SEATTLE — On an afternoon where Raúl Ruidíaz made his long-anticipated debut, Nicolás Lodeiro stole the show.
Lodeiro notched a first-half brace to lead the Seattle Sounders to a 2-0 win over the rival Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday at CenturyLink Field. He capitalized on a 5th-minute penalty kick and unleashed a long-distance effort to record his third goal in the last two matches.
“It’s always good to score early,” Head Coach Brian Schmetzer said of Lodeiro. “It’s always helpful. I felt better after he scored his second, I wish he would have scored a third.”
Lodeiro picked up his third brace in all competitions since joining the Sounders, with the last coming at home against the Colorado Rapids last season. He now has four goals and a team-high five assists on the season and is playing up to the very high standard he’s set for himself.
“[Lodeiro] been good ever since he’s been here at this club,” said Schmetzer. “He’s always put his heart and soul into the games, it’s one of his greatest strengths. Today, he was rewarded with two goals. He does a lot of the other things that might not end up on the scoresheet. He covers the most distance consistently in our group. He never gives up, never quits. Those are all attributes that we are happy to have here at the Sounders.”
Nicolás Lodeiro finishes his first-half penalty kick to put the Sounders ahead | Charis Wilson
Lodeiro finished with a game-high five shots, 68 passes, 57 passes in the opponent’s half and 97 touches. He was excellent all over the field and was spraying passes left and right, unlocking the Vancouver defense.
“For the team, it’s always easier for us when Nico has a good game,” said defender Kelvin Leerdam. “He’s the guy who gives us the best chances to win games with his through passes and the creativity that he brings. It’s very important that when he feels good, the whole team can follow his game.”
Lodeiro and the Sounders are unbeaten in their last four matches and in the best form of the season. They will have another chance to continue their push to the postseason on Wednesday when they visit the San Jose Earthquakes (7:30 p.m. PT; JOEtv, YouTube TV, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM), but for now, Seattle is enjoying its well-earned victory at home.
“The team is happy because we won, Raúl played, we got a clean sheet, we won in front of our fans,” said Lodeiro. “This is a good thing for us because we need the confidence.”
