Sounders beat Minnesota United for first win of season
Gustav Svensson and Will Bruin scored midway through the first half as the Seattle Sounders earned their first victory of the season by defeating visiting Minnesota United 3-1 on Sunday afternoon at CenturyLink Field.
Jordy Delem added an insurance goal in second-half stoppage time for the Sounders (1-3-1), who failed to score in their first three matches before earning a 2-2 tie last weekend in Kansas City.
Svensson scored on a 25-yard blast into the top left corner of the net in the 23rd minute. After a long buildup, Cristian Roldan found Svensson alone in the center of the field and his right-footed shot gave Loons goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth no chance.
The Sounders made it 2-0 two minutes later, as Roldan's cross from the left wing found Bruin open from about 10 yards out and he knocked it into the net for his second of the season.
Minnesota (2-5-0), which has lost four straight matches, cut the margin in half in the 66th minute on a goal by reserve Christian Ramirez.
Darwin Quintero, the Colombian international playing in just his second match for the Loons, found Ramirez with a cross just inside the 6-yard box near the left post. Ramirez's looping header snuck inside the far post to make it 2-1.
Sounders defender Roman Torres nearly scored twice in the opening 20 minutes, but put headers off corner kicks by Nicolas Lodeiro just over the crossbar.
Shuttleworth made four saves for Minnesota, which was outshot 16-12. Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei was forced to make just one save.
Longtime Seattle captain Osvaldo Alonso made his first start of the season after recovering from a quadriceps injury. He was credited with an assist on the opening goal.
Clint Dempsey, who finished serving a two-game suspension for a red card, came on as a reserve in the 60th minute and assisted on Delem's goal.
--Field Level Media
