Sounders win 3rd straight to open season

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Seattle Sounders forward Jordan Morris, second from right, celebrates with teammates Kim Kee-Hee, left, Raul Ruidiaz, second from left, and Victor Rodriguez, right, after the Sounders defeated FC Cincinnati 4-1 in an MLS soccer match Saturday, March 2, 2019, in Seattle. Morris scored two goals and Ruidiaz scored one in the match. Photo: Associated Press/Ted S. Warren

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. (AP) — Victor Rodriguez and Jordan Morris each had first-half goals and Seattle scored the opening three goals before holding off the Chicago Fire 4-2 on Saturday for the Sounders’ third straight victory to open the season.

Seattle (3-0-0), which has outscored its opponents 10-3 this season, is off to its best start since 2009.

Rodriguez opened the scoring in the eighth minute by tapping home Morris’s cross inside the 6-yard box. Morris scored seven minutes later on a breakaway by finishing Nicolas Lodeiro’s pass behind the Chicago defense. Lodeiro added a goal in the 49th with a penalty kick off the underside of the crossbar.

Sounders keeper Stefan Frei had a big first half, getting a hand on Nemanja Nikolic’s breakaway shot in the 25th and diving to his left to deny Przemyslaw Frankowski’s curling attempt from distance in the 41st.

Chicago (0-2-1) scored in the 56th when Raheem Edwards headed home a pass from CJ Sapong, who was held scoreless for the first time this season. Fabian Herbers added a goal in the 84th, but Seattle’s Raul Ruidiaz sealed it two minutes later by scoring in his eighth consecutive MLS match.

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