Seattle secured a thrilling 3-2 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes at Lumen Field last weekend, showcasing an invigorated and resilient offense. The Sounders were determined, responding decisively each time San Jose scored, and adding a crucial third goal to seal the win. This hard-fought result earned Seattle their seventh point of the week, highlighting the squad’s depth. While getting all three points was positive, the match was marred by another injury to star forward Jordan Morris, sidelining him for several months. However, his replacement, Danny Musovski, stepped up and delivered two crucial goals. A strategically rotated lineup provided sufficient defensive prowess to withstand San Jose’s high-scoring attack. After this performance, Seattle is fourth in the Western Conference standings.
So hot right now: Scoring three goals. Suddenly with dynamic wide play and improved movement, the Sounders are scoring at a previously unseen rate. Players understand their positions, and they’re finding big chances and finishing them.
Old news: Injuries. Yet again the depth will be severely tested, as the Morris injury is a massive blow to the team’s attack. He does things no one else on the roster can do, and it’s a shame he has been so snakebitten this season.
Goalkeeper
Andrew Thomas – 6 | Community – 6.9
Thomas continues to show fairly well in MLS as he takes over for the injured Stefan Frei. Although he gave up two goals, he displayed incredible athleticism to parry shots and keep his team in the match. Once again, set piece defense let Seattle down, and San Jose scored their second after a ridiculous save from Thomas was wasted due to an inability to clear the line.
So hot right now: Shot stopping. Some of the mobility and athletic saves from Thomas were an improvement on things Stef can struggle with.
Old news: Experience. It’s unlikely that Frei would have been beaten near-post on the first goal. The benefit from less mobility is he wouldn’t run himself out of position like Thomas did in the 85th minute.
Defense
Reed Baker-Whiting – 6 | Community – 5.9
Reed started for the suspended Nouhou and did a good job for long stretches. His offense was the highlight, showing off a shot and two key passes as he facilitated amazing play directly in front of him. His 80 percent pass completion was low, but the ability to put Morris in over the top early was the tradeoff for some possession issues. Reed’s massive Achilles heel is defending. Multiple times his angles were poor, allowing penetration, and his decision making nearly gave San Jose a lifeline: his 93rd minute foul earned SJ a free kick that was nearly scored to tie the match. He did lead Seattle with seven clearances.
So hot right now: Ball skills. His offensive positioning can have a knock-on effect, and his 81st minute shot showed direct quality on goal, forcing a big save. When he has his head up charging up the field, he often makes great decisions.
Old news: Defenders needing to defend. A telling stat was Baker-Whiting lost 10 of 16 potential duels in the evening. Reed’s defense doesn’t appear to be improving much. Giving up huge chances every match has to be offset with effective offense, and there’s not enough yet.
Jonathan Bell – 5 | Community – 5.7
Bell plays better wide than in the center, but his coverage and connection with teammates leaves a lot to be desired. He was slow to cover across as San Jose scored the opener. His distribution also varies, with a number of excellent line-splitting passes being offset by a few poor decisions and disconnection from teammates. He had 10 defensive actions.
So hot right now: Set piece offense. Bell’s offense is incredibly valuable on a team that can’t seem to produce from dead balls. It seems like every match he has a knack for getting good chances on set piece attempts.
Old news: Set piece defense. Bell was beaten both on the second San Jose goal and the last moment set piece that nearly resulted in a tying goal.
Yeimar – 6 | Community – 6.7 (off 62’ for Kee-hee)
Yeimar was excellent during his time on the field, covering areas and supporting defense both centrally and wide, offering aid to his backline teammates. Cautious passing led to a stellar 97 percent pass completion rate, as Yeimar limited mistakes in the back. Matched up often with Preston Judd, Yeimar was able and willing to body the striker, and he repeatedly won physical and aerial battles.
So hot right now: Getting YEIMAR’D. Yeimar is back and already nearing full form, showing his dominant play and covering for less capable defenders all around him.
Old news: Connecting. The passing isn’t daring and the decision making isn’t always the best, and Yeimar missed Ragen’s distribution next to him. The team missed his aerial presence after he subbed out.
Kalani Kossa-Rienzi – 6 | Community – 6.2 (off 62’ for A. Roldan)
Returning from an unforced error, Kalani played more reserved in this match. He brought intensity and connection on his wing, allowing Jesús Ferreira to drift centrally to find spaces and open inside-out runs for teammates. Showing great control, Kalani was able to play out of most pressure. His 1-v-1 defense was victimized early, unfortunately, as he stabbed and was beaten in the 26th minute, with San Jose using this error to score and briefly take the lead.
So hot right now: KKR’s touch is fantastic; he consistently controls tough passes from teammates and is able to dribble centrally to create gaps.
Old news: KKR was exposed defensively on a few occasions, and having multiple attack-first wide defenders can be an issue.
Defensive Midfield
Cristian Roldan – 7 | Community – 6.9
As is customary at this point, everything went through Cristian, and he was great. When he wasn’t winning a ridiculous 12 duels, he was leading the team in both tackles and passes, taking two shots and adding three key passes. He was credited with an assist, sending Pedro de la Vega in behind on the second goal of the match, but unfortunately wasn’t when he did this a second time and PDLV scored himself. Both of these moments came with Roldan controlling central play, turning to the offensive side of the field, and fueling transition with quick vertical passing.
So hot right now: Endurance. Indestructible Roldan gets the captain’s armband and leads his team to victory by dominating all facets of play. What else is new?
Old news: Endurance. Hopefully he gets a rest soon, as there is really no one else who can play full games at his high level if he goes down.
Obed Vargas – 6 | Community – 6.6
Obed had a solid third match in a week’s time, showing excellent conditioning to get stronger as the game went on. Never dispossessed the entire match, he did well controlling the center with Roldan. He added two key passes, and a 92nd minute dribble in the box almost sealed the match, with some brilliant movement just missing the finish. He is covering so much area in the middle that he and Cristian may be able to play every game forever without subs.
So hot right now: Closing out games. Vargas’ energy late was fantastic, helping to see out the win. His touch never seems to fade, even when he is clearly tired.
Old news: Inconsistency. It’s no surprise that more offense from Obed had immediate knock on effects for Seattle’s vertical push, but he’s still a bit afraid of the box. He is so close to doing amazing things.
Attacking Midfield
Pedro de la Vega – 8 (MOTM) | Community – 8.1 (MOTM) (off 84’ for Rothrock)
For months I’ve been suggesting that PDLV get time on the left. Last weekend it finally happened, and he immediately showed incredible play there. Constantly dangerous, he was everywhere for Seattle. Whether it was finding an underlapping RBW in the 23rd minute, breaking Mark-Anthony Kaye’s ankles in the 31st or chesting down to Albert Rusnák for a near-post shot right before half, Pedro was hot in the first half. In the second he went supernova, first getting in behind and finding the open runner with a nifty assist to a galloping Moose. He broke out five minutes later and nearly scored, before actually scoring an audacious game-winner by cutting in to his right and blistering a shot into the far side netting. He was fantastic.
So hot right now: PEDRO ON THE LEFT.
Old news: Benching DPs. The talent has been there, but the execution hasn’t. This performance sets expectations much higher, and he should start as long as he can come anywhere close to his level of play against San Jose.
Albert Rusnák – 7 | Community – 7.3
While the pieces changed around him, what didn’t change was Rusnák’s effectiveness. Ninety percent passing included five key passes, and he nearly scored on a 48th minute near-post shot from a creative PDLV chest down. He assisted on the first goal and nearly scored (or earned a deserved penalty) in the 81st minute. As usual, the offense ran through Albert, and he was creating chance after chance for the third time in a week.
So hot right now: Hydras being reborn. Splitting some playmaking duties with Ferreira has only super-charged Rusnák, who is benefitting by finding more shots for himself.
Old news: Revolving cast. Albert can work with anyone, but imagine some roster consistency and familiarity being created.
Jesús Ferreira – 7 | Community – 6.7
With fireworks happening on the other side of the field, it was easy to miss how great Ferreira was in his now customary role as an inverted right playmaker. He continuously makes smart choices and finds passes and dribbles that break the defense, such as his passionate dash through the entire defense in the 46th minute; it just needed a better shot to cap the play. It was Jesús who drifted left and put in Albert for what should have been a penalty in the 81st minute. The spacing in the offense is incredibly dynamic when they move off each other in the central areas.
So hot right now: Dual 10s. Playing in the right channel, Jesús is finding the game and seeing dynamic movement around him. His connection and possession balances the game and the Sounders are scoring as a result.
Old news: Withdrawn forwards. The urge to try Jesús there might arise with Morris out for a few months. This urge must be resisted.
Forward
Jordan Morris – 5 | Community – 5.8 (off 16’ for Musovski)
Jordan got in and immediately showed what he can do. In the first minute, he picked up a great diagonal from Reed and rounded keeper Daniel, but his shot barely missed wide. Moments later he again got in and this time was upended by Daniel, landing awkwardly on his shoulder and requiring a sub.
So hot right now: Beastly athleticism. Jordan’s ability to stretch the field scared San Jose’s keeper so much that he rushed out recklessly to clear a ball and prevent Morris from getting in behind in the 12th minute, after being too slow to do similarly in the 1st minute.
Old news: Injuries. Through no fault of his own, Jordan will miss even more time this season. It’s just a shame as he offers so many unique skills that are difficult to replace.
Substitutes
Danny Musovski – 8 | Community – 7.6 (on 16’ for Morris)
Moose got an early entrance to this one and wasted no time, scoring in the 28th minute after his pressure forced a turnover. Quick transition service right back onto his head evened the match at 1-1. Later he galloped into the box to again get his head on the ball, this time in minute 54 off an excellent de la Vega run, again finishing clean, and giving Seattle the lead. He had four shots, scored two, and showed he can be an able replacement for Morris. His holdup was just okay, and his connection play was inconsistent, ending with 65 percent passing.
So hot right now: Moose is Loose. Musovski is a clean scorer, and his aerial ability is a part of the offense that can still be explored.
Old news: Striker bench depth. Danny can be streaky, and he’ll have to shoulder the load for the next few months again.
Kim Kee-hee – 5 | Community – 5.7 (on 62’ for Yeimar)
Kim Kee-hee arrived to spell Yeimar, who was likely on a minutes restriction. Almost immediately, San Jose scored off a set piece, as Seattle’s dead ball play continues to be dreadful. After that, Kee-hee and company settled into solid defensive positioning, giving Pedro a chance to go and win the match. Surprisingly, KKH only touched the ball nine times in thirty-plus minutes on the field, with the team defending well and possession moving forward.
So hot right now: Flying kicks. Josef Martinez wasn’t the only one trying a flying side volley, Kim showed pretty impressive coordination to nearly clear in a mirror side volley attempt.
Old news: Aerial struggles. Seattle is struggling to both defend and create off set pieces, and this should be the focus of consistent training exercises.
Alex Roldan – 5 | Community – 6.1 (on 62’ for Kossa-Rienzi)
Roldan arrived to spell Kalani and did all the little things well. Covering the distribution for Kim, Alex had 25 touches and returned 87 percent passing. He combined excellently, both in the center and forward, as Seattle defended and possessed well to finish off the match. Roldan even won his single header attempt.
So hot right now: Alex of all trades. He’s playing well at multiple positions, but going forward he might not start at any of the three or four potential areas he plays. Having such a versatile player is massive when dealing with transitioning game states, congestion, and injuries.
Old news: Intriguing centerback play. Hopefully the staff doesn’t completely shelve this experiment, which was a resounding success, just because other people returned to health.
Paul Rothrock – 5 | Community – 5.8 (on 84’ for de la Vega)
Rothrock was passed over for his third start in a week, but did arrive late to add some defensive work rate and quality possession play. He had 80 percent passing and two key defensive recoveries, helping Reed to close out the match. Paul expertly used his body to earn a foul and kill more clock.
So hot right now: Shithousery. Of everyone on the team, Paul brings the dark arts, the kind of annoying physical play that he does with a smile. That, frankly, may have been the difference in mentality and effort that helped Seattle retain all three points against the Earthquakes.
Old news: Starting games. Paul still has a greater résumé this year, but if Pedro continues to play like he did, Rothrock will likely be relegated to a supporting option. He might be the perfect sub, though, possessing the defensive work rate to hold onto wins or the change-of-pace effort needed to spark comebacks.
Referee
Drew Fischer – 6 | Community – 4.8
Drew Fischer was the center ref and was quiet most of the first half, before ramping up his use of the whistle as the match went on. He missed some pretty frustrating calls, but most were judgement calls that didn’t go the Sounders way. Still, it would be nice to see players penalized for dangerous play and NOT penalized for failing to sell a foul in the box hard enough. Giving a 53rd minute advantage when there wasn’t one after a foul, and Seattle nearly being scored on was definitely a choice.
So hot right now: Switching on the foul button. Once again, a ref called five total fouls in the first half before ramping up aggression and calling three times as many in the second. All four cards as well, what a surprise.
Old news: VAR being a complete mystery. Either a red card on Daniel for deliberately cleating PDLV in the 66th or the penalty earned by Rusnák for being shoved down in the box in the 81st would have likely killed the game off. Instead, both were ignored.
San Jose Earthquakes MOTM
Cristain Espinoza has been what’s hot in San Jose since 2019. Another solid performance from the right winger is old news at this point. It was his free kick delivery in the 64th that eventually led to a Cristian Arango equalizer. But in the end, it was the other Argentine 10 who had the last word.
Upcoming: Time to kill soccer again in Atlanta.
