Seattle Sounders 2 moved away from the 3-4-2-1 that got them a win last time they were at Cheney but kept the frenetic pressure and it gave them their second win in three games. You don’t expect S2 to win a game that includes a Jesse Daley own goal and a David Olsen red card but the attacking play of Henry Wingo, Shandon Hopeau and Denso Ulysse proved to be too much for a normally solid San Antonio FC defense. S2 could have easily scored 6 goals in this match if they took their chances well, but 2 goals from Wingo and a worldy from Hopeau were ultimately enough to just beat San Antonio 3-2.
Things got off to a flying start for S2. They had the engine fully opened up on offense from the start and it paid off quickly with a goal in the 5’. Denso Ulysse made a 60-yard-run with the ball down the right side and found Wingo near the top of the box with a touch cut-back pass. Wingo then took a couple dribbles into the box and side-footed it past Diego Restrepo to make the score 1-0.
For the next 20 minutes S2 had the better of the play, and Wingo could have had two more goals himself with a bit quicker decision making, but none of the bounces went their way. The first thing to go bad was Rogers going down with what looked to be a hamstring injury in the 11’ and had to come out of the game. While they were waiting to replace Rogers, S2 scored again, unfortunately it was an own goal. In the 13’ Jesse Daley played a fairly routine back pass to Bryan Meredith but the goalkeeper looked to misjudge the path of the ball, and unable to recover, watched it coast slowly by him into the back of the net to even it at 1-1.
While S2 continued to look pretty good in open play after the Rogers injury they looked lost on set pieces. This bit them in the 24’ when San Antonio got two open looks off of one set piece. The first was a header that beat Meredith but hit off the post, and the second an easy tap-in for the wide open Ever Guzmán that gave San Antonio the lead.
S2 didn’t let these goals against the run of play frustrate them and continued attacking down the right side with ruthless abandon. This paid off in the 45+3’ when some patient interplay between Ulysse and Alex Roldan paid off with a low cross that found its way to a Wingo near the spot. He trapped it and without looking hit it towards goal, it snuck past Restrepo to even the match 2-2.
S2 came out of the half with even more quick attacking and it led to a chance immediately. In the 46’, Hopeau was brought down in the box and the ref pointed to the spot. The team allowed Wingo to take the PK to try and complete his hat trick but he hit it wide off of the left post and the game remained even.
S2 kept at it, though, and after a myriad missed chances, finally grabbed the lead in the 68’. Azriel Gonzalez found a wide open Hopeau about 30 yards from goal. Hopeau took a touch to his left and uncorked a shot with his left that hit the back of the net before Restrepo got anywhere near it. He had hit the post on similar shots twice already this season but it finally came good to give S2 the 3-2 lead.
The game was pretty comfortable for S2 from that point despite losing David Olsen to a second yellow in the 78’. San Antonio did have a brief three-minute spell of attacking pressure starting in the 87’ but besides a lofted ball that Meredith had to catch standing inside his goal, the S2 ‘keeper was never really threatened in the second half.
S2 will look to mirror the First Team and start an unbeaten streak of their own in Portland next Sunday when they play T2 at 1:00 PM.