A significant midweek Cascadia clash north of the border, where only three points separated the Cascadia rivals at the beginning of the day. However, with Vancouver having played one fewer game than Seattle, the pressure to secure a top-four seed was high.
Observing the transformation of the Seattle Sounders in 2024 is a vast contrast from the beginning of the year. Comparing the final meeting between Seattle and Vancouver from the first, the Sounders have shown an astronomical level of improvement in form and quality. Vancouver, who are having a relatively successful regular season, started the series against Seattle with a victory at Lumen Field in April.
As the Sounders were bouncing back from their worst start to an MLS season, the two clubs drew a last-minute Vancouver equalizer one month later. Brian Schmetzer expressed his happiness on the team’s history at BC Place and was happy about the win: “We’ve had some good results here in years past, so team’s confident; it’s been confident for a while. Vancouver, look, they’ve had a tough stretch; you know Ryan Gauld wasn’t playing. That doesn’t take away from the three goals and the performance, the shutout.”
Caean Couto / Sounders FC Communications
Sounders Academy Product Georgi Minoungou, who signed for the first team over the summer, featured in the starting eleven once again for the Sounders. In the 14th minute, Minoungou scored his first MLS goal after cleverly positioning himself in front of the Vancouver goal on a corner, allowing a simple tap-in after Jordan Morris headed the ball across. It was truly a magical moment for the 22-year-old Ivorian.
Schmetzer spoke about Georgi Minoungou after the game, proud of what he has accomplished to make his journey to the first team, saying, “He is a kid that grew up in an environment that we can’t even imagine, who’s had to work all his life. He gets an opportunity even though it might have been a little later than some people might have thought, but you know what? He’s making the most of his opportunities now. He’s such a nice kid; I got a lot of time for him.”
Georgi spoke about his first goal and how he scored it, saying, “I think it hit my knees,” and reflected on the opportunity, emphasizing that “it’s something we been working at training before we come here.” Minoungou also said it was Schmetzer’s plan to have Georgi linger around the backpost and in front of the goalkeeper.
Caean Couto / Sounders FC Communications
The Whitecaps created a series of promising opportunities; however, their finishing touches could not allow a response to trailing. However, a deflected shot turned dangerous, forcing Frei to save the ball wide at full stretch.
Vancouver's best opportunity of the game came in the 58th minute, when Alessandro Schopf beat Stefan Frei to the ball and squared it to Pedro Vite. Several Sounders defenders covered the Sounders goal, and Nouhou blocked Vite's threatening, powerful shot off the line.
Sebastain Berhalter and Ranko Veselinovic sandwiched Paul Rothrock in Vancouver's penalty area, and a mistimed tackle by Veselinovic ultimately brought him down. The referee did not hesitate to award the penalty, and Albert Rusnák scored under Yohei Takaoka’s arm.
Caean Couto / Sounders FC Communications
Shortly after Rusnák's penalty, Stefan Frei and Albert Rusnák led a team-effort counterattack that resulted in Paul Rothrock's third goal of the evening for Seattle. Vancouver defenders quickly closed down Rothrock's angle as he took the shot. Nevertheless, Rothrock was able to connect with the ball perfectly to net it low into Takaoka’s far post.
“I think a number of people made some really good plays,” said Paul Rothrock, giving credit to the team’s effort on making the flash break happen. Rothrock’s goal was also his fifth of the current regular season, and 2024 being Rothrock’s first full season, it means more: “It’s a special feeling. Georgi and I together have talked a lot about where we were just a couple months ago and even a year or two ago, and it’s really special to be on the other side of that … I did feel like this was something I’ve always been thinking about and dreaming about, and I had ambitions, so it’s not a surprise to me either. But yeah, very happy with how tonight went.”
In the 88th minute, a reckless tackle from behind on Rusnak, who was gaining momentum in midfield, led to Fafa Picault's dismissal. It was certainly not Vancouver’s night, and the Sounders have truly shown the beginning of the season was nothing but a slump.
Caean Couto / Sounders FC Communications
The Sounders closed out the 3-0 road win, securing the first but massive win against Vancouver. Not only did Seattle climb into the top-four in the west, the Cascadia Cup is in the Sounders’ hands with a victory against Portland on the final day of the regular season. The win in Vancouver has certainly set up Seattle for the occasion.
“It’s an influential trophy amongst the three teams … for us it’s a large part of our history and for us to still be in it, because the last couple of years we haven’t done one, we haven’t, but this year we’ve got a chance,” said Brian Schmetzer.
The Sounders travel for another all-important six-pointer, next time to Colorado, to potentially clinch a top-four Western Conference spot.
Cover Photo: Caean Couto / Sounders FC Communications
