Sounders FC (1-0-1, 4 points) played to a 1-1 draw with Columbus Crew SC (1-0-1, 4 points) on Saturday evening at CenturyLink Field. Raúl Ruidíaz scored his first goal of the season via a penalty kick in the 79th minute, leveling the match at 1-1 and earning Seattle a point. Brian Schmetzer’s club now hits the road for the first time next Saturday, March 14 at the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium (5:30 p.m. PT / JOEtv, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM).
MEDIA RESOURCES
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS:https://sndrs.com/zdmtc
PHOTOS - IMAGES FOR MEDIA USE: https://sndrs.com/dcq76
VIDEO - BRIAN SCHMETZER POST-MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE: https://sndrs.com/sg9b9
VIDEO - ROLDAN, RUIDÍAZ AND SVENSSON POST-MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE: https://sndrs.com/u7epe
AUDIO - DOWNLOADABLE POST-MATCH SOUNDBYTES: http://sndrs.com/audio
Columbus struck first in the 33th minute via Gyasi Zardes, finishing a cross from midfielder Luis Diaz. It marked Zardes’ fourth career regular-season goal against Sounders FC after scoring three times against the Rave Green while with the LA Galaxy.
Sounders FC equalized in the 79th minute with a Ruidíaz penalty kick, the first goal of the season for the club’s returning Golden Boot winner. The sequence began with Columbus being whistled for a penalty after handling a Nouhou cross inside the area. Ruidíaz’s initial attempt was saved by goalkeeper Eloy Room, but referee Jair Marrufo whistled the keeper for coming off his line prematurely. The Peruvian buried his second attempt into the top left corner to even the game at 1-1.
Tonight marked the first MLS start for offseason international signing Yeimar Gómez Andrade, as he partnered with Xavier Arreaga in central defense. Gustav Svensson made his first start of 2020 after returning from a left calf strain.
Sounders FC trains next week at Starfire Sports before hitting the road to face the Houston Dynamo on Saturday, March 14. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. PT at BBVA Compass Stadium, with regional broadcast coverage on JOEtv, 950 KJR AM and El Rey 1360 AM.
MATCH NOTES
- Sounders FC takes four points from its two home matches to begin the 2020 MLS regular season. The club is currently level with FC Dallas for fourth in the Western Conference behind Sporting Kansas City, Minnesota United FC and the Colorado Rapids.
- Raúl Ruidíaz scored his first goal of the season with a 79th-minute penalty kick to level the game at 1-1. The two-time defending club Golden Boot winner now has 29 goals in 44 MLS appearances (including postseason).
- Gustav Svensson made his first start of 2020 after returning from a left calf strain, logging 69 minutes in central midfield.
- Tonight marked the first MLS start for offseason international signing Yeimar Gómez Andrade, as he partnered with Xavier Arreaga in central defense. The Colombian centerback signed with Sounders FC last month from Argentine club Uníon de Santa Fe.
- Stefan Frei made his 200th MLS regular season appearance for Sounders FC since joining the club prior to the 2014 season, ranking third in club history. He holds Sounders FC’s all-time records in saves (620) and shutouts (57).
MATCH SUMMARY
Seattle Sounders FC 1 – Columbus Crew SC 1
Saturday, March 7, 2020
Venue: CenturyLink Field
Referee: Jair Marrufo
Assistants: Frank Anderson, Jeff Hosking
Fourth Official: Guido Gonzales, Jr.
VAR: Ricardo Salazar
Attendance: 33,080
Weather: 41 degrees and partly cloudy
SCORING SUMMARY
CLB – Gyasi Zardes (Luis Diaz, Artur) 33’
SEA – Raúl Ruidíaz (penalty) 79’
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
SEA – Joevin Jones (caution) 36’
CLB – Luis Diaz (caution) 66’
SEA – João Paulo (caution) 85’
LINEUPS & STATS
Seattle Sounders FC - Stefan Frei; Kelvin Leerdam, Yeimar Gómez Andrade, Xavier Arreaga, Joevin Jones (Justin Dhillon 85’); Gustav Svensson (Harry Shipp 69’), João Paulo, Miguel Ibarra (Nouhou 59’), Cristian Roldan, Jordan Morris; Raúl Ruidíaz
Substitutes not used: Stefan Cleveland, Shane O’Neill, Alex Roldan, Danny Leyva
Total shots: 17 (Ruidíaz, 6)
Shots on goal: 3 (Ruidíaz, 2)
Fouls: 10 (Ruidíaz, 3)
Offside: 1 (Ibarra, 1)
Corner-kicks: 10 (João Paulo, 10)
Saves: 2 (Frei, 2)
Columbus Crew SC – Eloy Room; Harrison Afful, Jonathan Mensah, Aboubacar Keita, Milton Valenzuela (Chris Cadden HT); Darlington Nagbe, Artur, Luis Diaz (Derrick Etienne 66’), Lucas Zelarayan, Pedro Santos (Youness Mokhtar 80’); Gyasi Zardes
Substitutes not used: Andrew Tarbell, Josh Williams, Sebastian Berhalter, Fanendo Adi
Total shots: 5 (Zardes/Zelarayan, 2)
Shots on goal: 3 (Zardes, 2)
Fouls: 9 (Nine players, 1)
Offside: 2 (Zardes, 2)
Corner-kicks: 1 (Zelarayan, 1)
Saves: 3 (Room, 3)
POST-MATCH AUDIO
Post-match soundbytes from Sounders FC Head Coach Brian Schmetzer, forward Raúl Ruidíaz and midfielders Cristian Roldan and Gustav Svensson are available for download via the following link: http://sndrs.com/audio.
