Jesus Ferreira had a goal and an assist as the Seattle Sounders returned to MLS play with a 2-0 victory against visiting Austin FC on Saturday night.
Danny Musovski also scored and goalkeeper Stefan Frei made one save in posting the shutout for the Sounders (8-6-5, 29 points), who snapped a five-match losing streak in all competitions — with three of those coming against international powers Botafogo, Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup. Frei has 999 saves in his Sounders career, leaving him one shy of becoming just the second goalie in league history, behind only former Real Salt Lake standout Nick Rimando, to make 1,000 saves for a single franchise.
Musovski snapped an eight-match scoreless streak in the 54th minute to give the Sounders a 2-0 lead. Ferreira sent a long lead pass to Musovski on the counterattack, with the forward dribbling the ball into the penalty area before putting a 12-yard shot through the legs of defender Oleksandr Svatok and off the inside of the left post.
Ferreira opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time. The Sounders won a 50-50 ball just shy of midfield in their own end of the pitch and Albert Rusnak sent a pass down the left wing to Paul Rothrock. The midfielder drove into the penalty area before sending a cross to the far post for Ferreira, whose blistering volley from 5 yards out left All-Star goalkeeper Brad Stuver with no chance.
Stuver made four saves for Austin (7-8-5, 26 points), which had a two-match winning streak snapped.
The Sounders nearly took the lead in the 11th minute as Musovski put a shot from the left side of the penalty area between Stuver’s legs, but the goalie got just enough of the ball that it deflected off the left post before ricocheting into the middle of the 6-yard box. Defender Guilherme Biro nearly scored an own goal on the rebound, with his attempted clearance bouncing off the same left post.
Austin’s lone shot on goal came after a Sounders turnover deep in their own end in the 34th minute. Brandon Vazquez’s 17-yard shot was saved by a well-positioned Frei, who dropped to his knees to make the catch near the right post.
–Field Level Media