Not bad for an afternoon edition of Sunday Night Soccer. Minnesota United took down the Seattle Sounders by a scoreline of 3-2 tonight, earning their first positive result in Emerald City and handing the hosts their first home loss of the year. It was an all-around belter of a game that saw the Loons emerge with a well-deserved three points, capping off an undefeated road trip against two of the best teams in the Western Conference.
The visitors lined up in a slightly changed 5-4-1 formation, giving Owen Gene his first MLS start alongside Wil Trapp. The setup saw the Loons move with a flexibility that perfectly suited their style of play, providing a compact base behind the ball and making life difficult for the Sounders moving forward.
While the first half was by no means devoid of quality, the bulk of tonight’s real action took place during the second 45. It all began with the substitution of Bongokuhle Hlongwane for Julian Gressel at the break. The South African spark plug immediately changed the game, giving the Black and Blue another pacey player to help capitalize on counterattacking opportunities, and they did it in a flash.
The breakthrough came in the 51st minute, when a cross-field move saw the Loons make the most of the space available to them. When the ball made its way to Bongi in space on the right side of the pitch, the overlapping run of Robin Lod opened up room for a cross back across the box, where Tani Oluwaseyi was in prime position to put his side in the lead with his seventh goal of the year.
Just two minutes later, lightning struck in the same place, believe it or not. An incredible 75-yard run from Joaquín Pereyra saw the Loons playmaker singlehandedly create an opportunity to double the lead, as Bongi ran into the box and drew a foul from the Seattle defender. Robin Lod stepped up to put the penalty kick away with a cool head, finding the side netting with a precise strike.
The two-goal lead didn’t last long — just another two minutes, in fact — as the hosts cashed in on the other end via a cross cut back to the penalty spot, where Kalani Kossa-Rienzi was waiting for the easy finish. With the lead halved and the crowd roaring once more, the Loons were feeling the pressure. Evidently, they thrive under pressure.
The cheers had hardly died down when, just three minutes later, Joaquín Pereyra’s shot from distance forced Stefan Frei to spill the rebound right into the path of Tani Oluwaseyi, who scored his eighth goal of 2025 with a classic poacher’s finish, restoring the two-goal lead.
Give me a second to breathe. That all happened in eight minutes. Are you not entertained?!
Once the lid was blown off this one, the rest of the game was completely open and end-to-end. Quick transitions continually stretched both sides, and the electric play of Seattle’s Georgi Minoungou kept the drama going to the final whistle. The Loons shifted to a 5-3-2, then back to a 5-4-1 before the final whistle, managing the game with well-placed substitutes and slight tactical changes. Though the hosts pushed and pulled a goal back via an unfortunate deflected own goal in the 83rd minute, the Loons’ experience and comfort in defense served them well in seeing this result out.
Today’s lineup saw the Loons shift effectively into a new variation of their identity, leaning into their quality playmakers in the first half and reverting to counterattacking in the second. Whether through pinpoint passes from Julian Gressel or long sprints from Bongokuhle Hlongwane, the Loons showed that they can threaten their opposition in several ways, and they have the quality necessary to take advantage of the chances they create.
It feels cliche to say it, but the confidence that comes from finding the back of the net can truly change the course of any game. After scoring one, teams are more willing to take risks, which often forces the opposition to do the same. You’re not likely to see a more clear example of the adage that “goals change games,” than this one, as the first and second halves couldn’t have been more different from a stylistic perspective today.
With this win, the Loons finished the matchday third in the Western Conference, tied with San Diego with 30 points apiece, trailing by goal difference alone. They’ll go into their week off with plenty of positive momentum and will return to action two weeks from now when they take on San Diego on June 14 at Allianz Field. Enjoy the win, Loons fans; we’ll see you soon for another heavyweight Western Conference showdown!
