In a display of offensive power and strategic depth, Seattle’s rotated squad delivered a decisive 5-2 victory over Sporting Kansas City on Sunday night. From the opening whistle, Seattle asserted control, scoring an early goal that set the tone for what appeared to be a runaway match. However, against the run of play, Kansas City capitalized on a transition opportunity, momentarily disrupting Seattle’s rhythm. Undeterred, the Sounders relentlessly pressed forward, their efforts culminating in crucial goals on either side of halftime, re-establishing their firm grip on the game. A slight setback occurred when an unfortunate own goal offered hope for a comeback, but Seattle responded with two more goals that sealed Sporting Kansas City’s fate.
The match was a testament to the Sounders’ multifaceted attack, spearheaded by a striker who delivered a hat trick performance from the doghouse and a breakout match from young attacking talent. The individual player brilliance was complemented by the exciting and creative play of the entire team combining to move in unison. This game showcased the Seattle squad’s incredible depth. It was a valuable opportunity for promising young “kids” and lesser-used veterans to showcase their abilities and shine on the big stage. Crucially, it also afforded much-needed rest to key players who are preparing for a formidable midweek challenge in Leagues Cup. The Sounders not only met these objectives but surpassed them with flying colors.
The kids are alright: Featuring a starting lineup with six players under age 24, the Sounders thrived. They got goals from Kalani Kossa-Rienzi and Snyder Brunell, assists from Danny Leyva and Reed Baker-Whiting, and consistent strong play from the rest; the future is bright. Led by these stars in the making and others on the bench and in the pipeline, Seattle is not only playing the youth, but winning with them.
Lean on the veterans: The spine of the team featured proven veterans, from Danny Musovski through the ever-present Cristian Roldan, back to central defenders and Captain Frei. While the youth was putting on a flashy show, the vets showed they weren’t done yet, accounting for much of the structure and game control that Seattle used to dominate.
Goalkeeper
Stefan Frei – 6 | Community – 6.3
Frei returned to the starting lineup in a home match and made all the expected saves asked of him. That meant four relatively easy stops, a few lonely forays out of the goalmouth, and some routine distribution. He did have to pick the ball out of the net behind him twice, the first off a close shot he had no chance at, and the second a wicked deflected own goal he had even less chance to save.
The kids are alright: Nothing about this performance made anyone forget the dynamic play of Andrew Thomas midweek, and a terrible clearance in the 46th minute to the middle was low, stolen, and nearly shoved right back into his goal.
Lean on the veterans: The calmness Frei brought was evident when surrounded by kids half his age. That meant clean saves with no bobbles, and even an inspired header near the break that was so powerful it almost made it to midfield.
Defense
Cody Baker – 6 | Community – 5.8
It’s easy to forget that Cody Baker is still a Sounder, as he’s only played 25 minutes all year. He more than tripled that, starting as a hybrid outside back and wide centerback. Seattle tilted their formation to push high on the right as Baker tucked inside. He was okay defensively, staying home most of the time and only being beaten on a few occasions.
The kids are alright: Filling in for Nouhou, Baker showed excellent 1-v-1 strength in his wide matchups, especially a 15th minute play on the sideline. His ability to play as a quasi-centerback is intriguing.
Lean on the veterans: Cody still has a ways to go for realistic playing time. In the first half, he had a dreadful switching ball that turned over in the 35th, a poor clear in the 42nd, and he was unfortunately the last touch in the 53rd minute as he was slow to cover and accidentally redirected in an own goal.
Jon Bell – 5 | Community – 5.5
Bell started as a left centerback, giving valuable rest to the other defenders, and he deputized well as a distributor in the first half. He was accurate, completing 95 percent of his passes, but struggled a few times to keep the line as SKC had a number of quality direct chances and were able to score two goals.
The kids are alright: For as long as he’s been in the league, Bell’s biggest issue has been his positioning and coordination with teammates. That was on full display in this match, with Jon getting beat in behind and failing to hold a tight line that exposed the defense on multiple occasions.
Lean on the veterans: Especially early, Jon was fabulous at finding vertical passes, looking through the lines and aggressively pushing the ball forward. He added eight defensive contributions.
Yeimar – 6 | Community – 6.7 (off 46’ for Ragen)
Yeimar played a half, and outside of a miscommunication or two, was his usual strong self. With new pieces all around him, he took aggressive positioning, finding offensive passes while defending across the entire field. He was active and then subbed off at half, preserving his legs a bit for the upcoming tournament match.
The kids are alright: When SKC scored in the first half, Yeimar was unconnected to his teammates, and ultimately unable to get to the cross that beat him by a step.
Lean on the veterans: Yeimar showed some of everything in his half of play, like a beautiful switching pass to Georgi Minoungou in the 6th minute, finding vertical balls up the line to Kossa-Rienzi and Baker-Whiting, and showing excellent defense in the box to clear in the 26th.
Reed Baker-Whiting – 6 | Community – 6.3 (off 78’ for Rothrock)
Reed had a new position against SKC, playing as a wide defender on the right, staying vertical and being an attacking option. With Kalani in front of him, Reed struggled at times to figure out his position and role in the offense, but still managed to directly impact the score with some cultured offensive skills.
The kids are alright: Reed played this match like a wingback, and that meant high, wide, and overlapping constantly. This brought him into the match in the 14th vertically, and when Danny Leyva found him in the 46th, Baker-Whiting dropped an absolutely beautiful cross onto the antlers of Moose. This was a crucial goal to put Seattle on top going into halftime.
Lean on the veterans: Reed can’t seem to get the tactical needs of defending, often taking poor angles and being disconnected from teammates. The first SKC goal was an example of RBW being lost, and was an easy transition in behind the gaps he left.
Defensive Midfield
Cristian Roldan – 7 | Community – 6.9 (off 46’ for brother Alex)
Cristian got his 36th appearance this year as, yet again, Seattle called on him to man the middle. Surrounded by kids, Roldan was the controlled elder statesman that Seattle needed, holding down the center and combining forward to continually attack the goal. He only played a half, but was a force.
The kids are alright: An attempt to find Reed up the wing in the 24th minute was so badly hit it soared into the stands for a throw-in. Surprisingly, coach Schmetzer subbed him at halftime, giving him some much needed rest.
Lean on the veterans: Surrounded by youth everywhere, it was Cristian who controlled the middle and the tempo early, casually finding success. Often, such as when Moose scored his first, the entire play was started with Roldan dribbling casually out of a triple team and jumpstarting the transition that Seattle feasted on.
Snyder Brunell – 8 | Community – 7.0 (off 84’ for Ferreira)
Brunell got his first MLS start and responded with a fantastic outing. His ability to control the ball in traffic, find smooth transitions through the middle, and his consistent vertical thrust were excellent. Snyder never looked outclassed, and in fact, was the best non-Leyva midfielder in the game. He had 95 percent passing, five recoveries, and was a dominant force in the middle.
The kids are alright: All night, Brunell constantly moved, connected, and found teammates. That meant he was part of essential buildup play on the first goal, and his control was constantly on display in traffic as he smoothly moved possession around. When Seattle broke out in the 61st minute, he recognized Musovski’s run, dropped back into space and cleanly scored his second goal in two MLS appearances. He could teach Obed Vargas a thing or two about that run.
Lean on the veterans: Snyder did a fine Obed impression, but wasn’t as impactful physically. That part of his game needs some work, as he is excellent in possession, but not as active out of it.
Attacking Midfield
Georgi Minoungou – 7 | Community – 7.1
Georgi earned a start on the left and immediately was a vertical and aggressive attacker, probing the box and making constructive havoc. He created the most chances in the game by combining speed, dribbling ability, and smart choices. He only managed to get one of his shots on target, but with 11 touches in the box, he was a menace in the SKC area.
The kids are alright: Minoungou played one of his best matches of the season, starting hot and creating as expected, but also showing some cultured decision making that has been missing from his play. This showed up both as the guy who burst into the attack in the first minute and nearly found Musovski, and the guy who beat his man and found Kalani 10 minutes later to open the scoring. He had four shots of his own, but it was his five key passes that displayed his smart decision making.
Lean on the veterans: One poor decision came in the 57th minute; breaking into the attack with teammates available, he called his own number, finding ECS instead of an easy slip-pass assist.
Danny Leyva – 9 | Community – 7.7
Leyva earned the reins at the attacking midfield position and responded with a monster match, with four direct goal contributions. The best part of his game was that he impacted in so many different ways. Through run of play brilliance, set piece delivery, combination play, and effective movement, Leyva was excellent. He won the most duels in the game as well as earning the most fouls. His work rate was absolutely fantastic, outside a bit of a lull when he tired after a frenetic start to the match.
The kids are alright: Leyva was awesome, and in any other match is an easy MOTM. His ability to move off the ball and spray it around when in possession to find people in great spots meant Reed was wide open to find Moose for his assist. It meant that Danny’s service to Moose from a corner was perfect. It meant when he controlled it in the box in the 73rd, he won a penalty.
Lean on the veterans: A 44th minute breakout saw Danny and Danny in on goal, but Leyva’s attempt was all wrong, and Musovski went wanting.
Kalani Kossa-Rienzi – 7 | Community – 7.2
Kossa-Rienzi started as a right winger, but he switched off with Reed a lot and tucked inside a number of times to allow overlapping runs. He was dynamic on the offensive side, using vision and movement to combine with lovely touch to both open up teammates and be goal direct himself.
The kids are alright: In the 11th minute, Kalani collected the ball in the box from a great Sounders buildup through Georgi, and when his shot was blocked, he quickly regained possession and even more quickly fired to the top corner to open the scoring. Another fantastic play came six minutes later when his excellent chest control gave him space and momentum as he drove toward goal and found Moose for a big chance that wasn’t realized.
Lean on the veterans: While his offense was excellent all night (another great through ball to Rothrock late should have been a goal starter), the defense was iffy at best. He was caught upfield and disconnected on SKC’s first goal, getting beaten behind. A few other times his defense was a mess, like when he took a foul for a dangerous set piece in the 39th.
Forward
Danny Musovski – 9 (MOTM) | Community – 8.4 (MOTM) (off 84’ for De Rosario)
After getting a ridiculously stupid red card in the midweek match, Musovski was given a redemption opportunity, and boy did he show up. In one of the best attacking matches of the year, it was Musovski who scored three and could have had several more. A constant threat in behind and with dynamic runs on goal, even when he wasn’t scoring he was drawing multiple defenders away from goal so teammates like Brunell could score in the space he created.
The kids are alright: Moose could have had five or more goals, squandering a massive chance in the first minute, just missing a near-perfect Minoungou cross. He also wasted an 8th minute chance after he stole possession, rounded the keeper, but missed the goal.
Lean on the veterans: Now with more hat tricks as a Sounder than Portland has in its existence, Moose shrugged off his early misses, responding with a fantastic run and headed finish right before half that gave Seattle important momentum. He followed this up soon thereafter, again with his head from a beautiful Leyva corner that he finished down and true. When Seattle earned a penalty in the 75th, Musovski stepped up and scored his third.
Substitutes
Jackson Ragen – 6 | Community – 6.6 (on 46’ for Yeimar)
Ragen entered at half, spelling his usual partner Yeimar, and sliding over into the position of the guy he replaced. He looked good on that side, finding his usual smart connectivity to the tune of 85 percent passing and eight defensive contributions.
The kids are alright: A 63rd minute foul was a little overzealous and his 68th minute run all the way up the sideline as a right wing was curious, considering the gamestate.
Lean on the veterans: Right after halftime, Seattle took a while to gel defensively. Ragen was needed in the 48th minute to come up with a great defensive play, and he responded well. His size and physicality rebuffed nearly all SKC attempts the entire second half.
Alex Roldan – 6 | Community – 6.5 (on 46’ for brother Cristian)
Roldan was deputized into the middle of the field, playing defensive midfielder and giving his brother a much deserved rest. He looked good there, with 52 touches, two key passes, and a shot in half of a match. He added five defensive actions and five recoveries.
The kids are alright: A hopeful 59th minute shot was iffy, and Alex’s pass in the 95th minute could have been an assist had he dialed it in better.
Lean on the veterans: After Ragen went on a sideline jaunt in the 68th minute, it was an alert Alex Roldan who slid over to defend the massive gap left, stopping an SKC chance in its tracks.
Paul Rothrock – 5 | Community – 6.1 (on 78’ for Baker-Whiting)
Rothrock came in late to get Reed a rest and immediately took a high and wide position on the right, becoming more of a straight wing, as opposed to tucking in to allow for overlaps. He attacked the corner and connected with all his pass attempts, albeit on a small sample size of 12 touches.
The kids are alright: Late in the match, Rothrock randomly dribbled right out of bounds, a confusing choice, and there were some predictable struggles in possession.
Lean on the veterans: A wicked smart run in behind in the 88th minute showed awesome nonverbal communication between KKR and the Rock, and Paul finished this play with a perfect pass to Osaze De Rosario, who should have scored from directly in front of goal.
Osaze De Rosario – 5 | Community – 5.4 (on 84’ for Musovski)
After Moose got his hat trick, he tired a bit, and the coach called on Osaze to see out the last few minutes of the match. With the game all but over, Seattle could have just passed to the corner and held the ball, but instead they kept attacking, nearly scoring through ODR’s great movement.
The kids are alright: A brilliant play in the 95th should have been a goal; Osaze used his big body to hold off a defender, before expertly spinning his man, beating another, and setting up a shot that he hit wide. This was an impressive move in a 1-v-1 situation, and it offered a glimpse of upside as yet unseen.
Lean on the veterans: In the 88th minute KKR and the Rock did all the hard work, with ODR on the doorstep to tap home a gimme. His sneaky push-off created the space to easily finish, but he got his foot all wrong, instead skying his shot over the goal from mere feet away.
Jesús Ferreira – 5 | Community – 5.8 (on 84’ for Brunell)
Jesús subbed in late to give Snyder a curtain call, and his role was to see the game out without any fireworks. He did that perfectly, with all five of his touches in calm possession.
The kids are alright: Seattle had a number of good moments after Jesús joined the match, but they couldn’t add to an already lopsided score.
Lean on the veterans: Jesús coming in had the desired calming effect on the match. He did exactly what was needed: controlled the ball, completed all his passes, and defended when required.
Referee
Chris Penso – 6 | Community – 6.6
Penso had a fairly easy time of it in this match, with Seattle running mostly one-way traffic through SKC, and many of the usual villains gone from the near-lifeless opponent. Without its usual animosity, this was just a match, and one in which the referee only whistled 17 total fouls all evening.
Veteran ref move: In the 3rd minute, Penso stopped play after Leyva was taken out well after releasing the ball. This was a small thing, but an essential tone setter for the entire match. He also was quick and assertive to give another call to Leyva, this time pointing to the spot in the 73rd minute.
Not alright: In the 56th minute, Musovski had a legitimate penalty shout, but it was quickly brushed aside. There were a number of fouls that could have been cards earlier, such as Leyva being fouled five times, and a 66th minute knock that wasn’t even whistled as a foul.
Sporting Kansas City MOTM
Veteran Mason Toye did alright in this one. He kept himself onside in the 36th with a well-timed run that culminated in a clean finish to draw his side level. He was mostly a bystander in the second half, as he had to watch the opposition create chance after chance that surely had him jealous. He called it a night in the 75th.
Upcoming: Sounders have a massive opportunity to play in the Leagues Cup final (at home!) and qualify for CCC.
