Seattle defender Yeimar Gomez Andrade scored his second goal of the season early but then accidently turned the ball into his own net after halftime as the Sounders were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against Minnesota United on Sunday afternoon in St. Paul, Minn.
Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei made four stops to salvage a point despite seeing his club’s winless run extend to four matches as Seattle began a stretch of five of six matches on the road.
The result still moved the Sounders (10-9-7, 37 points) up one spot to third in the Western Conference table, above Real Salt Lake on the second tiebreak of goal differential after RSL’s home loss to Houston on Saturday night.
Minnesota (8-8-8, 32 points) remains 10th in the West table, behind Austin on the first tiebreak of total wins as its poor results at home continued.
The Loons still have only two home victories, the second-lowest total in MLS, ahead of only the West’s last-place Colorado Rapids. On Sunday, their 16-6 superiority in total shots and 4-2 edge in efforts on target were flattering on a day they only occasionally showed real attacking menace.
Gomez Andrade put his team ahead in the 17th minute on a sequence that began when Joao Paulo’s cross from the right toward Jordan Morris was only partially cleared.
The loose ball fell to Nicolas Lodeiro on the opposite flank, who sent in a second cross. This time Gomez Andrade reached it and redirected an excellent header across his body and into the top right corner.
The center back was much less accurate with his attempt at a defensive header 11 minutes into the second half as Emanuel Reynoso drove in a long free kick from the left flank.
Gomez Andrade appeared to be trying to send the ball high and over the goal to concede a corner kick rather than potentially allow the ball to reach a Minnesota attacker.
Instead, it skimmed off his head and travelled neatly beyond Frei into the top left corner of his own goal.
The Loons were marginally the more aggressive side in the latter stages, but only occasionally tested Frei.
Their best chance came in the 86th minute when Ismael Tajouri-Shradi’s effort from the edge of the penalty area forced the veteran keeper into a lunging save at his near post.
–Field Level Media
