The dam needed to break. The train needed to start moving. Someone needed to score.
Head Coach Brian Schmetzer kept talking for weeks about how the Seattle Sounders just needed one shot to hit the back of the net and then goals would come in succession. That day finally came on Saturday.
After falling behind 1-0 on a 53rd minute goal by former Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers forward Darren Mattocks, the Sounders surged back, scoring in the 57th minute with a 20-yard rocket by Nicolas Lodeiro and a go-ahead header by Magnus Wolff Eikrem in the 83rd minute.
Stefan Frei added a huge save in the 89th minute to hold the lead as Seattle went on to capture their first victory since May 9th in Toronto. Watch match highlights below.
Nicolas Lodeiro failed to make Uruguay's 23-man World Cup roster last week, meaning he returned to club earlier than many previously thought. Despite only one training session back with the squad on Friday, Lodeiro was prepared enough to start on Saturday against D.C.
He was plenty ready for the occasion, scoring the first Sounders goal since May 9th.
Due to an "right leg strain" to Kelvin Leerdam that forced Seattle's usual starting right back to take a seat, Magnus Wolff Eikrem entered the match and Cristian Roldan shifted down to fullback.
In the 83rd minute, with Roldan pushing high, he sent a cross into the D.C. box that reached Wolff Eikrem's head. The header-shot powered past the outstretched arm of keeper David Ousted and gave the Sounders a 2-1 lead, which they held for good.
In addition to Lodeiro making his first start since April 29, Victor Rodriguez also made his first start of the season and Osvaldo Alonso returned to the bench as well, coming on as a substitute in the 65th minute for Rodriguez. Tony Alfaro for Will Bruin marked Seattle's final sub of the night as the team then shifted to a 5-4-1 for added defense in the closing seconds of the match.
With the victory, the Sounders, now 3-7-2 on the season, climb to 10th in the Western Conference with 11 points, also 11 points underneath the red-line for sixth place in the West.
Next up for the club is an away match against New York Red Bulls, Wednesday at 5pm (listen on SportsRadioKJR.com, 950am, or the iHeart Radio App). Check out the Sounders FC Post-Match Show below as Jackson Felts, Wade Webber, and Danny Jackson break down the 2-1 victory over D.C., hear from Head Coach Brian Schmetzer, and look ahead to New York next week.