Score: Sounders FC 0 vs. Earthquakes 1
Site: Levi's Stadium
Records: Sounders FC (12-6-2, 38 points). Earthquakes (6-8-5, 23 points).
Men of the Match: Chad Barrett and Kenny Cooper came on as second-half substitutes and shifted the balance of the match in Seattle’s favor as the Earthquakes desperately tried to hold a late lead. The two combined for three shots on goal, all three coming just moments after both entered the match.
Telling Stat: 2. Sounders FC has now scored just two goals in the last four matches, and this is the third time the league’s top-scoring team has been shut out in that stretch. Seattle generated possession in the attacking end and got into threatening positions, but could not convert that possession into scoring chances until late in the match.
What You Missed: The crowd of 48,765 at the opening of Levi’s Stadium was the largest away crowd Seattle had played in front of in club history. The new stadium in Santa Clara serves as the home for the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL and at halftime, legends from the Earthquakes and 49ers were recognized in an on-field ceremony.
So What: Seattle still maintains a two-point lead in the Western Conference standings, but has now fallen a point behind Sporting Kansas City in the race for the Supporters’ Shield. Sounders FC hosts the Houston Dynamo on Sunday, August 10 with the full stadium opened up at CenturyLink Field as Seattle looks to stop its losing skid at two matches.
