At some point Sounders, head coach Brian Schmetzer will stop his mantra of we are out to win every game. Every press conference pre, post, and sometime mid practice or game Schmetzer finds a way to slip in the said mantra. That is no surprise every great coach in every sport knows repetition is the bedrock of consistency which leads to greatness.
In soccer a tie can be a win depending on the context and circumstances one uses as the measuring stick. On Sunday the Sounders earned a 1-1 draw at Austin FC. Sunday’s draw at Austin was three days removed from another draw. A 1-1 versus Club Leon at Estadio Leon stadium in Mexico. The draw saw the Sounders move into the Semifinal Round of the CONCACAF Scotiabank Champions League tournament. Yes, call that a win.
MISSING SOME FIREPOWER
On Sunday the Sounders were missing Stefan Frei (Right quad tendinitis)
Yeimar Gómez Andrade (Right high ankle sprain), Nico Lodeiro (Health & safety protocols), Jimmy Medranda (Left hamstring strain) , Raúl Ruidíaz (Right hamstring strain), and Andrew Thomas (Right calf strain). All but Thomas are not just starters but considered some of the best at their positions in the MLS.
Schmetzer inserted Leo Chu ( midfielder), Obed Vargas, midfielder) , Stefan Cleveland ( goalkeeper ), and Will Bruin as the lone striker. The bench consisted of Joshua Atencio, Jordan Morris , Fredy Montero, and Kelyn Rowe. On paper, it looked like Schmetzer would hunker down and hope for a counterattack or mistake by Austin.
PATIENTLY WAITING
Schmetzer and his coaching staff have found a strategy that works for the talented and deep Rave Green roster. Regardless of who is in the game, stay patient when defending and playing from the back and take each opportunity to get downfield with a quickness.
BESIEGED
On Sunday the Sounders spent the first fifteen minutes hunkered down in defense. Austin had three corner kicks in the first five minutes of the game. Credit the Sounders who were calm under pressure and stuck to the game plan. The Sounder’s first respite came in the eight-minute when Will Bruin earned a free-kick which allowed the team to collect its breath and wits. Once they found their footing in the game with short and swift passes the Sounders turned the tables on the home side. With midfield position, the Sounders found room in the flanks. A Cristian Roldan sprint down the right flank with the ball dangling off his laces ended with an exquisite pass to Bruin who was made a run towards the near post and somehow willed the ball into the back of the net. No pun intended.
WILD SECOND HALF
As expected Austin raced out of the halftime break with determination, vigor, and breathing fire in pursuit of the equalizer. After scoring five goals in their first two games at home both wins Austin FC was humbled 1-0 at Portland and out for revenge. The 1-0 deficit at halftime was acceptable. Austin threw caution to the wind and threw everyone but the goalkeeper towards the Sounders in pursuit of the equalizer. The home side’s determination paid a dividend in the 70th minute on a Diego Fagundez gooalso.
The last twenty minutes were a simple heavyweight slugfest. Both sides made late substitution’s with the Schmetzer inserting Montero and Morris in search of the game-winner. Cleveland made two game-saving saves and his buddy the goal post one. With the international break at hand, the Sounders will not play another game until April 2nd. The Rave Green will take on Minnesota United FC at Allianz Field.
ONE NAGGING TREND
A nagging trend for the Sounders is the penchant for allowing late games. In both draws against Leon and Austin, the Sounders gave up leads. The goals were well earned by the opposition. The question is whether this will be a trend or an aberration.
UP NEXT POST GAME NOTES
POST GAME NOTES
MATCH NOTES
- Sounders FC is now 1-2-1 on the season and 3-2-3 across all competitions in 2022.
- Sunday marked Seattle’s third all-time meeting against Austin FC after going 1-0-1 against the 2021 expansion side last year.
- Will Bruin recorded his first start and scored his first goal of the 2022 campaign on Sunday. His 75 career strikes rank ninth among all MLS active players.
- Cristian Roldan’s assist on Bruin’s goal gives the midfielder a team-leading six helpers across all competitions this year (two in MLS play).
- João Paulo recorded his first assist of 2022 on Bruin’s goal. The Brazilian led the club with 11 helpers in 2021.
- Stef Cleveland made his first start of 2022, replacing Stefan Frei (quad tendinitis) for today’s match and amassing seven saves over the course of the game. The 27-year-old started 15 regular-season appearances in 2021 while Frei was injured, allowing 17 goals and recording three shutouts.
- Head Coach Brian Schmetzer deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation to start today’s match, with four personnel changes from Thursday’s contest at Club León: Stefan Cleveland, Obed Vargas, Léo Chú and Will Bruin replaced Stefan Frei, Kelyn Rowe, Jordan Morris and Fredy Montero.
- Due to injuries to Frei and Andrew Thomas, Tacoma Defiance goalkeeper Wallis Lapsley was on the bench today via a Short Term Agreement, with Sounders FC qualifying for Extreme Hardship.
- Josh Atencio made his first appearance of the 2022 season after missing the first seven matches due to injury. The 20-year-old midfielder started 18 of his 24 appearances last season, tallying two assists.
MATCH SUMMARY
Seattle Sounders FC 1 – Austin FC 1
Sunday, March 20, 2022
Venue: Q2 Stadium
Referee: Lukasz Szpala
Assistants: CJ Morgante, Jeffrey Greeson
Fourth Official: Armando Villarreal
VAR: Kevin Stott
Attendance: 20,738
Weather: 78 degrees and sunny
SCORING SUMMARY
SEA – Will Bruin (Cristian Roldan, João Paulo) 43’
ATX – Diego Fagúndez 70’
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
SEA – Jackson Ragen (caution) 58’
SEA – Alex Roldan (caution) 77’
LINEUPS & STATS
Seattle Sounders FC – Stefan Cleveland; Alex Roldan, Jackson Ragen, Xavier Arreaga, Nouhou (Abdoulaye Cissoko 64’); João Paulo, Obed Vargas, Cristian Roldan (Josh Atencio 88’), Albert Rusnák (Kelyn Rowe 64’), Léo Chú (Jordan Morris 56’); Will Bruin (Fredy Montero 56’)
Substitutes not used: Will Lapsley, Sam Adeniran, Reed Baker-Whiting, Danny Leyva
Total shots: 14
Shots on goal: 4
Fouls: 6
Offside: 3
Corner-kicks: 4
Saves: 7
Austin FC – Brad Stuver; Ruben Gabrielsen, Julio Cascante, Zan Kolmanic (Hector Jiménez 82’), Nick Lima (Jon Gallagher 82’); Dani Pereira (Felipe 82’), Sebastian Driussi, Alex Ring; Moussa Djitté (Maxi Urruti 57’), Cecilio Domínguez, Ethan Finlay (Diego Fagúndez 57’)
Substitutes not used: Jhojan Valencia, Danny Hoesen, Kipp Keller, Andrew Tarbell
Total shots: 21
Shots on goal: 8
Fouls: 12
Offside: 1
Corner-kicks: 9
Saves: 3