Raúl Ruidíaz scored his 68th and 69th career Seattle Sounders goals on Tuesday night in a 4-0 shellacking of the rival Vancouver Whitecaps at Lumen Field. He also tallied his 54th and 55th career goals in MLS play.
With the brace, the incredible 13th of his Sounders career, he moved into a tie with current teammate Fredy Montero for the all-time lead in goals in MLS.
“Raúl is hungry for goals all the time,” said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. “Raúl is always looking to try and score.”
After battling a minor injury to start the year, Ruidíaz now has seven goals in his last six matches across Concacaf Champions League and MLS, and he’s scored in all but one of those contests. He exited after 64 minutes on Tuesday with what Schmetzer called “precautionary” because of tightness in his hamstring.
The Sounders were missing five nominal starters against the Whitecaps. Jordan Morris (United States), Cristian Roldan (United States) and Albert Rusnák (Slovakia) were still away on international duty, while Nouhou (Cameroon) was available on the bench. Starting center back Yeimar missed out due to a hamstring strain.
Despite being down several key cogs, the Sounders relied on their productive veterans in Ruidíaz and captain Nicolás Lodeiro to run the show. Lodeiro scored his third goal of the season on a fifth-minute penalty and finished the match with over 100 touches, operating in a deeper-lying central midfield role where Rusnák normally plays.
When both Ruidíaz and Lodeiro score, the Sounders are a perfect 14-0-0.
“When those two guys are cooking, we’re cooking,” said Schmetzer.
The Sounders have now won their first two matches of their five-match homestand following a 2-1 win over Charlotte FC prior to the FIFA international break. Seattle, which has won four of its last five MLS matches and has climbed above the Western Conference playoff line with games in hand, will welcome LAFC to Lumen Field on Saturday (12 p.m. PT; ABC, ESPN Deportes, 93.3 KJR FM, El Rey 1360 AM | TICKETS).
SPEND YOUR SUMMER WITH THE CHAMPS
A Concacaf Champions League celebration, theme matches, and a long home stretch make Sounders matches at Lumen Field your perfect Seattle summer destination.
