After a flawless 7-0 win over Cru Azul in the first game of the Leagues Cup tournament, the Sounders secured an impressive 2-1 victory over Santos Laguna in their second match. The game was a physical, gritty, and hard-fought affair with few moments of free-flowing soccer. The Sounders demonstrated their maturity and professionalism by winning a game in which they maintained their focus and composure.
Here are the studs and duds from the Sounders’ professional win.
DANNY LEYVA
I thought he was fluid in his 90-minute runout. Leyva didn’t do anything too spectacular, which is a good thing. He was solid on defense with two interceptions, committed zero fouls, and won all five of his ground duels. Offensively, he had eight passes into the final third. One of the eight passes was to Georgi Minoungou’s game-winning goal. More importantly, Leyva showed he can play next to Obed Vargas in the pivot. The two were interchangeable when defending and moving forward in counterattacks.
JACKSON RAGEN
Jackson Reagan played a solid game. He marshalled the back line by keeping it tight and making the necessary tackle to stop a Santo’s attack. In the 90 minutes played, Ragen had five clearances, four recoveries won, and all four of his aerial duels. He was called for offside on a potential goal. Ragen demonstrated his leadership while playing next to Kim Keee, who deserves a shoutout.
PAUL ROTHROCK
In his 63 minutes, Rothrock played his game of exerting pressure down the flank when in possession, and when not in possession, making runs to create space for Alex Roldan and Leyva. This was his first game after surgery on his hand, and it was apparent the cast slowed him down when he tried to switch direction.
Rothrocks ran down the right flank and sublime pass into Santo’s goal mouth forced the own goal by Santo’s defender Haret Ortega in the eighth minute. He also forced a save early in the second half after receiving a pass from Danny Musovski in transition. Overall, Rothrock had 31touchese, four in Santo’s goal box, and had one offside call against him.
DUDS
PEDRO DE LA VEGA
Dela Vega played a decent game, and any match following his impressive goal was always going to be a bit of a letdown if he did not follow it up with a hat trick. Against Santos, the Argentine was scoreless. He played 63 minutes, was successful in two of his four dribbles, and was dispossessed twice.
KIM KEE -HEE
Kee-hee played all 90 minutes and was decent. Of the backline of Alex Roland, Ragen, and Nouhou, he had the least productive game. That is not such a bad thing for a defender. Defensively, Kee-Hee won one of three tackles, had no defensive interceptions, and won three of five ground duels. He did have three recoveries and two header clearances.
PITCH INVADER
I am strongly in favor of freedom of speech and the right to protest. The occasional pitch invader can be comical relief if quietly dealt with and no one gets hurt. During Sunday’s match, a pitch invader left popcorn on the field. Invading the pitch is one thing, but littering on the field is unacceptable and a double standard.
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