Sounders Fall to NYCFC at Yankee Stadium 2-1
By Ben Renner
The Sounders dropped their match with NYCFC Saturday morning 2-1 on two goals by international star forward David Villa.
The Sounders took a 1-0 lead into halftime at a sloppy, wet Yankee Stadium early Saturday morning on a Christian Roldan goal. Star forward David Villa nearly equalized a minute later on a shot to the upper corner of Seattle’s goal.
The Sounders ceded a penalty kick on a foul called on defender Oniel Fisher early in the second half, however. Villa doesn’t miss penalties. After burying the shot from the penalty mark, the legendary Spanish forward put the final nail in the Sounders coffin with a far-post finish on a cross from Jack Harrison in the 77th minute.
Seattle coach Brian Schmetzer returned Clint Dempsey and Jordan Morris to the lineup but missed Roman Torres and Brad Evans who sat out with a hamstring and calf injury, respectively.
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The road loss dropped Seattle to 5-7-4. While the road game at an early time slot on the East Coast was not going to be easy, grabbing a point against Villa and NYCFC would have been a moral victory. Instead, another three points are left on the table and the goals/goals allowed ratio worsens.
The weather at Yankee Stadium didn’t help the Sounders cause, either. Even with their experience with rain, Seattle couldn’t contain Villa and the New York attack on the sloppy field. Roldan’s aggressive defensive play led to his goal when he intercepted a pass in the attacking third and finished on a breakaway past New York keeper Sean Johnson. His control and danger in space kept Seattle close.
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The Sounders return home to CenturyLink Field for a quick turnaround match on Wednesday against Orlando City FC, which sits in fourth place in the MLS Eastern Conference standings. Seattle now rests in seventh place in the Western Conference with 19 points and a -5 Goal Differential.