Eight games. EIGHT! That’s how long the Seattle Sounders’ brutal losing streak stretched, but on Saturday, the boys finally snapped that rotten run with a come-from-behind 1-1 tie on the road against FC Cincinnati. We didn’t get the win, but after that streak, a road point feels like gold!
First Half Frustrations & Near Misses
The first half, man, it was a gut punch. Cincinnati came out looking sharp, holding onto 71% possession and out-shooting us a whopping 10-2. The xG difference wasn’t huge, with FCC at 0.81 xG to our 0.56, but it felt way more lopsided than that. They just kept coming. It all boiled over in the 28th minute during this wild sequence where Andrew Thomas made two unbelievable saves, and Paul Rothrock even got a goal line clearance in there. But the soccer gods weren’t with us; the rebound bounced perfectly for Evander, who just smashed it into the open net for a 1-0 lead heading into halftime. Our best chance to equalize came from Edson Carli in his first MLS appearance and start. He brought a ball down and fired it into a dangerous area, and Rothrock actually got a touch on it to redirect it. We thought it was in, but nope, it went just wide. So frustrating!
Second Half Fight & KKR’s Heroics
The Sounders came out of the locker room in the second half with some serious fire, though. You could feel the energy shift, even if Cincinnati still had the first dangerous moment in the 51st minute after a Rothrock turnover. Ryan Sailor looked a bit caught between minds on the defensive line, but Andrew Thomas flew out of nowhere to make a clutch run and block the shot. That’s our goalie! We pushed and pushed for the equalizer. Kalani Kossa-Rienzi had a peek at goal in the 71st minute that was deflected, making the save easier for their keeper. But you know what? That was just a warm-up. In the 83rd minute, it finally happened! After a Cincinnati corner broke down, Nouhou absolutely bossed it, making an incredible tackle in their half to win the ball back. It fell right to Kossa-Rienzi, who swung it wide to Albert Rusnák on the right wing. Rusnák hit him back with a perfect low cross, and Kossa-Rienzi, first time, side-footed it right into the net! BOOM! Streak over.
What a moment for Kossa-Rienzi and the whole squad. We’ve got a full week now to build on this result, and you know the boys will be looking to do just that when we host the Chicago Fire next Saturday at 1 PM. Let’s keep this momentum going, Emerald City!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Sounder at Heart.
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