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ATLANTA — Stefan Frei made a key save in the 70th minute and the short-handed Seattle Sounders held on for a 1-1 draw against Major League Soccer-leading Atlanta United on Sunday.
The game was played before an MLS single-match record crowd of 72,243 at at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
In the 70th minute, Leandro Gonzalez-Pirez’s header hit the post and then Frei saved Chris McCann’s putback attempt from close range. Frei also had saves in the 85th and 87th minutes to keep the match tied.
The Sounders’ Jordan McCrary was sent off in the 63rd minute when he was shown his second yellow card of the match for unsporting behavior, leaving the Sounders with just 10 players.
Nicolas Lodeiro converted from the spot to give Seattle (4-9-5) the lead in the 45th minute. Atlanta (12-4-5) conceded the penalty with a hand ball in the area. The spot kick was Lodeiro’s second goal of the season.
Atlanta’s Josef Martinez tied the contest 1-1 in the 48th minute. Julian Gressel’s aerial pass split a pair of Seattle defenders and Martinez looped the header over Frei, who had come off his line. It was Martinez’s league-leading 19th goal of the season.
Gustav Svensson made his return to Seattle’s lineup with a 73rd-minute substitution for Chad Marshall. The midfielder just returned to the Sounders following Sweden’s quarterfinal run at the World Cup in Russia.
The Sounders’ new designated player, Raul Ruidíaz, was included on the bench but did not play. Sunday was the Peruvian’s first eligible MLS game after signing June 29.
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