Morris, Frei lead Sounders to 1-0 victory over Red Bulls

SANDY, UT- APRIL 29: Jordan Morris #13 of the Seattle Sounders FC pushes the ball up the field against Real Salt Lake during the first half of their game at the America First Field April 29, 2023 in Sandy, Utah.(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

Jordan Morris ended an eight-match scoreless streak with a first-half goal and Stefan Frei made it stand up in the Seattle Sounders’ 1-0 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday night.

Morris ended his scoring drought when he took passes from Léo Chú and Albert Rusnák and found the net in the 22nd minute. Morris, who scored eight goals in his first six appearances this season, had not scored a goal since a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy on April 1.

Seattle (8-5-2) held on for the win despite being forced to play a man down from the 75th minute on after João Paulo was tagged with a red card.

Frei finished with three saves to earn his league-leading eighth clean sheet of the season, helping the Sounders snap a two-match skid at home. Carlos Coronel did not make a save for the Red Bulls.

The Red Bulls (3-5-7) had a 9-8 edge in shots and a 3-1 advantage in shots on goal.

The home team has won each of the last seven match-ups between the clubs. Neither team has posted a road win in the series since both clubs pulled off the feat in 2010.

The Sounders had dropped two straight at home following a 10-match unbeaten run. Seattle has lost three straight at home in all competitions just once — spanning the 2010-11 seasons.

The Red Bulls lost for the first time in four matches (2-1-1) since coach Troy Lesesne took over the reins.

Seattle leads the Western Conference by one point over defending champion Los Angeles FC and expansion team St. Louis City.

New York travels to play Inter Miami on Wednesday. Seattle will host the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday.