Sounders Lack Creativity Lose 1-0 To Nashville In Home Opener

Call it a hangover, tired legs, lack of downtime. What you saw from the Sounders in the first half against Nashville was a team that lacked continuity up and down the pitch. Nashville was well aware that the Sounders were four days removed from a convincing but mentally draining 5-0 win over  FC Motagua in the CONCACAF  Scotia Bank Champions League round of 16 tournament win.

 In Sunday’s MLS opener Schmetzer left Nicolas Lodeiro on the bench to start the match and was without the services of marksmen  Raul Ruidiaz.  Samuel Adeniran started upfront with Jordan Morris, Albert Rusnak, and  Cristian Roldan playing a  three across the midfield. Joao Paulo and Obed Vargas played behind the trio and through the first 45 minutes of the game, the Sounders were never able to be goal dangerous. Nashville keeper Joe Willis was rarely tested and not even sure he broke a sweat.

NO CHANGES IN THE SECOND HALF

The  Sounders were never goal dangerous. No runners in the box, no passes with intention, and more disturbing was sloppy defending by the backline.

 Give credit to Nashville which started with four in the back and dropped midfielder Dax McCarty to form a  back five that made it difficult for the Sounders to create anything offensively.  The Sounder’s lack of creativity cost them dearly in the 80^th minute.

OPPORTUNISTIC  GAME-WINNER

A short clearance fell right to the feet of Nashville’s Randall Leal, who delivered a low cross from the right flank that found Godoy, who was able to finish it over a diving Stefan Frei for the game-winning score.