Sounders Trade Stoppage Goals with Atlanta United, Leave With 2-2 Draw
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The Seattle Sounders high-five after a goal from Pedro de la Vega during a game against Atlanta United on July 26, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. (Linsey Wojteczko / Sounders FC Communications) [/caption]
You could feel the air leave Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday night as Seattle Sounders substitute Osaze De Rosario buried an apparent game-winning header in the 95th minute. It was the 24-year old’s first MLS goal, and it truly couldn’t have come at a better time.
The Sounders (10-6-8 W-L-D) had been tied with Atlanta United (4-11-9) for 40 minutes and had substituted practically their entire outfield before that moment - needless to say, the Rave Green faithful surely sighed a breath of relief when the lead was secured.
But a win wasn't meant to be on this summer evening in Atlanta.
Starting From Behind, Poor First Half
Sloppy passing from Seattle and some solid runouts from Atlanta's Miguel Almirón led to nearly 70 percent possession for United in the early going. Emmanuel Latte Lath, Atlanta's leading scorer, found the goal indirectly in the seventh minute by tiptoeing the left baseline and deflecting a shot off Seattle defender Yeimar Gómez to sneak one past goalkeeper Andrew Thomas.
Seattle balanced out possession as the first half wore on, and Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer attributed some of the early possession struggles to the quality of Atlanta.
“We didn’t play exceptionally well, but look, the MLS is hard. That was a desperate team, they’ve got a $40 million or whatever their payroll is … we were expecting a hard game.”
Cristian Roldan, who has been noting the wear and tear Seattle has faced this month when speaking to press lately, attributed the slow start to cross-country travel and tired starters.
“There’s been some heavy legs, I think we’ve played a lot of games this year already, more so compared to most teams,” Roldan said postgame.
At any rate, Seattle needed to dig itself out of a hole on the road.
Shutting Down Counterattacks, Close Calls
United has struggled to score consistently this season, coming into Saturday's game having been shut out nine times in 2025.
With that first goal on the board, Schmetzer's squad didn't have to worry about getting number 10, but Sounders All-Star midfielder Obed Vargas helped Seattle keep the lead at one goal.
Latte Lath turned a failed Seattle possession into a 60-yard solo counterattack in the 37th minute. Vargas was up to the challenge, though. The 19-year old tracked down Latte Lath for a tough tackle near Seattle’s box, neutralizing a potential disaster on his lonesome.
Luke Brennan had two chances to score for Atlanta five minutes later, but hit the left post from in close and went offsides on another chance to close the half.
By the end of the first 45 minutes, Atlanta had six shots to Seattle’s two, but the Sounders managed to win possession at 57 percent. It was a sign of things to come.
de la Vega Stays Hot
Atlanta has been known to give up leads at home, and Seattle looked to pounce on that tendency early. The Sounders controlled the ball for nearly the first five minutes of the half, looking for an opening before a United goal kick.
“We felt in control, even down 1-0,” Roldan said. “We handled their transition fairly well.”
In a twist of fate, Seattle was the team to capitalize on a counterattack.
A failed United corner kick was met with a booming clearance from Yeimar. United's midfield misjudged the ball, as Pedro de la Vega got under it and turned on the afterburners. De la Vega decided to keep it himself on the left side of a three-on-one attack to deliver a beautiful right-footed strike to the bottom left corner of the net to equalize.
It was de la Vega's second goal in as many games, as the Argentine is giving an injured Paul Rothrock a run for his money on the left wing.
Schmetzer wants de la Vega to be more involved on defense, but he had to concede that de la Vega’s aggressive play style got Seattle on the board.
“Pedro’s gotta just understand that he’s gotta stay connected to the midfield. He can’t just hang out and cheat and not defend, but that’s actually how he scored the goal. So as a coach, you’re saying, ‘What’s the happy medium?’”
De Rosario Stars Late, Nouhou Comes Back in a Big Way
After some inspired defense by the Sounders to shut down Atlanta’s devastating counters (defense that resulted in yellows against Jackson Ragen and Reed Baker-Whiting to stop Almirón), the teams played into stoppage time still tied.
When eight minutes were put on the clock at the end of regulation, the chances of a game-winner crept up just a little bit.
Alex Roldan had just launched a perfect pass to substitute Osaze De Rosario, but imperfect contact killed the opportunity.
Five minutes later, De Rosario looked calibrated. Nouhou, fresh off a two-game suspension for his late-game antics vs. Kansas City, launched an opportunistic cross in to De Rosario, which was redirected perfectly on a header to give Seattle a 95th-minute lead.
It was De Rosario's first goal in the MLS, but he was focused on making up for the previous miss.
“You always miss a chance as a striker, it’s normal, but it’s the reaction. It’s how you take the next chance that is the most important,” De Rosario said.
Buoyed by a divine strike from their young substitute, Seattle would just need to weather a late push from United to secure three points on the road.
Atlanta's Late Heroics Continue
United has been known to find late equalizers this season, and seemed to gain a second wind after De Rosario's late score.
Atlanta launched ball after ball into the box, but Seattle's backline always had an answer. Alexey Miranchuk disposed of the need for a cross in the 99th minute.
Past the supposed expiration of the eight-minute stoppage period, the 29-year old Russian fielded a pass around 25 yards from goal and squared his hips to deliver the strike of the game. The ball traveled on an uncontested line drive shot to the left side of the net, as an outstretched Andrew Thomas had no chance of stopping what was coming.
While Schmetzer had some notes for his team’s execution late, he had to give it up to Miranchuk.
“We needed to push higher up the field and Osaze could have come back half a yard,” Schmetzer said. “But overall, when you take a goal like that, I mean it was a tremendous strike. It’s hard for me to criticize the team, I mean they put everything into the game.”
De Rosario also had nothing but respect for the late equalizer.
“I guess it was a miscommunication between me and Danny [Levya] … but it was just a great finish,” De Rosario said.
With stoppage time already over its limit, Seattle had no chance at a rebuttal. The game was whistled dead soon after as both teams wore the lukewarm demeanor that comes with a draw.
To Be Content or Dejected? That is the Question
The answer, as their faces indicated, was somewhere in the middle for the Sounders.
“Overall, a frustrating game just because I felt like we weren’t consistent throughout the game. We’ve yet to have a complete 90-minute game since the Club World Cup, I would say. This is a moment we need to learn from; we could’ve won this game,” Cristian Roldan said.
Now with 11 goals in the last four games, Roldan is trying to look at the positives for his team.
“We’re scoring a lot right now. If we tidy up certain things, if we make less errors defensively, we win these games,” Roldan said.
Seattle ended the contest with 53.7 percent possession and tied Atlanta with two shots on goal.
Up Next
Seattle sits squarely in the middle of the Western Conference playoff picture in the MLS, but it will need to wait for a chance to move up. The Leagues Cup is here, and Seattle will start its run against a formidable Cruz Azul squad on Thursday night at Lumen Field.
