SEATTLE — Jordan Morris scored two goals less than a minute apart early in the second half, and Seattle rolled past Los Angeles FC 3-1 on Sunday night in the Sounders first home match in 5½ months.
Playing in an eerily empty CenturyLink Field, Morris scored 59 seconds apart in the opening moments of the second half as Seattle gained a bit of revenge after LAFC’s 4-1 thumping of the Sounders during the MLS is Back tournament in Florida.
It was a decidedly un-Seattle atmosphere for the Sounders’ first home match since March 7. Instead of the normal, with nearly 40,000 fans in attendance, some of the lower bowl seats were replaced by tarps with advertisements.
“The Brougham End,” where Seattle’s most rabid fans of the “Emerald City Supporters” normally stand and chant the entire 90 minutes, was replaced by a smattering of banners, including a large “Black Lives Matter,” banner directly behind the goal.
It was at that end of the stadium where Morris scored his two goals. On the first, Morris collected a long pass from Nicolas Lodeiro and dribbled around LAFC goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer, who was late coming out from goal. Morris finished easily into the open net.
Moments after restarting, Seattle’s João Paulo sent a cross into the box and Morris was unmarked, giving Seattle a 3-0 lead.
Raúl Ruidíaz scored in the first half with a stunning 35-yard left-footed shot that caught Vermeer by surprise and out of position. Ruidíaz was subbed off at halftime for precautionary reasons due to a heel contusion.
Seattle (4-1-2) visits Real Salt Lake (2-1-4) at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Famed coach passes
WASHINGTON — John Thompson, the imposing Hall of Famer who turned Georgetown into a “Hoya Paranoia” powerhouse and became the first Black coach to lead a team to the NCAA men’s basketball championship, has died. He was 78.
His death was announced in a family statement Monday. No details were disclosed.
“More than a legend, he was the voice in our ear everyday,” the statement said. “We will miss him but are grounded in the assurance that we carry his faith and determination in us.”
One of the most celebrated and polarizing figures in his sport, Thompson took over a moribund Georgetown program in the 1970s and molded it in his unique style into a perennial contender, culminating with a national championship team anchored by center Patrick Ewing in 1984.
At 6-foot-10, with an ever-present white towel slung over his shoulder, Thompson literally and figuratively towered over the Hoyas for decades, becoming a patriarch of sorts after he quit coaching in 1999.
The Associated Press
