The Seattle Sounders will try to string back-to-back wins together for the first time this season when they visit the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday.
The Sounders (5-7-6, 21 points) dominated Minnesota in a 2-0 home win Saturday night, taking the lead through Jordan Morris in the 28th minute and then doubling it on Paul Rothrock’s 57th-minute tally.
Most importantly for coach Brian Schmetzer, his side was able to see out the match comfortably, scarcely allowing the visitors a credible chance on goal.
“What I will say is it was a complete game,” Schmetzer said afterward. “We had dropped points because we couldn’t close out games. And so when you close out the game with 59 percent possession and some of the ability to just take the sting out of the game, having possession in their half of the field, I would say that’s the best we’ve closed games out.”
Houston (6-6-5, 23 points) is unbeaten in its last three and rescued a late 2-2 draw at Atlanta United on Saturday night, with Latif Blessing scoring an 89th-minute equalizer on Adalberto Carrasquilla’s assist.
It was Blessing’s third goal in his last four matches for Houston, the versatile attacker’s fifth MLS club. He arrived early in the season in a trade from Toronto FC.
“I’ve loved watching Latif for a long time now,” Houston coach Ben Olsen said postgame. “He comes to this group, fits in with the culture and gives us good minutes. We know he brings good energy, and he has been given a lot of goals. His movement in the box and finding opportunities has helped us out.”
On Wednesday, Houston will be without Carrasquilla, who will join the Panama national team for its Copa America campaign. But captain Hector Herrera has fully recovered from an injury that delayed his season debut until April, having played the full 90 minutes in Houston’s last four matches.
Seattle have not been impacted by the ongoing international tournaments, with veteran striker Raul Ruidiaz left out of Peru’s Copa America contingent.
–Field Level Media