Five minutes changed everything
For 76 minutes, the Cascadia derby had the feel of a locked-down stalemate. Then Emmanuel Sabbi slid a short ball into Rayan Elloumi, who curled a right-footed effort into the far corner. Five minutes later, from an indirect free kick laid off by Oliver Larraz, Thomas Muller drilled a right-footed strike off the post and in. Vancouver beat the Seattle Sounders 2-0 away from home tonight.
The shot count told the rest of the story. Sixteen attempts for the Whitecaps, four for Seattle, and, crucially, no shots on target from the home side. Yohei Takaoka logged his eighth clean sheet of the season without having much to do. Andrew Thomas, at the other end, made just one save.
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A seventh straight loss, a club record
For Seattle, this was more than just a bad night. It is a seventh straight MLS defeat, a club record. The Sounders drop to 7-8-3 and 24 points. Their best chance of the first half came in the 31st minute, when Snyder Brunell lashed a close-range effort into the side netting.
Vancouver, by contrast, snapped a three-match league winless run. The Whitecaps are back on top of the Western Conference with 37 points and a 11-3-4 record. They did it without Brian White, who was rested because of a hamstring injury.
One more Cascadia Cup for the cabinet
The win also brings silverware. Vancouver claim their ninth Cascadia Cup, the side competition involving the Whitecaps, the Sounders and the Portland Timbers. The maths is simple: three wins from three against their two rivals, with one more home date against Seattle still to come.
One moment sums up the night. In the 40th minute, Muller thought he had scored from a corner. Paul Rothrock headed the ball clear off the line with his chest, it bounced off Thomas and out. Seattle only delayed the inevitable for 37 minutes.
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