Seattle Sounders play the Columbus Crew after shutout victory
Seattle; Sunday, 5 p.m. EDT
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Seattle -101, Columbus +248, Draw +259; over/under is 2.5 goals
BOTTOM LINE: A game after shutting out Austin 2-0, the Seattle Sounders host the Columbus Crew.
The Sounders are 6-1-2 in home games. The Sounders rank sixth in the Western Conference allowing just 25 goals.
The Crew are 3-2-3 on the road. The Crew rank fifth in the Eastern Conference giving up only 26 goals.
The teams meet Sunday for the first time this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Albert Rusnak has scored seven goals with three assists for the Sounders. Danny Musovski has four goals and one assist over the past 10 games.
Diego Rossi has nine goals and three assists for the Crew. Jacen Russell-Rowe has scored four goals over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Sounders: 5-3-2, averaging 1.5 goals, 4.0 shots on goal and 4.9 corner kicks per game while allowing 1.4 goals per game.
Crew: 4-2-4, averaging 1.9 goals, 5.0 shots on goal and 5.5 corner kicks per game while allowing 1.8 goals per game.
NOT EXPECTED TO PLAY: Sounders: Stuart Russell Hawkins (injured), Jon Bell (injured), Nouhou Tolo (injured), Yeimar Gomez Andrade (injured), Kim Kee-Hee (injured), Paul Arriola (injured).
Crew: Cesar Ruvalcaba (injured), Patrick Schulte (injured), Malte Amundsen (injured), Nicholas Hagen Godoy (injured), Rudy Camacho (injured).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
5 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Chris Richards says US team ready to fight in Gold Cup final against Mexico
HOUSTON — Chris Richards has noticed a turnaround in the U.S. team during the CONCACAF Gold Cup, a change from both the end of coach Gregg Berhalter's tenure and the start of Mauricio Pochettino's. 'We kind of like to fight, so I think that's something that maybe has been missing from the national team over the last few camps, few months, few years,' the defender said ahead of Sunday's final against Mexico. 'We didn't come into camp saying that we want to fight, but I think if teams want to bring it to us, then they have something else coming for them. Of course, we want to win games, but sometimes in CONCACAF it's not pretty, so you have to do the dirty things.'
New York Times
5 minutes ago
- New York Times
Messi makes uncharacteristic mistake, atones with two spectacular goals
The most surprising part of Lionel Messi's night wasn't the dizzying skip down the right flank, the cut inside and the crisp, perfectly-timed left-foot finish. Nor was it the charge through the middle that came later, somehow finding gaps mere inches wide, before finally bouncing off a defender's challenge and sliding home another goal, to cap off a comfortable 4-1 victory. Advertisement Messi's mystifying skills long ago came to be expected, not that they ever get old. No, the head-scratching part of Saturday evening, as Inter Miami returned to MLS action by dispatching CF Montreal with little fuss, was how it started. Within the first two minutes Messi did something extraordinarily out of character. Running to collect a loose ball in his own half and facing the Miami goal, the 2022 World Cup champion ill-advisedly knocked an errant pass toward his backline, only for it to find the feet of fast-advancing Montreal forward Prince Owusu. Owusu took it in stride, advanced on goal, and moments later the Canadian side, rooted at the foot of MLS' Eastern Conference standings, had taken a shock lead. It wouldn't take long for normal service to be resumed, however, If anything, Messi looked temporarily embarrassed and almost immediately energized by the wish to atone for his mistake. After Tadeo Allende made it 1-1, Messi's first goal to put the visitors ahead after 40 minutes was one of the most pleasing on the eye since he moved to Major League Soccer. Messi's trademark fleet-footedness saw him streak down the right, turn suddenly inwards, bamboozle three defenders and fire past goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois. Just after Telsaco Segovia made in 3-1 on the hour, Messi added another, this time bursting through the middle, picking his way through a barrage of defenders, and capping off another majestic performance. Second-minute error? Long forgotten. It is a somewhat strange time of year for the Florida side. Saturday's clash took place just hours after PSG defeated Bayern Munich in a Club World Cup quarterfinal in Atlanta. Had Inter Miami not succumbed to the French Champions League winner by a 4-0 margin last week, that's the fixture they would have been taking part in. The quick return to MLS action did not seem to have slowed them down any. Advertisement Despite that despondent ending to the Club World Cup campaign, Miami's involvement in the tournament generally deserves to be seen as a success, reaching the knockout stage and claiming a notable win over Porto in the second group match. For now, however, domestic action takes focus once again. Miami sits sixth in the Eastern Conference and is 10 points behind leader Cincinnati, but has four games in hand on account of the Club World Cup absence. Even though a strong upcoming run could potentially put Miami near or top of the standings, the level of dominance in league play is not the same as last season, when the Supporters Shield was easily secured, but the MLS title tilt ended with a shock defeat to Atlanta United in the team's first playoff series. Things have not gone all Miami way of late, and Messi's frustration following the PSG result even sparked speculation in his native Argentina that a move away from the U.S. might be on the cards. Given his performance and energy level on Saturday, he seemed content with where he's at for now.
Associated Press
12 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Chris Richards says US team ready to fight in Gold Cup final against Mexico
HOUSTON (AP) — Chris Richards has noticed a turnaround in the U.S. team during the CONCACAF Gold Cup, a change from both the end of coach Gregg Berhalter's tenure and the start of Mauricio Pochettino's. 'We kind of like to fight, so I think that's something that maybe has been missing from the national team over the last few camps, few months, few years,' the defender said ahead of Sunday's final against Mexico. 'We didn't come into camp saying that we want to fight, but I think if teams want to bring it to us, then they have something else coming for them. Of course, we want to win games, but sometimes in CONCACAF it's not pretty, so you have to do the dirty things.' Mexico is the defending champion and has nine titles to seven for the U.S. and one for Canada. A pro-Mexico crowd is expected at NRG Stadium. Richards said the Americans have bonded during their month together, causing players to defend each other when opponents challenge them. 'We love each other as if we're a big family, and if you have siblings you know that if anybody messes with your sibling, well, I guess for lack of a better word, you kind of have to kill them,' he said Saturday. 'You're allowed to do whatever to your siblings, but nobody from the outside can.' Missing many of its regular starters because of injuries, vacation and the Club World Cup, the No. 16 U.S managed five wins over relatively weak opponents and reached its first Gold Cup final since 2021. The meeting with 17th-ranked Mexico will be the last competitive match for both nations before they co-host next year's World Cup along with Canada. 'I think the team is going to be ready not only to fight on the pitch against players from Mexico with the difficult atmosphere on the stadium, on the crowd, but I think it's good for us,' said Pochettino, who admired the energy-filled semifinal crowd in St. Louis that was 90% pro-Guatemala. 'It's good because I think it's going to be maybe the last game that we are going to play under pressure, and to play under pressure is what we need.' The U.S. advanced with victories over teams ranked No. 100 (Trinidad and Tobago), 58 (Saudi Arabia), 83, (Haiti), 54, (Costa Rica) and 106 (Guatemala), winning three times by one goal and once on penalty kicks. The only dominant performance was an opening 5-0 rout of T&T. The Americans entered the Gold Cup with a four-game losing streak, their longest since 2007. Defender Tim Ream, at 37 the oldest player on the roster, said it took time for them to adjust to Pochettino and his assistants. 'This is a different atmosphere now,' he said. 'This is different set of coaches, different ideas, different standards, different values, different everything. And it was a learning process, for sure.' Pochettino is a former coach of Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain, where he guided Lionel Messi. 'From the outside looking in, they can be a little bit intimidating,' Richards said. 'But then once you finally get to meet them, you understand that they're all just big teddy bears and they all really care about family.' Matt Freese has emerged during the Gold Cup to supplant Matt Turner for now as the starting goalkeeper. 'I think we've proved that we can play against some bigger opponents. I think we've proved that we surprise people,' he said. 'We haven't proved what we want to prove yet, and so the job is not finished.' Ahead of the final, Pochettino gathered the players and staff for a motivational message, 'He said something about his dreams last night,' midfielder Malik Tillman said, 'and about his dream for tomorrow.' ___ AP soccer:
