The Vancouver Whitecaps moved to the top of the Western Conference on Sunday night, defeating the Seattle Sounders 2-0 and handing their Cascadia rivals a club-record seventh consecutive loss in Major League Soccer play.
Rayan Elloumi and Thomas Müller scored second-half goals as Vancouver completed the shutout at Lumen Field. The Whitecaps improved to 11-3-4 and moved two points ahead of the Houston Dynamo in the Western Conference standings.
Whitecaps Break Through Late
After a scoreless first half, Vancouver finally found the breakthrough in the 77th minute.
Elloumi collected a pass from Emmanuel Sabbi and fired home his first goal of the season to put the Whitecaps ahead. Sabbi recorded his second assist of the campaign on the play.
Five minutes later, Müller doubled Vancouver’s advantage. Ryan Gauld delivered a clever free-kick assist into the box, allowing Müller to score his sixth goal of the season and seal the victory.
Gauld had entered the match in the 58th minute and registered his first assist of the season in his fourth appearance.
Takaoka Keeps Seattle Quiet
Vancouver goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka barely had to work for his seventh clean sheet of the season. He was not required to make a save during the match.
The shutout was the 34th of Takaoka’s career in 117 starts. Seattle goalkeeper Andrew Thomas made the only save credited to either side, stopping a Müller attempt in the 52nd minute.
The Whitecaps’ defensive performance extended their strong recent record in Seattle. Vancouver has now gone 2-0-3 in its last five visits to face the Sounders.
Sounders’ Slide Continues
The defeat marked Seattle’s seventh straight loss in MLS play, establishing a new club record.
The Sounders fell to 7-8-3 and have not won since a 3-2 road victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on May 13. The prolonged slump has pushed Seattle further down the Western Conference standings and increased the pressure on the club to reverse its form.
Seattle also dealt with an injury during the match. Forward Jesús Ferreira left in the 36th minute with a leg injury and was replaced by Sebastian Gomez. Vancouver midfielder Jeevan Badwal was also forced off after suffering a concussion in the 18th minute, with Elloumi coming on as his replacement.
What’s Next
Both teams will have little time to dwell on Sunday’s result.
The Whitecaps return home Wednesday to face the Houston Dynamo, with first place in the Western Conference on the line. Seattle will also be at home Wednesday, taking on Austin FC as the Sounders attempt to end their seven-game losing streak.
For Vancouver, the 2-0 victory continued an impressive campaign and lifted the club to the top of the conference. For Seattle, the defeat deepened one of the most difficult stretches in franchise history.
Source: 10tv
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