More dropped points at home

SEATTLE – The Seattle Sounders hosted the Vancouver Whitecaps for the second time of the season. Despite taking an early lead and holding it through all of regulation time, the Sounders were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against their northern rivals.

Things got off to a good start in the 9th minute when Jordan Morris thrust the Sounders into the lead. Cristian Roldan played a gorgeous through ball for Obed Vargas on the right wing. Vargas sent in a cross for Morris at the back post but the defender got a head to it, the ball bounced around a bit with João Paulo taking a shot that was deflected back to Vargas who sent in a shot of his own that forced a diving save from goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka. The save did give up a rebound, though, and Morris was there to put it away.

Seattle and Vancouver exchanged chances during the remainder of the half, but neither added to the ledger. Seattle seemed to dictate the game, using possession to limit Vancouver to low-risk chances and probing for opportunities to get into the final third as the visitors pushed for a tying goal.

The second half was more of the same. The Sounders took a larger edge in possession and continued to limit dangerous chances against them, at least until regulation was winding down. In the 89th minute Nouhou was called for a foul in a dangerous spot on the left wing and shown a yellow card. On the ensuing play Nouhou attempted to block a shot from the edge of the box, but upon review was judged to have made himself bigger when the ball struck his arm inside the penalty area. Vancouver were awarded a penalty and Nouhou was shown his second yellow of the game, meaning that after Ryan Gauld stepped up to the spot and sunk his PK the Sounders would have to search for a winner with only 10 men.

Pedro de la Vega, making his first appearance since his injury against Austin FC on March 2, nearly clawed all three points back for Seattle in the eighth minute of stoppage time. Having hit the crossbar with a header earlier, he struck the post with an effort that seemed to have the GK beat but the rebound went across the mouth of the goal without really threatening. In the end it’s a frustrating draw for a number of reasons after what would have been a valuable result in terms of points and morale. The Sounders now face Phoenix Rising at Starfire on Wednesday, May 22 in the U.S. Open Cup before heading out to play St. Louis CITY SC next weekend.

Key moments

9 - GOAL! Jordan Morris gives Seattle the lead, putting away the rebound from an Obed Vargas shot to finish off an extended stay in the area. 1-0 Sounders!

37 - Obed Vargas is called for a foul to set up a free kick for Vancouver. The service is met by Fafa Picault who makes good contact but puts his header well over.

45 - Raúl Ruidíaz tries to add to his tally of outside the box bangers, this time attempting to catch Yohei Takaoka out, but the shot is out for a goal kick.

45+2 - Nouhou makes an acrobatic clearance, popping up from the ground to clear the ball from a dangerous position and send Morris out in transition.

69 - Possession gets recycled after a corner and the ball sets up for Yeimar at the top of the box. The CB lines up a volley, but his shot sails over despite a good hit.

73 - Following some sustained pressure the Whitecaps get a hard shot off from the top of the box that forces a diving save from Frei who bats the ball away.

80 - A dangerous look on a header from Morris, getting good contact on a cross from Obed Vargas that hits the arm of a defender but it’s called a corner.

90+4 - Penalty. Vancouver are awarded a penalty for a handball on Nouhou. Ryan Gauld steps up to the spot and puts it away to tie the game. 1-1

90+8 - Pedro De la Vega nearly puts Seattle back in the lead, putting in a ball from a tight angle that hit off the near post.

Quick thoughts

We need Kyra Sedgwick: There’s no denying it at this point, the Sounders have a problem seeing games out. They nearly threw away the Philadelphia Union game, and not for the first time they saw a win turn into a draw with a frustrating defensive lapse late in the game. They need The Closer, or a closer, or at the very least a better plan and much better execution to get them over the line when they’ve got three points within reach.

Getting your reward: Jordan Morris is something of a divisive figure. He does a lot of the hard work that makes life easier for the players around him, he’s moved around a bit, playing the role that the team needs him to. He was supposed to have a shot at being the starting No. 9 for the Sounders this year, but that hasn’t really happened so far. After all that, Morris got a bit of a reward for all his hard work, scoring his second goal of the season to give Seattle the lead. It didn’t hold up, but not for a lack of trying. Morris isn’t necessarily the elite No. 9 or flashy winger some would like him to be, but he’s earning his time on the field and he’s more likely than not to keep finding the back of the net as the season continues and he keeps getting in these positions.

Just not good enough: There was more than a bit of frustration from Brian Schmetzer and the players after the game over how the team let the game slip away due to a silly foul and the handball that followed. Even more than that, though, there was frustration that for all their possession and time spent in Vancouver’s half, the Sounders didn’t really threaten to add to their lead all that much after Jordan opened the scoring early on. They can point to the fact that they haven’t had their new DP number 10 for some of their offensive struggles, but one player’s absence doesn’t explain the problems the team has had with putting the ball in the net. It has to get better, and it’s on the players to execute and the staff to help them be able to do that.

Notable quote

Player highlight

Jordan Morris – Morris had three shots including his goal, all from within 12 yards of goal. He added a successful dribble (going one for two), went one for one on tackles, had seven other defensive actions, and won six duels. A solid all-around performance with a goal to top it off.