Georgi Minoungou scored his first MLS goal as the Seattle Sounders defeated the host Vancouver Whitecaps 3-0 on Wednesday in a Cascadia Cup clash.
Albert Rusnak had a goal and two assists, Paul Rothrock also tallied and Jordan Morris had a pair of assists for the Sounders (15-9-8, 53 points), who moved into third place in the Western Conference. Goalkeeper Stefan Frei made three saves while posting the clean sheet.
Vancouver (13-10-8, 47 points) played without captain Ryan Gauld for a second consecutive match because of a knee injury. The Whitecaps finished the match with 10 men after Fafa Picault was issued a second yellow card by referee Chris Penso in the 88th minute.
The Sounders opened the scoring in the 14th minute. Rusnak’s corner kick from the right wing was headed toward the far post by Morris. Minoungou, a 22-year-old rookie from the Ivory Coast, was there to knock the ball into the net with his right thigh from a yard out.
The Sounders put the match away with a pair of goals two minutes apart midway through the second half.
Rusnak blasted a penalty kick into the lower left corner of the net and out of the reach of Whitecaps goalie Yohei Takaoka in the 65th minute. The penalty came after Rothrock was tripped by defender Ranko Veselinovic just inside the top right of the 18-yard box.
The Sounders made it 3-0 on a counterattack in the 67th minute. Rusnak sent a through ball to Rothrock on the left wing, and Rothrock dribbled into the penalty area before putting a left-footed shot from 10 yards out into the far side netting.
The Whitecaps’ best chance to score came in the 58th minute after Frei was caught out of the net while chasing a cross. A 12-yard shot by Pedro Vite was cleared off the goal line by defender Nouhou Tolo.
The Sounders prevented Vancouver from clinching a second consecutive Cascadia Cup title in the annual three-way competition that includes Portland. The winner of that trophy will be decided after Seattle meets the Timbers in the regular-season finale.
–Field Level Media
