The Seattle Sounders picked up a crucial 1-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo at Lumen Field on Saturday night, with winger Paul Rothrock scoring the lone goal in the first half.
It was a tense start the evening, as a miscued clearance in the 3rd minute forced Stefan Frei into a reaction save.
Seattle ceded possession to the visitors for the first 20 minutes of the match, looking to win the ball back and transition quickly.
The Sounders found a breakthrough in the 22nd minute when Albert Rusnák dribbled into the heart of Houston’s defense before a defender poked the ball away in the box. Rothrock pounced on the touch and capitalized, curling a first-time shot into the bottom right corner.
Following the goal, the Sounders took control of the match as they dictated the tempo in possession.
Jordan Morris nearly doubled the lead in the 30th minute off a pinpoint pass from Rothrock, but his sliding shot clipped the outside of the post. Four minutes later, Alex Roldan and Rusnák combined to release Pedro de la Vega into the box, but the Argentine’s pass to Morris was intercepted at the last second.
Following a nervy start to the second half, the Sounders settled back into control of the match.
In the 55th minute, de la Vega once again almost picked out Morris for a tap-in, but his driven cross was pushed away by a diving Steve Clark.
Substitute Reed Baker-Whiting generated some dangerous opportunities in the 68th minute, but the hosts were unable to translate that into clear-cut chances.
The Sounders limited Houston to just one shot on target all evening as they saw out the win.
Three Takeaways
Playoffs Clinched
Saturday was jam-packed with exciting news for local soccer fans. A few hours before the match, Seattle was announced as a host city for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. And then moments before kickoff, the Sounders clinched a berth in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs after a few favorable results. The Rave Green punctuated the evening with a composed win over a fellow Western Conference playoff contender at Lumen Field.
Climbing The Table
With the win, the Sounders (50 points, 5th West) leapfrogged the Dynamo (48 points, 6th West) in the West standings. Seattle now sits just three points out of the No. 2 seed in the conference and one point back from home-field advantage in the postseason.
Gauntlet Ahead
Seattle faces a quick turnaround as they face the Vancouver Whitecaps (47 points, 7th West) on the road at BC Place on Wednesday evening. The Sounders will then travel to Colorado for a battle against the Rapids (50 points, 4th West) on Saturday evening.
