Nicolas Lodeiro has impeccable timing, technology confirms

Nicolas Lodeiro has already picked up three assists in his two games with the Seattle Sounders, and could easily have a few more if his teammates were a bit more clinical with their finishing.

It’s not hard to see why: Lodeiro is almost always looking for a backline splitting pass. But it’s not just his vision that makes him so dangerous, it’s his timing. Over his two games, Lodeiro has shown a masterful ability to hit his pass at just the right moment. His passes are often so well timed that at full speed, the runners appear to be offside. To their credit, assistant referees have mostly kept their flags down, something that factored into all three of the Sounders’ goals on Sunday.

Two of those calls, in particular, had many questioning that exact thing. But MLSsoccer.com’s Instant Replay effectively confirmed they were the correct call both times.

As if that wasn’t enough proof, the Twitter account @OffsideModeling, re-affirmed the decisions, including the first goal (not reviewed by Instant Replay, but the first of Lodeiro’s two assists).

(This wasn’t a Lodeiro pass, but figured it was worth sharing)

What’s great about this is the Sounders attackers’ confidence will only grow, as they can make the runs with confidence knowing that Lodeiro will not just see the run, but be prepared to make the pass.

This should have a knock-on effect with the way teams defend the Sounders, too. Defenders are going to have to be more careful about holding a high line, which will open up even more space in the midfield.

Just another reason why you should be getting hype.