Paul Rothrock, Stefan Frei lead Sounders to 1-0 victory over Real Salt Lake
SEATTLE (AP) — Paul Rothrock scored an early goal and Stefan Frei made it stand up as the Seattle Sounders edged Real Salt Lake 1-0 on Saturday night.
Rothrock used passes from Pedro de la Vega and Jordan Morris in the 4th minute to score for the fourth time this season. De la Vega’s assist was his fifth this season and sixth in 41 career appearances. Morris’ assist was his second in 16 appearances this season.
Frei finished with five saves for his eighth clean sheet in 25 starts this season for Seattle (14-9-10). Frei has posted 114 clean sheets in 378 career regular-season starts.
Rafael Cabral saved one shot for Real Salt Lake (12-17-4), which needed a win to clinch a spot in the postseason. RSL had William Agada’s tying goal waived off in the 89th minute when Victor Olatunji was caught offside.
Seattle is locked into fifth place in the Western Conference and will play two road matches in the best-of-three first round.
Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids are tied with 40 points, one behind FC Dallas in the race for the final two postseason berths in the West.
The Sounders close out the regular season on the road Saturday with a Decision Day match at New York City FC, while Real Salt Lake travels to play St. Louis City.
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