SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC 2 – VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC 0

‘Caps fall 2-0 to Sounders FC in Cascadia road tilt

SEATTLE: Vancouver Whitecaps FC (7W-9L-5D) fell 2-0 to their Cascadia rivals at CenturyLink Field on Saturday afternoon, as Nicolás Lodeiro led Seattle Sounders FC (5W-9L-5D) with a first-half brace.

The ‘Caps were reduced to 10 men in the 77th minute when Efraín Juárez was sent off after arguing with the official. The visiting side was already without Alphonso Davies, who did not play with the club’s permission, and starting midfielder Jordon Mutch, who limped off the pitch seven minutes earlier with a right foot injury.

Whitecaps FC get a chance for a quick bounce back when they host Montreal Impact on Wednesday, July 25 for the decisive leg of their semifinal series in the Canadian Championship. Kickoff at BC Place is at 7 p.m. PT. Visit whitecapsfc.com for ticket information.

Lodeiro put Sounders FC in the driver seat with an early penalty kick on five minutes after Doneil Henry was called for a handball in front of goal.

Lodeiro struck once again in the 31st minute, this time from long distance as it swerved past Stefan Marinovic’s left glove for the 2-0 lead.

Kendall Waston created a pair of chances for the ‘Caps in the first half, one almost resulting in a penalty kick. Just before halftime, Waston’s shot smacked off Chad Marshall shoulder area, drawing a handball whistle. However, the call was overturned after a video review, leaving the score at 2-0 going into halftime.

Substitute Nicolás Mezquida tried to spark a second-half comeback, but neither of his chances would find the target. New Designated Player Raúl Ruidíaz made his debut for Seattle, coming on in the second half to help seal the win.

The ‘Caps now look forward to heading home after a three-match road trip across all competitions. After Wednesday’s Canadian Championship home tilt, the ‘Caps resume MLS action next Saturday at BC Place against Minnesota United FC. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. PT.

MATCH DETAILS
Referee: Christopher Penso
Attendance: 41,849

Scoring Summary
5′ – SEA – Nicolás Lodeiro (penalty kick)
31′ – SEA – Nicolás Lodeiro (Víctor Rodríguez)

Statistics
Possession: SEA 54.4% – VAN 45.6%
Shots: SEA 14 – VAN 8
Shots on Goal: SEA 3 – VAN 2
Saves: SEA 2 – VAN 1
Fouls: SEA 17 – VAN 18
Offsides: SEA 1 – VAN 0
Corners: SEA 6 – VAN 3
Duels won: SEA 54 – VAN 42
Tackles won: SEA 9 – VAN 10

Cautions
16′ – VAN – Doneil Henry
17′ – SEA – Nouhou
63′ – VAN – Kendall Waston
74′ – VAN – Kei Kamara
77′ – VAN – Efraín Juárez

Ejection
77′ – VAN – Efraín Juárez

Seattle Sounders FC
24.Stefan Frei; 18.Kelvin Leerdam (21.Jordy Delem 85′), 20.Kim Kee-hee, 14.Chad Marshall, 5.Nouhou; 4.Gustav Svensson, 7.Cristian Roldan; 19.Harry Shipp, 10.Nicolás Lodeiro ©, 8.Víctor Rodríguez (6.Osvaldo Alonso 45’+2); 17.Will Bruin (9.Raúl Ruidíaz 61′)

Substitutes not used
35.Bryan Meredith, 2.Clint Dempsey, 29.Roman Torres, 90.Waylon Francis

Vancouver Whitecaps FC
1.Stefan Marinovic; 28.Jake Nerwinski, 4.Kendall Waston ©, 2.Doneil Henry, 17.Marcel de Jong; 6.Efraín Juárez, 8.Felipe, 77.Jordon Mutch (31.Russell Teibert 70′); 29.Yordy Reyna (66.Aly Ghazal 81′), 23.Kei Kamara, 13.Cristian Techera (11.Nicolás Mezquida 59′)

Substitutes not used
12.Brian Rowe, 3.Sean Franklin, 9.Anthony Blondell, 20.Brek Shea