The goals just wouldn’t come against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Sept. 17.
Despite outshooting them 18-8, outcrossing them 12-2 and controlling nearly 63 percent possession, the Seattle Sounders just could not find a breakthrough at home.
Then finally, in the 81st minute, Nicolas Lodeiro whipped in a perfect cross just feet in front of David Ousted’s goal. Forward Jordan Morris dove toward it and in one swift motion flicked the ball past Ousted for the eventual game-winner.
It was an audacious effort and perhaps the most difficult goal Morris would finish all season. It also marked the third time in six matches that Morris headed in a cross from Lodeiro.
“In the first half [the Whitecaps center backs] knew I was trying to make those runs and they tried to cut them off, and it was frustrating because I didn’t get a lot of touches on the ball in the first half,” Morris had said. “You just have to keep pushing and be confident that your chance is going to come.”
The goal was Morris’ 10th of the season, as he became just the fifth MLS rookie ever to record double-digit tallies. More importantly, the Sounders recorded the first of four consecutive wins in their improbable playoff push.
