On Sunday, the Seattle Sounders earned a spot in the knockout rounds at the MLS is Back Tournament with a dominant 3-0 win against the Vancouver Whitecaps. Let's break down the numbers that tell the tale of the Rave Green's clutch performance.
3.77 – In Seattle’s victory against the Whitecaps, they posted an Expected Goals of 3.77, indicating that the Sounders carved out numerous quality chances in their 3-0 win. It was also the highest xG mark of any match during the MLS is Back group stage.
4 – With four points from three matches, the Sounders have guaranteed a spot in the MLS is Back Tournament Knockout Stage. They’ll have to wait for the Chicago Fire to play the Whitecaps on July 23 to learn whether they’ll advance as the No. 2 or No. 3 seed from Group B.
68 –Stefan Frei recorded his 68th MLS shutout for the Sounders since joining the club in 2014. Seattle’s goalkeeper has earned two clean sheets at the MLS is Back Tournament, notching 13 saves from three matches.
100 – The match against Vancouver marked Homegrown winger Jordan Morris’ 100th MLS match with the Seattle Sounders. He punctuated that milestone with a match-winning display, posting a goal and an assist.
30 – Striker Raúl Ruidíaz recorded his 30th MLS goal – regular season and playoffs – in Sunday’s win. Since joining the club midway through the 2018 season, he’s averaged a goal every 131 minutes.
49 – Captain Nicolás Lodeiro notched his 49th MLS regular season assist when he set up the second goal on Sunday night.
9 – Seattle extended its unbeaten run against Vancouver to nine matches, including a win and a draw in the 2017 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. Shape of You by Ed Sheeran was the No. 1 song on the Billboard Top 100 the last time the Whitecaps beat the Sounders.
5 – Throughout the course of the match, five Homegrown Players – Jordan Morris, Handwalla Bwana, Shandon Hopeau, Danny Leyva and Josh Atencio – saw time on the pitch, a new club record for a single MLS game.
18 – Homegrown midfielder Josh Atencio, 18, made his MLS debut for the Sounders as a substitute in the 90th minute. Born and raised in Bellevue, Atencio has been in the club’s development pipeline since 2016.
