The Seattle Sounders conceded a 20th-minute opener to Roland Lamah and never recovered, eventually falling 3-0 to Western Conference foes FC Dallas in their Sunday afternoon match at Toyota Stadium.
The Sounders played a man down for most of the afternoon following a 37th-minute red card to forward Clint Dempsey and struggled to contain FCD’s dynamic attack for the rest of the match, as Maxi Urruti gave the hosts their second of the day just shortly after second-half kickoff with a finish from distance. Lamah then added his second of the day in the 63rd to round out the scoring for the hosts.
THREE TAKEAWAYS
BRUISE AND BATTERED
Sunday’s match was always going to be a tough one even before Dempsey’s red card for Seattle, who were without the services of injured midfielders Nicolás Lodeiro, VÃctor RodrÃguez and Osvaldo Alonso, as well as forward Will Bruin. Lodeiro’s influence in particular was sorely missed in the midfield, as the Uruguayan playmaker was sidelined for a second-straight game with a sprained foot that also kept him out of the second leg of Seattle’s CONCACAF Champions League matchup against Chivas de Guadalajara. The injury is not believed to be serious, so expect Lodeiro to be back in the fold soon.
BWANA GETS FIRST START
Rookie midfielder Handwalla Bwana was one of the standouts of Seattle’s preseason and was rewarded with his first-career MLS start on Sunday. Bwana also impressed in Seattle’s first leg of CCL play and during his MLS debut against LAFC on March 4, so if he keeps up the momentum, the 18-year-old former University of Washington star could find himself as a depth piece in Seattle’s attacking rotation moving forward.
HOMECOMING
It’s been a rough road trip for the Sounders between Sunday’s result and the CCL defeat to Chivas on Wednesday but Brian Schmetzer and company will hope that a return home can help right the ship. The Rave Green are off next weekend before the club returns to CenturyLink Field on Saturday, March 31 where they’ll take on the Montreal Impact.
