RENTON, Wash. – The moment was too perfect.
Raúl Ruidíaz paced the edge of Lumen Field’s southern penalty box cradling a soccer ball on his hip with approximately 30,000 fans chanting his name Monday. VAR was reviewing referee Ted Unkel’s call to award the Sounders a penalty in the 99th minute for a handball against Houston defender Micael.
After being relegated to the bench in June, could this be Ruidíaz’s encore? A playoff match-winner for Seattle’s all-time leading scorer?
No. Unkel reversed the call and Game 1 of the best-of-three opening round against the Dynamo was decided in a penalty shootout after a goalless draw. Ruidíaz, who entered the match as a second-half injury substitute, humbled Houston keeper Steve Clark with an opening score and defender Alex Roldan had the winner for the fourth-seeded Sounders.
Ruidíaz will have his chance again in Game 2. The series moves to Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, where the Sounders (1-0) can sweep the fifth-seeded Dynamo (0-1) with a win Sunday.
The Peruvian star is expected to replace Jordan Morris in the starting lineup due to Morris suffering hamstring tightness in Game 1 last week. Morris was subbed off in the 52nd minute and hasn’t trained, but an MRI showed “no significant injury,” according to Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer.
“Being able to bring Raúl off the bench is a luxury,” Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas said.
Sunday will be Ruidíaz’s first start since a 2-1 road loss against Sporting Kansas City on June 8 – a span of 16 matches, through all competitions, where he made the gameday roster. Ruidíaz was also unavailable at times due to knee and toe injuries.
The Sounders opened the season with their worst start since joining MLS in 2009 and were at a low point when Schmetzer made the decision to roll with Morris as the center forward. The club was 10th in Western Conference standings with a 4-7-6 record.
The change was coupled with Roldan suffering a concussion in the opening minute of a win against Minnesota the following week and getting replaced by Paul Rothrock. The forward and Vargas had coincidentally decided after the SKC loss they needed to uplift the locker room.
“It was a tough moment for us,” Rothrock said. “Me and Obed were chatting and were like, ‘Dude, we need to get the vibes, let’s see if we can get a bigger speaker.’
“I bought the biggest speaker I could find on Amazon. We’ve been pretty good since we bought that speaker. It’s so big you have to roll it as a suitcase.”
The Sounders finished the season with a 12-2-3 record and Morris led with a career-high 13 MLS goals. Ruidíaz has eight, his last coming in a comeback win against FC Dallas on June 22.
As the Sounders rose, Ruidíaz sunk lower. Schmetzer banned the forward and defender Nouhou from team activities for a week for a postgame verbal altercation regarding a want for more playing time. Then in September, anonymous sources stated in a report that Ruidíaz, whose contract expires in December, won’t consider re-signing because of unhappiness with his situation, locker room division and a “decaying relationship” with Schmetzer.
The Sounders have not made Ruidíaz available to comment the past two months.
Turmoil isn’t evident during training at the team’s facility in Renton. Whether driving rain, searing heat or crisp fall days that are perfect for soccer, the Sounders and Ruidíaz have steadily worked toward winning.
“There’s cliques in every locker room,” said Sounders keeper Stefan Frei, who was appointed team captain last year. “It’s good because you have people that come as young kids from completely different cultures and need something to grasp onto. But there cannot be borders. Whether it’s through (Schmetzer) or our senior players, we’ve never had boundaries that cannot be pushed through. Ultimately, it’s one group that comes together and everybody respects each other.”
Game 2 isn’t about Ruidíaz proving himself. Since being signed in 2018, he’s netted key goals to help the Sounders win the 2019 MLS Cup and 2022 CONCACAF Champions Cup.
And Seattle’s hot finish wasn’t an offensive showcase. Sounders midfielder Albert Rusnák had 10 goals and a career-high 16 assists to tie a single-season club record to complement Morris’ contributions. But the team didn’t crack the top ten in any MLS offensive category among the 29 teams.
Sunday is simply an opportunity for Ruidíaz to help close out a series to advance to the Western Conference semifinals.
Houston is vulnerable with midfielder Coco Carrasquilla serving a one-game suspension for being sent off in Game 1. Schmetzer said his side isn’t going to “just lay back for 90 minutes,” they’ll use a lineup Houston hasn’t seen this season to try and generate goals for a win in regular time.
“One of the biggest strengths of Raúl is his mentality,” said Vargas of his mentor/teammate. “He has 100% belief in himself and that’s something I’ve admired. Wherever he is and whatever position he’s playing, he always has full confidence in himself that he’s going to do the best and he’s always there for the team.”
Sunday could be his time.