Eight was enough for the Seattle Sounders, as they snapped their losing streak with a come-from-behind 1–1 tie on the road against FC Cincinnati on Saturday.
The first half was a pretty lopsided affair, although according to FotMob the xG difference was relatively small with FCC putting up 0.81 xG to Seattle’s 0.56. The difference was that Cincinnati produced that by out-shooting the Sounders 10-2, keeping 71% of possession, and they turned that all into a 1-0 lead going into halftime.
The lone goal came on a heater skelter sequence in the 28th minute where Andrew Thomas made a pair of excellent saves and Paul Rothrock provided a goal line clearance, only for the rebound to fall perfectly for Evander to smash into a gap in the goal mouth to take the lead.
The Sounders did have a chance to equalize before the half ended on Edson Carli’s best moment in his first MLS appearance and start when he brought a ball down and smashed a ball into a dangerous area — a cross or shot, the result was still the same — that Rothrock was able to get a touch on to redirect toward goal but it wasn’t enough to put it on frame and the ball went wide of goal.
Seattle came out of halftime with plenty of energy, but Cincinnati had the first dangerous moment in the 51st minute. Rothrock turned the ball over in midfield and the defensive line struggled to deal with Tom Barlow’s run, particularly Ryan Sailor who seems caught between minds as he chose not to step to the player with the ball while dropping deep enough to keep Barlow onside. Fortunately, Andrew Thomas made a good run to cover and block the shot.
Seattle pushed for an equalizer, and Kalani Kossa-Rienzi had a look that foreshadowed the eventual tying goal in the 71st minute, but his shot was deflected making the save easier for Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano. KKR had his breakthrough in the 83rd minute, though. Seattle looked like they may be about to concede a second goal after a corner broke down, but Nouhou made an excellent tackle in the FCC half to win the ball back which landed at Kossa-Rienzi’s feet. Kossa-Rienzi swung the ball out to Albert Rusnák on the right wing, and Rusnák returned the favor with a low cross that Kossa-Rienzi side-footed first time to smash the Sounders out of their losing streak.
The Sounders now have a chance to build off of this result with a week before their next match when they host the Chicago Fire next Saturday at 1 PM.
Lineups
Heavy rotation for the Sounders after the midweek game against Austin FC. Osaze De Rosario starts up top, with captain Paul Rothrock, Sebastian Gomez, and Edson Carli in the band of 3 behind him. Snyder Brunell returns to the double-pivot next to Peter Kingston, and Antino Lopez, Ryan Sailor, and Stuart Hawkins join Kalani Kossa-Rienzi on the back line.
Our Delta Starting XI in Cincinnati ⚽️ 📰: sndrs.com/38joudvh | #CINvSEA
— Sounders FC (@soundersfc.com) August 22, 2026 at 3:41 PM
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Key moments
2’ - Chance. Kingston sends in a free kick from the left side line that skims off a Seattle head and out for a goal kick.
4’ - Catch. Echinique rips a shot from outside the area after cutting inside from the right, but Thomas is able to easily catch and hold onto it.
15’ - Save! Evander sends in a great free kick that Robinson gets a good header on, but Thomas dives across to keep it out and Kossa-Rienzi puts it out for a corner.
19’ - Almost. De Rosario drives at the back line and looks to have gotten free of two defenders with a dribble, but Robinson is able to recover and win the ball back.
24’ - Goal, Cincinnati. It takes several attempts following saves from Thomas and a goal line clearance from Rothrock, but Evander opens the scoring. 1-0, Cincy
28’ - Wide. Evander takes a pull from deep, Lopez misses a clearance and Thomas dives for it but it’s beyond his reach and fortunately goes just wide of the post.
40’ - Deflection. Anunga has a go from outside the area and his shot takes a deflection off of a defender, but Thomas is able to read it and makes the save.
44’ - Chance. Carli settles the ball in the box and takes a shot that’s headed wide, Rothrock gets a touch to send it closer but still wide of the goal.
51’ - Save. Thomas makes a solid stop after Sailor keeps Barlow onside and opts not to step to prevent the pass in to him.
59’ - Sub. Cincinnati makes the first change, taking off Kenji Mboma Dem to bring on Kévin Denkey.
61’ - Subs. Seattle subs out Snyder Brunell and Edson Carli, bringing on Nouhou and Danny Musovski.
70’ - Chance. Kossa-Rienzi takes a shot from outside the box that is deflected which takes the pace off the ball and Celentano is able to gather.
73’ - Subs. Tom Barlow and Bryan Ramirez leave the game for Cincinnati as Ayoub Jabbari and Pavel Bucha come on.
77’ - Subs. Osaze De Rosario and Antino Lopez come off to make space for Alex Roldan and Albert Rusnák Seattle.
82’ - Chance. Rothrock sends a cross in from the left side that Gomez heads towards goal, but Celentano tips it up over the bar for a corner.
83’ - Goal! Kossa-Rienzi slams in a cross from Rusnák and the Sounders are level! Nouhou stops a Cincinnati counter, KKR swings the ball out wide to Rusnák and his first-time shot on the return service puts Seattle on the board. 1-1
87’ - Chance! Musovski misses on a header with a perfect chance to put the Sounders on top as Gomez sends in a great cross that goes out for a goal kick.
90’+1 - Sub. Seattle’s final change comes as Kim Kee-hee replaces Sebastian Gomez.
Quick thoughts
Where do goals come from: Rotated lineup aside, the Sounders were plagued in this match by the same thing that’s plagued them since returning from the World Cup break. Chance creation has been largely absent, creating more than 1 xG in just 3 of their previous 6 games. The loss to Austin was the only one of those games in which they produced more xG than their opponents, with 1.23 xG to Austin’s 1.12 xG. That’s just not a path to securing results in general, let alone on the road against a team like FCC, and it’s not something that’s likely to be improved by the reported move to bring in Dejan Joveljic.
The kids will be alright: With the exception of Stuart Hawkins, none of the young guys the Sounders started in this game really put their mark on this game. Snyder Brunell feels like he’s struggled under an increased burden in midfield without Cristian Roldan next to him, and he and Edson Carli - who had moments in his first MLS appearance, but was ultimately pretty quiet - were the team’s first changes. Sebastian Gomez was solid, but his performance is maybe most emblematic of this thought: there’s talent and promise there, but the kids aren’t quite ready to be the team’s stars, and they shouldn’t be. The team’s youngest players at this point shouldn’t be load-bearing, they should be depth options and part of the club’s future. They still are part of the future, and may be stars in a couple years, they’re just not there yet.
Not a win, but importantly not a loss: It’s not a win. We’d all like a win. But you’ve got to start somewhere, and a draw is a lot better than another loss. The winless streak continues, but the losing streak does not. I don’t think it’s cause for celebration, but it’s something that the team can build on. This result alone won’t turn the season around, but it at least provides a chance to catch their breath and keep getting guys healthy (along with adding Dejan Joveljic and hopefully another piece or two).
Notable quote
Paul Rothrock: “We looked like the Sounders again tonight.”
— Sounder at Heart (@sounderatheart.com) August 22, 2026 at 6:56 PM
Player spotlight
Albert Rusnák hasn’t had his best season, but on the same day that it’s reported that he’s the player being extended to make room for Joveljic, his assist is a good reminder of what he still has to offer.
