Just when it looked like the Seattle Sounders had failed to awaken from the Gold Cup break, they struck four times in the second half, completing a wild comeback over D.C. United for a 4-3 win Wednesday night.
Down 3-0 shortly after halftime, Seattle scored four unanswered goals in 27 minutes to grab the lead, the capper being Cristian Roldan's 78th-minute roller, a product of smart movement and hustle as he outran defender Steve Birnbaum for the ball.
Will Bruin, Brad Evans and Gustav Svensson also scored for the Sounders after Deshorn Brown, Ian Harkes and Lloyd Sam had D.C. up big on the road. Seattle have taken 17 points from their last nine matches, and did so on Wednesday without stars Jordan Morris, Clint Dempsey, Stefan Frei and Osvaldo Alonso.
Seattle will be without playmaker Nico Lodeiro for their next game due to a late red card, but made MLS history with the comeback:
Goals
- 8' – DC – Deshorn Brown
- 27' – DC – Ian Harkes
- 50' – DC – Lloyd Sam
- 51' – SEA – Will Bruin
- 62' – SEA – Brad Evans
- 74' – SEA – Gustav Svensson
- 78' – SEA – Cristian Roldan
Three Things
- UP THE SOUNDERS: The phrase from the early days of Sounders-mania in Seattle rings true, as the Sounders moved above the red line in the West with the win. Seattle have eight points from their last four games and are now tied on 27 points with Cascadia rivals Portland and Vancouver.
- UNITED IN FRUSTRATION: D.C. coach Ben Olsen was remarkably composed in his post-match comments for broadcast. He said the team will build off this and was happy how the first half of the match went. But a season of struggles continues for the club, which have lost four of five and still sit in last place in the East.
- DEFINING MOMENT?: Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said the win could be a defining moment for his team. A historic comeback can have a funny way of being such a moment, and soccer fans have seen how quickly the Sounders can turn their season around – after doing so last season they won the MLS Cup.
Next Up
