It’s been a long, long time since we were able to discuss a Seattle Sounders win. If you want to be exact, 140 days have passed. And somehow it feels twice as long.
The Sounders hoped to start the MLS in the Back Tournament with a bang, but they only managed 1 point in their first two games against Chicago and San Jose. With their backs to the wall, facing elimination, Seattle staged a classic performance by the Sounders by defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-0. Here are the five things we learned from this game.
Appears when it counts
The Sounders entered this tournament as a favorite to lift the trophy in the end (there is a trophy, right?), But some key injuries and two mediocre games put the team behind the 8-ball. And that’s where they like it. to be. It’s definitely a tired and over-simplified storytelling right now, but the Sounders constantly show up in these kinds of games they must win. Wilting under pressure is not something this team does, especially under the leadership of head coach Brian Schmetzer.
“They have strong minds. It goes back a long time. Schmetzer said at his post-game press conference. “This team has always had a winning tradition. It is based on the mentality that this group never quits, never claims to die. They do their best to win games. They are rewarded for their mentality and effort. “
The race is by no means over. The Sounders secured a place in the round of 16 with their victory on Sunday night, but they will have to watch the score a bit to see who they end up playing in the next round.
Much has happened in the past four months. I don’t blame you for a second if you forgot what was going on in the world of soccer. But let me remind you of one thing right now: Jordan Morris is very, very good at soccer. Like, really freaking out. He now has 12 goals and nine assists in his last 25 MLS appearances. That’s the kind of “Best XI” of our boy.
If you don’t want to believe me because I’m a Morris certified Stan, take MLS analyst Matt Doyle at his word.
Armchair Analyst: Jordan Morris has leveled up once again and arguably the best winger in the league (a non-Carlos Vela edition).
In all club and country competitions, he is now 18g / 16a in his last 36 games.
It is much, much better than I thought it would be. pic.twitter.com/irOrwYOgOi
– Matthew Doyle (@ MattDoyle76) July 20, 2020
There are no healthy backs?
Not everything was cheery for the Sounders at Disney World on Sunday night. Xavier Arreaga needed to leave after receiving a ball to his head in the 68th minute. Yeimar Gómez Andrade needed to be substituted in the previous game, and he missed the final game of the group stage with an injury. That leads the Sounders to a healthy midfielder at Shane O’Neill.
Depending on when the Sounders play, we may have to see a creative solution in the back of Seattle. Gustav Svensson, Jordy Delem and Josh Atencio have a reasonable amount of experience at center, but none of them would start there under ideal circumstances.
It should be noted that Schmetzer said this about Arreaga after the game: “Okay, he’s a tough kid.” I took it off as a precaution.
Raúl and Nico play well, Seattle plays well
I’m not a very smart person, but I do know a few things about Major League Soccer. One of those things is this: if your DPs play well, your team will play well. That’s exactly the difference between the Sounders’ first two games and their game against Vancouver.
The first game against San José was Nicolás Lodeiro’s first competitive game since the MLS Cup final on November 10, 2019. That’s almost seven months without a real game. That is a long time! It makes sense that it was a little rusty. But fortunately, he shook himself and returned to the classic Nico we know and love.
As for Raúl Ruidiaz, the smooth start to the tournament is a little more puzzling. Even scorers can hit a funk I guess. But I am happy to see Raúl back in the minutes.
Nouhou choo choo’d
At some point it must be said that no one should draw lasting conclusions based on what we see happening in this tournament. Some really good teams play like bad teams, and some really bad teams play like good teams! It’s just a handful of games after four months of nothing in the middle of a literal theme park.
With that said, I think we should be watching the progression of Nouhou’s game. The game against Vancouver was the most complete performance I’ve ever seen for Nouhou, maybe ever. His intensity and commitment to the future caused the Sounders to be aggressive and set the pace. He made a few key defensive stops to help keep a clean sheet. His step and movement was very, very smart. We even had a classic Nouhou moment when everyone in the world knew he was going to take a photo. It would be great if we could continue to see this kind of performance by Nouhou.
Now is your turn. What did you learn from this match?
