It was somewhat remarkable that Will Bruin was even able to hoist his arms in celebration Sunday night after his 69th minute header had opened the scoring with the game’s first and only goal.
Bruin had forced his way back into the starting lineup via sheer will only 15 days after being helped from the field with a dislocated elbow. His Sounders team, humiliated against Columbus last week, had been lifeless on an attack left shredded by Bruin’s injury and the national team call-ups for Clint Dempsey and Jordan Morris.
But with Bruin back in there Sunday, shoving, bumping and thrusting his way in to position, the Sounders got just the offense needed for a 1-0 win over a Houston Dynamo squad that looked nothing like the club it had faced in the season opener.