Sounders outlast Houston in penalties to take lead in MLS playoff series
SEATTLE – A grimy match had to be settled the only way possible – penalty kicks.
The fourth-seeded Sounders won the shootout 5-4 against fifth-seeded Houston after a goalless draw in Game 1 of the best-of-three opening round Monday. The partisan crowd of 30,026 erupted when defender Alex Roldan mashed the game-winning penalty past goalkeeper Steve Clark.
Sounders keeper Stefan Frei guessed the right way for Houston reserve Sebastian Kowalczyk’s kick in the fourth round, but it was wide of goal for the Dynamo’s only miss.
Striker Raúl Ruidíaz opened the kicks for the Sounders and sent Clark the wrong direction with a deceptive shot. Albert Rusnák, Jackson Ragen and Cristian Roldan, followed with impressive made shots.
MLS playoff rules dictate matches are sent to penalty kicks after draws following regular time. Now the series moves to Houston with Game 2 at Shell Energy Stadium on Sunday. Game 3, if necessary, is Nov. 10 at Lumen Field in Seattle.
The familiar chorus of “hey, hey, goodbye” rose an hour into the Sounders’ playoff opener. The jeering was for Houston midfielder Coco Carrasquilla.
He was sent off for a straight red card during a stretch that shredded previous game plans. Referee Ted Unkel dismissed Carrasquilla in the 66th minute for “violent conduct” after a VAR review showed the midfielder tried to kick Rusnák during a scrum.
The players clashed after Carrasquilla rushed Ragen, the latter dropping to ground holding his head. Ragen remained down as the shoving and shouting continued, Unkel unable to settle the situation before getting alerted by VAR to look at the play.
The half was already off to an odd start because Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer, who’s critiqued his conservative approach to subs in the past, made two in the 52nd minute. He told KJR Sports during the break that forward Jordan Morris was a planned change as a precaution due to hamstring tightness.
Sounders midfielder Pedro de la Vega was also taken off to get more speed on the left wing with Georgi Minoungou, who made his MLS playoff debut.
Ruidíaz replaced Morris. The club’s all-time leading scorer’s (86 goals) last significant play was 34 minutes off the bench in a loss to Portland in August.
Despite the early changes, Houston playing down a man, and 12 minutes of stoppage time added to the second half, the match remained goalless.
Seattle thought they earned a penalty in the 99th minute when Unkel called a handball on Houston’s Micael dos Santos. Review showed the defender’s arm was in a natural position when looking to block a header from Cristian Roldan in the box.
The sides mirror each other in terms of defensive capabilities and talent in building scoring opportunities. It was evident in the opening half. Houston quickly recovered if the Seattle tried to turn a deflected ball in a transition moment. And Sounders defenders Yeimar, Ragen and Alex Roldan had key stops when the Dynamo reached dangerous positions in the box.
The Roldan brothers tried to catch Clark by surprise during recycled attempts off a free kick in the sixth minute. Clark had to swat Alex’s away for one of two saves in the half.
Houston’s best look was from distance by Artur in the 24th minute. The midfielder scrapped the crossbar with a right-footed shot, Frei jumping for exercise.
The Dynamo huddled their full team in the northern half of the field for a talk before heading to the locker room for halftime knotted at 0-0.
João Paulo made his first start since a U.S. Open Cup semifinal loss against Los Angeles FC in August. He recently returned from a calf injury but didn’t play in the regular-season finale against Portland and only logged eight minutes in a road win against Colorado earlier this month.
The midfielder replaced Obed Vargas, who’s out due to a one-game suspension for being sent off against Portland. Vargas is expected to return to the starting lineup for Game 2.