FULL-TIME: Jordan Morris came off the bench to score a goal and draw two yellows on Brendan Hines-Ike, while Stefan Frei came up with four saves to lead the Sounders to a 1-0 win over Austin FC, their fourth straight victory.

AUSTIN 0, SOUNDERS 1: Jordan Morris scored his ninth goal in 11 games, cooly finishing with his left foot after taking a pass from Paul Rothrock.

JMO IS ON FIRE 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/EvCaXiOiR7
— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) July 14, 2024

LINEUPS: Pedro de la Vega receives his second start of the season and his first since March 2 – coincidentally also against Austin FC – as Brian Schmetzer chooses to slightly rotate. Most notably, Cristian Roldan is not available off the bench as he remained in Seattle to be with his wife who is due to have the couple’s first child soon.

Having already gone five unbeaten, the Seattle Sounders will be looking to win their fourth straight game for the first time since 2021 when they visit Austin FC today. The Sounders’ three straight wins all came in home games, as did all four of the wins during this five-game unbeaten streak. The Sounders’ last road win was on May 25 against St. Louis City.

The Sounders’ recent uptick in form has allowed them to move from 13th in the Western Conference all the way up to seventh and they can actually move up as high as fifth with a win over Austin. A loss, however, could drop them to ninth.

They also come into this game on short rest, having just played Sacramento Republic on Tuesday in the U.S. Open Cup.

Austin FC have hit a bit of a rough patch after opening the season 4-3-3 to drop down to ninth in the Western Conference, but their struggles have mostly been on the road. At home, they have won 6 of 8 and are averaging nearly two goals per game over the course of the season.

Notes

Although the Sounders dominated the first meeting this year at Lumen Field, they had to settle for a 0-0 draw.
Pedro de la Vega is “in consideration” for his first start since March 2, coincidentally also against Austin.
The Sounders are 2-0-1 all time at Q2 Stadium, which includes a win in their only trip there last year. The Sounders hold a 3-1-3 advantage against Austin all-time.
Both Albert Rusnák and Josh Atencio made their 100th all-time appearance for the Sounders in Tuesday’s match.
Jordan Morris scored his 76th career goal in that match as well, which makes him the first Sounder to have scored at least one goal in the Open Cup, MLS regular season, MLS playoffs, Concacaf Champions League and Leagues Cup.
The Sounders have scored multiple goals in six straight games, tying their franchise record for most consecutive multi-goal games that they set in 2014.