Seattle Sounders claim crucial win over the best in the West

Will Bruin comes back to haunt his old team, as he scores the winning goal for the Seattle Sounders in their clash with Houston Dynamo.

No Clint Dempsey. No Jordan Morris. No problem. The Seattle Sounders overcame key absences to record a 1-0 victory over Houston Dynamo, who entered the weekend in first place in the Western Conference.

Of course, in keeping with one of the Sounders’ main narratives this season, they didn’t make it easy for themselves. Despite dominating possession and creating more chances, the teams were still deadlocked at 0-0 after three quarters of the game.

However, it only takes one moment of calmness and precision to turn things in your favor. Unfortunately for the visitors, that moment came courtesy of one of their own, in the form of Will Bruin.

Selected 11th overall by the Dynamo in the 2011 draft, Bruin went on to score 50 goals during his time in Houston. However, the former fan favorite undid all that goodwill on Sunday in the 69th minute, to grab the deciding goal.

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The 27-year old’s opportunity came as a result of pinpoint cross from the right, courtesy of Cristian Roldan, who continues to grow with every passing game. Despite wearing an arm brace, Bruin launched himself at the ball, to head it home from close-range.

And if there was any doubt about Bruin’s feelings, it was clarified in his celebration. And to be fair you can’t blame him, after Houston decided to trade him to Seattle during the offseason, in exchange for allocation money.

After the game, the Sounders’ forward downplayed the significance of his goal, instead preferring to place the praise elsewhere. Speaking to SportspressNW.com‘s Andrew Harvey and other members of the media, he said:

"“Cristian put the ball right on my head. If I had missed that, I would have started questioning my career.”"

In truth, the result shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise, despite Houston leading the Western Conference before the weekend. They have been terrible on the road this season and now have just one point in seven away games.

Further, the Sounders had history on their side, having never lost at home to the Dynamo. Regardless, the Rave Green will just be grateful for the win, which returned them to a playoff spot.

Just as important, Seattle finally seems to be returning to their form from last season. With three wins in their last four games, fans can finally start to dream of the team repeating their championship heroics.

For now thought, the Sounders will get a well-earned break. Not that coach Brian Schmetzer will be taking much of a break, as per his comments to Harvey and the rest of the assembled media:

"“We’ll focus on the first part of the season,” Schmetzer said. “We’ll do a little reflection on what we did well, what we can improve on, try and get them a little time off so when they come back we can fine-tune some things.”"

Next: Sounders have history on their side versus Houston

What was your main takeaway from Sunday’s win over Houston? Are the Sounders back on track, or are you still concerned about their inability to convert more of their chances? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

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