Georgi Minoungou's first goal helps the Sounders surpass the Whitecaps

Georgi Minoungou scored his first MLS goal as the Seattle Sounders defeated the host Vancouver Whitecaps 3-0 in a Cascadia Cup clash on Wednesday.

Albert Rusnak had a goal and two assists, Paul Rothrock also did and Jordan Morris had two assists for the Sounders (15-9-8, 53 points), who moved into third place in the Western Conference. Goalkeeper Stefan Frei made three saves while keeping a clean sheet.

Vancouver (13-10-8, 47 points) was without captain Ryan Gauld for the second straight game because of a knee injury. The Whitecaps finished the game with 10 men after Fafa Picault received a second yellow card from referee Chris Penso in the 88th minute.

The Sounders opened the scoring in the 14th minute. Rusnak's corner from the right wing was headed at the far post by Morris. Minoungou, a 22-year-old newcomer from Ivory Coast, was there and hit the ball into the net with his right thigh from a meter away.

Midway through the second half, the Sounders tied the game with two goals two minutes apart.

Rusnak fired a penalty kick into the bottom left corner of the net and out of the reach of Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka in the 65th minute. The penalty came after Rothrock was brought down by defender Ranko Veselinovic just to the top right of the 18-yard penalty area.

The Sounders made it 3-0 with a counterattack in the 67th minute. Rusnak sent a through ball to Rothrock on the left wing, and Rothrock dribbled into the box before shooting with his left foot from 10 yards out into the net on the other side.

The Whitecaps' best chance to score came in the 58th minute when Frei was caught chasing a cross outside the net. A 12-yard shot from Pedro Vite was cleared off the goal line by defender Nouhou Tolo.

The Sounders prevented Vancouver from winning its second straight Cascadia Cup title in the annual three-way competition that also includes Portland. The winner of this trophy will be determined after Seattle meets the Timbers in the regular season finale.

–Field level media