Match Data
SUMMARY
Seattle Sounders FC 3 - Houston Dynamo 2
Sunday, October 21, 2018
Venue: BBVA Compass Stadium
Referee: David Gantar
Assistants: Jeff Hosking, Felisha Mariscal
Fourth Official: Victor Rivas
VAR: Armando Villarreal
Attendance: 19,127
Weather: 68 degrees and clear
SCORING SUMMARY
SEA - Chad Marshall (Nicolás Lodeiro) 26’
SEA - Gustav Svensson (Nicolás Lodeiro) 49’
HOU - Kevin García (Óscar Boniek García) 63’
SEA - Raúl Ruidíaz (Nicolás Lodeiro) 87’
HOU - Mauro Manotas (Romell Quioto) 89’
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
SEA - Nouhou (caution) 72’
HOU - Óscar Boniek García (caution) 74’
LINEUPS & STATS
Seattle Sounders FC - Stefan Frei; Kelvin Leerdam, Kim Kee-hee, Chad Marshall, Nouhou (Waylon Francis 82’); Gustav Svensson, Osvaldo Alonso - captain, Cristian Roldan, Nicolás Lodeiro (Alex Roldan 90’+2’), Víctor Rodríguez (Jordy Delem 88’); Raúl Ruidíaz
Substitutes not used: Bryan Meredith, Jordan McCrary, Handwalla Bwana, Will Bruin
Total shots: 15 (Ruidíaz, 5)
Shots on goal: 6 (Ruidíaz, 2)
Fouls: 12 (Nouhou, 4)
Offside: 3 (Three players, 1)
Corner-kicks: 5 (Lodeiro, 5)
Saves: 6 (Frei, 6)
Houston Dynamo - Tyler Deric; A.J. DeLaGarza, Alejandro Fuenmayor, Kevin García, DaMarcus Beasley; Eric Bird (Arturo Alvarez 86’), Óscar Boniek García, Alberth Elis, Tomas Martinez, Romell Quioto; Mauro Manotas
Substitutes not used: Joe Willis, Leonardo, Adam Lundqvist, Luis Gil, Memo Rodriguez, Ronaldo Pena
Total shots: 22 (Manotas, 5)
Shots on goal: 8 (Manotas, 3)
Fouls: 12 (Bird/B. Garcia, 3)
Offside: 0
Corner-kicks: 4 (B. Garcia, 3)
Saves: 3 (Deric, 3)
Post-Match Quotes
Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer
(on his thoughts of the game) “It was a little nerve racking for the coaching staff, but we knew that coming in. Wilmer (Cabrera) has done such a good job with this club, and we know it was going to be a dog-fight regardless of standings. It’s their last home game, and they’ve had a good year in a sense. They won the U.S. Open Cup. Maybe they weren’t in the playoff picture, but they have a lot of pride in this organization. We knew it was going to be hard. That front three is a handful. Those three guys are a handful, and they made it challenging for sure.”
(on performance of midfielder Nicolás Lodeiro) “His set piece deliveries tonight were very good. We work on set plays, but it’s really about the delivery and mentality of the guys going up for balls. The two balls he put out there for (midfielder) Gustav (Svensson) and (defender) Chad (Marshall) were great. (Forward) (Raúl) Ruidiaz had a little bit of work to do but it was the right pass, right timing and proved to be a critical, game winning assist.”
(on his thoughts going towards decision game) “The western conference is very tight. Obviously, we will make ourselves crazy with the standings and what ifs. The important thing is to make sure you enjoy this moment. This team has won 13 out of 15 games, and that’s a pretty impressive stat. I just want to make sure we enjoy this moment. Winning on the road isn’t easy. It’s a testament to the guys in the locker room.”
(on Chad Marshall’s 400th appearance in MLS) “He doesn’t like to talk about it because it means he’s old, but he ages like fine wine and gets better as he gets older. He’s been great not only because he’s scoring goals. He’s not in consideration for defender of the year because he scores goals, he also defends well. People need to make sure they remind themselves of that.”
(on the importance of depth late in the season) “It’s important to the game on Wednesday, tonight, and (defender) Waylon (Francis) went out there and did his job. We were just trying to get through the match. I don’t think the subs came on and had as much chance to make an impact because of the timing, but Waylon came out and did his job. That’s what we expect from him as a seasoned guy, and then other guys that came on to help us close the game all did what they needed to do.”
Sounders GK Stefan Frei
(on the outcome of the game) “Happy to get those 3 points, you know I feel like people look past teams that are already out of the playoffs, mark them off and say easy win, but I strongly disagree. This was a difficult stretch for us; to go to Orlando first and then come here on a quick turnaround, very difficult. So for us to get six point its massive. There are some things I think that we want to look at and get better at, but six points is massive.”
(on using the nail-biting final moments as a positive) “You better get use to it. There’s going to be nail biters for sure in the playoffs. I think it’s good to get comfortable with it, eliminate some little mistakes to maybe not have to do that and go through that. The five minutes after you score a goal or take a goal are very, very important. We scored a third goal in this game and we just have to be on top of it, we can’t really relax like we did…to much for my liking, it’s something we can avoid. Again, this is knowledge, this is experience that will possibly help us in the playoffs, so that’s a good thing.”
(on the importance of Nicolas Lodeiro) “I mean, he’s so active, he’s got an endless tank of energy. I think that’s why he finds himself on the ball a lot and I dangerous positions. He’s not afraid to shoot, he’s not afraid to cross. His service has really improved I would say. We’ve challenged him to get better on corner because I think we have some targets in the middle, some strong targets. I think we’ll be reaping the rewards of some strong service and some headers. I’m very, very happy, like I said he’s a little pest, he’s someone you wouldn’t want to play against, so it’s good to have him on the team.”
(on Chad Marshall’s 400th appearance) “Yup, I think that’s allowed him to be such a good defender for so long, it’s just consistency. He has his moments where he does ridiculously awesome things and that’s great. Those are awesome because they are really good for a team but I think what is more important is that consistency. You know exactly what you are going to get with him. As a goalkeeper you cannot ask for anything better, honestly. Super happy to have him on my side and you know we kind of joined the summers together and have had a blast together. I have really enjoyed my time playing with him. You know like I said we always joke about defender of the year should be named Chad Marshall of the year but, I think there is something to it. The numbers speak for themselves. He’s been here for such a long-time, I think 15 seasons.”
Sounders MF Victor Rodriguez
(on his second season in the MLS) “Yes, my teammates have helped me a lot to adapt. Having a latin bunch in the team has also helped me with being integrated. The truth is I’m very comfortable inside and outside of the field and that is something you can tell.”
(on the key to come back from the bottom of the standings to the great moment they’re in now) “I honestly don’t know, but what is true is that the daily hard work is fundamental. This team has never folded their arms and has always continued to work hard day by day from the first to the last player. In the end, that makes the competitiveness higher and that everyone gives their personal best.”
(on the chemistry between the players and the coaching staff and how it helps to obtain results) “Yes, the truth is they are close coaches, mostly with Gonzo who speaks my language and I understand better. They are doing a great job and you can tell by the results. It’s been helpful to create a great group, not only the eleven that play but for the rest as well. It’s important to have a united group for the hard moments, to come out of them and now to be able to enjoy the good ones.”
Sounders FC Midfielder Nicolás Lodeiro
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Dynamo head coach Wilmer Cabrera
(on the outcome of the game) “I think we played well. We played well against a very good team. It was a good game of soccer, today – where we had the ball, we created options, we attacked. They didn’t create too many options to be honest with you, but the difference was set pieces and mistakes. That team didn’t make any mistakes and on the set pieces – we suffered. They had two and we had one. (DF Chad) Marshall is wonderful—for me the best in set pieces in MLS. So, I expect that but in the second half he fixed it, (DF) Kevin (Garcia) fixed that but (MF) (Gustav) Svensson was totally free —that’s concentration and the third goal that’s a sad mistake and an unusual mistake that happened. But that’s why we needed to put (GK) Tyler Deric after one year. ‘What are we going to do. We’re not going to play him?’ We have to play him. He has to go through that. We are not in the playoffs, this is the moment for him just to go and he is back, but it’s going to help him to recover and it’s going to help him to just get that fire in him for the next season.”
(on what he is hoping to see from the team in the last games) “We’ve been watching a lot of players. We’ve been watching almost everyone throughout this season, we’ve been watching everyone. Everyone has played but (DF) Connor Donovan, he is the only one that hasn’t played from the roster. After that, every player on the roster has played and Tyler was the only one that hasn’t played so we decided, okay I spoke with (GK) Joe (Willis) I said, ‘Joe, you’ve been having a better year than any other year. You have been the number one, but I want to see Tyler to see how he is fitting in and also, we need to see if he is going to help us or not because we have three excellent goalkeepers —Joe, Tyler and Chris Seitz.’ We need to make decisions about all three, but after that we’ve been watching everyone. We’ve been giving options to everyone, possibilities to everyone and yes, we are going to make decisions. We still have one more game to play and it’s a beautiful game and it’s a fantastic game because LA Galaxy has to beat us if they want to qualify for the playoffs. So, it’s going to be beautiful in LA, excellent environment, but I need to see who’s up to that game.”
(on Tyler Deric’s performance today and if he expects to go with him in the LA Galaxy game) “Yeah, it’s just that those type of situations that happen sometimes to the goalkeepers. Listen, this year five scored a goal and free kick against LAFC. ‘Do you remember?’ The free kick was from like 40, 50 yards and he had the ball in his hand and the ball went in, so it happens to everyone and it happened today to Tyler. So that’s part of him coming back.”
(on what needs to be done so the team will have a better home record next year) “Yes, defensively we’ve been really poor, and this is not a secret and I just told the guys in the back, our central backs, they’ve been really below average and we can score a lot of goals. They will complete 55 goals throughout the season, correct, if I am not mistaken. So when you score 55 goals throughout the season, you are one of the best five, six teams in MLS. We are talking about 23 teams but we conceded too many so that is of course, an unbalanced team. We have an unbalanced team and this year, that has been our problem. We need to fix it and injuries, red cards, below average performance – that’s been our reality. It’s been constant. Today, we have (DF) Philippe Senderos warming up and he got injured. So it’s a strange season for us, so I need to fix it. It’s my responsibility to fix it and I hope to fix it because we need to be balanced if we want to be a successful team. We are a better team than last season in terms of possession, yes, in terms of scoring goals, yes, but what happened, this season defensively especially with our center backs and our defensive midfielders, we’ve been struggling. We struggle with the things that I’ve been talking to you about—good luck or bad luck this is our reality. So, right now that’s the truth. We need to fix it. So, we need to be sure that the next year we find players that at least can play consecutive games for us.”
(on if an offseason priority will be to fix the team defensively) “Yes, I’ve been talking about this the whole time. So it’s not a secret and if I say something different I would be lying. Those are the facts, our problems, we know where our problems are, but right now we cannot do anything but try to cover. Today, (DF) Alejandro (Fuenmayor) who is 21-years-old and (DF) Kevin (Garcia) aren’t supposed to be our starting central backs, they are just playing. Kevin today played excellent as a central back —had a wonderful game but they are not supposed to be the ones that hold and (MF) Eric Bird had to play the whole game because we don’t have our starters—always injured, always with the difficulties or suspended so that’s not good. Kevin had some games and now we know that he can play center back. Eric had some games and has been playing more games as a rookie and we have been watching other players now. ‘Who’s going to be here for the next year.’ We need to be sure that hopefully we can have a balanced team and especially the players that can play 30 games, 25 games, at least 25 games. When you have central backs that can play 25 games you have a season, a solid defense but this year it didn’t happen.”
Dynamo MF Eric Bird
(on his thoughts on his development) “I think this has been a good step for me. I’ve been getting more games and each game you get, you feel a bit more comfortable. I think that it showed on the field. Hopefully I can use this to move forward, get more games, and play more next season.”
(on the difference in playing in MLS compared to Colombia) “Definitely the speed of play and decision making. You need to know what you do with the ball before you get it. In MLS, there are high quality players and you just have to be ready when you get your chance.”
(on his thoughts on improving for next season) “You can get better at anything. Take a step back, get some rest, and then hit the gym. Get bigger, stronger, faster. Work on functional stuff and I think that it will take care of itself.”
Dynamo DF A.J. DeLaGarza
(on the importance of having the fans for their last game) “It was good just to see, probably the best crowd we’ve had, the (Lamar Hunt U.S.) Open Cup Final as well. We know it’s up to us, they need a winning team. We have to produce on the field to get them to come back next year to fill the seats a little bit more. But obviously we have to do our part and on-the-field first.”
(on the differences between last season and this season) “I wish we had the answer to that. The thing I just mentioned, how many goals did we build last year off set pieces, maybe four or five all year, this year it has to be in the twenties. Set pieces are a big part of winning games and that’s the problem we’ve had all year.”
(on how it feels to play more) “I feel good to be out there and being able to play obviously. Tomorrow will be a year from when I tore my knee so it’s been a long journey mentally and physically, but I’ve hung in there. Obviously, I have to be back and got to get better.”
(on what he is looking to give/get in the last game) “Just get back some sharpness, obviously going into the offseason after next week is not a good sign, but four or five games in – I just hope to feel good physically and mentally as well. I hope to go out there and do the things I use to do and kind of play like I use to play, but hopefully I can do it better.”
(on ending the year on a positive note) “The Galaxy has to win in their house to get into playoffs. A place where I’ve played a lot, it’s going to be a battle or a grind to only have one road win this season, like we did last season, so we have to be ready to play. Simple as that.”
(on how you keep momentum after playing so little this season) “That’s the hard part obviously. I wish I had a bigger impact this season, but this also has been a big deal for me, I can work on getting stronger, be better next season.”
Dynamo GK Tyler Deric
(on fan support) “You know we had a good season. Obviously our place in the league table isn’t exactly where we want it to be but, being (Lamar Hunt U.S.) Open Cup Champions is huge. The turnout for this final game today was great you know. The fans were here and they were loud. You know there is exciting stuff to come for next season.”
(on being back with the team) “It was great. The support from my teammates has been phenomenal. The support of the fans has been great. I’m really excited to move forward with the process and the next steps that come.”
(on giving up the third goal) “No, you know I’m not going to sit here and make excuses. You know it’s poor technique on my part. It’s a save 100 percent of the time. You know I hold my hand up and I take responsibility for that. It has to be better from me.”
Dynamo FW Alberth Elis
(on the support from the fans) “Yes, I’m very grateful with the fans who supported us today. We were playing for our honor and to try to finish the season on a good note, but we weren’t able to get the win. We’re still happy that they came to support us and we will be moving on. We hope to close it out well in Los Angeles.”
(on dealing with hardships throughout the season) “We were already eliminated prior to this game, and I personally enjoyed today’s game since what will happen next year is unknown. I don’t know if this was my last game so I enjoyed it to the max. Now I just have to wait to see what happens next.”
(on his decision on staying or leaving the Houston Dynamo) “I’ve always said I want to play in Europe and if the opportunity rises, I won’t think twice about it. I was really happy here for two years, where we played to the max and gave everything for the team. I’m very grateful to the fans for the support they’ve always given me.”
Dynamo DF Kevin Garcia
(on his first MLS goal) “Bittersweet, it’s always good to get your first goal but, I would much rather enjoy this in a victory. We fought back in the second half so I am proud of the guys. Nonetheless, this is a bittersweet moment. I thought we should have tied and eventually won the game but, we missed some little details and Seattle came out on top.”
(on the corner kick that led to the goal) “Well I was lining up in the penalty spot but they were marking me pretty well so I decided to start my run from the second post. I tried to beat Svensson into the middle, the first post. I got the jump on him and the ball was served perfectly from Boniek so I just had to redirect it. By the time I turned around and saw it going in and heard everyone cheering, I just wanted to get back and get the game going again.”
(on not celebrating goal) “I mean we were down 2-0, nothing to be happy about. We wanted to get back into the game. If it was a game-winner then okay, that’s a different story. For the second half we were just in it so we just wanted to score one and get another one in. That’s our mentality and that’s going to continue to be our mentality going into next week.”
(on his progression compared to last year) “I’ve certainly gotten more opportunity to play and I think I’ve taken my chance pretty well. I’ve always been ready, mentally tuned-in. Unfortunately, we have had some injuries in the back but it has provided the opportunity for me to play. I think I have done well enough to showcase myself in-front of the coaching staff, the fans and I think they’ve taken me in.”
(on starting tonight) “It had been happening for the last couple of months now and whoever it is I was always called upon whether it was the day before the game, day of the game or coming in the first half or second half I just always have to be ready. That has been my motto and just making sure I am mentally tuned-in. Physically, I am doing all of the right things so it’s all about being mentally tuned-in on game day and doing everything as I should as if I am going to play.”
(on the confidence boost to know you’re always ready) “I mean if they want me to be that first guy off the bench to join that back line, then I will gladly take it. Like I said, I have been working in training and I’ve earned their trust and have been progressively doing better in games. I’m happy to help the team out.”
Houston Dynamo FW Mauro Manotas
(on the fans support despite the result) “I am thankful. A lot of fans showed up, I think this is the game where we had the most fans. Unfortunately, it was the last game of the season and not in other games, but we have to keep moving forward.”
(on what the team lacked to be successful at home this season) “That’s something we don’t know. There were times when we smoked the opponents and sometimes we couldn’t. We made some mistakes, sometimes there were extra situations and we were treated as if we were the opponent. The home season is over, and hopefully, it doesn’t happen again.”
(on his overall thoughts after the season) “I have mixed feelings. I would change all my goals for the team to be in playoffs. It doesn’t matter how many goals you score if the team doesn’t make the playoffs. That’s how soccer is an this will help us to grow next year and make the same mistakes, which will make us a stronger team.”