Sounders open big lead, hold off Union

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Raul Ruidiaz catches the GK out with 50-yard goal for Sounders

Raul Ruidiaz takes advantage of an errant pass and catches the goalkeeper off his line for Seattle's opening goal.

Updated: May 1, 2024, 04:53 am

Raul Ruidiaz scored his fifth and sixth goals of the season and the Seattle Sounders held on for a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Union on Tuesday in Chester, Pa.

Obed Vargas also scored for Seattle (2-5-3, nine points) to complete the first away win of the season for the Sounders in a match resumed after torrential rain forced it to be suspended in the sixth minute on March 9.

Andrew Thomas made five saves to help Seattle hold on after it jumped out to a 3-0 first-half lead.

Daniel Gazdag scored his 57th goal in all competitions -- and his sixth of the season -- to become the top scorer in Philadelphia club history, passing Sebastien Le Toux.

Jack McGlynn also scored early in the second half in the Union's comeback bid. However, the deficit proved too large to overcome, as Philadelphia (3-2-4, 13 points) fell to a second consecutive home defeat.

Ruidiaz opened the scoring in the 13th minute on a chance he received when Philadelphia's Jose Martinez failed to control Gazdag's backward pass.

Ruidiaz reacted alertly to beat Martinez to the loose ball, spotted goalkeeper Oliver Semmle off his line and finished into an open goal.

Vargas made it 2-0 in the 22nd minute when he received a layoff on the left edge of the penalty area, dribbled to his right, then curled a low shot into the far right corner beyond Semmle's dive.

Ruidiaz completed his first-half brace in the 37th minute, chipping down the center from the penalty spot as Semmle guessed on the shooter's location and dove low to his left.

Philadelphia scored twice in two minutes to get back in the game early in the second half.

In the 55th minute, McGlynn took a layoff from Alejandro Bedoya and unleashed a low shot from the edge of the area that beat the diving Thomas to the bottom right corner.

Shortly after the restart, Gazdag split the center backs to reach Quinn Sullivan's early cross from the right and headed a shot past Thomas from close range in the 57th minute.

Gazdag thought he had a match-tying goal when he reached yet another cross on the back post not long after, but this time he was judged offside.

Julian Carranza missed two late chances to equalize, striking the crossbar on a header before forcing Thomas into his final save deep in second-half stoppage time.

--Field Level Media