By Mazvita Maraire Posted on

Sounders give up another big lead as penalty issues continue

It is becoming a bad movie that keeps repeating itself. In their last two games, the Seattle Sounders have given up 3-0 leads. Against Sporting Kansas City, the Sounders managed to hang on and grab all three points. On Wednesday, the script was similar, but the ending was not. The Sounders lost three points in their 3-3 draw with teh Colorado Rapids.

FAST START


The Sounders started on the front foot, utilizing the width of Alex Roldan, Paul Rothrock, and Jesus Ferreira’s passing expertise. The return of center back Yeimar added some security to the backline.  Yeimar missed the last four games due to a hamstring injury. The  Colombian international played the first half and was substituted by Kim  Kee-Hee at the break.  The fluid passing and movement by the Sounders put the Rapids on the back foot. After early missed opportunities by Frerria and Albert Rusnack, the Sounders drew first blood in the 15th minute. A  long pass from Ferriara found Rothrock on the edge of the box, who laid a square pass to Rusnáck, who tapped the ball to Vargas. Vargas hit a dribbler of a shot that found the back of the net for the 1-0 lead.

CONTINUED PRESSURE

Continued pressure saw the Sounders nearly double their lead four minutes later when Vargas turned passer with a triple line-breaking pass that found a streaking Ferreria.  The ball got stuck in his feet, and his shot was saved by an alert Stefan. The Rapids had two decent half-chances that Andrew Thomas thwarted.  Rusnâck missed a sitter in the 41st minute but made up for his amends and doubled the homeside a minute later. After the Rusnáck miss, the Sounders continued to pressure the Rapids.    With the ball at his feet, Stefan tried to elude an onrushing Ferreria. Stefan’s downhill pass went directly to Jackson Ragen. Ragen headed the ball to Rusnâck, whose half-volley shot from distance landed into the empty net .

  FROM GOOD TO DISASTER

Three minutes into the second half, the Sounders extended the lead to 3-0. A Danny Musoviski square at the edge of the box found a wide open Rusnâck, who slotted the ball past a sprawling Stefan for the brace.  The Sounders pulled their foot off the accelerator and went into cruise control, paying a hefty price.   Three minutes later, Cristian Roldan gave up a penalty after whiffing on an attempted clearance.  Rafael Navarro stole the ball from Roldan, who then fouled in the box. Djorde Mihailovic whizzed past a diving Thomas.  The converted PK gave The Rapids a lifeline they grabbed with both hands and pulled themselves back into the game.

  BAD TO WORSE

 Three minutes after the first penalty, the Sounders gave up their second penalty of the game.  Thomas sprang from his goal line and tried to intercept a pass intended for an onrushing Navarro to his right. Thomas got a hand on the ball but clattered into  Navarro. Cole Basset’s converted PK narrowed the Sounders’ lead to just one goal.  It was the second consecutive game in which the Sounders have given  up two penalities in two consecutive games.

“If you’re talking about the cheap penalties, let’s just address that two games in a row. I mean, Christian doesn’t see the guy coming. Kim Keehe needs to get a better clearance, “said Schmetzer . “ 
So that’s one. It’s a different player than the other two. Then second penalty. 
I mean, Andrew’s a young goalkeeper. And, you know, he needs to stay on his line. The guy’s not going to score on him from there, so, you know, what am I going to say to Andrew?”

 With a  3-2 scoreline, the Rapids had determination, resolve, and belief. The Sounders were shell-shocked, gasping for air, and in a state of complete panic.

 EVENTUAL EQUALIZER

With the wind at their back, the Rapids nearly equalized the game on a lethal counterattack in the 54th minute.  Thomas made a point-blank save of Reggie  Cannon’s left-footed shot.  Thomas made another stellar save in the 73rd minute, and it became apparent that the Rapids would not be denied. Former Sounders midfielder Josh Atenico entered the game in the 63rd minute, as did Jordan Morris for Musoviski in the 65th minute.  The Rapids continued to hunt for the equalizer. Colorado Rapids coach Chris Armas inserted Darren Yapi for Calvin Harris in the 70th minute.

The Colorado native delivered the equalizer five minutes after entering the pitch. With the game level at three all, Schemtzer made three substitutions in the 79th minute, looking for a game winner from his bench. Ryan Kent replaced  Paul Rothrock, Pedro de la Vega was inserted for  Ferreira, and Reed Baker-Whiting replaced  Jon Bell. The players were unable to make a significant impact on the game, and it ended three-all.

BIG TAKE

While the multiple penalty kicks are different,  the common denominator is that the Sounders are lacking awareness and, thereby, lacking the sophistication it takes to win a game. Having an awareness of the score,  time left in the game, and where the play is on the field is issue number one.  Having said that, awareness will then enable a player to make a sophisticated decision in the game.  A foul on the opponent’s half to slow down a transition play, a belief in teammates when defending, and, lastly, maintaining possession when leading in a game are examples.

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