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Sounders win Cascadia Clash in Five Goal Thriller

Sounders finally get their first Cascadia Cup win against the Whitecaps

Going into the Whitecaps match, I had such low expectations. I didn’t know what to expect. Ultimately, I was pleasantly surprised to see the Sounders got a last-second win! The Sounders made the trip up to the BC Place fortress to face the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday night. In the end, they left with all three points thanks to a come-from-behind victory that included a Léo Chú brace and a stoppage-time winner from Yeimar! I certainly would not have expected that.

Image via Mike Fiechtner/Sounders FC Communications

Match Recap

The first half was incredibly frustrating for the Sounders. Seattle had the bulk of possession, using Alex Roldan and Léo Chú to spread the ball and pose a threat from both sides of the pitch. Despite not having much possession, the Whitecaps had more chances on goal. This was evident after they were able to capitalize on a set piece from Ryan Gauld that Ranko Veselinović headed in. Minutes later, a curling effort from Sebastian Berhalter drew a spectacular save from Stefan Cleveland, and some lucky bounces kept the score close for Seattle.

The Sounders had a couple of shouts for a penalty late in the first half and were maybe unlucky not to get one. First, Raúl Ruidíaz felt he deserved one as he ran onto a rebound from a JP rocket and took some hard contact from a defender after the ball was cleared. On the ensuing corner, two Vancouver players made contact with the ball with their arms, but the referee ruled that both were effectively “within the silhouette,” and VAR agreed.

While they were both wrong, the ref and VAR were in agreement.

The Sounders looked like a team possessed in the second half as they can out hard. Thanks to the pressure the Sounders gave the Whitecaps, they eventually found their goal in the 60th minute. A Nico Lodeiro corner found the head of Jackson Ragen. Ragen flicked the corner across the goal to Léo Chú, who connected with his thigh to lift the ball over the Vancouver goalkeeper to level the score. Just 10 minutes later, Seattle was pushing for a second goal, with Albert Rusnák having a go after dribbling into the box, but he couldn’t dial in his shot.

However, Brian White flicked the ball onto Ryan Gauld on the ensuing goal kick. His run split Ragen and Alex Roldan before he put his shot in the back of the net. It was a beautiful run from the Scottish Messi, and his shot was perfectly placed. Ragen and Roldan should have done better, and this was not Ragen’s first bonehead defensive mistake.

Soon after, Seattle returned to tie the game up again in the 76th minute, once again from a set piece that saw the ball go from Lodeiro’s foot to Ragen’s head and into the goal with a final touch from Chú.

Vancouver went down to 10 men in the waning moments of regulation time after Mathias Laborda was shown his second yellow for taking out Chú. From the free kick for the foul, the Sounders passed the ball around, and Rusnák eventually found Chú making a dangerous run with a lovely chipped ball. Chú forced Takaoka into a save, but the rebound came out towards the penalty spot and set up perfectly for Yeimar to hammer into the back of the net to give Seattle their first lead of the game! Seattle hung on for the final few minutes of stoppage, ultimately claiming their first road win since May!

Last Minute Thoughts

Leo Chu is HIM

Leo Chu has been immense this season and, at this point, is undroppable. Anyone who says otherwise is wrong. Even with Jordan Morris coming back after Gold Cup, there is no reason he should start over Chu. Yes, Morris has scored nine goals for the Sounders this season, but that was during the hot start and has essentially been nonexistent since. Leo Chu has been the Sounders’ most dangerous player offensively, and the team would look very different without him.

Jackson Ragen Passing Masterclass

While I am not too hot on Ragen this season, I can’t deny that his passing all season, especially on Saturday, has been insane for a CB. His passing stats are among the best in the entire league for CBs and is even on par with some midfielders. Here are his stats according to FBREF:

Imag

With stats like this, it makes me think that he could do a shift as a CDM alongside JP or even Vargas after JP moves on or gets too old for the league. This could be something to watch for in the future!