Postgame Pontifications: What the doctor ordered

The Seattle Sounders gave a good account of themselves at the Club World Cup. But having failed to claim a single point from three games in the tournament and with a significant drop in competition and fanfare as they returned to league play, there was a danger that the team might struggle to get themselves up for their match against Austin FC. Seattle’s 2-0 win wasn’t perfect, but in many ways it was the exact sort of result with just the right kinds of performances from some key players to allow the Sounders to carry the confidence they took from their CWC play into the second half of the season.

Cristian Roldan perhaps best embodies that carryover, as he went from strength to strength following his excellent performances in the CWC with a nearly perfect showing at the center of Seattle’s entire operation against Austin.

Roldan’s excellence is such a consistent factor in the middle of the field for the Sounders that it can be easy to take it for granted, so it’s particularly worth highlighting when he has this kind of game. He completed 64 of 70 attempted passes — only Seattle’s center backs Jackson Ragen (74/81) and Alex Roldan (81/89) attempted or completed more passes in the game — but that doesn’t tell the full story of his impact on the match with the ball at his feet. Cristian, along with Paul Rothrock and Albert Rusnák, was credited with a game-high three chances created. He went 10/10 on long balls, 1/1 on crosses, 1/1 on dribbles, and of his 70 pass attempts 11 of them were into the final third. He also won 9 duels, going 6/10 on ground duels and 3/5 on aerial duels. Even if he doesn’t always end up on the score sheet, Roldan is the propulsive force that drives the Sounders.

While Roldan simply carried on doing what he’d been doing against different opposition, two players came into the Austin game with a bit more to prove and they rewarded Brian Schmetzer for their opportunities. Seattle’s goals came from Jesús Ferreira and Danny Musovski, and they needed that.

We all remember Musovski’s spectacular five-game scoring streak from earlier this year, but he hadn’t scored since the last game in that run when he knocked one in against Houston Dynamo on May 10. Musovski was a problem for Austin the entire hour he spent on the field, recording 9 of his 18 touches from inside the box while taking five shots and scoring one spectacular goal. He kept the CBs busy and occupied, providing his teammates a constant point to work off of, and he was frankly unlucky that his chance in the 11th minute didn’t turn into a goal either from his own shot or the clearance, both of which hit off the same post. On that play in particular Musovski demonstrated an athleticism and speed that go underrated more often than not.

On his goal, Musovski did well to set up his shot with his run, reading the movement of the backtracking defenders as well as the goalkeeper before slotting his shot in off the back post. With Jordan Morris back, but still working his way to full fitness there’s no better time for Musovski to find his scoring form once again.

Ferreira provided the opening goal, and while he seems to have put himself pretty solidly in Schmetzer’s starting group he came into this game with just one goal on the season. He was fairly involved in Seattle’s possession game — Ferreira had 41 touches in his 75 minutes, completed 26/34 passes, and had three touches in the box — but took full advantage of limited opportunities to put his mark on the game. His run to the back post was set off by a phenomenal volley to put away a quality cross from Paul Rothrock in first half stoppage time and make it 1-0 for the Sounders.

Ferreira obviously didn’t only score a goal, but he also played the pass that released Musovski for his goal. It was a performance that showed the breadth of what made Ferreira a star with FC Dallas and made him appealing to Seattle. The assist comes from a quick read and recognition of the play happening ahead of him as Ferreira spots Musovski with space in front of him and plays a simple pass through a rapidly closing window. Musovski still had plenty of work to do, but that goal doesn’t happen without Ferreira’s football IQ and technical ability to act on what he saw. It’s not been the easiest or smoothest transition to a new club, but including secondary assists (as we do in MLS) Ferreira’s now got two goals and six assists in 1,081 MLS minutes this season.

It wasn’t perfect, but as the Sounders continue to get players back from injury and work towards full strength, this performance and result can be a platform for them to build on. It was just what they needed.