The shorthanded Seattle Sounders couldn’t keep pace with Columbus Crew SC in their Wednesday evening road clash at MAPFRE Stadium, ultimately falling 3-0 following goals by Frederico Higuain, Justin Meram and Ola Kamara.
Higuain and Meram notched two well-taken distance tallies in the first 21 minutes, while Kamara added the dagger just after second half kickoff to pace the hosts.
Starting the game without star forwards Clint Dempsey and Jordan Morris (US national team duty), center backs Chad Marshall (rest) and Roman Torres (hamstring), as well as midfielder Harry Shipp (hip flexor) and right back Brad Evans (rest), Seattle struggled to contain Crew SC throughout the contest after Higuain’s 10th-minute opener.