SEATTLE, WASHINGTON (June 9, 2018) – Stefan Frei didn’t even have time to prepare. Instead, the goalkeeper just did what he does best — reach far enough to make an athletic save against Luciano Acosta.
Frei’s big save helped preserve a victory for the Seattle Sounders FC over D.C. United. A victory at home was much needed for Seattle.
Seattle had dropped their Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match during the week. This season has been rough on the battered and bruised Sounders, who currently sit in 10th place with 11 points in the MLS Western Conference.
Seattle Sounders earn three points over D.C. United
However, goals from Nicolás Lodeiro and Magnus Wolff Eikrem led Seattle to victory at CenturyLink Field.
Lodeiro returned to the Starting XI. The goal was a confidence booster for Lodeiro, who just missed the cut for Uruguay’s 23-man roster for the FIFA World Cup in Russia. The goal was his first of the year.
Eikrem also scored his first goal of the season. The Norwegian had the game-winning goal in the 83rd minute. Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan assisted the goal.
Speaking to ESPN+ after the match, Eikrem said that the match will give the Sounders good momentum to move forward.
“It was important and we needed that one,” Eikrem said. “That was a great ball from Cristian. It hit my head, so I didn’t need to do anything, really… Hopefully we can build on this. We need three points, after three points.”
Darren Mattocks scored D.C. United’s lone goal in the 53rd minute.
Tonight's game-winning goal courtesy of 🐺 Eikrem! pic.twitter.com/Rtn3Y8rXDI
— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) June 10, 2018
Three Takeaways
- Kim Kee-Hee had his best showing: Not once, but twice Kim Kee-Hee came up big for the Sounders. The South Korean defender had game-saving tackles against D.C. United. He has been a consistent starter for the Sounders. Head Coach Brian Schmetzer will have a tough decision to make when Román Torres returns from the World Cup.
- Dempsey can’t finish: While Lodeiro and Eikrem had a nice night in the office, the same couldn’t be said for Clint Dempsey. Dempsey had missed a few key crosses and shots. Most of his shots weren’t saved by D.C. United goalkeeper David Ousted, but instead went wide of the goal. Dempsey finished the match with seven shots and two on goal.
- Harry Shipp gets rewarded: Harry Shipp was rewarded for his excellent match against Sacramento Republic during the mid week. For his efforts, Shipp started Saturday night’s match. In 90 minutes, the midfielder was relatively quiet. However, he did record one shot, which was on goal.
What’s Next?
Seattle has a tough task ahead of them.
The Sounders will travel to the West Coast to face the New York Red Bulls on June 13. The mid-week match will be held at Red Bull Arena.
Kick off is slated for 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
An absolute STUNNER from @NicolasLodeiro! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/fdvDX8sXcI
— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) June 10, 2018
