SEATTLE – A lightning fast response and a left-footed volley from midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro spurred the Seattle Sounders to victory against D.C. United at CenturyLink Field Saturday night. While United drew first blood, Seattle managed to rally back and eventually power in a game-winner in the match’s final minutes.
Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer normally forgoes making an opening statement when addressing the media. Saturday, his exception was succinct and emphatic.
“Thank god,” Schmetzer said, smiling.
Darren Mattocks smashed in a rebound from a Stefan Frei save in the 53rd minute, after a Paul Arriola header had forced Frei into a sprawling save.
Lodeiro and the Sounders responded four minutes later, when a long throw from right back Kelvin Leerdam was headed clear by the defense toward an open Lodeiro atop the 18. Lodeiro met the ball with a thunderous left that sailed past diving D.C. keeper David Ousted and ended a 363-minute scoring drought in league play.
Lodeiro, who returned to training from Uruguay Friday after failing to make the final 23-man roster for the FIFA World Cup in Russia, trotted back to midfield after his goal, barely celebrating even as the announced 39,465 fans at the stadium erupted in long-anticipated celebration.
Norwegian midfielder Magnus Wolff Eikrem notched the game-winner in the 83rd minute, 14 minutes after replacing an injured Leerdam as a substitute.
Cristian Roldan picked up a pass from Osvaldo Alonso in the wide space on the right side of the field. Picking up his head, he lifted a cross that dropped as Wolff Eikrem met it with his head, bouncing it under Ousted as the keeper dove to reach for the ball for the Norwegian’s first league goal since joining the club in the offseason.
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The Sounders held on for their second home victory of the season, improving to 3-8-2 overall while D.C. United fell to 2-6-3.
On his return, Lodeiro was the most prominent figure on the pitch. The midfielder, playing in a deep-lying role along Roldan, completed 84 of his 90 passes and took a match-high 105 touches to go with his goal.
Schmetzer said that Saturday’s Lodeiro was closer to the 2016 edition that helped Seattle to win the MLS Cup, but also said his teammates deserved praise for aiding his performance.
“It’s closer to Nico’s potential in this league,” Schmetzer said. “He’s a world class player, but It’s also a team game. The guys around him helped him. Cristian is in there. Harry (Shipp) did a nice job, (Victor) Rodriguez did a nice job. Everyone pitched in, contributing to those 105 touches. We wanted to get back to what we did last year, which was be a little bit better in the possession. And there were times that we were. It’s still a work in progress. There were times that we were a little rushed. I’ll have to watch the tape.”
The match also featured the return of two Sounders from recent injuries. Victor Rodriguez made his first start since the 2017 MLS Cup final after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery May 3, while Osvaldo Alonso made his fifth appearance of the year after recovering from a left quad strain.
The win snapped a four-match losing streak for Seattle across all competitions. The club will face the New York Red Bulls on the road Wednesday before getting a nine-day break to try and get a few more of their players back to full fitness.
D.C. United, meanwhile, will have to remain on the road for the final three matches of its eight-match road stand before returning home to open Audi Field July 14 against the Vancouver Whitecaps.
For Schmetzer, the battle his team showed—which he likes to examine the stat of duels won to try and embody—combined with the rising quality of play portends good things for his club to come.
“I think that stat is always important to me,” Schmetzer said. “When you combine the two, because our team has always been a competitive team, when you combine that with the actual soccer that was played, I think that is when you get results. We’re going to continue to fight. We won’t give up, hopefully our soccer gets a little bit better and we can combine the two to get some more points.”