Recap: Rosales the star as Sounders edge Philadelphia

SEATTLE — Mauro Rosales finished off a nice pass from Fredy Montero in the 63rd minute, and Bryan Meredith recorded a shutout in his first career MLS start, as the Seattle Sounders beat the Philadelphia Union 1-0 at CenturyLink Field on Saturday.

It was the Sounders’ fifth shutout of the season and their fourth straight win to continue their franchise-best 6-1-1 start to the season. They are second in the West, tied on points with Real Salt Lake.

The Union, who were without suspended coach Peter Nowak, fell for the second straight match and remain near the wrong end of the Eastern Conference.

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If not for Rosales’ goal, though, it might have been a triumphant day for the Union, thanks largely to goalkeeper Zac MacMath. Although Seattle dominated the run of play, MacMath made five saves to keep the home side at bay for much of the afternoon.

However, MacMath really didn’t have much of a chance on Rosales’ goal. Montero found Rosales on the right wing with a perfectly weighted pass from the top of the penalty area. The Argentine took one touch and beat MacMath to the far post.

On the other end, Sounders goalkeeper Bryan Meredith, in for the injured Michael Gspurning, was barely called upon to do much more than grab a handful of crosses. The 22-year-old only had to make one save and it was rather routine.

OPTA CHALKBOARD: Seattle dominate the afternoon

Despite the scoreline, the Sounders were the more dangerous team. David Estrada had a good chance in the 10th minute when Mauro Rosales sent in a nice cross. But Estrada missed the ball, and actually clipped MacMath in the head, which kept the goalkeeper on the ground for a couple minutes.

Alex Caskey then came close for Seattle with a shot from about 25 yards out in the 27th minute, but the attempt went just wide. He later forced MacMath into a save with another shot from distance, but it was punched away.

The Union attack, meanwhile, was largely invisible. They shifted to a 4-4-2 in search of more offense, but still generated just one shot in the first half.

The second half saw Seattle step it up, but other than Rosales' goal, they rarely created good chances. The best one came in the 88th minute, when Montero calmly chipped a shot from the top of D that beat MacMath but nicked off the top of the crossbar.  

Seattle next travel to Dallas on May 9 for their third match in eight days. Philadelphia’s next chance to make amends will come on May 13 when they host rivals New York. 

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