The Seattle Sounders and Columbus Crew played to a 1-1 draw on Sunday night, with both teams scoring in an evenly matched contest at Lumen Field.
Paul Rothrock provided Seattle’s lone goal in the 43rd minute, capitalising on a dynamic run by Kalani Kossi-Rienzi. Kossi-Rienzi collected a long pass on the right flank, cut inside past a defender, and delivered a low cross to Rothrock, who finished calmly between Columbus goalkeeper Evan Bush and the left post. It was Rothrock’s third goal of the season.
Columbus, after surviving that early scare, began controlling possession and eventually broke through in the 27th minute. On a well-executed counter, Jacen Russell-Rowe found Ibrahim Aliyu in space down the left. Aliyu picked out Diego Rossi at the far post, and Rossi slotted his shot past Stefan Frei for the opening goal.
Rothrock nearly added a second early in the second half, but Bush came off his line quickly to block the attempt and preserve the tie.
Tensions rose late in the match when Kossi-Rienzi received a second yellow card in stoppage time, reducing Seattle to 10 men. Columbus pushed forward, creating two strong chances. Frei stepped up, denying Aziel Jackson with a key save and then racing off his line to punch away a dangerous set piece.
The match ended on a worrying note for Seattle, as Frei appeared to suffer a head injury in the final moments. After the final whistle from referee Ismir Pekmic, Frei was stretchered off and taken to an ambulance.
Seattle now sits at 8-6-6 with 30 points, while Columbus improved to 10-3-8, reaching 38 points on the season.
