Ferreira and Morris Regain Scoring Prowess, Sounders Outlast FC Dallas
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Seattle Sounders forward Jordan Morris dribbles the ball against FC Dallas on Saturday, April 25, 2026 at Lumen Field in Seattle, Wash. (Jane Gershovich / Sounders FC Communications) [/caption]
SEATTLE, Wash. — The Seattle Sounders, down the likes of Cristian Roldan, Albert Rusnák and Paul Arriola, continued their strong start on Saturday night. Even being short-handed, they downed a visiting FC Dallas squad 2-1, weathering dangerous set-piece opportunities and benefitting from a return to form from goal scorers Jordan Morris and Jesús Ferreira.
The result moves Seattle to 6-1-1 with just four goals allowed in eight MLS fixtures. It also meant Seattle's 20th straight game unbeaten at home, as the Sounders haven't lost under the arches of Lumen Field since June of 2025… when they played European champion Paris Saint-Germain.
The Sounders gave up seven corner-kicks while Dallas managed 12 total crosses with just 0.8 expected goals. There were plenty of chances to equalize or even go ahead, thanks in part to a Ferreira miss from the spot, but Seattle held strong as its defense continues to shine.
"Last year, we gave a couple of games like this away," Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer said postgame. "There were some games that we let points slip, and it cost us at the end of the year."
Despite injuries and a recent heartbreak in the Concacaf Champions Cup, Seattle is in the heart of the Supporters' Shield race and in fourth place in the Western Conference, having played fewer games than any other top-five team.
Sounders Strike First, Dallas Lingers
Ferreira opened the scoring in the 15th, exploiting an instinctive pass from Morris to knock in a deflected shot. Ferreira, typically a playmaker for Seattle, showed some extra venom in his strikes as he faced his former club in FC Dallas.
In the 30th, young Snyder Brunell sprung Morris free on a through ball down the right side. It was elementary from there, as Morris struck a simple shot past keeper Michael Collodi.
But just as the party got started, a slow start from the Sounders in their own third caught up to them. Seattle was sloppy with the ball over the first 15 minutes by Schmetzer's account, but poor passing and late close-outs on crossers cost Seattle in the way of making keeper Andrew Thomas (five saves) work hard to keep a goose egg on the scoreboard. The dam broke in the 40th, as another corner from Dallas paid dividends with a header from Nolan Norris to slice the lead in half.
Early in the second half, Paul Rothrock had one of the highlights of the night, burning defender Lalas Abubakar for 40 yards down the left side. By the end of the dynamic run, in which he pulled off multiple tough dribbles to get to the end line, Abubakar tripped Rothrock up in the box for a penalty.
The Sounders, as always, decided the penalty-taker on the pitch without help from the coaching staff.
With Ferreira having a goal and facing his former team with some added pep in his step, the second-year Sounder stepped to the spot. He slowed his run-up at the last second and hit an underwhelming ball to the right side for a reasonable save from Collodi, costing Seattle a chance to pull away.
"I'm pretty mad at myself, not so much that I missed, but that I changed my decision last-second. I think that's why it went so low and so soft," Ferreira said.
With the game still 2-1, Seattle had multiple chances to pull away. Ferreira sprung Morris open in the 65th on the right side, but the normal striker decided to pass late instead of taking a shot in close, ending the chance. Rothrock worked back to the endline in the 70th, but put in another doomed cross while hitting a decent header three minutes later to force a Collodi save.
In the 89th, Nouhou had long run into the heart of the defense and decided to pass it to Rothrock uncontested, which led to another doomed cross.
Seattle's possession dipped in the second half after 65% in the first, but a wealth of chances from FC Dallas (13 shots) seldom threatened a draw late.
"Could we have closed the game out with better possession? Absolutely," Schmetzer said. "At the end of the day, the guys did what they needed to do to secure the three points."
Multiple Renaissances
Ferreira has been the premier playmaker for the Sounders this season.
With plenty of minutes on the right wing or at the attacking midfielder spot he occupied in place of Rusnák on Saturday night, he's racked up four assists in all competitions. But in practice, he's shown glimpses of the MVP candidate he was in Dallas, striking the ball with the most venom of anyone on the pitch consistently.
As such, Ferreira has noted that his teammates have approached him at times this year, urging him to take more shots instead of solely relying on his passing prowess.
Ferreira, 25, had his best season with FC Dallas at just 21 years old when he scored 18 goals and chipped in six assists to land himself on the shortlist of MVP candidates. He followed that season with 12 goals, but had just four in his first season with Seattle in 2025.
Saturday night could be a turning point in reaching that form again.
"Now is kind of realizing that, you know, I can do it. I can score goals," Ferreira said postgame. "That weight off my shoulder is gone, so now I can play more free like I like to play."
As for Morris, the wing suits this version of the club legend far better than the nine.
Morris, who made his living for the Sounders and U.S. national team as a scorer, has had to adjust to playing outside. He credited assistant coach and two-time MLS MVP Preki with his ability to learn how to navigate passing in pockets to build out the offense. But watching Morris play that position still looks more natural than his play at striker.
At the nine in limited minutes this season, Morris hasn't had the quality or aggressiveness to finish most chances, while deferring most times to teammates with late passes.
On the wing, Morris delivered a few solid balls in, including the pass to Ferreira for a goal. He also scored by receiving Brunell's through pass in space as opposed to the tighter windows he used to score in regularly as a striker.
"I feel like I have a good relationship with Kalani (Kossa-Rienzi) and Alex (Roldan) and kind of overloading that side, making those runs down the line," Morris said. "(The positions) ask for a little bit different things, but like I said I feel like I can be dangerous in both."
As a guy who's dealt with more than his fair share of injuries recently — Morris played just 17 games last season — the veteran is looking to contribute however he can.
"I just want to play. I just want to be back on the field… wherever (Schmetzer) thinks I can be the most dangerous," Morris said.
Danny Musovski got the start at the striker spot, while Osaze De Rosario closed the game. There was a 15-minute window where Morris was the only striker on the pitch before De Rosario came on to replace him, but Morris said he and Rothrock can each slide into the nine as the game demands it.
Seattle Could Stand to Be More Selfish
It may be nitpicking, but Seattle had scored seven goals in two games coming into Saturday, in part because of individual brilliance. A laser from Rusnák against Tigres and an overpowering dribbling sequence from De Rosario against St. Louis led to goals that put Seattle past its expected-goal metrics.
Seattle just about met its expected goals in this one, but could have put up four or five if Morris and Rothrock decided to go all the way a few times. Add Ferreira’s penalty miss, and you have a close win that could have been a second straight Seattle blowout.
Going forward, as the weather warms up and more goals become inevitable, the Sounders will need to trust their quality if they hope to sustain the offensive rhythm they’ve produced recently.
Up Next
The Sounders will take on a floundering Sporting Kansas City squad on the road next Saturday before returning for three straight home matches. Rusnák was dealing with hamstring tightness as the Sounders played it safe with the vet while Cristian Roldan deals with concussion protocol after taking a ball to the head in Friday training. Both should have a good chance to return to play before Saturday.
Seattle will get a chance at some of the league's best in its remaining fixtures before the June World Cup break, as streaking San Jose comes to town on May 13 and the Sounders travel to California to take on LAFC on May 24.
