Schmetzer Reaches 150 Wins as Sounders Cruise Past Minnesota United 3-1
Photos by: Ruben Becerril
Three days after ending their long winless run, the Seattle Sounders made it two in a row. Seattle beat Minnesota United 3-1 at Lumen Field on Saturday night in front of 32,331 fans, and the result carried extra meaning for the man on the sideline: Brian Schmetzer became just the ninth head coach in MLS history to reach 150 regular-season wins.
Game Flow Recap: A Fast Start
Seattle wasted no time. In the 16th minute, Albert Rusnák and Cristian Roldan combined to set up Jordan Morris, who scored his second MLS goal of the season. The goal came in Morris's 250th start for the club across all competitions, fifth in club history, and it added to his record as Seattle's all-time leading scorer with 93 goals.
The Sounders doubled the lead in the 35th minute through Hassani Dotson, his second goal of the year, and went into the break firmly in control.
Minnesota pushed back after halftime. Anthony Markanich pulled one back in the 57th minute, finishing a move involving halftime substitute Bongokuhle Hlongwane and Kelvin Yeboah. The visitors created plenty, finishing with 15 shots to Seattle's 13, but Andrew Thomas made six saves to keep the Loons from finding an equalizer.
Star Performer: Albert Rusnák
Rusnák pulled the strings again. The midfielder recorded two assists, setting up Morris's opener and Paul Arriola's late insurance goal. That gave him 12 assists on the year, the most on the team, and five goal contributions over his last three matches.
Turning Point: Arriola Seals It
With Minnesota still pressing, Seattle's bench delivered. Arriola, who came on in the 59th minute, finished a move from Rusnák and fellow substitute Sebastian Gómez in the 83rd minute to restore the two-goal cushion. It was Arriola's fourth goal of the season in all competitions and ended any hope of a comeback.
Milestones Across the Roster
Danny Musovski made his 100th appearance for the club, Cristian Roldan collected his sixth assist of the season, and Yeimar Gómez Andrade made his first appearance since March 7.
What It Means
Seattle improved to 9-9-8 with 35 points, moving into eighth place in the Western Conference and extending its unbeaten run to seven matches. The Sounders also kept their dominance in this series, improving to 9-1-0 against Minnesota at Lumen Field.
Minnesota fell to 7-12-8. Seattle stayed home for a Thursday meeting with Sporting Kansas City, chasing a third straight win.
