Obed Vargas notched a brace Monday night and the Seattle Sounders stayed alive in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs with a 4-2 win over visiting Minnesota United.
The result tied the best-of-3 series at 1-1 with the deciding match scheduled for Saturday in Saint Paul, Minn. The series winner advances to the conference semifinals on Nov. 22 or Nov. 23 against either the Portland Timbers or top-seeded San Diego FC, who settle their series on Sunday night in Southern California.
Fourth-seeded Minnesota, down 3-2 at halftime, carried play for most of the second half but couldn’t pot an equalizing goal. Vargas finally sealed the outcome in the 86th minute by taking Paul Rothrock’s pass and wiring a long shot from outside the box into the net.
Daniel Musovski and Jordan Morris also scored while Jesus Ferreira and Cristian Roldan each had two assists for the fifth-seeded Sounders. Robin Lod tallied a goal and an assist for the Loons, who also got a goal from Nectarios Triantis.
After neither team produced a regulation goal in the series’ first match on Oct. 27, won by Minnesota via penalty kicks, Seattle exploded for three goals in the first 41 minutes of a do-or-die fixture.
Vargas got the first goal eight minutes in off a corner kick, collecting a clearing attempt just outside the top of the box. He drilled a shot off the hand of goalie Dayne St. Clair that trickled over the goal line.
While St. Clair could have stopped that one, he had no chance on the next two as poor defending allowed Seattle attackers to roam into the box unfettered. Morris made it 2-0 in the 21st minute via Ferreira’s assist at the goalmouth. Twenty minutes later, Ferreira set up Musovski near the left post for a three-goal cushion.
However, the Loons pulled two back in stunning fashion during eight minutes of first-half stoppage time. Lod was the central figure on both, feeding Triantis in the box’s center for the first marker, then poking Bongokuhle Hlongwane’s pass by diving goalie Stefan Frei.
–Field Level Media
