The Seattle Sounders defeated the Houston Dynamo 2-0 on Wednesday night at Lumen Field behind goals from Kelyn Rowe and Raúl Ruidíaz.
Alex Roldan gathered a deflected header on the right side of the 18-yard box in the 63rd minute and slid an inch-perfect cross that Rowe tapped home from a yard out. The assist was the third of the season for Roldan, who scored his first career MLS goal last weekend and will join El Salvador for the Concacaf Gold Cup following Wednesday’s match.
Ruidíaz sealed the win in the 94th minute when he tapped home his 10th goal of the season off a beautiful run and cross from Brad Smith Ruidíaz’s goal ties him with the LA Galaxy’s Javier “Chicharito” Hernández for the most in MLS.
The opening half was scoreless, but not lacking opportunities for both sides. Ruidíaz hit the far post just seven minutes in before just missing a one-timed cross from Jimmy Medranda later on. The Dynamo’s best chance came when Fafa Picault beat Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland to a through ball. Picault tried to hit it first time, but AB Cissoko was there to clear it away.
The Sounders have an 11-day break for the start of the Gold Cup before returning to MLS action on July 18 at Minnesota United (11 a.m. CT; ESPN, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM).
THREE TAKEAWAYS
Unbeaten record
The Sounders set an MLS record on Wednesday, as they started the season unbeaten in 13 matches. Seattle had been tied with four other teams at 12. More importantly, the Sounders reclaim the Supporters’ Shield lead with a three-point advantage over Sporting Kansas City.
Kelyn’s home
Rowe’s tally was a decade in the making. The Federal Way, Wash., native scored his first Sounders goal, and doing it at home in front of the Brougham end was even more special. Rowe came back into the starting lineup after Cristian Roldan departed for the United States national team and was rewarded with a moment he’ll never forget and three crucial points.
Arreaga returns
Center back Shane O’Neill was unavailable with a left hip flexor strain after Sunday’s draw at the Colorado Rapids, but there was no let up with Xavier Arreaga stepping into the starting lineup. After missing four matches while away with the Ecuador national team for Copa América, Arreaga entered right back into the XI and pitched a shutout, the Sounders’ sixth of the season.
