The pollsters are back against the Fire

SEATTLE – The Seattle Sounders struggled to get started, but they once again erased a deficit by beating the Chicago Fire 2-1 on Saturday. They didn't make it easy for themselves, but their ability to overcome their mistakes thanks to two penalties from Albert Rusnák, another good performance from Paul Rothrock and the return of Pedro de la Vega have reason to be happy at the end of the daytime.

Throughout the first half, one could have easily been mistaken in thinking that Chicago was the home team. Seattle managed to regain some respectability at the end of the half, but still returned to the locker room outmatched in almost every significant indicator we want to examine. The Sounders were lucky not to fall behind in the 5th minute when Brian Gutierrez broke several lines with a pass to Maren Haile-Selassie who only had Stefan Frei to beat, but Frei made an impressive save with his foot and recovered the ball.

That first look was a bit of an omen, as the Sounders lost possession repeatedly due to poor passing and sloppy possession until Chicago finally got the score in the 30th minute. It was Haile-Selassie again, this time set up by Gaston Gimenez. Alex Roldan played a pass down the line, presumably to Cristian Roldan, but the pass fell short and Obed Vargas jumped sideways to try to get the ball but lost the duel. Chicago got the ball back and passed it to Gimenez in a mostly empty midfield where he had time to pick his pass and find Haile-Selassie in a pocket of space, then the forward made a little bridge with Jackson Ragen and put his shot past Frei to give the Fire a 1-0 away lead.

Seattle seemed to wake up at that point, but despite some pressure and a few dangerous chances, they failed to find a response before the break.

The Sounders came out of the half with a change from Brian Schmetzer and his staff, replacing Alex Roldan with Paul Rothrock, and from that point on, everything looked different. Less than 10 minutes into the second half, Paul Rothrock was tackled to the ground in the penalty area, preventing him from taking a threatening cross from Jordan Morris after the forward ran onto a superb ball from Albert Rusnák. Referee Joe Dickerson went to the monitor and determined that a foul had been committed and Seattle was awarded a penalty. Rusnák stepped up to the penalty spot and in the 56th minute, he fired a low shot into the corner to the keeper's right, just out of reach of Chris Brady who was diving to equalize.

With renewed energy and vastly improved vibes, Seattle continued to push. João Paulo threw a few dangerous looks in the next few minutes and Rothrock almost grabbed a rebound off one of them. Then Rothrock appeared to have won a second penalty for a handball blocking a shot in the 65th minute, but VAR clashed with the Sounders this time and the penalty was overturned. Rothrock then suffered a bizarre refereeing decision when he was kicked in the head by Brady well outside the box and was booked for a foul for his troubles.

Chicago had one last chance to regain the lead in the 71st minute when Allan Rigoni fired a shot that looked destined for the back of the net from the top of the box, but Stefan Frei stepped up and got a big hand on it and pushed the ball over the goal for a corner. That play and the introduction of Pedro de la Vega in the 76th minute provided another burst of energy that propelled the Sounders into stoppage time.

With Pepo on the pitch, Seattle continued to push and created several chances until the game finally came to a close before finally being rewarded when Morris won a penalty in the 90+2 minute. Albert Rusnák stepped up for the penalty once again and beat Brady again by heading into the keeper's right corner to take the lead in the 90+3 minute.

The Sounders almost added a cherry on top deep into the stoppage when Danny Musovski saved a shot but created a rebound with de La Vega crashing in at the back post, but his sliding effort just couldn't reach the ball to put the finishing touch on it. Still, the Sounders pulled off another come-from-behind victory. It's their first winning streak of the season, and they're now on a three-game home winning streak and are unbeaten in their last six games at Lumen Field. They'll next face the New England Revolution at Lumen Field on June 6.

Key moments

5 – Save! Chicago split the Sounders defense with a ball from Brian Gutierrez to Maren Haile-Selassie, but Stefan Frei made a big save with his foot.

30 – Goal, Chicago. An easy turnover on the right wing and a failure to pressure the ball results in an easy finish from Haile-Selassie to give the Fire the lead. 1-0Chicago

45+1 – Jordan Morris gives Seattle their first real chance, running on a through ball and taking a rip from a tight angle that Chris Brady is able to block for a corner.

54 – An excellent ball from Albert Rusnák and a good run from Jordan Morris allow the attacker to get behind. He crosses and almost passes to Paul Rothrock, but Rothrock is pushed back. After review, a penalty is whistled for this fault.

56 – GOAL, Sounders! Albert Rusnák arrives on the spot and, although Brady guesses correctly, he can't stop the shot from the bottom corner. 1-1

59 – João Paulo runs onto a loose pass from Chicago and lines up a shot from 25 yards, but the ball goes over the bar.

62 – Another shot from JP after some possession around the box, and the rebound of his shot almost falls to Rothrock but instead it goes out for a corner.

65 – A penalty is called on the field for an apparent handball on a Rothrock shot, but after a move to the monitor it is determined that no foul was committed.

71 – After sustained pressure from the Sounders and some odd refereeing decisions, Chicago goes down the other end and almost gets the lead back, but Frei makes a big one-handed save to keep the score alive.

90+2 – Penalty! Morris sneaks past Mauricio Pineda to collect a pass in the box and receives a violent kick to the ankles for his foul.

90+3 – GOAL, Sounders! Rusnák goes up again, goes the same way and beats Brady again to take the lead! 2-1 Sounders

90+10 – Seattle almost added an insurance goal with the last touch of the match as Danny Musovski hits a powerful shot that is parried into the path of Pedro de la Vega, but PdlV can't quite get there as he slips.

Quick thoughts

The Undeniable Power of Paul Rothrock: Paul Rothrock is not the best player on the Sounders. That’s not a particularly controversial statement, even he would tell you he’s not the most gifted or talented player on the team. But there may not be a player on the Rave Green who wants it more than he does, and he’ll do whatever it takes to help the team achieve its goals. His halftime substitute sparked the comeback, he earned the penalty that tied the game, and he’s been a constant positive presence on the field. We’re getting to the point where he needs to be on the field in some capacity every time the Sounders play, because at some point, his presence and the positive results that come from it can no longer be a coincidence.

Getting the most out of the biggest players: Albert Rusnák scored twice in this match, taking him to 3 goals and 9 assists for the season so far, but in the dressing room after the match he insisted it wasn't so much about statistics than helping the team win games. This isn't just about him, it includes things like a team leader in Cristian Roldan returning to play once again to allow for the inclusion of Paul Rothrock to start the second half. This includes the tireless running of Jordan Morris, whether playing as a striker or on the wing as he was when he took Seattle's second penalty in stoppage time, once again contributing to a winning goal after regulation even if it does not result in a goal or assist on his behalf. With Pedro de la Vega returning and returning to fitness following his injury issues, and Raúl Ruidíaz resuming training following his suspension, Seattle will have all of its biggest and most important names available, and they must all continue to contribute if this team is going to reach its potential.

Stop hitting yourself: Chicago deserves some credit for punishing Seattle's mistakes, but there's no denying that the Sounders' injuries were once again self-inflicted in this game. Sloppy play led to even sloppier play, as Schmetzer indicated that a certain sense of pride on his team's part kept the players from working as a team to try to make up for mistakes throughout the first half. This has been a theme throughout this season, and I don't know where the root of the problem lies, but the team needs to find it and fix it. Otherwise, solid players are making bad passes and failing to pick up runners, and despite all they've done well to make up for those mistakes in recent games, the road isn't going to get any easier as the season goes on, and they need to do what they can to at least not make it any harder than it already is.

Remarkable quote

Player Spotlight

Paul Rothrock – Paulie “Windex” Rothrock didn't fill up the stat sheet in his 45-minute outing, but once again a Sounders game changed for the better when he came on. He took a penalty, appeared to take another, almost had a penalty. his own goal, and probably should have drawn a red card for the Chicago goalkeeper. The guy is just doing good things, and the atmosphere around the club would be terrible without him.