Ethan Horvath's Six Saves Earn Red Bulls a 0-0 Draw With Sounders in Seattle

Seattle took 20 shots. Seattle hit the post. Seattle hit the crossbar. And every time the Sounders looked up, Ethan Horvath was standing in the way like a bouncer with a strict guest list.

Horvath made six saves as the New York Red Bulls and Seattle Sounders FC played to a 0-0 draw on Saturday night at Lumen Field. Andrew Thomas made four saves of his own at the other end, and the clean sheets were shared, but there was no question which goalkeeper had the busier evening in front of 31,691 fans.

The Sounders Knock, Horvath Answers

Seattle came out on the front foot with two returning regulars in the lineup. Cristian Roldan and Jordan Morris both started, their first starts since May 24 and July 16, respectively, according to the club. Roldan had a header blocked in the ninth minute, and Paul Rothrock headed just wide after a corner in the same minute.

Horvath's first real test came in the 19th minute, when Albert Rusnák got on the end of a Dejan Joveljic pass in the middle of the box and the keeper saved it. New York blocked a flurry of efforts from Roldan, Nouhou Tolo and Joveljic around the half-hour mark, and the Red Bulls' best first-half looks fell to Jorge Ruvalcaba, who missed in the 16th minute, and Cade Cowell, whose shot from distance Thomas saved in the 43rd.

Horvath needed treatment in the 35th minute and stayed on, while Seattle lost right back Kalani Kossa-Rienzi to an injury and sent on Snyder Brunell in the 38th. Morris forced a save from Horvath in the 42nd, and Julián Bazán also needed treatment just before the break.

Woodwork and Wonder Saves

Seattle swapped Morris for Sebastian Gomez at halftime, and the second half opened with New York's best chance to that point: Julian Hall, set up by Cowell, forced Thomas into a save from the center of the box in the 48th.

Then the Sounders pushed. Brunell, the first-half substitute, hit the right post from a tight angle in the 53rd minute after a Peter Kingston cross. Horvath denied Rothrock in the 57th and kept out a Rusnák drive from outside the box, bound for the top right corner, in the 65th.

The 70th minute was Horvath's signature moment. Kingston crossed for Joveljic, whose header was bound for the top of the net until Horvath kept it out. In the same minute, Brunell fired from the right side of the box and Horvath got down to stop that one too. Rothrock then put a shot from the left side of the six-yard box high and wide in the 76th, a glaring miss.

New York nearly stole it. Hall found himself in the six-yard box in the 74th minute and Thomas saved, and substitute Eric Choupo-Moting forced another save in the first minute of stoppage time. But the final word nearly belonged to Seattle: in the 94th minute, substitute Paul Arriola, back for his first action since Aug. 1 after a quad injury per the club, smashed a shot from outside the box off the crossbar.

Horvath's Night, Brunell's Chance

Ethan Horvath was the best player on the field. Six saves, many from point-blank range by the club's account, and his second clean sheet of the season. Head coach Michael Bradley agreed.

"Ethan had a really good game and we are really happy for him," Bradley said. "He has had a bunch of nights this year where he has been really key for us, and when you come here and you play against a team like Seattle in this environment, you know you are going to need some big plays from your goalkeeper. Ethan was there for us when we needed him."

Snyder Brunell almost stole the show off the bench. Two shots, one on target, one off the post, all after entering in the 38th minute for an injured teammate.

Albert Rusnák was Seattle's most dangerous creator, putting both of his shots on target and teeing up three first-half attempts. Andrew Thomas made four saves to earn what the club called his sixth clean sheet of the year.

The Red Bulls also leaned on youth. According to the club, New York's starting lineup was the youngest in MLS history, with an average age of 22 years and 24 days. Cameron Harper made his 100th career MLS appearance off the bench, and David Ruiz and Devin Padelford both made their Red Bulls debuts.

The Double Save That Saved a Point

The match turned at the 70th minute. Seattle had built up a head of steam, two of its best chances arrived within seconds of each other, and Horvath denied both. Either one goes in and this is a very different recap. Instead, New York, which made 28 clearances and 18 interceptions, rode the wave out.

"It was really important, as a team, that we got the clean sheet," Horvath said. "Be positive and leave Seattle on a good start to the away trip."

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Seattle 20, New York 9. On target: Seattle 6, New York 4.
• Saves: Horvath 6, Thomas 4.
• Woodwork: Seattle hit the post and the crossbar.
• Interceptions: New York 18, Seattle 5.
• Corners: Seattle 9, New York 7.

Even on Points, Different Moods

The draw leaves the clubs level on 27 points. Seattle moved to 7-6-9, sitting 13th in the Western Conference at the time of the club's writing, and stretched its unbeaten run to three matches, all draws, according to the club. The Sounders, coached by Brian Schmetzer, visit the LA Galaxy next Saturday. Seattle leads the all-time series 7-5-4, per the club, with a 6-1-2 mark against New York at Lumen Field.

New York moved to 7-6-10. A week after a 3-1 home loss to the Philadelphia Union, Bradley got the response he wanted.

"It was a really strong response in terms of intensity, in terms of competitiveness, and in terms of commitment," Bradley said. "This was a real team effort and a really big step for us in the growth and maturity of this team."

The Red Bulls stay on the road for a Wednesday visit to LAFC, where they will be without Ronald Donkor, who picked up a yellow card in first-half stoppage time and will serve a suspension for yellow card accumulation, according to the club.

Not a Classic, But a Statement

This will not go in a time capsule. But for a young Red Bulls team, a road point on the turf in Seattle, earned with a goalkeeper playing like the final boss in a video game, is the kind of night that builds belief. For Seattle, it was another case of the right ideas and the wrong finish.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes and match notes as reported by the New York Red Bulls (newyorkredbulls.com) and Seattle Sounders FC (soundersfc.com).