Photo credit: oursportscentral.com
Nicolas Lodeiro and Raul Ruidiaz scored two minutes apart early in the second half as the defending MLS Cup champion Seattle Sounders defeated the visiting San Jose Earthquakes 4-1 Sunday afternoon at CenturyLink Field.
Jordan Morris also scored for the Sounders (11-5-6, 39 points, 1.77 points per game), who moved past rival Portland and finished second in the Western Conference behind Sporting Kansas City.
Lodeiro opened the scoring in the 52nd minute after his own free kick from the right wing. The ball bounced off several players in the penalty area before rolling back to Lodeiro, who had followed the play. His left-footed blast from 12 yards just inside the near post left San Jose goalkeeper James Marcinkowski flat-footed.
Ruidiaz scored in the 54th, off an assist from Cristian Roldan, who took a pass near midfield and dribbled the ball to the top of the 18-yard box, where he dropped a pass off for Ruidiaz. His 20-yard shot deflected off a sliding defender and found the net just inside the left post. It was his team-leading 11th goal of the season.
