Raúl Ruidíaz came into Sunday’s match in a bit of a slump. Over his past 10 regular-season matches, the striker had just one goal from open play and no assists. If that sounds off, it’s probably because in between those regular-season matches, Ruidíaz had four goals and four assists during last year’s MLS Cup run.
Apparently, he was just waiting for another big game to get back on track.
Facing the newly crowned MLS is Back Tournament champion Portland Timbers, Ruidíaz broke out of any semblance of a slump by scoring two goals and adding an assist in the Sounders’ 3-0 win.