Opportunity wasted: Sounders settle for 3-3 draw

The Seattle Sounders let a 3-0 lead slip against the Colorado Rapids on Wednesday night as they settled for a point apiece from their 3-3 draw. It marks the first time in their history the Sounders failed to win a game they led 3-0.

An opening goal from Obed Vargas and a brace from Albert Rusnák were cancelled out by a couple of penalties scored by Djordje Mihailovic and Cole Bassett and a solo effort from Darren Yapi.

The first half started relatively even with both sides making forays down to the other end, but neither really had a great look at goal. The Sounders were able to find a breakthrough in the 16th minute with a goal from Vargas that just about epitomized the idea that it doesn’t have to be pretty as long as the ball ends up in the back of the net. The setup for the goal was nice as Jesús Ferreira played a switch from the right side out to Paul Rothrock on the left; Rothrock took the ball inside and played it across for Rusnák, whose touch set up Vargas for a shot at the top of the box. Vargas’ shot took a deflection on its way through the legs of Andreas Maxsø, which took most of the power off of it but not enough to keep it from trickling into goal as Zack Steffen was caught fumbling and flat-footed.

Seattle looked like the more likely team to score as they applied pressure, but as the half wore on they were creating chances but couldn’t find a second goal. Colorado were able to grab hold of the game and started to dictate play around the 30th minute and put the Sounders under waves of pressure. If not for a pair of saves from Andrew Thomas and a crucial block from Jon Bell, the Rapids would have cashed in on their chances, but Seattle weathered the pressure and found their answer in the 43rd minute.

Rusnák had missed an opportunity from a cutback by Alex Roldan a minute earlier, but when Steffen got dragged out of his box trying to clear a ball, Jackson Ragen won the ball in midfield and headed it right to Rusnák. Rusnák was able to check his shoulder, recognize that he had time and the goal was open, let the ball bounce and volleyed it into the open net to make it 2-0 before halftime.

It looked like the Sounders might put the weekend’s game behind them and cruise to a decisive victory when Rusnák scored his second goal of the night in the 47th minute, placing his shot from the top of the box perfectly inside the post after receiving a simple pass from Musovski to make it 3-0.

There was no cruising for the Sounders, though, as a pair of penalties in incredibly quick succession made things especially tense.

First in the 49th minute Cristian Roldan attempted to kick the ball inside the area and instead clipped the heel of Rafael Navarro, awarding Colorado a penalty and a lifeline in the game. Mihailovic stepped up to the spot and calmly beat Thomas from 12 yards out to make it 3-1. Then in the 51st minute, Navarro was once again involved as he ran down a ball that Thomas came out to try to challenge for, but instead of winning the ball the goalkeeper got Navarro and the Rapids had their second penalty in the span of a couple of minutes. Cole Bassett took this one, and struck the back of the net in the 53rd minute to close the gap to 3-2, a worryingly familiar scoreline.

From there, the Sounders were reeling. Thomas had to make another big save on Reggie Cannon in the 55th minute to try to maintain the lead, but the Sounders were never truly able to get the game back under control. The game hit something of a lull around the 60th minute, but just before the 75-minute mark the Rapids started putting pressure on the Sounders' goal again. First, Thomas made another quality save to deny Navarro a goal in the 74th minute, but Darren Yapi got the equalizer for Colorado in the 75th. Cristian Roldan whiffed on an attempt to win the ball away from the young attacker, then Ragen was unable to win the ball or deny the shot and Yapi slotted the ball into the far corner to make it 3-3.

Giving up the equalizer sparked a triple change from Schmetzer, but although Pedro de la Vega looked bright and was active on both sides of the ball to try to get Seattle a winner and deny Colorado a winner of their own, the Sounders just couldn’t conjure up any real magic. In the game’s final 15 minutes of regulation and 10 minutes of stoppage, Seattle could only manage a single shot from outside the area by Obed Vargas in the 89th minute.

There may not have been any red cards shown, but this collapse was no less complete than the one from the weekend. The Sounders now turn their attention to their meeting against the San Jose Earthquakes at Lumen Field on Saturday, July 19.

Lineups

Seattle make two changes to the starting group from the weekend as Yeimar returns to the XI, pushing Jon Bell to the left back spot in place of Nouhou, while Danny Musovski starts up top with Jordan Morris available from the bench.

Key moments

5 - Pinball. Seattle work the ball into the final third through Alex Roldan and Ferreira, but Colorado repeatedly intervene to prevent any shot from coming.

6 - Shot! Rusnák pulls a little spin move outside the area to set himself up for a shot from the top of the box after receiving a pass from Cristian Roldan, but his shot is high.

11 - Crunch! Vargas gives the ball away and attempts to keep it from turning into real danger as Ku-DiPietro goes the other way, but Yeimar slides in with a crunching tackle to erase any concern.

16 - Goal! Rusnák lays it off for Vargas at the top of the box and his shot takes a deflection that allows it to trickle in as Steffen sprawls to his left. 1-0 Sounders

18 - Block! Ku-DiPietro has a great look from inside the area, but Cristian Roldan gets enough of a touch on it to send it out for a corner.

20 - Chance! Vargas hits a gorgeous ball over the top for Ferreira, but Steffen saves the shot and Musovski’s attempt on the rebound goes out off of the post.

27 - Shot! Musovski brings down a ball over the top from Alex Roldan, but closes off his angle and his shot goes just wide of the near post.

32 - Shots! Seattle take a couple of cracks at Steffen’s goal, first Rothrock cutting in after Rusnák finds him with space but his shot is blocked, then Ferreira has a look from the top of the box that Steffen dives to his right to grab.

36 - Save! Ku-DiPietro fights off Alex Roldan to give himself room to shoot, but Thomas makes a quality diving save at the near post to catch the ball.

37 - Block! Colorado work the ball across the box to Harris on the right who has a clear look at goal, but Bell slides in and is able to block the shot.

38 - Save! Thomas makes a fantastic leaping save, coming across to his right to get a hand on Ronan’s shot and put it over the goal for a corner.

42 - Chance! Seattle work the ball around patiently and Alex Roldan sends a cross along the ground to Rusnák near the penalty spot, but his first-time attempt to redirect the ball into goal goes just wide of the far post.

43 - Goal! Rusnák follows his near miss with a quality finish on an open goal to double the lead! Steffen had chased a ball to clear it out, but his clearance is met by Ragen whose header reaches Rusnák and he finds the back of the empty net first-time from 30 yards out! 2-0 Sounders

45+1 - Shot! Alex Roldan plays a fantastic through ball for Musovski who gets on the end of it and takes his shot, but the effort goes wide of the near post.

HT - Sub. Kim Kee-hee enters the game for Seattle to replace Yeimar.

47 - Goal! Rusnák makes it three! Musovski checks back to pick the ball up from Rothrock then plays it centrally to Rusnák who beats Steffen from the top of the box! 3-0 Sounders

49 - Penalty, Rapids. Cristian Roldan clips Navarro after a loose touch in the box, Navarro goes down and referee Lorenzo Hernandez points to the spot.

50 - Goal, Rapids. Mihailovic steps up to the spot and sends Thomas the wrong way as he puts his PK away to pull a goal back. 3-1 Sounders

51 - Penalty, Rapids. Thomas comes out to challenge for the ball as Navarro runs to get on the end of it and is judged to have caught the striker. Another chance from the spot for Colorado.

53 - Goal, Rapids. Bassett steps up to take the penalty and smashes it in as Thomas dives to his right. 3-2 Sounders

55 - Save! Colorado come storming down the field and Cannon gets a look from a dangerous spot, but Thomas is able to make the save and Alex Roldan clears the ball.

63 - Sub. Colorado’s first change is Josh Atencio coming on for Connor Ronan.

65 - Sub. Jordan Morris comes on for Danny Musovski as the Sounders make a second change.

70 - Sub. Calvin Harris leaves the game and is replaced by Darren Yapi for the Rapids.

74 - Save! Navarro receives a layoff from Yapi and rips a shot from the top of the box, but Thomas makes a strong diving save to deny him.

75 - Goal, Rapids. Yapi works his way through Cristian Roldan and Ragen inside the area before putting his shot into the far corner to level the game. 3-3

78 - Subs. Seattle make a triple sub, bringing on Reed Baker-Whiting, Ryan Kent and Pedro de la Vega and taking off Jon Bell, Jesus Ferreira and Paul Rothrock.

81 - Sub. Colorado swap Oliver Larraz in for Ted Ku-DiPietro.

83 - Yellow card. After the referee stopped a Sounders counter in order to show Kim Kee-hee a yellow on which he had originally played advantage, the ref shows Ragen a card for dissent. That was Ragens' fifth yellow of the season, meaning he'll be suspended for the the next game.

89 - Shot! Seattle work the ball into the final third and de la Vega gives it to Vargas who takes a shot from the top of the box, but Steffen is able to catch it.

Quick thoughts

Tired legs: It’s hardly the only reason for the implosions we’ve seen over the last two games, but it’s an increasing cause for worry that game after game, week after week, Cristian Roldan and Obed Vargas are starting and going the distance. Over the four games played since the Sounders exited the Club World Cup, Roldan and Vargas have both been on the field for all but 4 minutes when Vargas subbed off in the 86th minute against Austin. Add in the three CWC games, over seven games and 630 minutes of game time, the pair have been on the field for all but seven total minutes. Once again, Vargas subbed off for the final three minutes against PSG. You have to go back to March 15 against St. Louis City to find the last time Cristian Roldan didn’t play 90 minutes in a Sounders match. The miles on those two showed tonight, and it’s concerning that neither of them got a sub. Roldan’s tiredness seemed to be at play on the penalty he conceded and on the equalizer, to say nothing of Seattle’s inability to control the midfield throughout much of the match. Finding opportunities for these two crucial pieces of the midfield to genuinely rest is crucial, and there are no easy answers available.

Let cooler heads prevail: It doesn’t always manifest in the same way, but this Sounders team seems to struggle to keep their heads and dictate games. The red card/second yellow card issues are one thing and possibly a symptom of the larger problem, but for all that the team wants to keep possession and control how the game is played they consistently seem to allow opponents to put them off, wrestle control away and either open up a game that should be closed or sink the Sounders before they really get the wind in their sales. Sometimes it’s a team coming out of halftime swinging, sometimes it’s getting overrun in midfield, and sometimes it’s an individual player getting under someone's skin until they get sent off or commit a silly foul that allows momentum to shift. This isn’t a young team, and it’s not an inexperienced team. Maybe the constantly changing lineup due to injuries and suspensions is a contributing factor, but Brian Schmetzer and his staff need to find a solution.

Give de la Vega a chance: Not everyone is enamored with Pedro de la Vega a chance, and that’s fair enough. The DP, Seattle’s No. 10 has one goal and two primary assists in 760 MLS minutes so far this season. MLS credits him with a secondary assist, and his three goals in 232 minutes in CCC bump him up to four goals and three assists in just under 1,000 minutes across the two competitions, which isn’t a bad haul. But since the start of June, PdlV has only had three starts, and only played 60 minutes in each of those starts. He wasn’t able to find a goal or an assist against the Rapids, but he showed a lot of the qualities that initially attracted the Sounders to him, and with a busy stretch ahead there have to be opportunities to give him a run of starts to let him have a real chance to get in a rhythm and see what he can do. Rothrock and Ferreira both put in good shifts, but that hand definitely isn’t hot enough right now to keep de la Vega stuck on the bench.

Notable quote

Player spotlight

Albert Rusnák’s 2 goals and 1 assist were why the Sounders didn’t come away from this game completely empty handed. He took 4 shots, created 3 chances, and just generally was the source of good things for the Sounders in this one.