The momentum continues for the Seattle Sounders as the team secured its fourth consecutive home win on Saturday night against New England Revolution.
“Schmetz said the last time we went four in a row at home was 2020, so it's been a while,” said forward Jordan Morris. “And that's obviously really important for us to turn this place into a fortress again.”
It was a positive night for the Rave Green in more ways than one. Not only did the Sounders’ 2-0 victory over New England earn the team its fifth shutout of the season, the result also extended the team’s unbeaten streak to five matches.
“It's been a great run of form,” said Morris.
The energy was evident from start to finish; From Morris’ rocket finish in the 15th minute after an Albert Rusnák through-ball led to a 1-v-1 counterattack, to Rusnák’s driven shot from distance in the 81st minute that landed perfectly into the bottom left corner of the goal, the Sounders were determined to leave Lumen Field with three points
“In this league, you have to win your home games,” said Rusnak. “Home games are really key, and I feel like we dropped many games this year at [Lumen Field], so we just have to make up for it.”
With defense comes offense, and through the team’s efforts to shut down New England’s attacking buildups, the Rave Green were able to maintain the 2-0 outcome to close out the night.
“When the ball turns over like the [first] goal today, countering and scoring like that is something that we've been really good at over the years,” said Morris. “So, I think we've gotten back to that a little bit, and it puts obviously other teams under pressure.”
Whether it be Stefan Frei’s double save play in the 35th minute, the back line’s high press throughout the duration of the match, or the quick transitions that led to goal scoring chances, it took a collective effort to come away with the win.
“Everybody's having confidence and I think everybody's playing well, and that's what you need to get results,” said Rusnák.
The shutout at home moves the Seattle side up three spots in the Western Conference standings to 6th place. The team will have the chance to continue climbing the table on July 15 when they take on Austin FC, but first, they will shift to U.S. Open Cup play, where they hope to advance past Sacramento Republic (8 p.m. PT; Watch free on Apple TV, 950 KJR AM) on Tuesday night.
“It is an opportunity to get into the semi-finals of Open Cup,” said Rusnák. “It’s a big game.”
