The Seattle Sounders weren’t leaving their three-match road stretch without a win under their belts.
“Guys stepped up,” said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer.
After two unsuccessful attempts of securing three points in San Diego and San Jose, the Sounders finally found their footing with a shutout, 1-0 victory over FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium on Saturday night.
“We knew that we needed to get three points, and where else to get them but here in Dallas, [against] a team that has been pulling out points, a team that is individually and collectively good,” said forward Jesús Ferreira.
The result was a long time coming for the Sounders, who had dealt with numerous points of adversity since the start of the season. Whether it be the early injuries or having only one win in the first seven matches, the team has been struggling to find a solution to their stretch of bad luck.
Still, that did not stop the Sounders from fighting; The perseverance displayed in tonight’s performance was clear, leading them to their first road win of the season and an extension of their current unbeaten streak against Dallas to six matches.
“We needed a win, especially after the run of form we've been in,” said midfielder Obed Vargas. “It was going to be hard, it was going to be scrappy, but sometimes those are the best kind of wins, because it unites the group.”
A big takeaway was the way the team showed out on offense. Along with Danny Musovski’s 17-minute half-volley to give the Sounders the early lead, the players collectively produced a total of 16 shots with five on target, and an xG of 1.40.
Both Cristian Roldan and Vargas, in particular, were potent in the attacking half, nearly extending the lead on two different occasions with a banger from outside the box and a rocket to the post.
“We knew that their front guys cheated, so they were going to leave spaces, maybe top of the box for me and Cristian to shoot,” said Vargas. “We trained that yesterday in practice, and I think it almost worked out…It's something that we need to add into our game if we want to go far in the league.”
On the flip side, the players were dominant on defense, resulting in the team’s second clean sheet of the regular season. The Sounders finished the night with 33 clearances, 12 interceptions, and 12 tackles won, preventing Dallas from scoring or producing any shots on target.
“We're all working for each other,” said Vargas. “Those last few minutes were a lot of defending, a lot of running, and I think the group’s stuck together. And [with] three points in the bag, it's going to help us gain momentum for the next games.”
