Seattle Sounders FC forward Osaze De Rosario (95) delivers the game-winning goal just shy of the 89th minute to secure the victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (Photo: Luis Torres | The Podium Finish)
SEATTLE — Never count out Seattle Sounders FC, especially when an opportunity arises for a player coming off the bench. That player was Sounders forward Osaze De Rosario, who scored the game-winning goal to put away the San Jose Earthquakes 3-2 at Lumen Field on Wednesday.
De Rosario entered the game at the 74th minute when the match was tied 2-2 after a Preston Judd goal tied it up for the Earthquakes five minutes prior.
As the clock was near the 89th minute, De Rosario shined after Nouhou Tolo passed the wall in his direction and went for the striker header to put the ball into the net. Earthquakes goalkeeper Daniel could not stop the strike as the rest of the Sounders teammates celebrated with De Rosario.
Wednesday’s victory was a highlight of overcoming adversity as the Sounders had to rally from behind two minutes into the match when a goal by Earthquakes midfielder Nick Fernandez set them back.
San Jose Earthquakes struck first in the goal column after Nick Fernandez (20) put them ahead of the Sounders 1-0 in the second minute of the match on Wednesday, May 13 2026. (Photo: Luis Torres | The Podium Finish)
From there, the Sounders scratched and clawed their way to tie the game at the 43rd minute after a penalty goal by midfielder Albert Rusnák.
At one point, the Sounders took the 2-1 lead after a tremendous drive by striker Jesus Ferreira at the 55th minute which saw him go nearly the entire pitch.
Judd’s goal tied the game, putting the Sounders back into the game known as ‘sense of urgency’. The goal by De Rosario, a striker who does not get a lot of minutes, highlighted both his capitalization of his time and the overall tenacity of the Sounders squad.
“As a player, when you’re in a situation where you’re not getting a lot of minutes, every minute really counts,” said De Rosario after the match. “When you do come on the field, you got to be ready. When my opportunity came, I made sure I was calmed and collected and just put the ball across the net.”
The Sounders forward explained the halftime mood in the locker room where the entire team knew allowing an early goal was not part of their repertoire.
“We got some kickback from the coach (Brian Schmetzer) like that,” said De Rosario. “We came out flying in the second half to get that goal and to get the other goal shows how much great desire we have to win these kinds of games. Even if we started off really bad, we were able to come back and fix our wrongs. Bring across the finish line at the end of the game.
Sounders forward Jesus Ferreira (9) going for the individual goal that put Seattle ahead 2-1 in the 55th minute of the match. (Photo: Luis Torres | The Podium Finish)
Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer explained his dissatisfaction with his team at halftime and elaborated how their motivation turned things around in the second half of the match.
Notably, mentioning each goal scorer’s contributions, not just from Wednesday’s match, but the organization as a whole.
“We didn’t play well in the first half. We didn’t,” said Schmetzer. “Albert stepping up to take that penalty is not always easy. It’s not as always automatic as you think. It’s kind of against the run-of-play or within the play, but he’s almost always automatic.
“Then you look at Jesus, someone who is a motivated guy, he scores a brilliant individual goal. Going from one 18-yard box to the other.
“And then you get Osaze, who’s been doing the work,” Schmetzer continued. “He’s stayed after it because he’s been out of the team, but he stays after it. He works with Freddy (Juarez, assistant coach), Tommy (Dutra, Club Director of Goalkeeping) is getting him with the goalkeepers and everything. He makes the most of the opportunity.
“I don’t have to motivate those guys with World Cup games. That’s a motivated group right there to win games for the Seattle Sounders.”
The moment the Seattle Sounders FC had the match in control and securing the Heritage Cup thanks to Osaze De Rosario, who entered in the 74th minute. (Photo: Luis Torres | The Podium Finish)
Towards the end of the match, the Earthquakes bench got heated, which saw assistant coach David Sarachan get sent off while head coach Bruce Arena was given a yellow card, something Arena was not aware until the match had concluded.
When the final whistle was blown, the Sounders earned three coveted points and improved their record to 7-3-1. The Earthquakes, who earned their second loss of the 2026 MLS season, dropped to 9-2-2. Ironically, both defeats have come at the hands of the Sounders on what has been a historic start to the Earthquakes season.
Additionally, the Sounders have secured the Heritage Cup Trophy, the annual tradition between the two clubs who have kept their North American Soccer League name as Wednesday’s match marked the series finale between the two coveted franchises.
Furthermore, a loss by the Earthquakes knocked them down to second in the MLS Western Conference standings. The Vancouver Whitecaps FC take the top spot via a tiebreaker as they only have one loss compared to the Earthquakes’ two. Meanwhile, the Sounders move up from fourth in the conference standings to third at 24 points, trailing both the Whitecaps and the Earthquakes by five points.
The Sounders will look to continue their winning ways as they will face the LA Galaxy on Saturday, May 16 (9:00 p.m. ET on Apple TV and FS1) in its final match at Lumen Field before the FIFA World Cup break.
