SEATTLE — Rookie Jordan Morris scored off a rebound in the 88th minute to give the Seattle Sounders a 1-0 victory over the Columbus Crew on Saturday.
After Oalex Anderson’s shot was stopped by goalkeeper Steve Clark, Morris kicked in the loose ball for this third goal in three games.
“Oalex had a nice shot and they had a good save and the ball just kind of bounced there for me and I ran up and hit it,” Morris said. “I think the ball went off their defender and went in. It was exciting, I think I was just lucky to be in the right place at the right time.”
In front of a crowd of 39,473 at CenturyLink Field, Seattle (3-4-1) came on strong in the second half with several near-goals. Columbus (2-4-2) dropped to 0-3-2 on the road.
Sounders coach Sigi Schmid certainly likes what he has in the 21-year-old Morris from nearby Mercer Island.
“He’s getting his confidence for sure,” Schmid said. “We said once he got that first goal, he’ll feel better about himself and that weight’s off his shoulders now and he feels more confident – even deflecting it off the opponent still counts.”
The Crew dominated much of the first half.
“I think it was a game of two halves,” Columbus coach Gregg Berhalter said. “We controlled the first half and they controlled the second half. I’m disappointed with our reaction out of the locker room in the second half. We lost our aggression and our pressing wasn’t good enough and it allowed them to take control of the game.”
Seattle outshot the Crew 16-13. Clark had seven saves and Seattle’s Stefan Frei finished with four.
Herculez Gomez had a chance to score for the Sounders with a hard shot from the right side in the 76th minute, but Clark blocked the ball for a save.
Seattle threatened twice to score early in the second half, but Clark saved a shot from the left by Joevin Jones, and Clint Dempsey had a header from close range go high over the crossbar.
Columbus midfielder Ethan Finlay had a good chance to score on a through ball in the 42nd minute, but missed wide right from the center of the box.
Federico Higuain had an opportunity to put the Crew up in the 32nd minute when Frei mistakenly kicked a ball off the side of his foot right to Higuain in the center of the box. Frei hustled back to the center of the net to make the save.
Frei made a nice kick save to his left on a shot by Higuain in the ninth minute.
“It was about not worrying about potential misses but focusing on the next opportunity,” Berhalter said about Higuain’s shots. “In soccer, sometimes you make them and sometimes you miss them.”
Seattle’s best chances in the first half included a shot by Gomez in the 37th minute and by Aaron Kovar in the eighth minute. Clark saved both shots.
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