Sounders rally after disastrous first half, steal 2-2 draw in Houston

Who needs goals from corners when Albert Rusnak delivers free kicks?

The Sounders midfielder produced a precise serve again on Wednesday in what was likely a game-saving equalizer against Houston.

Dynamo had two chances to score in the 75th minute, but Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei saved both shots from close range and the team stole a 2-2 draw at Shell Energy Stadium.

“Stole” is a strange term for a draw. This shows how badly the Sounders (5-7-7) played in the first half.

The parties expected a tropical storm to wreak havoc around the Houston area, which would be the biggest problem. Instead, for Seattle, it was Latif Blessing.

The midfielder took advantage of poor defending from Yeimar Gomez Andrade and Josh Atencio to give Dynamo a 2-0 lead before halftime.

Blessing’s first goal was scored over the line in the 30th minute. Atencio attempted a kick to disrupt Amine Bassi’s possession in the area.

But the ball bounced behind Atencio and Bassi regained control to send a low cross towards Blessing. The latter had to go even lower to place a body part on the ball, his chest working to direct the ball into the goal behind Frei.

For the second time, Blessing reached a high level.

Yeimar headed a pass directly to Houston. Buoyed by possession, winger Ibrahim Aliyu delivered a cross to Blessing at the far post, with the midfielder leaping for a lovely header in the 40th minute.

Houston had 60% possession and outscored Seattle 8-2 overall in the half. The numbers almost flipped after the break.

Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer replaced Yeimar with Nouhou, and the team asserted itself in the match.

Paul Rothrock provided the initial spark. The midfielder continued his deflected attempt past goalkeeper Steve Clark in the 57th minute. Rothrock has consecutive goals.

Rusnak found his moment in the 63rd minute. The Sounders won a free kick with a good angle 20 meters from the box.

Houston (6-6-6) left Jackson Ragen unmarked. The Sounders defender used the outside of his right foot to karate-kick the attempt into the goal, surprising Clark. This is Ragen’s first career goal in MLS.

Rusnak has two assists and a free kick goal in three of his last four games. He has seven assists.

Seattle improved to 5-2-2 in Houston. The Sounders return to Lumen Field to host FC Dallas on Saturday.

There were four roster changes due to the short turnaround following last week’s home win over Minnesota and the injury to defenseman Alex Roldan. A new look left wing included midfielder Reed Baker-Whiting and defender Jon Bell. On the right, Rothrock moved to the wing with Cristian Roldan replacing his brother.

Alex Roldan collided with Minnesota defender Devin Padelford in the first minute of the game and is under concussion protocol. Rothrock came on as a substitute and scored a goal in the 2–0 final victory.

The Sounders don’t expect Alex Roldan to have any long-term issues. Cristian Roldan suffered two concussions last season, and due to a season-ending groin injury, he missed a total of 18 matches.

“He’s in a good mood,” Cristian Roldan said Monday about his younger brother. “I think it’s something that will pass pretty quickly. … My case was very different. I wasn’t even really aware that I had a concussion until the next morning.

“The fact that he can come out of the game and not be at risk anymore makes me feel a lot better about how I view his concussion and concussions in general. They made the right choice by removing it. »

Bell made his fourth start of the season. He was called up to the Jamaican national team for the Copa America tournament and joined the team after the Sounders match. Jamaica’s squad plays Saturday against Mexico.

Houston played without midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla, called up by the Panama national team for the Copa America.

Blessing is the only programming change from last week. He has three goals in his last two matches, scoring an equalizer off the bench against Atlanta last week.