Seattle was on a high, riding a 10-match unbeaten streak, dominating play and creating consistent chances while rolling through competitions with a variety of lineups. Against Minnesota United, they still dominated play and created chances, but couldn’t dominate the scoreline. A misplayed set piece and inability to finish quality opportunities meant that unbeaten streak is only a memory. This was another frustrating result against a team that they needed to earn points against to succeed in their MLS season. The final was a disappointing 1-0 loss, a result that dropped them even further behind the Western Conference leaders, and was an opportunity lost as almost all key opponents around them in the league earned better results.
Heat Check: The argument is there for this tactical and personnel adjustment. The Sounders created a large number of solid chances and completely dominated the match while limiting Minnesota to almost nothing. They also got a little rest for essential personnel while looking forward to the Leagues Cup match.
Cooling Off: Everything was rolling for Seattle. Changing things to prioritize the midweek game is fine, but it’s only genius when it works. Had the result been better, we’d herald the team depth and ability to adjust and shut down opponents. This, unfortunately, didn’t work, and Seattle dropped important league points.
Goalkeeper
Stefan Frei – 5 | Community – 4.9
Back in the starting lineup, the legendary Stefan Frei had a mostly mundane night, as Seattle dominated possession and limited Minnesota for most of the afternoon. He was credited with two saves, as everything the Loons wanted to do revolved around quick moments on set pieces or transition play, and Seattle did well to limit those long throws and dead balls … until they didn’t.
Heat Check: This was anything but a hot return to action. But it was still great to see Frei back out there, and his distribution was excellent in limited opportunities. There are moments of class and poise he shows that have been missed.
Cooling Off: Maybe his vision was blocked. Maybe he had communication from teammates as they were supposed to clear. Maybe. What happened was Frei looked silly flailing his arms around and missing a cross that turned into a game-winning goal behind him.
Defense
Nouhou – 6 | Community – 6.1
Nouhou moved back to the left center back as Seattle changed their formation to counter the Minnesota tactical intentions. This limited his impact wide but also kept his strong defensive instincts compact and central, and outside of a moment or two, this positioning meant zero quality chances for the home team. He was 63/69 passing and had eight important recoveries defensively.
Heat Check: Seattle held it down with Nouhou playing on the left center, and it is great to have this tactical flexibility to throw out when the situation dictates it. His 13 passes into the final third were good indicators of the ability to sit back and pass forward rather than force dribbles.
Cooling Off: This was a rather boring outing as far as Nouhou matches go, and while that may be good from a tactical standpoint, it added to the feeling of general malaise around this plodding game.
Jackson Ragen – 6 | Community – 6.4
Much of Minnesota’s game plan involved ceding possession, so Jackson predictably earned a lot of touches, but much of the time he was pushing the ball forward to the midfield, as there weren’t the usual gaps in the opponent defense to slice through. He had mixed success with this, often finding the width specifically to his right, avoiding the left a bit.
Heat Check: Ragen’s 95 percent passing was clean and with Minnesota dropping back, Seattle had much of the run of play. His 5/8 on long balls were essential moments to try to break lines and give some needed transition moments.
Cooling Off: Ragen pushed possession 13 times into the final third but was unable to break open the defense, instead opting for safe passes that amounted to little danger.
Yeimar – 7 (MOTM) | Community – 6.7 (MOTM)
Because much of the play generated through his right central areas, Yeimar had a lot of time on the ball. He did some of everything, from having 101 touches, to earning three shots, to 10 defensive contributions. With Minnesota consistently trying long throw-ins and set pieces, it was almost always Yeimar on the receiving end to rebuff their attempts.
Heat Check: Late in the match, Yeimar was a deputized target forward, and he nearly scored in the 92nd minute on a header. Speaking of headers, Yeimar won a massive seven on the evening.
Cooling Off: A yellow card in the second half made him hesitate a bit as Minnesota took a number of opportunities to push into the attack and recycle set pieces in their physical fashion. That being his only foul was harsh.
Midfield
Reed Baker-Whiting – 5 | Community – 4.6 (off 69’ for de la Vega)
Reed started as a wide runner and for the most part did this okay. As the other side of the field dominated more possession, Reed only had 41 touches and 19 pass attempts. His control and effort were great, and he covered a lot of ground, but there were times when he was a spectator to the creative movement of those around him, as opposed to an active participant.
Heat Check: Reed was relatively clean in his passing and had two key passes, but more than anything was a consistent metronome up the wing, showing great ability to defend the corner and still be an option vertically while creating needed width. He had multiple passes that almost unlocked scoring chances.
Cooling Off: Some loose touches and controls were to be expected. Perhaps most disappointing was the lack of direction that RBW appeared to have. There were moments when clear, assertive movement and attacking connectivity with Jesús Ferreira and Cristian Roldan were needed. The combination of loose control and some tactical understanding gaps meant that Reed was often not in sync with others.
Cristian Roldan – 7 | Community – 6.5
Another full 90 for Roldan, who completed an audacious 91 passes (out of 109 total touches) and consistently was both an outlet for Seattle defenders and a link up to the forward players. He interconnected often with his brother Alex, as they controlled the play and steadily moved into attacking positions without allowing gaps in behind.
Heat Check: He had 93 percent passing and five key passes. It’s hard to play the center of the park much better than Cristian, who completely controlled all aspects of the midfield. As Minnesota ceded possession, Roldan gobbled it up effectively, dealing passes and creating opportunities with a relentless engine.
Cooling Off: Without a true field stretcher up front, Roldan struggled a number of times to connect with vertical runs, missing over-the-top and through balls by inches.
Obed Vargas – 5 | Community – 5.9
Seattle changed their formation and so Obed’s role was adjusted. He seemed to struggle with this, unable to find the direct driving angles like he had recently, and became more of a shuttler and less of a free attacker. This muted his impact, although Obed still had 70 touches and four defensive contributions.
Heat Check: With Seattle having a large chunk of the ball, Obed and Cristian had loads of time in possession. Vargas attempted a lot of forward passes and looked good driving forward, which led to him being fouled a number of times before he could get into more advantageous areas.
Cooling Off: With Cristian all over the ball, Obed seemed to be confused by the formation and how to fit into it at times. This meant nearly 40 fewer touches than his midfield partner and a glaring zero key passes. He also lost eight duels.
Alex Roldan – 6 | Community – 6.2
The Roldans controlled possession in this match, and it was Alex who attempted more vertical play on his 102 touches. In the last match, Alex erupted as a creative force, but with stagnant communication on the right, he was okay in this one, but not as dynamic. Instead, Seattle poked and prodded and created moments that didn’t quite materialize.
Heat Check: Two on-target shots and a key pass were solid output from Alex, who again showed remarkable positional flexibility. He can play anywhere on the field due to excellent technical skills and top-notch game intelligence.
Cooling Off: For as much as Yeimar and Alex were on the ball and looking forward, neither was able to connect with Paul Rothrock, and Seattle’s right side often funneled directly into the strength of Minnesota’s defense. The Sounders struggled to find service from the right.
Attack
Jesús Ferreira – 6 | Community – 6.3
Jesús started on the left and did his best to drift around and create chances from the wide channels, but was disconnected from teammates at several key moments. Ferreira’s ability to find the game was on full display, as he often moved centrally to combine and create some of the Sounders’ biggest chances. He did just about everything right, but lacked that tiny bit of class needed to push Seattle over the top.
Heat Check: Jesús continues to be a creative force, this time from a left channel. With four key passes he was cooking, continually looking for gaps and finding vision through a packed defense to set up teammates all night.
Cooling Off: Jesús wasn’t directly goal dangerous enough in this match. He wasn’t credited with a single shot, and there were multiple moments when he eschewed a shot to try to play a perfect ball to a teammate.
Osaze De Rosario – 6 | Community – 5.0 (off 69’ for Musovski)
Perhaps with an eye to the midweek match upcoming, it was De Rosario who earned the road start. He was solid, finding moments and doing important work, battling with multiple center defenders for his shift. He turned 18 touches into four shots, but like his teammates, didn’t have the quality or luck necessary to finish these moments, leaving Minnesota an opportunity to steal points.
Heat Check: De Rosario consistently got into great spots with a chance to score. This meant one of the few times opposing keeper Dayne St. Clair was out of position also coincided with ODR finding the ball in the 20th minute. He also found open headers in the 12th and 51st minutes, continuing to show a nose for goal.
Cooling Off: This is a Sounders win if Osaze could have redirected into an open net in the 20th. Or jumped earlier on multiple headers. When you have four shots, all inside 12 yards, you have to put them on frame, and he didn’t have a single one that tested the keeper. It’s hard to score goals that way.
Paul Rothrock – 5 | Community – 5.6 (off 78’ for Minoungou)
Usually good for some creative chaos, Paul was a surprising non-factor against Minnesota. For as much possession as came from the center and right of the defense moving forward, it all seemed to go flat when Paul got involved. Without a single completed long ball or cross, Paul struggled to break down the compact rows of defenders he ran into, and his usual impact was muted against the Loons.
Heat Check: Even struggling some in the system and facing structured defensive blocks, Paul continued to poke and prod and bang around in his usual fashion.
Cooling Off: Seattle needed more from Rothrock, but presented with efficient, organized stacks of defense, Paul was ineffective. Unable to get out on the run and find his usual creative passes and movement, Rothrock was stagnant and a non-factor before subbing off. Zero shots was part of a poor performance.
Substitutes
Pedro de la Vega – 5 | Community – 5.9 (on 69’ for Baker-Whiting)
Pedro came in and brought some needed energy as Seattle was looking for some extra class to help break the walls of defense in front of them. He was very assertive with 23 touches and consistent creation.
Heat Check: With a game-high three successful dribbles and two shots, Pedro was a boost of activity for a Seattle team that had started to fade midway through the second half.
Cooling Off: PDLV brought the effort, but he didn’t connect on any of his dangerous pass attempts, and while flashy, didn’t create much outside of a 90th minute shot.
Danny Musovski – 5 | Community – 5.2 (on 69’ for De Rosario)
Moose came in to give a slightly different look, but wasn’t hugely effective in finding the ball deep in the Minnesota box for chances. This was a short, physical outing.
Heat Check: Even barely touching the ball, Musovski still turned half his touches into shots, popping up for two dangerous headers in the 77th and 80th minutes.
Cooling Off: In 22 minutes plus stoppage, Danny managed only four touches. His movement and workrate were fine, but his impact was minimal.
Georgi Minoungou – 5 | Community – 6.1 (on 78’ for Rothrock)
Georgi came in and was a sparkplug, showing the kind of direct ability and desire that had been fading in the second half. He found the ball 17 times, repeatedly crashing the box and trying to beat people off the dribble.
Heat Check: Immediately going at the defense, Georgi showed in his short time on the field an ability to attack directly and create danger.
Cooling Off: Although Minoungou got into the box on a number of occasions, he didn’t complete a single cross attempt, and once again it was quality build up without payoff.
Referee
Malik Badawi – 6 | Community – 5.5
Maybe it was a team playing a completely boring style of soccer, or maybe it was the relative ineptitude of both teams, but this was a very mundane match and one in which the referee was just sort of there. Compared to some other outings, that was probably a good thing.
Heat Check: Any time a referee ignores a team looking for set pieces, it’s a relief, and Badawi wasn’t interested in a plodding, foul-consumed match. The questionable calls were ultimately not the type to derail a solid performance.
Cooling Off: What was going on with time management? No extra time in the first half, but six minutes in the second? Some of the calls were late and with Seattle pushing the tempo, there were times where the consistency was lacking.
Minnesota United MOTM
Dayne St. Clair saved the four shots on target he faced from Seattle. This bought his side the time they needed to take the lead, and to maintain it through the final whistle. He was also quick off his line to smother a dangerous Sounders move in the 20th, eventually relying on his organized defense to make sure De Rosario didn’t find a clean look at goal.
Upcoming: Time to move on quickly, with a midweek Leagues Cup Quarterfinal on the docket.
