players. The Sounders have navigated a busy early schedule and still find themselves within touching distance of the top of the table. If Ferreira and Morris can get into a rhythm, the Sounders could be more than just a contender.

Favorable margins: It wasn’t a perfect game by any stretch of the imagination, as the Sounders had plenty of opportunities to end the game with a scoreline much more similar to last week’s, even setting aside Ferreira having his penalty saved. There’s every reason to be annoyed about conceding another set-piece goal, as well, marking the 3rd set piece goal across all competitions and a second consecutive home game in which the team failed to keep a shutout thanks to a relatively soft goal. The positive is that although the Sounders ended up being out-shot 10–9 on the night, they were able to limit Dallas almost exclusively to bad looks and tame shots that were easily dealt with by Andrew Thomas when they were able to put them on frame. Dotson got out-jumped by Nolan Norris on the goal, but the Sounders are playing in such a way that even when things aren’t quite going right they’re able to keep the margins in their favor.

Star Boy: Snyder Brunell made his First Team debut a little under 9 months ago when he made a 10-minute cameo appearance at the end of the 7–0 win against Cruz Azul in League’s Cup. That performance wasn’t necessarily anything to get your heart beating hard, but he went on to make another 7 appearances with the Sounders over the remainder of the season. Fast forward to tonight when he subbed off with cramps at the end of the game having just played all of regulation having appeared in each of the 12 games this season, with 8 starts. The cramps start to make sense. Brunell hasn’t just been putting in the hard yards, he’s been doing it with a savvy and flair that’s vanishingly rare in a domestic player who’s only 19 years old. His pass on the assist to Morris was perfect in every aspect, and it was also the kind of thing he seems to not only recognize but pull off regularly. Seattle’s young star is already shining bright, but the potential is even bigger.

Notable quote

Brian Schmetzer on closing out the game: “Last year we gave a couple of games like this away. ... a couple of games where we let points slip, and it cost us at the end of the year. ... we were able to close it out ... could we have closed the game out with better possession? absolutely, and we’ll talk about that."

Player spotlight

Jordan Morris – A goal and an assist is a performance to hang his hat on, but Morris repeatedly found himself in dangerous spots running in behind the defense in a way that bodes well for the season to come.