Lodeiro scores twice as Sounders blank Whitecaps

Nicolas Lodeiro scored twice, doubling his season total, as the host Seattle Sounders defeated the 10-man Vancouver Whitecaps 2-0 Saturday afternoon in a Cascadia Cup clash at CenturyLink Field. Lodeiro scored both of his goals in the opening 31 minutes for the Sounders (5-9-5, 20 points), who are undefeated in four matches this month, with two wins and two draws. The Whitecaps (7-9-5, 26 points), played the final 15 or so minutes shorthanded after midfielder Efrain Juarez was issued yellow and red cards by referee Chris Penso in the 77th minute for a hard foul and dissent. Lodeiro opened the scoring in the fifth minute, converting a penalty kick for the second successive game, after Whitecaps defender Doneil Henry was called for a handball. Henry conceded a corner kick, which Lodeiro lofted to the top of the 6-yard box for Chad Marshall. Henry was trying to mark Marshall, but fell a step behind and leaped with his hands in the air as Marshall flicked a header toward the net. The ball hit Henry's arm, with Penso on the spot to award the penalty. Lodeiro put the free kick just inside the left post as Vancouver goalkeeper Stefan Marinovic guessed wrong and dove to the other side. Lodeiro made it 2-0 in the 31st minute on a 30-yard shot that completely fooled Marinovic. Lodeiro's left-footed blast curled toward the right side of the net as Marinovic lunged the other way. The goalkeeper was able to reach back and get his left hand on the shot, but that only deflected the ball into the right-side netting. Penso awarded a penalty kick to the Whitecaps in first-half stoppage time after ruling a handball on Marshall, but the call was overturned after a video review. Whitecaps teenage sensation Alphonso Davies, who has three goals and a team-leading eight assists this season, was held out of the team's 18-man gameday roster amid reports he is close to completing a move to six-time defending Bundesliga champion Bayern Munich. The Athletic reported it could be a record-setting transfer deal for MLS, with Bayern Munich set to pay a base fee of $12 million. Forward Raul Ruidiaz, the Sounders' new international acquisition, made his debut for the team when he came on as a substitute in the 61st minute. The Sounders are 9-7-5 all-time against the rival Whitecaps in MLS play, including 5-4-1 at home. --Field Level Media