Match Report: Sounders Put on a Show in 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake

The Sounders won a second straight game to keep their spot in front of the Supporters Shield race early in the MLS season. Everyone can collectively agree that this is the best soccer the Sounders have played in a long while.

Starting XI:

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Lineup Notes: Raul is back in the 18, but a new healthy Vargas is left off the matchday squad.

Match Report

The Seattle Sounders hosted Real Salt Lake in their second game of the season, with an opportunity to continue to put the bad memories of 2022 behind them and get some revenge. They did just that, claiming a 2-0 win that could have easily been more like 5- or 6-0 and probably should have at least been 3-0. Instead, Seattle had a firm grip on proceedings, controlling possession and dominating when it came to chance creation.

After several good looks, Jordan Morris opened the scoring with his third goal of the season — all headers — in the 35th minute. Morris rose above right-back Andrew Brody to head home an Alex Roldan cross.

Just under an hour into the game, the Sounders doubled the lead. A well-worked sequence saw Seattle move the ball down the field and into RSL’s penalty area, setting up an effort from Nico Lodeiro that Zach MacMath lept up and swatted away. Unfortunately for him, his save fell straight to the feet of Alex Roldan, who found Héber for a tap-in. However, you can’t really call it an intentional assist for Roldan, as he admitted after the match that it was a horrible shot. There were plenty of good looks after the second goal, but for all the opportunities, the game ended 2-0.

Wins over weakened sides from the Colorado Rapids and RSL, and any necessary caveats aside, the Sounders sit atop the table with higher heights still to be reached.

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