Raul Ruidiaz’s brace leads Sounders over Union in completion of suspended game
Nights like Tuesday are why it’s hard to dismiss Raul Ruidiaz.
When he’s good, he has fans bobbing to a beat with him. That was the feeling against the Philadelphia Union.
The Sounders striker floated a penalty kick over keeper Oliver Semmle, who was snared by the Panenka, and celebrated with an infectious head bob down the endline of Subaru Park in Chester, Pa.
For a wary Sounders nation, Ruidiaz’s first-half brace was the brazen performance expected when a lineup is released, and the Peruvian’s name is printed up top. The club’s all-time goal-scorer has six so far this season, surpassing the five totaled in an injury-filled 2023 campaign.
And the penalty kick wasn’t even the best of the match.
Ruidiaz ripped a 45-yard shot into an empty goal to open the wild 3-2 win against Philadelphia. A where, for once, the Sounders backed up their words.
Keeper Andrew Thomas voiced the team being proud about their performance in the second half of a 2-1 road loss to D.C. United last week. They had the better second-half performance, Thomas said, and just wanted to get back out on the field to prove it.
Seattle only had to wait three days. In a restarted match against the Union, the Sounders did continue to be the better team for a half.
After the break against Philly, the Sounders (2-5-3) showed why they’re currently 12th in the Western Conference table. The Union capitalized on defensive errors to cut the lead to 3-2.
Sounders fullback Alex Roldan conceded a corner kick, which the Union used a sequence to get a midfielder Jack McGlynn a goal in the 55th minute. Seattle then left too much space, Philly rushing box to box to play a beautiful pass to Daniel Gazdag for a header in the 57th minute.
Gazdag, who became his club’s all-time leading scorer with the goal, thought he had the equalizer in the 65th minute. He was flagged offside.
Teammate Julian Carranza also had a bite at an equalizer in the 85th minute. It grazed the top of the crossbar. Thomas had textbooks saves in the 88th minute and second-half stoppage time to close out the win.
The Union (3-2-4) attempting to play from the back created the opportunity for Ruidiaz’s first goal in the 13th minute. Jose Martinez mishandled a pass and the forward pounced on the error and Semmle being way outside the penalty box to unleash the attempt.
Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas added to the lead in the 22nd minute. The teenager’s first career goal was a right-footed golazo that curled past Semmle’s reach.
Tuesday was the completion of a March match between the sides. Play started in the sixth minute on a Philadelphia free kick. And that’s where the similarities ended. The weather was a balmy 80 degrees — thirty degrees warmer than when original game was delayed amid a coastal flood warning and soggy grass field.
MLS rules dictate the gameday roster, including the players on the field at the time of the delay, must be the same. But the Sounders made one change after trading Xavier Arreaga last month.
Philadelphia had three different players in the starting lineup and multiple changes on the bench Tuesday, including a new signing under the league’s hardship rule. Union defender Jakob Glesnes (Damion Lowe), forward Julian Carranza (Markus Anderson) and Semmle (Andre Blake) replaced injured players.
The match was a first between the sides since 2019.