Major League Soccer on Thursday named Raúl Ruidíaz and Cristian Roldan to the Week 28 Team of the Week following their match-winning performances in Seattle’s 3-1 victory at the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday night. Additionally, center back Yeimar earned a spot on the TOTW bench.
Ruidíaz’s earns a spot on the TOTW despite only playing the first half at PayPal Park. But the Peruvian striker’s ruthless efficiency – he bagged two goals before halftime – proved enough to make the list of the league’s top performers. He now sits just one goal back of D.C. United’s Ola Kamara in the race for the 2021 MLS Golden Boot.
Speaking of in-form players, Roldan put the match out of reach for San Jose minutes into the second half when his late run to the back post pushed the score the score to 3-0. It was the Sounders midfielder’s third goal in three consecutive matches across all competitions. It was a fitting way to celebrate his inclusion on the United States Men’s National Team’s roster for the upcoming October World Cup Qualifiers.
As has become customary across his two seasons in Seattle, Yeimar put in another monster performance defensively on Wednesday. The Sounders center back posted two tackles and won seven of his eight duels while helping to limit the entire Earthquakes team to just .4 expected goals. Yeimar also added a couple of interceptions to take his league-leading total of 75, 20 more than the next player on the list.
The Sounders return to action on Sunday as they host a surging Colorado Rapids side (7:00 p.m. PT; FOX 13+, Prime Video, 1090 KJR AM, El Rey 1360AM | TICKETS) at Lumen Field.