Sounders stun St. Louis by pulling away late with three goals
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA – In a battle between the top two teams in the Western Conference, the storied Seattle Sounders were able to pull away in the final 30 minutes of the match against the upstart St. Louis City SC. A heated battle in the initial 60 minutes of the match, both clubs experienced a handful of near misses on goal before young midfielder Josh Atencio bashed the door down. Atencio blasted a screamer of a goal past Roman Bürki in net for St. Louis, and the Sounders were able to play add on as Raul Ruidiaz found the back of the net just six minutes later. Seattle, with the three points today, moves one point ahead of St. Louis for the top spot in MLS’ Western Conference.
Seattle’s starting XI in this match against St. Louis (Photo by Bryan Saldana)
Near chances and close misses
Both teams, from the minute that this match kicked off, were gunning away at each other and nearly found the back of the net. This was highlighted early on by a St. Louis cross into the box in the 16th minute that Joao Klauss almost snuck by Sounders keeper Stefan Frei, but Frei was up to the task to disrupt the shot just enough for it to careen away from the net. Both clubs, leading the Western Conference in goals scored at 15 each, came in looking to do some early damage to the opponent, but neither were able to find success in the first half. The defensive prowess of St. Louis and Seattle showed through from most of this match, until the young midfielder Josh Atencio decided that he had enough and needed this result to change.
Sounders midfielder Josh Atencio’s goal in the 66th minute opens up the scoring for Seattle (Photos by Bryan Saldana)
Atencio annihilates late goal to open the flood gates
Midfielder Josh Atencio has been one of the younger talents in the Sounders organization that hasn’t been able to burst onto the scene just yet. Danny Leyva has drawn notable minutes, Reed Baker-Whiting of late has been able to get some notice, and we all remember Obed Vargas stamping his name on the early season for last year’s Sounders club. Atencio has been inserted into the lineup for his own fair share of opportunities, he just hasn’t been able to make the most of them and leave a real impact out on the pitch quite yet.
With this match all knotted up in a scoreless battle heading into the 65th minute, the Sounders buildup was driven through the Roldan brothers (Cristian then Alex, respectively) to Nico Lodeiro. Lodeiro sent a rolling ball away from a clump of players (Eight St. Louis players in the general vicinity) to Atencio, who took a few steps back and blasted the ball on a rope. The ball ripped through the air and past St. Louis keeper Roman Bürki, who hardly even moved as he simply didn’t have a chance on the shot. Atencio’s goal seemed to wake up Seattle, who scored two goals after his to put the finishing touches on a statement victory against the hot new team in the league.
“That’s one of the many facets that drive this team. They all want to play but understand the team comes first. Josh made it easy to be conservative with JP.”
Seattle’s backline through pictures (Photos by Bryan Saldana)
Fortress Lumen, ruling again?
Through four matches at Lumen Field this season so far, the Sounders have not surrendered a goal yet. I really hope that I didn’t just jinx that for the club’s next home match on April 22nd when the club hosts Minnesota United FC, but it should be noted that Seattle’s defensive structure has been so rock solid. After last season’s general struggles and miscues on the back end, the Sounders seem to have found that defensive strength once again as a group that don’t let their opponents get much without earning it. Even in the two road matches that they have played, there’s been displays of the rock-solid defensive play that the Sounders have leaned on in previous years to help create the juggernaut that the MLS loathes.
In the road match against Cincinnati, Seattle didn’t allow anything until late and even the deciding goal was a tough one to allow. Against Sporting Kansas City, the Sounders gave up a mistake early on (without some of their starters on the backline), adjusted and then didn’t allow another goal since. The fearsome foursome of Nouhou-Ragen-Yeimar-Roldan has locked it down all season, while Stefan Frei in the net has been great again this year for Seattle. Continuing that form for those five will play a big role in whether the Sounders add more hardware to their trophy case in Longacres, or if it’s a year without prizes.
“We haven’t allowed a goal at home this year. St. Louis was a good test for us. Getting that shutout was a good way to make a statement.”
Seattle forward Raul Ruidiaz scored the second goal of the match (Photos by Bryan Saldana)
Reasserting themselves atop the Western Conference
After last season’s high peak and low valley, the Sounders have taken essentially the same group of players and reassessed their puzzle pieces to see what didn’t work, who didn’t fit where, etc. Take those pieces that they know they have, add Heber, and Seattle now sits atop the Western Conference after seven matches played. Great defensive play, an excellent midfield that hasn’t had to move around much (Joao Paulo did miss this match with an injury, it’s why Josh Atencio got the start), and a FIERY attack led by Jordan Morris up top. It’s the sort of game and presence that the Sounders have had for most of their existence in MLS, just with different names in those spots throughout the years. Finding a way to sustain the form of Morris and these defensive players is key to Seattle’s success moving forward, and if the early returns mean anything, the Sounders could be looking at a third MLS Cup run.
Quick notes
Tonight’s victory vaults Sounders FC into first place in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference with 16 points, one point ahead of St. Louis CITY SC. Seattle heads back on the road in a week’s time, facing archrival Portland at Providence Park on Saturday, April 15.
Today’s match marked the first meeting between the Rave Green and expansion side St. Louis. Seattle’s all-time record when facing expansion clubs for the first time moves to 7-4-4.
Including Saturday’s match, Sounders FC has lost just once in 11 home matches against expansion clubs, a 1-0 defeat to LAFC in 2018.
At Lumen Field in 2023, the Rave Green move to 3-0-1 through their first four matches on home turf. Notably, Seattle has not conceded a home goal thus far in 2023.
Sounders FC has kept a shutout in four-straight home matches for the first time since April – May of 2015.
With his goal in the 65th minute of play, Homegrown Player Josh Atencio scored his first MLS strike in his 53rd regular-season appearance. While playing for developmental side Tacoma Defiance, the Bellevue native netted two professional goals prior to his promotion to the First Team.
Club captain Nico Lodeiro assisted on Atencio’s strike, good for his fourth helper of 2023. The Uruguayan playmaker now has 74 assists in MLS regular-season play and 88 across all competitions in Rave Green, the most in club history in both categories.
Substitute Raúl Ruidíaz’s 71st-minute goal was his first tally of 2023 and his 60th regular-season goal in MLS play. The Peruvian now has 74 goals across all competitions for Sounders FC, just two shy of tying the team lead held by teammate Fredy Montero (76 total goals).
With the starting nod on Saturday, Sounders FC goalkeeper Stefan Frei broke Osvaldo Alonso’s club record in the MLS era with 323 career starts across all competitions. Frei still trails Alonso’s club record for all-competitions appearances (339).
With just three goals allowed in 2023 through seven matches, Seattle is tied for second in MLS in goals conceded
What’s next?
The Seattle Sounders look to push forward following the impressive result, while also riding a four-match point streak, into a big Cascadia rivalry match against the Portland Timbers. The Sounders and Timbers battle in the first edition of their matchups this season, taking place down in Providence Park on Saturday, April 15th with a 7:30PM PST kickoff time. Seattle sits atop the Western Conference with 16 points on the season, while Portland has struggled so far this season, sitting at 12th in the West with only seven points to their name. The match will be broadcast on Apple TV and will require a subscription unlike today’s match against St. Louis City SC.