SEATTLE – The Seattle Sounders made it two wins in a row in the span of three days with a 3–1 home victory over Minnesota United. Minnesota got their consolation from Anthony Markanich (57’), but goals from Jordan Morris (16’), Hassani Dotson (35’), and Paul Arriola (83’) more than offset that as the Sounders moved into a playoff spot for the first time since mid-August.
Minnesota started the game putting the Sounders under tons of pressure, earning a corner and generating a potentially dangerous chance from it within the first minute, but Wil Trapp’s shot from the top of the box flew over the goal. They continued to threaten Seattle’s goal, with the Loons capitalizing on some sloppy play in Seattle’s end to eventually set up a look for Kelvin Yeboah that also went into the stands in the 11th minute.
For all Minnesota's pressure, it was Seattle who found the opening goal through an Albert Rusnák and Jordan Morris connection in the 16th minute. Rusnák clipped a lovely pass over the back line into a little pocket of space for Morris to run into, and Morris let the ball drop over his shoulder before volleying it into the far side netting.
With a lead, the Sounders could feel the momentum turning in their favor and started to take control of the game. In the 35th minute, Caden Clark and Morris combined for a fantastic chance after it looked like the Sounders had turned the ball over in their own half against their left sideline. Clark picked up a contested ball and then carried it centrally and towards the Minnesota goal before playing a delayed pass out to Morris, who was running down the left. Morris drove to the end line and attempted to center the ball to a teammate, but his cross was blocked out for a corner.
From that corner Rusnák sent in a cross and Morris made an excellent run from the top of the box and put a good header on frame that goalkeeper Drake Callender was able to parry, but the rebound fell to Hassani Dotson inside the 6-yard box and he was able to thump it into the back of the net to make it 2–0, a scoreline the Sounders would take into halftime.
Minnesota started the second half similarly to how they started the first, with good looks in the 48th and 51st, and that 51st minute chance provided a bit of foreshadowing as Markanich ripped a shot that only just missed the top corner. Just a few minutes later in the 57th minute Markanich closed the gap to one goal. Nouhou hit a poor pass to Caden Clark inside Minnesota’s half, Clark couldn’t get a good touch to it and Minnesota were off to the races. Yeboah played the ball out wide to Bongi Hlongwane on the right, who then hit a cross from the edge the box to the penalty spot where Markanich’s deep run went unmarked and he hammered his volleyed shot at goal. Andrew Thomas was able to get part of his body in front of it, but couldn’t stop it as the shot struck off of him and into the side netting.
With their margin made thinner, the Sounders looked to add a bit of cushion back to the scoreline. They had plenty of good opportunities, but Drake Callender made a quality save to deny Cristian Roldan in the 70th and a few other looks were either just missed or saw good defensive plays erase the threat. That was at least until the 83rd minute. Sebastian Gomez received a ball out on the left wing and drove to the box where he played a smart pass to Rusnák who then found Arriola running in to his right, and Arriola provided a fantastic finish in off the post to make it 3-1. Things nearly got nervy again at the end of regulation when Markanich once again got the best of Thomas and played a ball across goal to Maurice Malone, but rather than tapping it in Malone took an odd touch allowing Jackson Ragen to make a goal line clearance. The clearance fell to Aziel Jackson who hit a hard shot, but Stuart Hawkins came up with a huge block not for the first time on the night.
The Sounders have now won back-to-back games, are undefeated in their last 7 games, and finish the night above the playoff line. They’ll have a chance to keep things rolling when they host Sporting Kansas City on Thursday night.
Lineups
Four changes from the lineup that started against Real Salt Lake for the Sounders. Jordan Morris returns to the XI opposite Caden Clark while Paul Arriola and Sebastian Gomez are both available from the bench. Hassani Dotson starts over Snyder Brunell in midfield, and Kalani Kossa-Rienzi heads to the bench as Alex Roldan starts at right back and Stuart Hawkins and Jackson Ragen start at centerback.
¡Nuestro XI inicial contra Minnesota, presentado por Delta! #SEAvMIN | 📰: sndrs.com/n1wlfrvs
— Sounders FC (@soundersfc.com) September 26, 2026 at 4:41 PM
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Key moments
1 - High. Minnesota have the first foray forward, but their first-minute corner results in a shot hit way over the goal.
11’ - Miss. A series of errors initially by the Sounders defense followed by a failure to build out following a throw-in leads to Yeboah firing a shot into the stands.
16’ - GOAL! Rusnák plays a quick ball over the defense for Morris to run onto. Morris let it drop over his shoulder, then half-volleyed into the far side netting! 1-0, Sounders
¡Qué pase! ¡Qué definición! 🔥
— Sounders FC (@soundersfc.com) September 26, 2026 at 6:02 PM
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18’ - Shot. Rusnák has a go from outside the area that’s hit hard and low, but Callender is able to easily corral it.
32’ - Chance! Dotson plays a pass around the corner for Alex Roldan who hits a low cross that Musovski gets to at the near post but his shot is blocked.
35’ - Chance. A nice combination between Clark and Morris after Clark picks up a loose ball and drives towards goal before finding Morris’s run, but the cross at the end is blocked out for a corner.
35’ - GOAL! Dotson makes it two! Rusnák sends in a corner and Morris makes a strong run to connect on a header. Callender makes the initial save, but the rebound falls to Dotson and he smashes it home. 2-0, Sounders
¡HASSANI NOS DA EL SEGUNDO!
— Sounders FC (@soundersfc.com) September 26, 2026 at 6:19 PM
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40’ - Block. Thomas gives the ball directly to Yeboah who then finds Caldeira, but his point-blank shot is blocked out for a corner.
43’ - Block. Nouhou attempts to clear a ball but gives it straight to a Minnesota player in the box and Hawkins slides in to block a dangerous shot. The follow-up shot is hit out for a goal kick.
45’ +2 - Chance. Alex Roldan sends in a dangerous cross, but it goes just over the head of Musovski on the doorstep and out for a goal kick.
HT - Sub. Kyle Duncan is replaced by Bongokule Hlongwane for Minnesota.
48’ - Chance. Alex Roldan can't connect with Morris and the Loons go right down the field, but Hawkins is able to pressure the shot and it goes out for a goal kick.
51’ - Chance. Markanich takes a rip from outside the area and just misses the top corner and it’s out for a goal kick.
54’ - Shot! Alex Roldan reads a back pass by Markanich and then puts the brakes on as Markanich slides by in the box, looks off a couple open teammates and has a shot himself that comes off the woodwork.
57’ - Goal, Minnesota. Markanich pulls one back after a turnover in midfield. Yeboah plays it out to Hlongwane who crosses it to Markanich making a run to the penalty spot, and his volleyed finish hits Thomas but he can’t keep it out. 2-1, Sounders
59’ - Subs. Seattle makes their first changes, taking off Caden Clark and Danny Musovski and bringing on Paul Arriola and Sebastian Gomez.
70’ - Shot! Morris drops the ball back to Cristian Roldan for a shot from the top of the box, but Callender is just able to get a hand to it and push the ball away.
75’ - Chance! Morris hits a fantastic header to the back post on a corner and Dotson comes sliding in but can’t connect.
77’ - Corner. Alex Roldan makes a nice play to get free down the right and hits a switch to Gomez on the left. Gomez brings it down with his chest, but it’s taken off him and kicked out for a corner.
78’ - Sub. Marcus Caldeira comes off, replaced by Mauricio Gonzalez for Minnesota.
83’ - GOAL! Arriola adds a third for Seattle! Gomez carries the ball in from the left wing, cuts it inside to Rusnák who plays Arriola in on the right and he smashes his shot into the near post. 3-1, Sounders
QUÉ GOLAZOOOOOOO 🔥
— Sounders FC (@soundersfc.com) September 26, 2026 at 7:27 PM
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84’ - Subs. Sounders bring on Kalani Kossa-Rienzi and Yeimar, taking off Nouhou and Albert Rusnák. Aziel Jackson and Maurice Malone enter the game for Minnesota, replacing Tomas Chancalay and Kelvin Yeboah.
87’ - Stop! Hlongwane receives a ball over the top, but his touch is a little big and Thomas is able to react and jump on it.
89’ - Save! Thomas gets beat by a ball across goal by Markanich, but Malone’s attempt to put away the tap-in gives Ragen a chance to clear it off the line!
Defendiendo hasta el silbatazo final 😱
— Sounders FC (@soundersfc.com) September 26, 2026 at 8:08 PM
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90’ - Sub. Seattle’s final sub sees Snyder Brunell come on for Jordan Morris.
90’ +3 - Chance. A slick bit of play through the midfield from the Sounders ends up with a cut from Gomez and an unfortunately blocked shot.
Quick thoughts
It doesn’t need to be pretty: There were moments in this game that were genuinely great soccer from the Sounders. The play that resulted in the corner where Dotson scored was flowing and fantastic, it showcased the traits that have made Caden Clark such an intriguing talent over the years as well as what makes Jordan Morris a threat when he’s at his best. The play on Arriola’s goal was similar, and there were others that on another night may well have had similar end results. There were also plenty of frustrating moments as the Sounders struggled to hold onto the ball and struggled to get the ball back when Minnesota had it. But in the end, despite some bending, the team didn’t break and they ultimately put the ball in the back of the net enough to not only win the game but to take some confidence away as well. What matters most right now is the results, and as of this week the Sounders are getting the results they need.
The growing star on the back line: Stuart Hawkins has been in a bit of an awkward spot up until this season. After breaking out with Tacoma Defiance, he pretty quickly reached a point despite his young age where he was arguably too good to get much benefit from playing in MLS Next Pro, but he also wasn’t necessarily physically developed enough to get serious minutes in MLS yet, and certainly not at a place where he was ready to displace either of Jackson Ragen or Yeimar who had both been Defender of the Year contenders. Injuries disrupted the chances he did get to make a place for himself in the first team, but this year it’s been the opposite. Player availability elsewhere created the circumstances where not only did the Sounders need to see what they had in young Hawkins, still only 20 years old, but they needed a CB to play serious minutes, period. Hawkins has more than stepped up, he’s created a real challenge for Brian Schmetzer as he looks for opportunities to work Yeimar back into the side and determine his best XI as the final stretch of the season approaches. Jackson Ragen described Hawkins as a future All-Star if he wants to stay in MLS, saying that he simply doesn’t have any real weaknesses. He still has room to grow, but getting to see him do that growing on the field as he helps the team win games — and this almost certainly wouldn’t have been a win without him — is a joy.
The cream of the crop: A major element of this team’s struggles has been that their best players haven’t been available often enough, and when they have been available they haven’t played like the best players on the team. That’s not the case now. Guys like the Roldans, Morris, Ragen and Rusnák are all hitting their stride not only at the right time, but at the same time. The best talents in the Sounders squad — at least of the players available — are rising to the top, and the team is rising with them.
Notable quote
Brian Schmetzer:
‘There’s small little touch points where I mention standings but you make the players focus on the job they’re doing… it’s more powerful to message that standings. If we focus on how they play, they’ll take care of everything else.’
— Sounder at Heart (@sounderatheart.com) September 26, 2026 at 8:13 PM
Player spotlight
Albert Rusnák had 2 assists, giving him a goal and 4 assists in the last week. He created 5 chances, had 7 passes into the final third, and completed 47/54 passes. Don’t look now but if he keeps this up he could finish with another 20-goal contribution season.
