Jordan Morris scores four goals as Sounders earn first road win since July

The Sounders’ hopes and fears played out in a 30-minute span Saturday.

The concern struck first against Sporting Kansas City. Second-year forward William Agada hasn’t released his choke hold on the Sounders as he picked up the rebound of a defensive folly in the fifth minute and smashed it into the back of the net for another goal against Seattle.

Last year Agada’s first-half strike was enough to end the Sounders’ playoff hopes.

Seattle seemed to move past last season with a hopeful sequence led by a through ball from Jackson Ragen. Leo Chu collected the pass on the left wing and swiftly darted toward goal, pinpointing a pass to forward Jordan Morris for a right-footed equalizer in the 23rd minute.

Hope became dominance as Chu and Nico Lodeiro found Morris in the second half, for the latter’s first four-goal match. The Sounders left a quiet Children’s Mercy Park with a 4-1 win — the club’s first on the road since July 2022.

SKC (0-3-2) would like to regard the matchup as unbalanced. The home side played down a man after defender Ben Sweat was sent off on a second yellow card from a hard foul against Chu in the 63rd minute. Kansas City also took the field without their three designated players in the starting lineup due to injuries, captain Johnny Russell (hamstring) subbing on in the 61st minute for his first appearance of the season.

But the Sounders (3-1-1) were without six players — three starters — due to the FIFA men’s international window. To compensate, Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer shifted midfielder Cristian Roldan back to cover for his brother, Alex as right fullback. The positioning was a first for Cristian since 2018.

Morris moved up top and Chu received his first start of the season on the left wing. Midfielder Josh Atencio also received his first start of the season and played alongside Joao Paulo while veteran Kelyn Rowe replaced Nouhou at left fullback.

Seattle was without Raul Ruidiaz (Peru), Alex (El Salvador), Nouhou (Cameroon), backup center back Xavier Arreaga (Ecuador) and U.S. youth men’s national team midfielders Obed Vargas and Reed Baker-Whiting due to call-ups.

The changes were exposed on Agada’s goal

SKC forward Daniel Salloi cut through the new defensive look to open up the chance. Cristian and Atencio read Salloi’s dribble wrong, the latter taking a shot from the top edge of the box.

Sounders keeper Stefan Frei blocked the shot but not enough to prevent Agada from picking up the rebound and chipping it into the net for his first goal of the season.

But Chu was just getting warmed up for a hat trick in assists. The first highlighted his speed, the second in the 54th minute showed off patience and footwork. For his third in the 77th minute, Chu sent in a lob that Morris headed down.

Lodeiro had a textbook cross into Morris for a goal in the 69th minute. Morris is the third player in a road match to have for or more and first since Clint Mathis pocketed five in 2000. Morris has seven goals overall this season.

In addition to ending a franchise-record 10-game winless skid on the road, the Sounders broke SKC’s seven-match home unbeaten streak. Kansas City had only conceded one goal in their previous five home matches.