Match Data
SUMMARY
Seattle Sounders FC 2 - D.C. United 1
Saturday, June 9, 2018
Venue: Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field
Referee: Sorin Stoica
Assistants: Ian Anderson, Jose Da Silva
Fourth Official: Daniel Radford
VAR: Younes Marrakchi
Attendance: 39,465
Weather: 56 degrees and rain
SCORING SUMMARY
DC - Darren Mattocks 53’
SEA - Nicolás Lodeiro 57’
SEA - Magnus Wolff Eikrem (Cristian Roldan, Osvaldo Alonso) 83’
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
SEA - Osvaldo Alonso (caution) 70’
LINEUPS & STATS
Seattle Sounders FC - Stefan Frei; Kelvin Leerdam (Magnus Wolff Eikrem 69’), Chad Marshall, Kim Kee-hee, Nouhou; Cristian Roldan, Nicolás Lodeiro - captain, Harry Shipp, Clint Dempsey, Victor Rodriguez (Osvaldo Alonso 65’); Will Bruin (Tony Alfaro 88’)
Substitutes not used: Bryan Meredith, Alex Roldan, Waylon Francis, Henry Wingo
Total shots: 15 (Dempsey, 7)
Shots on goal: 6 (Dempsey, 2)
Fouls: 10 (Three players, 2)
Offside: 1 (Shipp, 1)
Corner-kicks: 5 (Lodeiro, 5)
Saves: 5 (Frei, 5)
D.C. United - David Ousted; Frederic Brillant, Steven Birnbaum - captain, Joseph Mora (Bruno Miranda 86’), Oniel Fisher; Junior Moreno, Paul Arriola, Zoltan Stieber, Yamil Asad; Luciano Acosta, Darren Mattocks
Substitutes not used: Steve Clark, Patrick Mullins, Jalen Robinson, Chris Durkin, Ian Harkes, Jared Jeffrey
Total shots: 13 (Mattocks, 4)
Shots on goal: 6 (Mattocks, 2)
Fouls: 13 (Acosta/Fisher, 3)
Offside: 3 (Brillant, 2)
Corner-kicks: 7 (Stieber, 5)
Saves: 4 (Ousted, 4)
Post-Match Quotes
SOUNDERS FC HEAD COACH BRIAN SCHMETZER
On the importance of Nicolas Lodeiro’s goal:
“It was massive because you look like you have control of the game. I’ll have to look at the tape [to see] exactly how we gave up that goal. But it certainly was deflating. And for the team to respond like it did is a testament to not only Nico’s brilliant left foot, but also his commitment try and help the team progress. So, I think it was a combination of him wanting to help the team win, putting himself in a good spot, and actually delivering and finishing the play.”
On Lodeiro’s overall performance:
“Yes, [this performance] was closer to Nico’s potential in this league. He’s a world class player. But, it’s also a team game, and I think the guys around him helped. Having Cristian [Roldan] in there, I thought Harry [Shipp] did a nice job. [Clint Dempsey], [Victor] Rodriguez, everybody contributed to those 105 touches [for Lodeiro]. We wanted to get back to what we did last year, which was be a little bit better in possession. And there were times that we were. It’s still a work in progress. There were some times where we weren’t that great or we felt a little rushed. Again, I’ll have to watch the tape. But it felt like we were a little rushed at times. Whether Nico is on the front foot laying goals in or whether he’s just trying to keep possession, it’s always handy to have arguably one of your better players touch the ball that many times.
On winning more duels than D.C. United:
“Well, I think that stat is always important to me. When you combine the two, because our team has always been a competitive team, when you combine that with the actual soccer that’s played, I think that’s when you get results. So, we’re going to keep continuing to fight. We won’t give up. And then hopefully our soccer gets a little bit better and we can combine the two to get some more points.”
On completing more passes in the final third than away at RSL:
“Well, the home team usually has the ball a little higher up the field, so I would say it’s probably a bit of that. The other half is how you set your team up, like what players you have on the field. There are a lot nuances that could probably explain some of that. I’ll let the guys at Sounder at Heart analyze that.”
On Kim Kee-hee’s performance:
“Very good. He’s been steady, solid since he’s been here. The one thing is he tries to force a couple of balls in there as well that got nicked out, that’s what we’ll have to correct. There’s no shame in putting your foot on the ball, going out the other side and retaining possession. We’re working on that with him through our little translator on the phone.”
On Lodeiro playing in a deeper midfield role:
“Well, we’ve worked a lot on trying to get the ball from back to front in various phases of the game. From goal kicks in the defending third, to the middle third, to the attacking third. And putting Nico in the middle third helps on both sides of the table. So, that’s one thing. I could’ve stuck Harry [Shipp] back there, he probably can do that job, but I think Nico has a little more range. I think Cristian [Roldan] does what he needs to do to help with that situation. It just helps when you have a guy who’s confident on the ball to make those passes and make those decisions.”
SOUNDERS FC MIDFIELDER OSVALDO ALONSO
On the match:
“I’m very happy to be back and to get three points at home. I’m happy to get going, now focusing on New York [Red Bull].”
On his presence on the field:
“It’s great to come on again, but credit to my team. We had to push, to do whatever it takes, and Magnus [Wolff Eikrem] scored a good goal. So, I’m happy for the three points.”
On getting three points:
“It’s very important. At home, we have to get the three points no matter what. That’s what we did, and now we have to look forward to the next one.”
On the difference Nico Lodeiro makes:
“Nico is a good player. He showed today how he can play and how good he can be for the team. He scored a goal, so I’m very happy to have Nico. It’s sad because he’s not going to the World Cup. But, he’s here and helping us to win the game.”
On Lodeiro’s mood after missing out on the World Cup:
“It was tough for him to not make the World Cup. But, you know, he’s here and he played today. He came from Uruguay two days ago. He scored a goal today and he did what he always does. Very happy to have Nico here, like I said. Very happy to have him here for a long time and keep going.”
SOUNDERS FC MIDFIELDER MAGNUS WOLFF EIKREM
On scoring his first goal:
“It was a really good cross from Cristian, so it was an easy header. But, yeah, it’s always a great feeling scoring and obviously winning is massive for us. We have to keep going now.”
On using the win moving forward:
“Hopefully we can build some momentum on it. It will be a tough game on Wednesday, then we’ll have a little break. But if we get a good result there, we can go on a roll.”
On whether his first goal relieved any pressure:
“It was little bit of weight off my shoulders. It’s always good to score. It was a good team performance, people coming back from injury and from national team. So, it was good.”
On whether he thinks this will help him score more goals:
“Yeah, hopefully. It’s been like that before, so hopefully it will be like this now.”
On the impact of Lodeiro and Rodríguez:
“They did really well. Victor has been training and been really good. Nico came back yesterday and looked like he’s been in form for a long time.”
On the timing of Lodeiro’s goal:
“It shows well as a group. Some teams probably would have conceded even more and [D.C.] would have won the game. But we came back and now we just have to keep going because it’s just one game, and I think there are many more wins.”
SOUNDERS FC MIDFIELDER NICOLÁS LODEIRO (THROUGH TRANSLATOR)
On how it feels to be back playing for the Sounders:
“I’m happy to be back here. Obviously, I would have preferred – and my peers and colleagues would have preferred – for me to be in the World Cup, but what happened, happened, and now I have to compose and recover and be here with my team.”
On how it felt to score a goal tonight:
“Happy, overall. It’s hard to forget what happened to me. I’m sad, but the important part is that the team won.”
On how he felt on the field tonight:
“I felt very well. I felt a little bit tired because I arrived yesterday. It was a long trip and a big change of time zones. I’m also feeling for what happened. But the important part was to try to help the team get the three points.”
On what the Uruguay coach told him about leaving him off the World Cup roster:
“Nothing. One makes a decision and it needs to be respected. I need to support my colleagues. This is futbol and there’s not much to explain.”
On what it meant to hear Luis Suarez’s comments after being released from Uruguay:
“It makes me happy. It’s good to hear a friend who thinks and feels those things. That also shows the type of person that Luis is.”
SOUNDERS FC MIDFIELDER VÍCTOR RODRÍGUEZ (THROUGH TRANSLATOR)
On how it felt to be playing with Nicolas Lodeiro again:
“Really good. It’s always easier when you can play with good players like Nico, like Clint [Dempsey], like Ozzie [Alonso]. It’s always easier, and for me it’s a pleasure.”
On how important it was to get three points tonight:
“It’s really important. Obviously, at home in front of our fans, is important for this team. I hope today was the start of seeing the level of the team.”
On the importance of having Nicolas Lodeiro back:
“It’s very important to have Nico back here with us. Unfortunately, he missed the World Cup, but we receive and welcome him with open arms. He’s very important to the team and to us. He showed that by playing very well on the pitch today. It’s great to have someone who plays at the high level like him because he helps raise the game for everybody else on the team.”
—
D.C. UNITED Head Coach BEN OLSEN
On the game:
“I was disappointed, but there was a lot of good. On the day, we were just a little bit short with some of the quality, the passing, the execution. We were a little lax on our shape. There were a bunch of areas around the field where we were just a tad off. I think it was a game we could’ve won or certainly get something out of it. I think our mentality wasn’t good enough to get something out of that game and that’s something we have to be better with.”
On preparing for Toronto midweek:
“We get the bodies right and do what we can to get everybody’s legs back. We get our brains on them as quick as possible. It’s another tough game on the road, but one we’ll be ready for and look forward to.”
On goalkeeper David Oustad making his 150th MLS appearance:
“He had a good night and [has had] a great career. We’re lucky to have him.”
D.C. UNITED DEFENDER STEVE BIRNBAUM
On the match:
“In the first half, we did a pretty good job of pressing them when we could. They had a couple of chances, we had a couple of chances, so it could have gone either way. In the second half, we came out and I thought our structure was much better. And, obviously, we got the goal, which was a positive. But the goal then was to sustain possession after our goal and not collapse into a shell. So, we’ve got to figure that out. We can’t get scared to play after we score a goal and go up. Giving up a goal right after that – I think it was like eight minutes after – that’s what we were trying to prevent. That’s what we don’t want. We’ve got to be a little better defensively.”
On preparing for a midweek game on Wednesday:
“It’s another big Eastern Conference game. We’re looking to pick up points there. We’ve got to take care of our bodies now. We’re going to stay here for a little, and then we’ll head over there. But we’ve got to look at the film this week and correct some things that went on tonight.”
D.C. UNITED GOALKEEPER DAVID OUSTED
On the match:
“I don’t think we were good enough today. I think we did what we needed to up until we got up 1-0. If you do that away from home, especially away from home, you need to do the nitty-gritty work and then defend it and be tight. But we leave one of the better players on the field today wide open on the top of the box and he finishes. And then, again, we leave one of their guys wide open in the box for the second one. Those are mistakes that you can’t make at this level, and those cost us today.”
On making his 150th MLS appearance:
“It sucks that it comes with the defeat. But, no, I’m obviously proud to play 150 games. But right now, the defeat is a little bit more on my mind than that. I’ll probably look back on this later on and say it was a good milestone to hit. But right now, the defeat hurts.”
On what the team needs to work on in training the next few days:
“Get back it. We need to make sure our bodies are right, make sure we do everything correctly to go into Toronto and do things correctly there and get points. That’s what it’s all about now. We need points and we need to climb the table.”