Sebastian Gomez, the 20-year-old Seattle native who joined the Sounders Academy at age 11, powered a low shot past the Querétaro keeper in the fourth minute of his first-ever professional start Sunday, Aug. 9, at Lumen Field.
He added an assist on Albert Rusnák's 68th-minute goal and earned Man of the Match honors.
The Sounders routed Liga MX's Querétaro FC 3-0 in Leagues Cup Phase One play, snapping a seven-match losing streak in all competitions, the longest in club history dating to 1974. Seattle hadn't won since May 13.
Gomez's strike was tied for the second-fastest goal by a player making his first start in Sounders history, according to the club's match recap.
"It kind of happened in slow-mo," Gomez told The Seattle Times after Sunday's match. "I saw the ball coming across and it was a great feeling when it hit the back of the net."
Gomez's path traces the full Sounders development pipeline. He entered the Academy in October 2017, played on the U-17 team that won the 2022 Generation Adidas Cup, then starred for Tacoma Defiance in MLS NEXT Pro with five goals and six assists in 2025. The club signed him as a Homegrown Player on Jan. 13, making him the 26th in franchise history.
He is one of five Defiance players promoted to the first team in the past two seasons.
Danny Musovski doubled Seattle's lead in the 41st minute, finishing a Paul Rothrock assist for his fourth goal of the season and the first by a Sounders starting forward in 22 games across all competitions. Rusnák's finish sealed the shutout, Seattle's first clean sheet at Lumen Field since the February season opener.
The afternoon turned bittersweet when designated player Pedro de la Vega, returning from a fractured right patella that sidelined him since the end of the 2025 season, exited in the 86th minute with a new left quad injury after just 10 minutes on the pitch. The injury's severity and timeline remain unknown.
Head coach Brian Schmetzer said postgame that the early goal gave the team confidence and pointed to belief building across the roster. Before 28,306 fans on a 71-degree afternoon, the Sounders looked like a different club than the one that dropped seven straight.
Seattle (1-1-0, 3 points) sits 12th in the MLS Leagues Cup table, well behind the top four clubs at six points. The defending Leagues Cup champions face long odds to advance but host Chivas de Guadalajara in their final Phase One match Wednesday, Aug. 12, at 7:30 p.m. at Lumen Field.
Seattle Sports and Recreation Week Ahead
- Wednesday, Aug. 12, 7:30 p.m. — Lumen Field (SoDo): Sounders FC vs. Chivas de Guadalajara, Leagues Cup Phase One. Broadcast on Apple TV and El Rey 1360 AM. Seattle needs a win and results elsewhere to have any shot at advancing to the knockout rounds.
