Seattle Sounders Send 64,000 Home Happy With Comeback Win Against San Jose Earthquakes
by Graham MacAree on Oct 15, 2011 10:27 PM PDT
in Sounders: MLS Regular Season
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Note: Dave's asked me to fill in on the recap since everyone else is at the match. Here goes nothing...
Well then. For eighty minutes, the Sounders were flat in front of a record crowd at CenturyLink Field, allowing the visiting San Jose Earthquakes to grab a 1-0 first half lead and never really looking like recovering. For most of the match, it seemed as though the Open Cup hangover would last for a second straight win, this one even more disappointing thanks to the huge audience. And then, in an instant, everything changed.
I don't really know how I was expecting the Sounders to react to CenturyLink being so full. You'd like to think that the crowd would have been inspiring, but, well, it wasn't - Seattle played incredibly poorly throughout the first half, making uncharacteristic mistakes throughout and allowing their opponents the vast majority of the good opportunities. Unlike the defeat against the Philadelphia Union, we didn't even have the excuse of being without Fredy Montero to hang onto. This time Fredy was there, and he was as bad as the rest of them.
Chris Wondolowski is the sort of striker who punishes teams who make as many mistakes as the Sounders did in the first half, and he'd given a fair few warning signs that he was in the mood to ruin the retiring* Kasey Keller's day before he raced onto a sweet pass from Rafael Baca to sweep a low shot past Keller and into the back of the net for the game's opening goal. Once Baca sent the ball to Wondolowski, neither Keller nor the defence had any shot of stopping the goal - a giveaway by John Kennedy Hurtado following Jon Busch's long punt forward ensured that everyone was out of position and left the USA striker with a clear run on goal.
*I like how this is both an absolutely true and an absolutely false description of the man, at least for this year.
Keller was mad, and when Keller gets mad it gets rather difficult to score against him. The veteran goalkeeper almost singlehandedly kept San Jose at bay for the remainder of the match, pulling off a series of spectacular stops to keep the deficit at one. Keller's efforts would probably have been for naught had it not been for a second Wondolowski goal being disallowed, but said goal came from a free kick taken before referee Michael Kennedy was ready, and Keller was able to pluck take two out of the air.
By this point, the match had become rather contentious, with the Sounders and the Earthquakes both indulging in some rather unsporting displays of malevolant pettiness. Alvaro Fernandez came close to starting a brawl where he gave Bobby Burling a sly kick as they tussled for possession, and even the normally placid Ossie Alonso lost his temper when Simon Dawkins went to ground under one of his challenges.
The second half hadn't really gone much better than the first for Seattle, but Sigi Schmid had a trump card left to play. Fit-again Mauro Rosales was introduced for Michael Fucito with a little over an hour gone, and while he took a little while to get going he gave the Sounders the creativity and flair they were sorely missing. It was Rosales who linked up with fellow substitute Sammy Ochoa for the equaliser, the Argentine curling in a beautiful pass that carved open the defence and left Ochoa with a relatively simple first-time finish past Busch to level the scores, and after getting into the swing of things he was a constant threat on the Sounders right.
The winner, however, came not from Rosales but from a combination of Lamar Neagle and Fredy Montero. Neither had been particularly impressive on the evening (although both had worked very hard), but when Neagle received the ball on the edge of the box in the 87th minute, he had the presence of mind to realise that Montero was being played onside by Earthquakes left back Jason Hernandez, playing in a simple ball to the Colombian striker to put him one-on-one with Busch. You don't expect Montero to make mistakes from there, and he didn't, flicking a beautiful shot to the goalkeeper's left and giving the Sounders a huge 2-1 lead.
2-1 it would stay after three minutes of stoppage time, and while the game may not have meant anything so far as the Sounders go, it sure felt like it did - 64,000 pairs of lungs went mental at the final whistle. With Keller making an impassioned speech in front of those adoring fans after the match... well, you had to admit, this felt a little bit like destiny, didn't it?
One might be tempted to call this game and the crowd fitting tribute for an American soccer legend's career. I don't think they are - there's still a little matter of the playoffs and the MLS Cup to come. We haven't seen anything yet.
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I just have to say that the NES did a fantastic job tonight
One of the better tifos from either end.
I met a possum.
by s0merand0mdude on Oct 15, 2011 10:50 PM PDT reply actions
here's a video of it
in case you want to relive it.
http://youtu.be/75hjIbpsZ88?hd=1
I spent about two minutes hitting replay on the winning Montero goal
just listening for the noise as 60,000+ went absolutely electric
Just got back from the match and...
..would have to say this is THE most gratifying win/comeback of the year!
Thank the soccer gods we came back and won this!
COME ON SEATTTTTTLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
thanks Graham
Amazing game tonight. Ochoa looked good again. Mauro looked like himself which was great. Thrilled for Kasey. Can’t wait for the playoffs.
by CMC_Stags on Oct 15, 2011 11:10 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
My San Jose friends were very impressed...
…for an entirely different reason. Said it was the best they’ve seen San Jose play all year. It was like someone secretly switched the Earthquakes with another team.
However, Seattle’s defense was OMFG atrocious. What the hell was that?! I hope they figure that out and add some depth before next season.
Great showing (again) by Ochoa. He has a future here as a forward.
And thank god for Rosales. Everything started to look better once he walked onto the pitch. In Rosales We Trust.
by AliasDictusTyrant on Oct 15, 2011 11:11 PM PDT reply actions
agreed
As soon as Rosales came in I was like – this is our best player, and that’s it.
by RalfZakuani on Oct 15, 2011 11:15 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, I thought Rosales might be rusty after being out for a month or so,
but he picked right up where he left off. A good win tonight, which hopefully gets us momentum towards the playoffs.
Ianni was horrible
The reason Wondo was onside was because Ianni was deeper than him when Hurtado couldn’t clear the ball (see the 2:13 mark in the highlight package). To be fair, Ianni won some good 50/50 headers, but that’s about it. I used to think that the Sounders had 3 MLS quality CBs, but no longer have that opinion.
Thank goodness for Keller. He was an absolute monster between the posts today.
by CMC_Stags on Oct 16, 2011 12:39 AM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
I think our standards for "MLS quality" have been raised over time
A lot of players on the Sounders that we used to think of as “pretty good” are still playing at the same level they always have. At the same time, both the team and the league have elevated their level of play such that it exposes the limits of these players.
Sounders 2011 are living in a different world than Sounders 2009. Some players have risen to the occasion, others have faded. There are a few players that are no longer capable of playing at the level that the club requires. These gaps have started to become apparent in Seattle’s defensive depth. I have no complaints about Parke and Hurtado, or even Riley (in past seasons I thought Riley was dodgy but he has gotten better with time) but many of the rest have a hard time living up to the requirements of the team on a semi-regular basis.
I expect defensive depth and upgrades will be a major area of focus for the Sounders going into next season. It often looks to be their greatest weakness; they also have a hole at forward that needs filling but it hasn’t stopped them from scoring a ton of goals. They have, however, given up far more goals than any team should be comfortable with.
by AliasDictusTyrant on Oct 16, 2011 1:41 AM PDT up reply actions 3 recs
I think Ianni
Is one of those players who really needs consistent playing time. In ‘09, when there was more rotation, he could be very sketchy at times and was prone to make crucial mistakes – in fact, he was the one player I really wanted to get rid of from that year’s squad. After Hurtado’s injury last year, however, his playing time became a lot more regularized, and he was very effective in the back line formations. Look at him this year, where he’s back behind Hurtado and Parke in the rotation, and we’re seeing some of the same problems crop up, although we’ve not had any real howlers.
I think I’d rather have someone more reliable there, but if we can’t find anyone we need to keep Ianni around just for Revs games, because he winds Shalrie Joseph up so much.
Ianni has been worse than Scott in MLS matches
I didn’t think that was possible.
When Scott came on
I breathed a massive sigh of relief, didn’t expect that to happen a few months ago.
Our CB depth from best option to less good options...
Parke, Hurtado, Scott, Ianni, Gonzalez. It’s just weird to type that.
I know it’s too early to start talking extensively about the off-season, but it seems like the areas that need the most improvement will be very clear to Adrian, Sigi, Chris, and company.
It's amazing how often I can go to a Sounders game and come home thinking it was the most exciting ever.
@ Vancouver
US Open Cup Final
Tonight
Somehow, every one was more exciting than the one before it, and that is just the past month!
As usual, I won’t have a voice for the next couple of days, always a sign of having had a great time.
Sounders 'til I die
Ears Ringing Big Time
I’ve become sort of mildly jaded after attending every single match the Sounders played this year.
I’ve become picky about fans being a little turd-like and quiet instead of rowdy and full 90ish.
Tonight was sold out sure but, whatever. Didn’t seem too incredibly unique of an atmosphere.
I was wrong a jaded. My ears are ringing really loud right now, took about 2 hrs to kick in.
The Clink was LOUD as s*** tonight in section 112.
Just got home.
Fantastic match after getting past the first 75 or so minutes. Frustrated with the referee, but what are ya gonna do. At least the Sounders made him a non-entity in the end.
Thrilled for Keller, thrilled for Ochoa’s first Sounders goal, thrilled for Mauro looking so good in his return, and thrilled that those annoying San Jose fans got to leave after losing like that. (My experience with their fans when they were here last year left a baaaaaad taste in my mouth, and the group of them I ran in to pre-match today did nothing to change that opinion)
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I can think of several things that I want to do with the referee after a game like today but S@H is a family blog so I will have to keep on muttering them to myself instead.
by Robert on Oct 16, 2011 2:33 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Amen..
..I was there and it was like “What game is he watching?”. It was amazing. Hell that disallowed goal — they should have never gotten a chance to retake the kick. He should have been given a yellow and then possession given back to the Sounders..
Follow me on twitter@PrixFixeOnline
Staff writer for Managing Madrid
by Timm Higgins on Oct 16, 2011 9:44 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
on the disallowed goal
when a ref gives ten yards he instructs the team taking the kick to wait for the whistle. If the kick is taken before then, play has not restarted, so it is still that team’s kick. I suppose he could have given a yellow for disregarding his instructions, but I think it would have been a weak card to give.
Today just goes to show
With Rosales in, we are a top 2 team in this league. Without him, we are a fringe playoff team.
Welcome to the Sound Pound...
As much as I hate to admit it...
…every time I’ve watched the replay (including pausing it as close as possible to the key moment), it sure looks to me like Ochoa was at least half a step offside when #TheTrialist released him for the equalizer. Was there another ’quake defender out of the camera view playing him onside? During the game itself, it happened too quickly for me to tell, at least from my upper-deck vantage point.
Doesn't seem like there's another defender, so...
…it’s close, but looks offside.
by lemonverbena on Oct 16, 2011 7:39 AM PDT up reply actions
It's pretty darn close
looks like ochoa’s head is about even with defender’s back foot. You never want to see a flag go up there.
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Oct 16, 2011 8:35 AM PDT up reply actions
It's not really
If you watch the individual highlight this is the only view they included, but the full highlights include the parallel camera shot, and as quacker says below, the right back plays him on by a full body width. It wasn’t even close.
by Targaff on Oct 16, 2011 9:52 AM PDT up reply actions 8 recs
nice catch
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Oct 16, 2011 11:03 AM PDT up reply actions
Well done
Thanks for the correction and glad to see I was wrong.
by lemonverbena on Oct 16, 2011 8:34 PM PDT up reply actions
Credit to you sir for the screen cap
I saw that guy come back into frame on the MLS highlight and was wondering if he kept Ochoa on.
You will hear us on Brougham, you will hear us on Occidental, you will hear us on King. Our yachts are all around you, there is no escape.
I've watched the highlight a dozen or so times now,
and if you watch at the bottom left corner it seems pretty clear that there was a defender playing him onside.
by quacker27 on Oct 16, 2011 3:58 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Yeah, both goals should've been offside, but their back line had a guy playing ours on, each time.
Still pretty close, but just a poor job by SJE on those.
You do all the work for us, Honey Badger, and we'll just eat whatever you find.
Disjointed
Watching last night’s match I was struck by the realisation that the Sounders were playing yet another starting 11 and their rhythm was off. The timing of the passes and playing tempo is synchronised to Mauro being on the pitch. Until he entered the game, everything was disjointed. Yes, Ianni had brain cramps. But so did Hurtado. But the heart of the matter was Evans. He is finally healthy and the team is acclimating to his pace, timing & positioning. He got too far forward in the first half with Neagle & Flaco at the wings. If I had to put a finger on Flaco’s biggest weakness it’s an inability to maintain possession. He needs to work on his turn over rate. Mauro first keeps possession then uses his passing & position to unlock the opposition. Flaco tries to dribble through the defense and his passes often lack adequate pace. Evans compounded the problem by getting too far forward, leaving Ozzie isolated against two CMFs.
Once Mauro entered the game, the shape made sense. By maintaining possession on the RW, he opened up space for everyone else and the overall positioning of players worked.
Last night’s starting 11 could be a very good MLS side. But they would need the time to learn where to expect each other to be and their shape would need to be altered. This year’s Sounders are timed to the the play of Mauro Rosales. His play is the keystone of the Sounders’ offensive third. Mauro, Ozzie & Keller form the spine of the current shape. Their positioning and play unleashes the skillsets of everyone else. It isn’t that the other players aren’t MLS caliber. It’s merely that the team is calibrated to a particular system and that there isn’t time to recalibrate for a playoff run.
by Abbott Smith on Oct 16, 2011 6:37 AM PDT via mobile reply actions 1 recs
If you're going to blame Evans for his play you need to go back and look at the second Sounders goal
He was doing things like that all night, but that time it turned into a goal.
I met a possum.
by s0merand0mdude on Oct 16, 2011 4:19 PM PDT up reply actions
I liked what I saw
I wasn’t blaming Evans and certainly not for his offense. My point is that individually the Sounders were doing dynamic, MLS caliber efforts. The problem was with how those individual efforts coordinated into a team shape. Evans positioning worked great with Mauro on the RW but caused defensive problems with Flaco on the wing. I also liked the effort that Fucito, Flaco and the entire team put forward. The problem was the overall dynamic created by the sum of those efforts. If I had to point to a single reason Seattle didn’t win the SS, it would be the Limited time the core players of Seattle’s team have had to play together. Sigi and his staff have been masterful considering the broad upheaval within the roster caused by both injury and the limited age of the MLS franchise.
by Abbott Smith on Oct 16, 2011 4:40 PM PDT up reply actions
It was a great game
And an even better get together at Temple. Great Q&A with Arlo and Adrian Hanaeur. Many props to Dave and Jeremiah for setting it up.
The SAH Links Guy
I'll second that..
…and it was great putting faces to names and twitter handles.
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by Timm Higgins on Oct 16, 2011 9:46 AM PDT up reply actions
I just want to watch the highlights with Arlo's commentary....
FSC guys were fine, but I need Arloisms…
I felt the biggest problem last night
was Flaco trying to be too tricky. He gave up an awful lot of possession getting too cute with the ball trying to beat his defender. He also wasn’t linking well with Wahl, or anyone else really. He did have that great cross that Fucito nearly put away, but overall he seemed to be on a different page from everyone else. Neagle was having issues with this as well.
It was almost as if the guys were out there trying to have fun, but weren’t really playing soccer as a team so weren’t having fun at all. It was certainly frustrating to watch. With Mauro in, the difference was immediately apparent. He has an uncanny connection with both Riley and Montero. His ball to Ochoa (who seemed a clear upgrade from Fucito to me) was sublime, and we were massively improved with him on the field. It was oh so good to have him back.
Ochoa and Fucito different
It’s tough to make a comparison between Ochoa and Fucito because of Mauro. Mauro was subbed on in Fucito’s place and then Ochoa came in for Flaco. Immediately, Ochoa moved into the striker role vacated by Fucito and Rosales shifted to RW. Fucito was provided service by Flaco and Ochoa was getting his service from Rosales. That’s a huge difference. Fucito and Ochoa are both valuable and they provide different strengths. The game was getting chippy and Ochoa has the size to take a beating.
by Abbott Smith on Oct 16, 2011 12:41 PM PDT up reply actions
That's an understatement
Ochoa is huge. Even up in the cheap seats he looked larger than everyone on the pitch.
The SAH Links Guy
Not just huge, but athletic too.
He got up for headers, he chased people down, he could get separation on a break-away.
It’s way too early, but hopefully he has 90% of OBW’s physical ability with a higher level of technical ability blended in.
This might be blasphemous for me to say.
But it seems lately that Fucito has missed a couple has-to-be-a-goal chances. The cross from Evans in the first half where Fucito just whiffed on his slide in is an example, his chance against Philly where he skied it after being released (and not seeing a wide open Evans for a tap-in) are the two examples of goals that we can’t afford to miss.
I love the guy, low center of gravity, powerful muscular frame, great speed, but sometimes we might only get one decent chance at a goal per game and we need to capitalize it. He needs to pounce on those.
His finishing has been kind of weird lately
Deadly accurate from like 18 yards out (and would have more goals if not for blocks and saves), and Sounders-esque from 6 yards out.
Nos Audietis
I think he lost some confidence in the Open Cup game.
He might not be a great option the rest of the way this year, unless he shows up in the Monterrey game and re-finds his touch. If Ochoa is fit, i’d just as soon see him in the starting 11. That height is both a better fit for sigi’s system and to Maruo’s crossing boot.
Was it confidence that caused him to miss on that slide?
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Perhaps. Maybe he's there a step earlier if he's in a better place mentally.
I don’t pretend to know what’s going through the minds of players, but that’s my impression.
I've met hundreds of athletes
The ones that aren’t confident in their own abilities can be counted on one hand.
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
Players at all levels go through streaks.
The difference between a ball hitting the crossbar and going in or out is so small that any distraction can get in the way.
I honestly can’t see how a few misses WOULDN’T be distracting.
That's an oversimplification.
Players go through spells of diminished confidence – they play with a lack of confidence, even if they don’t doubt their athletic ability in the abstract.
You haven’t seen a player play with little confidence before? It’s especially apparent in goalkeepers and strikers…
La Vecchia Signora Forever!
by AKSupporter on Oct 16, 2011 11:43 PM PDT up reply actions
I think mistakes are more likely mistakes than a lack of confidence
The only player I met and experienced well enough to see an actual lack of confidence was Vin Baker. He actually didn’t think he could play anymore, and then couldn’t.
Mis-hit balls aren’t an indication of lack of mental strength or confidence in one’s abilities.
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
Goalscorers are streaky.
Fucito is the same guy now that he was when everyone was clamoring for him to get more time. There’s no sense at all messing with what has been a tremendously successful formula.
by Aaron Campeau on Oct 16, 2011 10:24 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
The biggest thing that I've been frustrated with Fucito lately for
has been the way he seeks out physical contact before the ball gets there. He doesn’t just square up on guys, he throws his body into them in a way that doesn’t seem natural or necessary for winning the ball. I am sure that contributed to plenty of the testiness last night.
by agtk on Oct 16, 2011 2:57 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
He's been doing that all season
I remember him doing that regularly against George John and Olave earlier in the year. I think it worked well then to throw the larger CBs off their game. Less so now that opposing CBs know what to expect from him.
The SAH Links Guy
"...even the normally placid Ossie Alonso... "
Um, I think placid is the last word I would use to describe Alonso. He is feisty, and seems like at least once a game ends up in a situation where there is a little pushing and shoving and harsh words being exchanged.
Also, he is the most likely to charge from halfway across the field to support a teammate during scrap. Unfortunately that means he usually arrives right when things are simmering down, and manages to throw some fuel on the fire.
Wouldn’t ask him to change, but he aint placid.
by eco-geek on Oct 17, 2011 8:37 AM PDT reply actions 2 recs
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