Another listless effort by the Seattle Sounders on the attacking end led to another loss. That is eight consecutive MLS losses, a club record, and it has left players and coaches asking why we can’t score. In Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to Austin FC, the Sounders were lethargic and disjointed. A halftime substitution and a tactical change led to the Sounders scoring a late goal and finishing on the front foot. The reality is that it was too little and too late.
VERY LITTLE POSITIVES
The Sounders are too big of a club to cling to moral victories. They have won every tough imaginable for an MLS club, and every club in professional sports has its lows. Wednesday was a definite low.
“ I mean, you’re searching for a lot of positives, but reality is, it’s another loss. Reality is, it’s eight in a row. And this loss was at home; there are no positives here,” said a dejected Brian Schmetzer. “ Give Schmetzer, one of the most decorated coaches in MLS history, credit for being real. Given the fact that he pressed minutes after the game, one can understand his disappointment.
“ I mean, you’re gonna go and say, Stuart Hawkins scored his first professional goal for the first team. And you can say that. You can say, we had higher expected goals than our opponent, more shots, possession; we were looking at, you know, all of those stats that, right now, I don’t care less. It’s just, you know, it’s super, super frustrating that, you know, we couldn’t put the ball in the back and then score the first goal. Because I think if we score the first goal, I think the outcome of the game is completely changed.”
SENSE OF URGENCY FROM THE BEGINNING
Yes, the team is suffering through its worst injury spell in team history, but every team goes through an injury crisis. And yes, Schmetzer, General Manager Craig Waible, and controlling owner Adrian Hanauer regret the fire sale they have facilitated over the past 18 months. Those factors are real. On the pitch, there is a lack of urgency by the players.
The example is of a heavyweight boxer who is punch-drunk and unable to take the first swing. On Wednesday, the Sounders were dismal in attack. With Sydner Brunell carrying a big knock, Schmetzer employed Alex Roldan in the double pivot with Peter Kingston. The youngster struggled, as did other players, to execute Schmetzer’s 4-diamond and two-up-top formation.
“We tried to tweak the lineup today that didn’t really come off in the first half. We were moving Paul up front, and we actually played four diamond two in the first half, but it wasn’t great. Some of that might have been personnel, somebody, you know, because, look, the first half, I thought, Alex and some guys, Peter struggled a little bit; even Albert gave away a few bowls,” said Schmetzer. I’m not sure whether that formation was at fault at the end of the game, when we put in Osaze DeRosario to give us two forwards and played 442. I mean, we’re trying different things. We tried to backline a five the other day. We’ll keep at it to see if we can’t figure out a, you know, near-term solution until the guys come back, and then when the guys come back, we’ll, you know, we’ll reassess that as well.”
LACK OF EXECUTION.
Regardless of the formation and the players. What is missing from the Sounders is a lack of urgency, belief, and fundamentals: soccer principles. The lack of urgency has the Sounders chasing games. They allow the opponent to score the first and second goals, which then puts a strain on patience and creativity in the final third.
That pressure leads to a lack of execution when taking shots. The lack of fundamentals shows up in the lack of off-ball movement to create space for the ball carrier. With no off-ball movement, the ball carrier hesitates, allowing the defense to set up and leading to a lack of ideas. Wall passes and the formation of triangles to create options for the ball carrier are all basic and critical in soccer. None of those nuances are happening with the Sounders on the attacking end.
TACTICAL CHANGE LEADS TO IMPROVED PLAY
The insertion of Sydney Brunell next to Roldan to start the second half led to an improved attacking style. Brunell was able to collect the ball, turn, and take on defenders, creating space for Roldan and Rothrock on the inside of the pitch and the flanks.
The improved play saw the Sounders dominate possession and create some chances. After zero shots on goal in the first half, the Sounders had three in the first ten minutes of the second half. In addition to a lack of a constant attack, the Sounders are not communicating when playing transition defense. Opposing runners are being allowed to flood the Sounders back, and there is no closing down on the ball carrier. Both of Austin FC’s goals were preventable.
IMAGES BY FRANCINE SCOTT
Zan Kolmanic was given space and time in the left primary assist zone and fed a pass across the goal box to a wide-open Facundo Torres, who slotted it home for the 1-0 lead in the 66th minute. The Sounders showed some fight back with several attempts minutes after the goal, from Rusnack, Kalani Kossa-Rienze, and Brunell, with chances that went wide or required little effort from Austin debutant keeper Damina Las. The visitors doubled their lead after Rothrock was stripped of the ball and a lofted cross to the back of the net by Brandon Vazquez found a wide-open Guilherme Biro for the 2-0 lead in the 87th minute.
SOUNDERS GET ONE BACK
As expected, the Sounders showed more fightback and narrowed the deficit to just one goal with Stuart Hawkings’ header from a Rusnack pass in the 90th minute. The never-say-die and never-give-up determination was there until the end.
It was a matter of too little, too late. The team must have a sense of urgency from the beginning. The only way for the punch-drunk boxer is to punch his way to a win. Those punches have to be thrown and land early in the fight so they will have an effect late in the fight. Same goes for the Sounders
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