The Seattle Sounders took advantage of the shorthanded Columbus Crew in their weekend showdown to come up with a promising 4-0 win. Albert Rusnak took charge of their massive run with a hat-trick to pull off a much-needed win for the club as they inch closer to the top four in the league standings of the Western Conference.

Rusnak scored three goals, Jordan Morris pitched in an assist and a goal of his own, and the shining defense of the Seattle Sounders proved to be crucial in fending off a shorthanded Columbus Crew after they pulled a clean sheet on the Leagues Cup champions and defending MLS Cup winners at 4-0.

The match was originally set to be played on June 1st but was moved later on after Columbus secured the final in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. The Crew missed a few of its key players, such as Cucho Hernández, Mohamed Farsi, Steven Moreira, and Nicholas Hagen due to international duties. Columbus would have clinched a playoff spot had they managed to win against the Sounders.

A Career Night for Rusnak

Rusnak was a shining platter for the Sounders in the game. Neither team actually had a great start in the first five minutes, before the Seattle star went on to net a free kick from outside the box in the sixth minute of stoppage time, giving the Sounders a 1-0 lead at halftime while Crew keeper Abraham Romero was shipped off with a red card in his league debut.

Morris would go on to add a goal of his own in the 60th minute to push the Sounders to a 2-0 lead on the assist of Paul Rothrock – making his the second of his campaign. Rusnak would then continue his barrage in the 67th minute with his second goal and later scored his third and final goal of the day on the assist from Morris as he put the game to bed early. That wrapped up a massive career night for Rusnak, who has been deadly efficient on the scoring end for the Sounders so far.

The game is a legacy night for Rusnak, who is expected to be out of contract come winter. He is expected to be offered a new contract by the Sounders in the offseason, but they will have to build around him if they plan to stay on the winning track at this point in time.

By the Numbers

The Sounders dominated the game right from the start and clearly had full control. They had 16 shots attempted while also going for seven shots on target. They completed a total of 519 passes on 88% accuracy. The team also capitalized on offsides and corners to come up with an impressive scoring possession, which allowed them to pull off the massive win.

Critics have already pointed out in the past few months and weeks that the Sounders aren’t really much of a team with a playoff finesse, but it does seem that beating the defending champions without their full might can’t really be a good sample size as well. However, it is worth noting that whatever they’re doing right now, it is definitely working towards their case.

The Sounders now improve to a 12-9-7 record while tallying 43 points, just a few wins behind the Colorado Rapids, and a few points from joining the race the to the top spot in the Western Conference.