Fredy Montero’s penalty kick seconds before halftime gave the Seattle Sounders a 1-0 lead and all the momentum, they would need to move past Club Leon in Leg Two of the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals match. The Sounders surrendered a stoppage-time goal on an exquisite header by Leon forward Fidel Ambriz.
The Sounders lost the battle but won the war. The Leg one 3-0 victory at Lumen Field nine days earlier gave the visitors a comfortable cushion that saw them advance 4-1 on the aggregate score. The Rave Green will now host New York City FC on April 6th in the first of two legs in the Semi-Final Round
SOLID DEFENSIVE PLAN
The late goal was a bit of a disappointment and a warning sign head coach Brian Schmetzer is sure to use as a teaching moment. Great teams defend to the end. As the stakes mount concentration from the first whistle to the last whistle is a must. Schmetzer’s message to the team won’t be all negative. The team executed the overall defensive strategy of staying compacted in the middle and pushing the Leon attack to the outside flanks. Schmetzer stacked three center backs as part of a five-man backline which proved a difficult task for the home side.
Leon likes to cross balls into the box then pounce on them. With three center backs flanked by a fullback on each side finding the time to cross the ball was difficult and finding an open man inside the crowded Sounders was mission impossible for much of the match.
BACKLINE ADJUSTMENT
Leading up to the game Schmetzer stressed that the team was going down to Mexico to win and not defend. A little bit of coach speaks no doubt. But close to the truth. With a 3-0 aggregate lead to start the game, no one thought the Sounders would throw caution into the wind and abandon any resemblance of defense. The question was always going to be how long the Sounders would defend before turning their covetous eyes to the goal.
For the first fifteen minutes the Sounders back five of Kelyn Rowe, Nohou, Jackson Ragan, Xavier Arreaga, and Alex Roldan were absorbing the Leon pressure, but a lot of the defending was being done in front of goal. The technical shift to push the backline further away from goalkeeper Stefan Frei in the 25th minute created space between him the defense. This game Frei better sightlines for would be crosses by Leon.
LETHAL COUNTER ATTACKING
The pushing up of the back five clocked the midfield to the Sounders’ favor in that Jordan Morris and Cristian Roldan moved out to the touchline. The move caused Leon midfielders Elias Hernandez and Jean Meness into defensive marking roles which created openings in the Leon midfielder. The extra space in midfield allowed Joao Paulo and Albert Rusnak time and space with the ball when the Sounders had ball possession and became goal dangerous.
BIG TAKE AWAY
While it’s still evolving Schmetzer, and his coaching staff has turned the Sounders into a lethal counterattack. To be a good counter-attacking team all players have to be defensive-minded first, be able to guard both space and man, and anticipate runs and loose balls. Once the skills of identifying, read, are mastered there is part three. Finding open lanes to fill on the fast break. The final piece of the puzzle is to have play markers who can turn from defense to offense on the drop of a dime. Paulo, Rusnak, and Cristina Roldan were made for those roles. Give credit to Schmetzer for understanding the strength of his players and forming a system that plays to their strength.
