Seattle, Washington (July 14, 2019) — It was the homecoming that Raúl Ruidíaz was looking for in Seattle. After being out for the last month and a half due to Copa America duties with Peru, Ruidíaz made his way back to CenturyLink Field the only way he knew how.
Ruidíaz bagged an absolute wonder goal against Atlanta United.
Raúl Ruidíaz scores wonder goal in Sounders win over Atlanta
Ruidíaz’ shot came in the 58th minute and was the first goal between the two sides. After going scoreless at home in the first half, Ruidíaz woke the crowd up with a booming goal. The Peruvian flicked the ball over to Cristian Roldan — who also made his return to Seattle, alongside Jordan Morris, after spending time with the USMNT for the Gold Cup. Meanwhile, Roldan went back to Ruidíaz, who weaved his way through defenders.
After chipping the ball up and placing it back on his foot, Ruidíaz cleanly slid the ball past Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan.
After the match, Seattle Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer said that Ruidíaz has a desire to score goals.
“I don’t know how he does it,” Schmetzer said during his post-game press conference. “The guy wants to score goals. That’s who he is and that’s part of his DNA. He absolutely earned that goal through this, but he had the technical ability, awareness and savvy… to put the ball in the back of the net. That was not an easy goal. He makes it look easy.”
Meanwhile, Harry Shipp was another Sounders attacker that found the back of the net. Shipp’s goal was the game winner, as Atlanta equalized in the 65th minute off Josef Martínez. However, Shipp found the back of the net in the 71st minute.
The victory over Atlanta gives Seattle three points and moves them up in the Western Conference. Formerly, the LA Galaxy held second place, but a loss to San Jose saw them slip down. Meanwhile, the Sounders hold second place with 35 points.
"A piece of perfection from the Peruvian!"@RaulRuidiazM bags his seventh goal of the season 😍
SEA 1 | ATL 0#SEAvATL pic.twitter.com/t0EcoCGxCy
— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) July 14, 2019
Three Takeaways
- What centerback duo is going to work? In Columbus last weekend, Schmetzer said he doesn’t have an exact centerback pairing. However, during his post-game remarks, Schmetzer admitted that Xavier Arreaga was the centerback of the future for Seattle. “He’s the future of this club,” Schmetzer said. How much longer will Roman Torres really be a starter? Or will Kim Kee-hee take a surprising turn to the bench? Schmetzer has a lot of cards up his sleeve.
- Pressure, Pressure, Pressure: Brad Guzan was a busy goalkeeper for Atlanta. Even though two goals went past him, Guzan was forced to make four saves. He made stops against Shipp, Ruidíaz and Roldan. Those numbers are positive for Seattle, as a clear attacking group is known. However, just having pressure in general is a positive for the Sounders.
- On the rise: Seattle is used to starting off slow in the season. This year, that wasn’t the case. However, once the internationals were gone for an extended period of time, there were some lulls in play. Now, with the whole team back together, the Sounders are a force to be reckoned with in MLS.
LET’S GOOOOO!@JmoSmooth13 finds @championShipp11 and we’re up 2-1! 👊#SEAvATL | #SoundersMatchday pic.twitter.com/DqZVlDDvog
— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) July 14, 2019
What’s Next?
Seattle has a mid-week friendly against Borussia Dortmund, as part of the Bundesliga club’s U.S. Tour. They’ll face off on Wednesday night at 10:30 p.m. EST/7:30 p.m. PT. However, league play returns on Sunday when the Sounders face arch rival Portland at home.
The match will kick off at 9:30 p.m. EST/6:30 p.m. PT on Fox Sports 1.
Another important win & 3 points. At home, together, we are hard to beat. Let's keep it rolling! #EBFG pic.twitter.com/ZPxSGRstut
— Stefan Frei (@Stefan24Frei) July 14, 2019
PHOTO: Raúl Ruidíaz and Nicolas Lodeiro celebrate the wonder-goal scored by the Peruvian against Atlanta United FC on July 14. Photo courtesy of Phu Nguyen/Seattle Sounders FC.
