Sounders vs. Atlanta, recap: Still unbeaten, but less perfect
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Max Aquino / Sounder at Heart
The Seattle Sounders welcomed Atlanta United into Lumen Field with a full supporters section on Sunday afternoon, but sent everyone home a little disappointed with a 1-1 draw. The Sounders opened the scoring up early with a headed goal from Raúl Ruidíaz off of a corner in the 6th minute.
Atlanta held the bulk of possession throughout the game, but for all their control of the ball they failed to create much in the way of real chances. That finally changed in the 86th minute when they drew a penalty that resulted in their one clear chance of the game, which Josef Martinez converted.
Sounders vs. Atlanta United: Highlights, stats and quotes
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Despite allowing a late goal and dropping two points, the Seattle Sounders still managed to set a franchise record for best-ever start by claiming their 17th point of the season through seven games.
In many ways, though, this was their toughest. The Sounders lost the possession battle decisively and only managed seven shots. They did get Raúl Ruidíaz’s sixth goal of the season on João Paulo’s fourth assist, however, but allowed just their third goal on a Josef Martinez penalty. Notably, none of those goals have come from open play.
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 1:30 p.m. PT at Lumen Field (
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be televised on FOX.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The match will air on 950 KJR AM and El Rey 1360 AM.
2021 RECORDS AND STANDINGS (W-D-L): Seattle: 5-1-0 (16 points, 1
st West), Atlanta 2-2-1 (8 points, 4
th East)
FORM GUIDE (Most recent first): Sounders: WWWWD, Atlanta: WDLWD
PREVIOUS MEETING: The Sounders and Atlanta United did not meet in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so this will be their first meeting since July 14, 2019 in Seattle. The Sounders defeated the Five Stripes 2-1 behind goals from Harry Shipp and Raúl Ruidíaz, who pulled off this piece of magic.
Different Stefan, same result
Sounders backup goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland stepped up and admirably filled the big shoes of club veteran Stefan Frei, who was injured last week and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. His replacement recorded three saves and kept a clean sheet, earning his Sounders debut and his first MLS minutes since 2018 with the Chicago Fire.
Xavi bags his first
Sounders center back Xavier Arreaga scored his first Sounders and MLS goal in his 33
rd match with the club after joining from his Barcelona SC in his native Ecuador in 2019. Arreaga flicked home a João Paulo corner kick in the 57
Max Aquino / Sounder at Heart
When the 2021 MLS schedule was released, the deck seemed to be somewhat stacked against the Seattle Sounders. In the first month, the Sounders would play six games. Of those six games, four were against 2020 playoff teams two of them against perennial favorites LAFC another against the retooled LA Galaxy, and the other against the highly unpredictable San Jose Earthquakes.
Just to add a level of difficulty, the Sounders were going to be learning a new formation without the benefit of a full preseason schedule after the pandemic limited them to just one 75-minute match against a MLS opponent and one full 90-minute affair against a USL Championship squad. A couple weeks before the season started, they found out Nicolás Lodeiro would miss at least a couple of weeks, compounding the already expected absence of Jordan Morris.