Cincinnati and Seattle Sounders drew 1-1 in the Major League Soccer regular season on Thursday at TQL Stadium. The result keeps both sides in their current positions in the table, with the hosts maintaining sixth place on 31 points and Seattle remaining twelfth on 26.
Evander opened the scoring for Cincinnati in the twenty-fourth minute, capitalising on the visitors' early defensive disorganisation. Seattle had not yet settled into their shape and the home side went for the jugular from the restart. To be fair, the visitors had not been set up properly and the pressure told.
Seattle finally responded when K. Kossa-Rienzi headed home in the eighty-third minute, a moment that shifted the momentum entirely. The hosts had seen off several attempts and looked comfortable, but by then Seattle had found a way back into the game. The equaliser came from a set piece, something the visitors had spent the evening working on.
The statistics tell a familiar story. Cincinnati controlled 70 per cent of possession and registered 113 attacks to Seattle's 70, yet both teams carried the same expected goals figure of 1.38. The hosts had nine shots on target but only converted one, while Seattle managed just three on target from seven attempts. It was an evening where chances went begging for both sides.
And here's the thing — neither team earned much from the draw. Cincinnati's recent form suggests they should have taken something from this, having beaten New York City 2-1 last time out. Seattle's run of results has been inconsistent, with defeats to Austin and Vancouver in particular. This point changes nothing either way.