By Mazvita Maraire Posted on

Sounders remain winless in MLS play after 2-0 loss to  RSL

The Sounders’ summer of soccer has begun. It’s not yet summer, but the point is that the club’s fixture congestion has commenced.  The team is making positive progress in the CONCACAF Champions League Cup and not so much in Major Soccer League play.

SLOW START


The good news is that the Sounders will host  Liga Max side  Cruz Azul on Wednesday in Leg One of the Round of 16  Concacaf Champion Cup. The not-so-good news is the club’s next ML S match will be against an undefeated  ( 2-0 ) LAFC  at home on March  8th. While it’s too early for any league contest to be labeled must-win, the LAFC match is a must-win.  The Sounders have a deep and talented team. The players are giving it their all, and head coach Brian Schmetzer is making the appropriate rotations based on early performances and load management. What is lacking is the players’ attention to detail when called upon.

https://twitter.com/SoundersFC/status/1895937326100201780

EARLY DEFENSIVE MISHAPS

The Sounders have given up six goals and scored eight. Four of the six goals given up were due to a lack of awareness. Jackson Ragen’s stoppage time gafee in the Charlotte contest was followed by a bad  Nouhou marking decision, which led to the visitors tying the game at 2-2 and splitting the spoils. The team’s 3-1 second-leg victory against Antigua FC saw the visitors take advantage of the Sounders’ shoddy high line.  A lack of communication between Stefan Frei and Nouhou resulted in the defender heading the ball back to  Frei. The problem was Frei jumped off his line, shouted leave, and stepped toward Nouhou.   Lack of awareness and attention to detail put the team in a 1-0 deficit eight minutes into the contest.

THE OFFENSE CONTINUES TO CLICK BUT LACKS CONSISTENCY.

The eight goals scored in four games by the Sounders would be a decent number were it not for Saturday’s goalless effort against  RSL.  In all fairness, the Sounders should be in double digits. A well-executed corner kick goal was called back due to an over-eager Gorgio Minoungou, who was called offside.

  Minoungou’s second misfire came in the 26th when he received an  Albert Rusnack pass right of the goal box, and instead of cutting the ball back to the top of the goal box, he elected to take a shoot, which hit the side netting.  Ten minutes later, Minougou was in a similar position with the ball, and this time, he cut the ball back to  Jordon Morris, who skyed the shot attempt. Second-half sub  Pedro  de la Vega’s cross in the 53rd minute lacked the finesse needed to find three Sounder players lurking in the box.  History repeated itself in the 77th minute when Obed Vargas’s pass from the right side lacked the sharpness to find de la Vega, cutting towards the goal. A minute later, the homeside doubled its lead to end any hopes of a Sounders comeback.

MATCH NOTES

MATCH NOTES

  • Seattle now sits in seventh in the Western Conference at the time of writing with one point (0-1-1). The club is 2-1-1 in all competitions this season, following a pair of wins over Antigua GFC in Concacaf Champions Cup action.
  • The Rave Green are 13-17-7 against Real Salt Lake all-time in the regular season. The two sides will meet later this year on August 30 at Lumen Field.
  • Jordan Morris made his 250th all-competition appearance today, now sitting alone in fourth place in club history, breaking a tie with Brad Evans.
  • Brian Schmetzer rotated his lineup from Wednesday’s Concacaf Champions Cup match versus Antigua, with Stefan Frei, Nouhou, Obed Vargas, Cristian Roldan, Georgi Minoungou, Albert Rusnák, Paul Rothrock replacing Andrew Thomas, Jackson Ragen, João Paulo, Danny Leyva, Pedro de la Vega, Jesús Ferreira and Paul Arriola.
  • Alex Roldan remained in Seattle this weekend due to the impending birth of his first child. Tacoma Defiance defender Kalani Kossa-Rienzi, who was available for today’s match via Short-Term Agreement, started in place at right back.

MATCH SUMMARY

Seattle Sounders FC 0 – Real Salt Lake 2

Saturday, March 1, 2025

Venue: America First Field

Referees: Ricardo Fierro

Assistants: Jeremy Kieso, Kali Smith

Fourth Official: Jon Freemon

VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero

Attendance: 18,853

Weather: 56 degrees and clear

SCORING SUMMARY

RSL – Own Goal (Nouhou) 8’

RSL – Forster Ajago (Diogo Gonclaves) 79’

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY

SEA – Nouhou (caution) 25’

RSL – Javain Brown (caution) 56’

RSL – Forster Ajago (caution) 90’+4’

LINEUPS & STATS

Seattle Sounders FC – Stefan Frei; Kalani Kossa-Rienzi (Jesús Ferreira 69’), Yeimar, Jonathan Bell, Nouhou (Jackson Ragen 69’); Obed Vargas, Cristian Roldan, Georgi Minoungou (Pedro de la Vega 46’), Albert Rusnák, Paul Rothrock (Paul Arriola 46’); Jordan Morris (Danny Leyva 80’)

Substitutes not used: Andrew Thomas, Cody Baker, Danny Musovski, João Paulo

Total shots: 12

Shots on goal: 3

Fouls: 10

Offside: 4

Corner-Kicks: 4

Saves: 4

Real Salt Lake – Rafael Cabral Barbosa; Justen Glad, Philip Quinton (Brayan Quinton 83’), Javain Brown (Kobi Joseph Henry 80’), Alexandros Katranis (Samuel Junqua 68’); Braian Ojeda, Diego Luna, Diogo Gonclaves, Dominik Marczuk (Bode Hidalgo 68’), Eneli; Ariath Piol (Forster Ajago 68’)

Substitutes not used: Pablo Ruiz, Nelson Palacio, Tyler Wolff, Mason Stajduhar

Total shots: 10

Shots on goal: 5

Fouls: 16

Offside: 1

Corner-kicks: 3

Saves: 3

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