The Seattle Sounders ended a five-game winless skid in the most emphatic way imaginable on Wednesday, thumping their Cascadia Cup rivals the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-0 at CenturyLink Field via goals from Clint Dempsey, Nicolas Lodeiro (who also assisted on both of his team's other tallies) and a first MLS strike for Victor Rodriguez.
Conversely, the result kills off Vancouver's seven-game unbeaten streak and further tightens an already-crowded playoff picture in the Western Conference standings.
Leaving their visitors chasing shadows for long stretches, the Sounders dominated the proceedings and Tony Tchani's late ejection – originally a yellow that was upgraded to a red card after Video Review – was but one symptom of the Whitecaps' frustrations.
Goals
Three Things
FREDY, FORGOTTEN
: It was a homecoming to forget for former Sounder
Fredy Montero
, the source of much pregame coverage but not much danger to the Seattle defense. The 'Caps striker took only two shots all night (one on target) and was rendered invisible by the Sounders' mastery of possession:
September 28, 2017
DEUCE'S JUICE
: Dempsey was clearly feeling it on this occasion, and for all the flicks and flair there was end product, too, just as there has been for most of his Sounders career. Montero's presence gave the team's Twitter account a chance to compare the two legends of Seattle soccer, with Deuce's numbers holding up pretty well...
FREI'S THAT GUY
: Montero did conjure up one glorious chance, a viciously-struck free kick that whipped over the wall and arrowed towards the top corner of Seattle's net ... only to be touched onto the woodwork by Frei's extended fingertips. It was jaw-dropping save, and one that may yet factor into the MLS Save of the Year conversation.
Next Up
- SEA: Sunday, October 1 at Philadelphia (1 pm ET | ESPN, ESPN Deportes in US, TVAS in Canada)
- VAN: Saturday, September 30 at Sporting KC (9 pm ET | TSN in Canada, MLS LIVE in US)
