P. Arriola’s two assists lift Seattle Sounders three points clear

Seattle Sounders beat Real Salt Lake 2-0 at Lumen Field on Thursday, with P. Arriola assisting both goals. The win leaves Seattle three points ahead of Real Salt Lake in the Western Conference after 25 and 26 games respectively.

How it happened

The teams reached half-time at 0-0, but Seattle broke through three minutes after the restart. D. Musovski made it 1-0 in the 48th minute from Arriola’s pass, and A. Rusnak added the second in the 73rd minute, again supplied by Arriola.

Seattle finished with four shots on goal to Real Salt Lake’s two, while both sides recorded two goalkeeper saves. The hosts also committed 10 fouls to Real Salt Lake’s nine and collected four yellow cards, compared with two for the visitors.

The numbers

Seattle held 53% possession and completed 553 passes, including 466 accurate deliveries. Real Salt Lake had 47% possession and 485 total passes, with 405 accurate, while both teams posted an 84% passing accuracy rate.

The expected-goals figures were 0.91 for Seattle and 0.43 for Real Salt Lake. Seattle also produced seven shots inside the box, matching Real Salt Lake’s total, but finished with 11 attempts overall compared with 12 for the visitors.

Who decided it

A. Rusnak delivered the highest match rating at 8.9 after 90 minutes, scoring once, putting one shot on target and creating five key passes. D. Musovski’s opener completed Seattle’s scoring, but P. Arriola’s two assists directly shaped both goals.

Why it matters

Seattle rise to 10th with 32 points from an 8W-8D-9L record, while Real Salt Lake remain 13th on 29 points after 8W-5D-13L. Vancouver Whitecaps lead on 49 points, leaving Seattle 17 points behind and Real Salt Lake 20 adrift.