Realio’s Ratings: Gotta be better to beat better
After a string of encouraging home performances, Seattle welcomed Minnesota United to town. The Sounders, having historically dominated the Loons, expected to continue their unbeaten streak at home and accomplish a nine-point week. As expected, Seattle took command of possession, dictating the tempo of the game, while Minnesota adopted a more defensive posture, content to absorb pressure and look for opportunities on the break. This pattern continued through the first half, with Seattle probing and Minnesota remaining compact and disciplined in their defensive shape. However, Minnesota’s tactical adjustments during the halftime break proved to be effectively transformative. After the restart, a devastating seven minute spell saw the Loons unleash a flurry of attacks, resulting in three quick goals that completely shifted the momentum and left the Sounders reeling. Though Seattle did manage to score a response goal within that flurry, and later got a consolation goal to give some hope of rescuing a point, the damage inflicted during those seven minutes proved insurmountable.
Quick takeaway: Seattle consistently struggles against opponents who employ a deep defensive line and quick transitions from defense to offense. This game was yet another setback and a continuation of their inconsistent form.
Gotta be better: Minnesota made a halftime sub and with it a tactical change that helped them rip Seattle to shreds. By the time the Sounders made their own adjustment, it was too late.
Onward: There is one massive opportunity before the break to make a statement by playing well against the Western Conference leader.
Goalkeeper
Stefan Frei – 5 | Community – 5.5
Frei allowed three goals and never looked particularly likely to limit Minnesota from scoring, as they also hit the crossbar and had a few other near-misses. He ended with three saves.
Quick takeaway: Minnesota had some low probability chances and then a few massive ones, and they scored about what their chances dictated. It’s hard to pin all of that on Frei, although there were moments where the organization in the back wasn’t where it needed to be.
Gotta be better: Stefan’s PK stop attempt just looked sad. The “save” on the third goal was pushed directly to an opponent to score from close, and he has to be better there.
Onward: You don’t think about a keeper getting tired with three games in a week, but Frei is showing some up and down performances this season and it’s worth monitoring.
Defense
Nouhou – 5 | Community – 5.8 (off 75’ for Baker-Whiting)
Nouhou started behind Paul Rothrock in this match. While he was often pushed high due to the Minnesota defensive posture, he didn’t get too involved in the attack. He had a very clean 93 percent passing, but he also lost four duels.
Quick takeaway: Transition defense in this match was a mess, with Nouhou to blame on multiple occasions where Seattle struggled to maintain cohesiveness when stretched out.
Gotta be better: Nouhou was completely turned out of his shorts by Robin Lod on the first goal. It’s rare to see him beat that badly.
Onward: Nouhou is an everyday starter who has been remarkably durable while playing with a revolving door of pieces in front and to the right of him.
Jon Bell – 4 | Community – 4.9
Bell played left center back and was underwhelming. He ended with 92 percent passing and 12 defensive actions but struggled repeatedly with transition spacing and cohesion.
Quick takeaway: Bell on the left offered some interesting passing combinations as he has a great eye for longer through balls. Unfortunately, he was inconsistent with his defensive positioning, often not connected to the rest of the defensive line.
Gotta be better: In the first half, every good chance from Minnesota saw Jon beaten both for speed and aerially. On their first goal, Jon drifted to space and did nothing constructive. He blundered into the opponent to concede the penalty two minutes later.
Onward: Jon Bell is a good backup player, but a few times he has shown why he should be a quality depth piece, not a starter.
Jackson Ragen – 6 | Community – 5.5 (off 59’ for Hawkins)
Ragen returned to the starting lineup on the right central area. He pushed high into attacking positions for much of his time on the field, showing off a cultured distribution ability. He had the second most key passes (two) on the team. Likely on a minutes restriction, he was subbed out two-thirds of the way through the match.
Quick takeaway: It was nice to see Jackson back and displaying his passing ability. His knack for finding forward passes was a key element of the offense, including a perfect 36th minute cross that should have put Seattle on the scoreboard.
Gotta be better: The connection in the back was consistently a mess, with Ragen pushing high to support the offense but not always getting midfield coverage, and there were gaps between him and Jon. This was obvious on the third goal after no one filled the left central defensive channel.
Onward: Getting Jackson’s passing to support the ball progression from Nouhou was a good balance, but it also created transition issues that must be addressed.
Kalani Kossa-Rienzi – 7 (MOTM) | Community – 7.0 (MOTM)
If you had Kossa-Rienzi ending this match with the most touches for any player, give yourself a silver star. If you also had him scoring a pivotal goal and proving to be excellent on both ends of the field yet again, give yourself a gold one. He played great, with 91 percent passing, four tackles, and a very important shot on goal.
Quick takeaway: KKR is growing more quickly than expected, and he’s distancing himself from similar past players with his extra athleticism. This showed up in two-way play, and his nose for the goal. His 55th minute goal brought Seattle back into the match, and it happened because he read the play and got into the middle of the box to finish cleanly and assertively.
Gotta be better: Kalani thrives in quick transition play and stretching the field, which isn’t always what Seattle wants to do. On the flip side, he can be exposed in transition, as Minnesota did on a number of occasions, when he got caught up field and was unable to recover.
Onward: It’s time to talk about getting Kalani on the field more.
Defensive Midfield
Cristian Roldan – 6 | Community – 6.3
While this wasn’t his best game, Cristian still did a bit of everything. He had 97 touches, 90 percent passing, three tackles, two interceptions, set up a shot, and went 6/7 on long balls. The defensive effort paired well with his offensive push and willingness to stretch out the field and push direct balls into space.
Quick takeaway: Cristian tried to be the fulcrum in the center of the field, working across to jump start attacks and help create activity points for Seattle. When the team got stretched, he wasn’t able to do it all. He lacked central support both next to and behind him.
Gotta be better: On the second Minnesota goal, the tenacious Roldan rode the shoulder of the opponent 35 yards downfield. In hindsight, he should have taken a card to prevent the transition attack, or received central recovery help. When he loses that physical battle, Seattle is exposed behind him.
Onward: This team is so dependent on Cristian to do it all, and even small mistakes are quickly punished.
Obed Vargas – 5 | Community – 5.5 (off 80’ for De Rosario)
Obed didn’t look tired, but he played like he was. Somewhat slow to the ball almost all afternoon, this was a low impact match from Vargas. He only had a single defensive action recorded, showing how much pressure he put on Roldan to do it all centrally.
Quick takeaway: This game was an opportunity for Seattle to create direct force with overwhelming possession, something that appears tailor-made for Vargas. Instead, he was uncreative and a non-factor. He had some dribbles, but a single off-target shot and one key pass were disappointing.
Gotta be better: When Seattle is beat in transition, you almost always see Obed jogging back centrally and being exposed. An example of this was the first goal against, where Obed followed the goal scorer all the way down the field. At no point did he get defensively goal side, so he had a great view of Tani Oluwaseyi scoring right in front of him.
Onward: Obed hasn’t necessarily declined in form, but we’re not seeing the hype-filled trajectory we envisioned.
Attacking Midfield
Paul Rothrock – 5 | Community – 5.8 (off 59’ for Kent)
Rothrock continues to eat big minutes at wide areas, seemingly never tiring. For as much as he worked in his time on the field, he only had 33 touches and botched a few big moments on offense. His continual pressure forced four fouls against, setting up Seattle with dead ball moments.
Quick takeaway: Paul worked hard but struggled to get into the offense, as breaking down a set defense is not one of his strengths. He continually gets in good spots but doesn’t convert on some frustrating big chances, not showing the composure to cleanly finish.
Gotta be better: This entire game might have been different had Rothrock tapped home a wide open shot in the 36th minute from about a yard out. A perfect Ragen cross came all the way through the box to Paul at the back door and he fell down and kicked it over the goal.
Onward: The intangibles and hustle that Rothrock brings are valuable to a Seattle team sometimes caught in between physicality and finesse. It would be great if he could find more impact, but 2g/3a is in line with expectations.
Albert Rusnák – 6 | Community – 5.7
Rusnák did a lot of little things, as you would expect, pulling the strings centrally and creating half chances with slick connections. Unfortunately, he wasn’t as effective as you need in a match of this nature, as Seattle struggled to penetrate the solid Minnesota defensive posture. He continually got the ball and cycled it around looking for opportunity.
Quick takeaway: This match was set up well for Albert to be on the ball a lot, pulling strings and creating attacking movements. He did exactly that, touching the ball 73 times, creating four key passes, and finding others, who unfortunately were unable to use the advantages he created.
Gotta be better: Zero shots, and only a single touch in the box from Rusnák shows how efficient Minnesota was at defending the center of the field. Sometimes you just want someone who can break the game a bit more.
Onward: Albert continues to put up big numbers, but he remains the kind of player who depends on quality pieces around him being effective.
Pedro de la Vega – 6 | Community – 5.9 (off 60’ for Minoungou)
Pedro had an up and down outing against Minnesota. His 41 touches were often direct and aggressive, but until a transition moment just before subbing off, they were largely ineffective. He managed a single shot and had an important assist, but almost all of Minnesota’s best attacks came down his wing as Seattle struggled to defend as a unit on the right side.
Quick takeaway: For much of the match, Pedro was a non factor, but it only took a minute. In the 55th he drove forward, unconcerned that Seattle had just fumbled two goals in two minutes, and delivered an excellent crossing pass. KKR drove it home and Seattle had life.
Gotta be better: The Sounders’ wide players did too much dribbling into a set defense for much of this match. Instead of quick connections and vertical movement, Pedro often held the ball too long before relinquishing it.
Onward: Perhaps having his standard run down the wing and cross in result in a goal will click for Pedro, that he doesn’t need all the fancy dribbles to be an effective wide player.
Forward
Danny Musovski – 5 | Community – 5.3
Musovski worked hard to create for his teammates, banging around and nearly finishing a number of header opportunities. He also continually ran near post to pull defenders, but had little success finding clear looks against a disciplined defense that outplayed the Sounders’ offense.
Quick takeaway: Danny had 23 touches and at least one big chance squandered, but he continually fought centrally to keep Seattle’s attacking shape. His battling with centerbacks created space and opportunity for the Sounders.
Gotta be better: His yellow card in the 90th minute was embarrassing, not a soccer play, and the kind of cheap shot that Seattle is rarely associated with. He missed the line between applicably aggressive and unnecessarily violent.
Onward: Danny hasn’t been as effective as he was on his string of scoring, but he still makes good movement and effectively occupies center backs all match long.
Substitutes
Ryan Kent – 5 | Community – 5.3 (on 59’ for Rothrock)
Kent entered with a hope to bring Seattle all the way back, use their possession, and help break down the set defensive shape from Minnesota. Instead, he was largely denied any success, getting on the ball but failing to create chances as he has in the past.
Quick takeaway: Despite lots of effort and on ball action, Ryan had no shots, no key passes, no successful dribbles, and a lot of nothing movement. He tended to be less assertive, instead often deferring to teammates.
Gotta be better: After a slick run into the area, he slipped badly in the 91st minute, as Seattle nearly had an equalizing moment. A great cross was missed when yet again he put the ball in a dangerous spot and no teammates had the wherewithal to be there far post.
Onward: What happened to Ryan Kent? Looking like a gamebreaking talent a few matches into his Sounders career, Kent has struggled to get acclimated to teammates.
Stuart Hawkins – 6 | Community – 5.7 (on 59’ for Ragen)
For a second match in a row, Schmetzer turned to his young centerback Hawkins, who showed well. He had 32 touches and displayed excellent control and passing vision.
Quick takeaway: Suddenly, Stu is a real part of the defensive rotation, and he continues to impress in these opportunities. A particularly excellent moment saw incredible recovery speed after a corner, as Hawkins flew down the field at a 3.5 RSI* to get back on defense.
Gotta be better: His 0/1 tackles and losing multiple aerial duels showcased an area that Hawkins can be exposed on: physicality. Still lanky and having a higher center of gravity, Stuart was pushed around by Minnesota.
Onward: Hawkins’ future is here and it may be now. He is quickly showing his potential, although he may not be ready to supplant those in front of him.
Georgi Minoungou – 6 | Community – 6.4 (on 60’ for de la Vega)
Minoungou entered and immediately gave Seattle a strategy against the opponent’s defense: “let Georgi cook.” It worked a few times for half chances until the defense adjusted. His activity was exciting, if not overly fruitful.
Quick takeaway: Dynamic as ever, Georgi pressed and pressed and continuously made havoc happen down the right side. It wasn’t always great or structured, but sometimes just trying stuff works. This is what happened in the 83rd minute when, dropping the dribbling shenanigans, Georgi just ripped in an early cross that was deflected into the goal.
Gotta be better: Minoungou continues to do great things but then miss teammates, or beat one guy (or two) and get funneled out of bounds. His ability to create is great, but the follow-up decision-making is not always good. He makes a number of passes to areas where a runner should be, but alas.
Onward: Georgi made a great case for more consistent sub minutes.
Reed Baker-Whiting – 5 | Community – 5.4 (on 75’ for Nouhou)
As Seattle chased a result at home, they turned to the more offensive Baker-Whiting on the left. He had 23 touches in an active outing, but at times seemed uncertain on where best to rotate to help influence the attack.
Quick takeaway: A nice attempted cross in the 81st minute showed excellent understanding of where to put a dangerous ball and was executed smoothly.
Gotta be better: At times, Reed looked somewhat lost on how to impact the offense. His fallback was to cross the ball, and he ended up 0/4 in completing these attempts. They weren’t all poor crosses, but the diversity in attack was missing.
Onward: Seeing Reed ramp up to impactful play gives some hope that he can return to the form that had everyone so excited in the past.
Osaze De Rosario – 5 | Community – 5.3 (on 80’ for Vargas)
Seattle removed Obed for the bigger De Rosario and he instantly upgraded the offense, offering a big target for others to aim at as the Sounders pumped in balls to the Minnesota area, looking to complete the comeback.
Quick takeaway: ODR had great impact in limited time, including dangerous runs helping force the own goal, excellent holdup play in the 88th minute to bring Seattle attackers forward, setting up Kent late, and forcing a yellow card after a slick turn.
Gotta be better: For as big and strong as he is, going 0/3 on aerial duels cost Seattle dearly, as Osaze was unable to win these important battles in the box versus centerbacks.
Onward: ODR is quietly impressive, doing about everything asked of him in limited minutes.
Referee
Lukasz Szpala – 5 | Community – 3.9
If you didn’t watch the match, you might think there was nothing to talk about referee wise. Even fouls, four yellow cards for the team ceding all possession and one for the aggressor team. And that’s pretty much what this match was for three-quarters of the game.
Quick takeaway: For much of this match, the referees did a great job keeping the flow, missing a few calls like a high kick or disputed throw-in, but nothing of consequence. It doesn’t matter how nicely you ref for 69 minutes, though, when you blow it completely in the 70th.
Gotta be better: Yet again, a Seattle opponent earned an obvious second yellow card, but the referee refused to send off the offending player. Yes, the player left the field, as he was subbed out by the grateful Minnesota coach.
Onward: It is beyond ridiculous that at least three times this year the Sounders should have been up a man on clear infractions that referees in this league refuse to enforce due to card state. It’s deplorable and embarrassing. Would that have changed the outcome of this match with Seattle down 3-1 and likely facing an even more bunkered defense? Who knows. Sure would have liked to find out.
Minnesota United MOTM
We knew this was coming. We knew before the match started, and we were reminded eight minutes in, when dude put a header on the bar. In the end, Oluwaseyi would score Minnesota’s first and third, securing all three points for the visitors. He was pesky, he was persistent, and he was more than the Seattle back line could handle.
Upcoming: Facing a decimated Vancouver team immediately after they got embarrassed in Mexico, this is as good a chance as Seattle will have this year to take a six-pointer.
*Ragen Speed Index