Sounders outlast Houston in PKs to reach Western Conference semifinals
While appreciating their defense, the Sounders don’t want their season hanging on what the backline can prevent. There is an aim to score goals, but Sunday was another night for the defense.
Sounders keeper Stefan Frei saved Tate Schmitt’s penalty kick in the seventh round to sweep Houston in the best-of-three opening round playoff series. Fourth-seeded Seattle advanced to the Western Conference semifinals with a 7-6 shootout win after a 1-1 draw in regulation.
The Sounders (2-0) entered the match at Shell Energy Stadium missing the leaders of their already frail attack. Forward Jordan Morris (hamstring) and playmaker Albert Rusnák (hip) were unavailable due to injury. They combined for 23 goals and 21 assists during the regular season — eight of Seattle’s 14 goals during a seven-game unbeaten streak headed in the postseason.
So, Sounders left back Nouhou assisted Seattle’s lone score. He had a give-and-go with midfielder Danny Levya and cut a low cross into the box for teammate Cristian Roldan, who sliced a right-footed shot past Houston keeper Steve Clark for the score in the 87th minute.
The Dynamo (0-2) were playing down a man, but the Sounders couldn’t contain them to close of the win.
In a wild series where the ball was seemingly cleared from the box twice, Houston winger Griffin Dorsey sent a ball across goal that got tangled in Cristian Roldan’s feet to roll into the net. The own goal leveled the score in the 93rd minute.
Roldan had an immediate redemptive moment as he nailed the leadoff penalty for Seattle. Defenders Jackson Ragen and brother Alex Roldan followed. Leyva and Raúl Ruidíaz made their shots for the expected five rounds. Sounders winger Georgi Minoungou and midfielder Obed Vargas made theirs as the shootout dragged on to the delight and then horror of the rowdy crowd.
Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer had Ruidíaz to start for Morris. The designated player has bagged a club-record 86 goals since his signing in 2018. But his last was in June. The Sounders were outshot 7-1 on target.
Houston’s emotions were an underline factor in Game 2 like the opener at Lumen Field last week. On Sunday, Dynamo captain Héctor Herrera was sent off in the 66th minute for spitting toward the back of referee Armando Villarreal in disapproval of Villarreal showing him a yellow for fouling Ragen.
Ragen was fouled by Houston midfielder Coco Carrasquilla and subsequently sent off in the 66th minute of Game 1 for “violent conduct” when a mass scrum broke out. Carrasquilla attempted to kick Rusnák and served a one-game suspension Sunday.
Houston (0-2) wasn’t concerned about a possible Seattle counterattack without Morris there to get behind their defense and took more risks. Houston striker Ezequiel Ponce was the most active.
Alex Roldan had to block a Ponce attempt off the line in the 18th minute. The club-record signing had another look in the 41st minute that required a kick save from Frei.
Frei, again, had to hustle to deny an attempt from Ponce in the 53rd minute.
Herrera (58th) and Houston forward Ibrahim Aliyu (62nd) also had attempts that required Frei to display his skill in minding the net. The keeper finished with six saves overall.
Cristian Roldan shifted to the center midfielder position for the first time since 2021 to replace Rusnák. The latter trained last week and traveled to Houston but was kept off the gameday roster as a matter of precaution.
Schmetzer also started João Paulo alongside Vargas in the midfield. The latter returned from a one-game suspension for being shown two yellow cards in the regular-season finale against Portland last month.
João Paulo was subbed off for Leyva in the 63rd minute for Schmetzer’s first in-game change. The coach also brought Minoungou on in the 73rd minute for forward Paul Rothrock.