In what is becoming an all too familiar scene the Sounders started on the front foot with an intention to score. A Nicolas Lodeiro pass in the 7th minute found Jordan Morris whose right-footed shot forced a save by Chicago Fire keeper Gabriel Slonina. A follow-up header by Yeimar Gomez forced another save by Slonina. Rather than stay on top of their opponents the Sounders have been retreating and allowing teams to find their rhythm and confidence.
RETREATING GIVES OPPONENTS CONFIDENCE
After the two saved shot attempts the Sounders, retreat saw the Fire gain confidence and possession due to multiple turnovers by Seattle in the middle of the field. A poor clearance by Yeimar in the 18th minute created a point-blank shot by Kacper Przybylko. Fortunately for the Sounders keeper, Stefan Cleveland was up to the task and saved the German International’s shot.
CHICAGO FIRE CONTINUES PRESSURE
The Sounder’s head-scratching play continued, and the Fire made them pay in the 23rd minute. After another poor defensive clearance, the Sounders backline walked up the field rather than draw a high line which would have pushed Chicago’s forwards upfield. A Chicago cross into the Sounders backline found a wide-open Rafael Czicho who headed the ball past Sounders keeper Stefan Cleveland to give the home side the 1-0 lead.
POSSESSION BUT NO GOAL
Second-half substitutions and a tactical change of bringing Nicolas Lodeiro into the number six position enable the Sounders to dominate the possession battle. In soccer, the name of the game is to outscore your opponents. Winning the possession game is of no consequence if you do not score. The addition of Alex Roldan for Kelyn Rowe, Leo Chu for Will Bruin, Freddy Montero for Daniel Leyva, Dylan Teves for Nouhou,and Ragen Jackson for Xavier Arreaga made had significant impacts on the game but no equalizer.
BIG TAKE AWAY
If it looks like the current Sounders form is an episode from the Walking Dead that is because it is. The Sounders have played three games in seven days and lost all three of those. The first loss was a soul-searching 3-0 loss to the Portland Timbers. Truthfully speaking the team never was the same after that loss. The squad will now have seven days before it’s next game against Colorado next Saturday at Lumen Field.
SOME MUCH-NEEDED REST
Head coach Brian Schmetzer revealed in his post-game press conference that the team will get the next two days off to recover. Much needed recovery time for the team to put the last three losses in the past and move on.
