RECAP: Sounders held scoreless in draw with Orlando

The Seattle Sounders and Orlando City SC played to a scoreless stalemate on Saturday night at Lumen Field.

The Sounders came out firing right away, with two dangerous chances within the first two minutes of the match.

The first opportunity came from Héber, who drew a smart save from Pedro Gallese after a give-and-go with Albert Rusnák, leading to a corner kick for the Rave Green. 

Then in the second minute, a Léo Chú cross from the left side reached the feet of Yeimar in the center of the box, who then laid it off to Nicolás Lodeiro to attempt a shot at the top of the box, but it ended up hitting the crossbar.

Orlando City responded five minutes later, with a one-time shot attempt by César Araújo on the right side of the box, but he missed just wide.

Stefan Frei stepped up in the 35th minute when an Ojeda corner kick was redirected off the head of Duncan McGuire, forcing the veteran goalkeeper to make a diving save and deny the lead for the Orlando squad. 

The second half continued to be a back-and-forth battle between the two teams. 

Léo Chú gained the momentum early for the Rave Green after winning a 1v1 battle down the left side of the pitch and laying it back to Rusnák to take a one-time shot that went just wide of the goal. 

Moments later, in the 50th minute, Lodeiro had an attempt of his own off the volley on the right side of the box, but the ball ended up clipping the top of the crossbar. 

Orlando’s biggest chance came in the 76th minute when a quick transition from the Lions led to a shot attempt from Facundo Torres on the left side of the box. The shot was pushed away by Stefan Frei, but the rebound fell to the feet of Mauricio Pereyra, who ended up skying it over the net.

While both the Sounders and Orlando City had plenty of chances to take the lead, the night finished without goals from either side.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Another clean sheet for Frei

Frei notched his 10th shutout of the season on Saturday night. He currently leads all of MLS for the most clean sheets so far this season. 

Nouhou’s dominant defense

Nouhou came up big in the backline tonight for the Rave Green, preventing several dangerous opportunities for the Lions. From making long recovery runs, to remaining patient in crucial defensive moments, his ability to hold down the fort for the Sounders was on display. 

Home again

The Sounders remain at home next week as they take on Houston Dynamo (7:30 p.m. PT; Watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, 93.3 KJR FM, El Rey 1360AM | TICKETS) for the second time this season. The last time the two teams went head-to-head, the Rave Green secured a 1-0 road win behind a late Paul Rothrock goal.