Quick Recap: Seattle Sounders Gut Out a 1-0 Victory Over FC Dallas
by sidereal on Aug 20, 2011 8:44 PM PDT
in Major League Soccer: News & Analysis
Email
Print
After a week of drama revolving around the Seattle Sounders' options in attack, it was the defense that decided a chippy match against FC Dallas in difficult, scorching conditions in Frisco, Texas. The game had little flow thanks to physical play by both teams and the quick whistle of referee David Gantar, resulting in 41 total fouls called. But the Sounders showed huge character in holding onto a 1-goal lead against one of the best team offenses in the league.
The prematch lineups revealed that Mike Fucito's performance in the win over Communicaciones in the Champions League had earned him a start over Nate Jaqua and Pat Noonan. Both fullbacks were also new. Leo Gonzalez went in at left back after spending most of the season on the bench behind Tyson Wahl. And even more surprising was Zach Scott coming in at right back to spell James Riley. The changes hinted that Sigi was willing to give up some attacking skill from the fullbacks in exchange for size and strength.
The defensive changes certainly seemed to work as Scott was able to continually fend off Brek Shea, a much bigger attacker who Riley had trouble with in the home leg of the matchup earlier in the season. And Gonzalez was his usual stalwart defensive self on the other side. With neither fullback particularly aggressive about getting forward, they were rarely burned by the speedy players up and down Dallas' roster.
The offensive issues are still unresolved. The Sounders' goal came off of a great counterattack pass from Fredy Montero to Mauro Rosales, who showed composure in powering a shot inside Kevin Hartman's near post. But other than that, chances were few and far between. Fucito and Montero were often occupying the same space and the team was unable to find clean passes and hold the ball in the offensive half. The lack of chances was particularly unfortunate given the absence of George John to suspension and an early injury to Zach Loyd, resulting in a pretty patchwork Dallas defense.
Despite going down a man in the second half on a second yellow (for diving, of all things), Dallas poured on pressure in the second half and Seattle had to rely on desperate defending, including a number of sliding blocks and two world class reflex saves from Kasey Keller. The offense was largely irrelevant in the second half until the final moments of the game, when FCD was pushing hard enough for an equalizer that big gaps opened up in back and Seattle was able to find some space. But even then the only chances were a speculative long shot by Brad Evans and an Alvaro Fernandez header that was well wide.
But regardless of the ragged nature of the game, the Sounders earned 3 huge points in unquestionably their toughest game remaining in the regular season. The win leapfrogs us over Dallas in the Western Standings, which increases our odds of hosting the final leg of a two-legged Conference Semifinal and keeps the door slightly open for a chance to move by the LA Galaxy and win the Supporters Shield.
And there's no rest for the weary as Seattle now looks to a difficult (and also hot) away match in Mexico versus Confederation champions Monterrey
61 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Easily Zach Scott's best game. He wore Brek like cheap underpants.
by DaveValleDrinkNight on Aug 20, 2011 8:57 PM PDT reply actions 5 recs
I think Scott had a solid game...
… and has earned a hearty congrats for that performance (and Sigi for playing on the physical matchups) but he was easily the weakest defender. He was beaten around the side due to his positioning several times throughout the game and with increasing regularity in the second half – including some of the scrambles in the box towards the end. Parke, Hurtado and Alonso need to be given a great deal of credit for covering attacks that got in behind him without too much alarm.
Scott seemed gassed by the end of the game
But then again, so did everyone else. I’ve been OK with Scott’s defense in other games, but I only caught the second half of this one and I felt he got beat too often one-on-one. I was happy to see Leo Gonzalez, since I don’t know what he did to get in the dog house in the first place.
Fact is that the Sounders were very lucky to avoid conceding a goal for much of the second half. But good teams have things like this break their way more often than not, and I’m thankful for that.
Also: let’s ban all MLS games in Texas after June.
Writer: CougCenter Twitterer: @GradyClapp
by Grady Clapp on Aug 20, 2011 10:49 PM PDT up reply actions
Actually, I shouldn't say one-on-one
As much as he was getting beat in footraces down the side of the field
Writer: CougCenter Twitterer: @GradyClapp
by Grady Clapp on Aug 20, 2011 10:56 PM PDT up reply actions
Dog House
I don’t think it’s been that Leo’s been in the dog house, I think Wahl has shown that he can play just as good as Leo, and the competition from those two is nice to see!
Mission
I think Scott’s mission was to deny Shea at every opportunity and a side effect was giving up space or positioning in other aspects of his game.
Fan of: Cardinals, Blues, Sounders, Yellow Jackets, Wolverines, Rams, and Blazers.
by ColinMacLeod on Aug 21, 2011 10:54 AM PDT up reply actions
Finally we break through in Texas
What about #saintrosales? But when Noonan went in, I sobered right up. My god we need something beyond Jaqnoonvesque to come in behind Fucito.
by Brougham Hooligan on Aug 20, 2011 9:00 PM PDT reply actions
Second me for #saintrosales. We should build a shrine.
They’ll probably let us do it at Fado.
by DaveValleDrinkNight on Aug 20, 2011 9:02 PM PDT up reply actions
What we should do is pass a hat.
That Mauro Rosales is making $42k this year is criminal.
by Jack Brando on Aug 20, 2011 10:59 PM PDT up reply actions
seemed like the circumstance called more for Levesque than Noonan
Evans and Fernandez did fairly well to kill off the game. Noonan and Neagle not so much.
yeah, that's exactly what i thought
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Aug 20, 2011 9:33 PM PDT up reply actions
...and by "circumstance"
you mean “a football match was in progress”, right?
by Fnarf on Aug 20, 2011 9:51 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
What about #miraclemauro
After leading the two goals @KC two weeks ago?
Fan of: Cardinals, Blues, Sounders, Yellow Jackets, Wolverines, Rams, and Blazers.
by ColinMacLeod on Aug 21, 2011 10:53 AM PDT up reply actions
With the exception of waiving the Noonan flag, I was really really impressed with Sigi this game.
Great move bringing in Scott to neutralize Shea, great subs with Alvaro and Evans coming on. Just solid all around.
Also, the ref will take a lot of flak for so many calls,
But if we’re going to see MLS start rewarding skill instead of physicality, and see a reduction of the Zakuani type injuries, it’s going to take more refs like this calling games like this to change the culture around the league.
The game plan against the Sounders in big matches is to come out very physical to disrupt possession and attacking chances, and Dallas knew that. I might be in the minority, but I think that the game was well called.
by moyerLIVES on Aug 20, 2011 9:22 PM PDT reply actions 6 recs
I mostly agree with you
He went a little too far, but not too extreme. I’d like to see MLS be a bit less of a slugfest.
i would appreciate a culture change in the league
but this ref was going too far, calling fouls on a lot of tackles where we clearly won the ball, or where the tacklee was content with going down a bit easy.
The only real instance I can think of this was the Friberg yellow early on.
But I can understand why he called it. He wasn’t in great position for that call, and from where he was it couldn’t have looked much different from the yellow he gave Dallas on the Alonso tackle moments earlier.
multiple times where our fowards were pressing defenders
getting called for ghost fouls while trying to shield defenders from the long aerial pass
I remember the Fucito one.
Again, not enough for me to condemn the whole game for him. I’d rather see this than people getting hurt and overly physical hacking defending.
by moyerLIVES on Aug 20, 2011 9:44 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
principle of calling tight? sure
practice of calling that game? poor. Cards were inconsistent, light contact and complete dives were undifferentiable. Let complaints sway him a couple times on iffy calls. Play on Cruz wasn’t a foul, but wasn’t worthy of a sending off (see inconsistent card point).
I agree with this. The second yellow was given too lightly.
But the price of an open game that doesn’t see lots of potential career ending challenges is that occasionally a dive will be rewarded. It wasn’t a perfectly called game, but no game ever will be. I’d rather see games like this than the type of games that Baldo Toledo allows.
This is what change looks like.
by moyerLIVES on Aug 20, 2011 9:32 PM PDT up reply actions 3 recs
Completely agree
I think this referee went over the top with soft fouls, but i’d rather see them err towards calling too much then too little.
"The fans are excited. And the stadium, well, it ignites with explosion."
by DarthGreedo on Aug 21, 2011 11:19 AM PDT up reply actions
San Jose must be PISSED
They hate LA more than we do — they sing anti-Galaxy songs at every game. And they’re supposed to have a cooperative partnership with Spurs — who rewarded them by sending Keane to their fiercest rival.
Does San Jose do much to try to capture some of the San Francisco market?
I feel like they could probably do more to play up the NorCal/SoCal rivalry.
Yes
My Quakes fan friend lives in San Francisco. But SJ’s a considerably bigger city, believe it or not.
What’s holding them back is their awful stadium. It’s just too damn small for soccer, and it’s too damn primitive for MLS. We went to a game there last year, when Spurs were visiting in America, and it was ridiculous — aluminum benches on a wood frame over a bare concrete and dirt slope. The whole thing sproings when you walk on it. Like high school. It’s not even a proper college stadium — Santa Clara’s like Seattle U or something. Hardly any facilities — one women’s restroom for the whole side of the stadium; and the refreshment booths are unpowered. They bring in generators for the ones down in the plaza, but the rest are relying on coolers full of ice. To move between to the two areas, you have to climb a dirt slope. Worst of all, of course, is the pitch; the corner areas are tiny — field’s too narrow. Corner kicks allow no runup at all — standing room only.
But god bless ’em, they hate the Galaxy so much their eyes bleed.
Yeah that stadium is obviously a temporary situation.
The LA hate is good though. That’s the sort of thing that seems like it can really galvanize a fanbase (see Timbers, Portland). Here’s hoping that the SJ FO embraces the “F*ck LA” mentality as they move into the new stadium.
I’ve loved watching some of the other rivalries in MLS develop (my personal favorite: RSL – Colorado), and I’d love to see this one heat up as well.
Things should get better next year
The stadium might be done at some point during the seaosn and the team is now actively trying to schedule more games at Stanford with the idea of grabbing more of the SF market. But really, SF fans will never fully embrace a team based in SJ. Trying to think of an appropriate comparison, maybe something like if the Sounders played in Tacoma. there’s a real cultural barrier to get past from SF folks to leave the City.
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Aug 20, 2011 9:53 PM PDT up reply actions
They would have to move the team
The Earthquakes play 60 traffic-clogged miles from San Francisco; few people come to the games from San Francisco. A reasonable argument could be made that the Earthquakes would do better if they moved to San Francisco; it would capture more of the demographic that you see in places like Seattle. Also, Buck Shaw stadium is not exactly in an ideal part of the Bay Area; it is way out in a crappy suburb near the airport. I’ve also seen better high school stadiums. San Jose is a bigger city than San Francisco but it is spread out over a vast area with low density. By comparison, the San Jose Sharks are really well-located for the region.
The San Jose Earthquakes would probably be better served if they were playing out of Stanford’s stadium but then they would not be the “San Jose” Earthquakes.
by AliasDictusTyrant on Aug 20, 2011 9:54 PM PDT up reply actions
Come on...
Buck Shaw, for all its faults, is in a great location. Access to train. Literally two mins from downtown by freeway. Location is not the problem. Also Buck shaw is about 2 mins from HP Pavilion.
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Aug 20, 2011 10:28 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Buck Shaw is a lot further from downtown than it is on a map
I lived around there for almost 20 years (not that Earthquakes were at Buck Shaw for 20 years). As difficult as it is to get to HP Pavilion, Buck Shaw is even worse. While not far from downtown, it tends to be more like 15 minutes if the traffic is reasonable. One of the things the San Jose Sharks have going for them is that there is a huge ecosystem around the pavilion in downtown San Jose that lends itself to the game experience, a bit like Seattle. At Buck Shaw, you are parking your car in a suburban neighborhood with few decent restaurants or bars within normal walking radius.
On the upside, there were rarely enough people attending the games where it became a serious problem traffic-wise. Nonetheless, if they had moved it either to some place walkable from downtown San Jose or moved it up the peninsula around where Stanford is, it would help. One of the reasons I only occasionally went to Buck Shaw was that it was out in the boondocks.
by AliasDictusTyrant on Aug 20, 2011 10:56 PM PDT up reply actions
I'll just say this
I’ve been to Buck Shaw plenty. To describe it as “out in the boondocks” is a very different way than I’d describe it.
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Aug 21, 2011 8:00 AM PDT up reply actions
Move San Jose closer to San Fran
preferably near the airport and BART and perhaps you’ll get better attendance.
by magistermilitum on Aug 20, 2011 9:58 PM PDT up reply actions
Distance from SF is not the problem
You can literally get on a train in SF and be at Buck Shaw in about an hour. The problem is that SF residents will never drive south, east or any other direction to watch a sporting event. SF is not a sports town. Something like 75 percent of the Giatns STHs are from outside SF. Probably 90 percent of 49ers STH are from outside of SF.
If the Quakes played in Golden Gate Park, you might have something, but I’m totally unconvinced that location is the problem in SJ. A new stadium will do wonders for them.
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Aug 20, 2011 10:31 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm way too tired to be reading comments
I read that as move the cities, not the team. Which I think really solves the issue completely.
Not sure I'd call it luck.
They took iffy shots from outside because we were defending very well around the box. They just get a lot of great looks. Kasey really didn’t have to make all that many saves tonight.
This game looked to me a lot like when we lose to LA. Tons of blocked shots and efficient countering to make up for less possession than usual. I think Rosales just might be our Landon Donovan.
I'd let them have twice as many shots if they were all like most of theirs tonight
speculative and from outside the box
couple things
1. Totally feel like we stole something with this result. No complaints, and maybe it’s fair play because I felt like Dallas did the same thing in Seattle.
2. Kasey motherf-ing Keller. Wow. Maybe the two best saves I’ve seen him make at the death. Simply amazing. Can’t believe this guy is retiring after this year.
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
It was a strange game
I agree with both of your points. This was not a clean earned win, we were lucky. On the other hand, it was not just Keller that had an amazing game (though Keller proved he is still a top keeper), it was the entire back line. For whatever reason, this was the match they decided to really show up in a strong and consistent way.
If Seattle’s defense had played the way Seattle’s defense has played in some recent matches, Dallas would have put goals on the board. Dallas was ready to take advantage of stupid defensive lapses that never materialized in a serious way. I’m pleasantly surprised and hope they can keep it up. Shutting down Dallas is no small feat. I hope this is repeatable.
In two months, the only thing I will remember is that there was never a ref so in love with his whistle. Not in a particularly biased way, just excessive to the point that it is all I remember. Which may not be a bad thing considering how ugly most of the match was for both sides.
by AliasDictusTyrant on Aug 20, 2011 10:13 PM PDT up reply actions
Maybe he can be talked out of it
Would he want to come back? Would the team? Would we? Is he the Jamie Moyer of soccer?
I have no definitive answer to any of those.
Writer: CougCenter Twitterer: @GradyClapp
by Grady Clapp on Aug 20, 2011 10:55 PM PDT up reply actions
You want the guy to retire while he's still in form though
and not be an MLS Bret Farve. I’d probably want to see him play for us if we make it to the CCL semis and finals next year, but I think Keller should probably reitre on the top of his game. No one wants memories like tonight to be muddied by multiple games like DCU last season.
by Nevtelen on Aug 20, 2011 11:08 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
retire on form
Yeah, I think both he and the majority of the fans want Keller to retire on top. There’s nothing better for his legacy than to have a great final year and then join the team in another way (i.e. coaching, office, etc).
Look what happened with Onstad
He was money up through 2009, then completely tanked in 2010.
by chrisperry1983 on Aug 22, 2011 3:51 PM PDT up reply actions
So at this point do we still emphasize regular season games?
I mean, for now the answer is “yes” as the incentive right now is catching LA and winning the supporters shield. And as long as that is realistic, I guess we continue to do so. But honestly, winning the US Open Cup and qualifying for the second round of CONCACAF are more important to me than finishing 2nd instead of 3rd, or even 2nd instead of 4th.
That said, after the way Monterrey tore apart Heredia, this Wednesday’s match might be something of a throw away match.
The reality...
Coaches live and die with their performance in MLS competition. As much as we may value CCL and USOC, MLS competition will always be the focus unless the Sounders are really out of it. I fully expect that to be the case for at least the foreseeable future.
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Aug 20, 2011 10:19 PM PDT up reply actions
There is also still a non-zero chance
That RSL catches Dallas or us and we end up 4th in the West and having to play an extra play-in game.
So long as we continue to get results from MLS that won’t happen, but if we start using MLS like a reserve league, we could lose that very, very precious bye-week at the start of the playoffs.
Agreed, but
Is there really that much of a difference between finishing 2nd and 3rd or 4th? People will ultimately remember in which round of the play-offs we were eliminated (or if we won the whole thing) and not so much where we finished in the regular season standings.
Between 2nd and 3rd, not so much, but 4th ...
… is huge in the new playoff structure. That position means a mid-week play-in game and a whole nuther chance to get tripped up before making a deep run.
by The King of Norway on Aug 21, 2011 7:25 AM PDT up reply actions
I've used this analogy before...
As King of Norway said, the difference between 3rd and 4th is avoiding the play-in round. While it might be tempting to say the East is weaker than the West, and it probably is, I don’t think that it’s so much weaker as to warrant us desiring to play an additional game.
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Aug 21, 2011 7:59 AM PDT up reply actions
It would lead to a lot of a road travel
2nd in the playoffs if they hold form is away-home-away-neutral but all in the Pacific Time Zone
4th (1st WC) is home-home-away-away-neutral with the aways being in Central or Eastern Time Zone
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
by Dave Clark on Aug 21, 2011 9:15 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
in all fairness
RSL has had a pretty big change in form as of recent…losing 4 of it’s last 5 games. Given they’ve played some hard matches (SKC, Columbus) they’ve played some what should have been easier one’s too (Toronto, NY). So out of games against SKC, Columbus, Toronto, NY and Houston the only team they could beat was NY who has shown that their defense is lacking hardcore.
Which is insane
because they have Ream, Marquez, etc. Best team on paper, aside maybe from LA now.
by chrisperry1983 on Aug 22, 2011 3:52 PM PDT up reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
