SEATTLE — By now the slogan of “next man up” has grown almost cliché. The Seattle Sounders have used it so many times that it has almost completely lost its meaning. But Saturday’s 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake served as another good reminder that something becomes cliché in part because it is often true.
Missing 11 players, including at least five virtually guaranteed starters, the Sounders were very clearly the better team in a game where their opponent was absolutely desperate for points. It wasn’t a remotely perfect performance — they had numerous opportunities to add a second goal and ultimately needed VAR to disallow a late equalizer — but it was the kind of gutsy performance that good teams figure out when they aren’t at their best.
This was the Sounders’ 45th different starting lineup in 46 matches across all competitions. What’s been remarkable is how consistent the results have been almost regardless of who has been on the field.
“I think one of the biggest things is that almost any lineup you put out there, it’s nothing new,” Sounders right back Kalani Kossa-Rienzi said after making his 18th start across all competitions this season. “Like I’ve been saying, everybody has experience now.
“I think we can trust everybody. When we all stand together and are able to get out there, we feel unstoppable. I think in these games, we almost feel a bit more confident because we’ve been here so many times where we’re missing guys.”
Two of the biggest absences in this game were Obed Vargas and Cristian Roldan, the defensive midfield stalwarts who have been virtual fixtures on Brian Schmetzer’s lineup sheet for the last seven months.
Replacing them were Danny Leyva and João Paulo. Leyva has logged nearly 1,000 minutes, but mostly off the bench and farther up the field. João Paulo had not started a game in almost five months and hadn’t even played as much as 20 minutes in four months as he dealt with injuries.
The duo combined for almost 170 touches, completed 133 of their 163 passes and were two of the main reasons the Sounders didn’t seem all that bothered by RSL’s aggressive press.
The Sounders’ problems had more to do with their composure around goal. After scoring early, they had a golden chance to put the game away when Jordan Morris was fouled in the box. Seemingly hoping to get his first goal since July, Morris took the penalty himself. But Rafael Cabral guessed right and saved Morris’ attempt rather easily.
Despite the setback, the Sounders went into halftime comfortably on the front foot. They seemed to grab the insurance goal they needed in the 79th minute when Jesús Ferreira played in Morris, who selflessly set up Paul Rothrock for a tap-in, only for the goal to be disallowed due to an offside infraction.
Viewed another way, though, the lack of the insurance goal provided an arguably better test for this group. To help see out the win, the Sounders had to call on three relatively inexperienced players. The 19-year-old Stuart Hawkins made just his fourth MLS appearance, Antino Lopez got his second all-time appearance and Peter Kingston made his first-team debut. None of them looked remotely out of place. This could be very well be the only time they are needed, but they showed they can be trusted.
The win was doubly satisfying – in a season where the Sounders have shown a frustrating penchant for allowing late-game, result-changing goals, they’ve now won two straight 1-0 matches to clinch the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference.
While wins like that aren’t good for the nerves, they are the type of game that a team has to be comfortable with in order to make a long playoff run.
“I don’t think many people want to play us,” Schmetzer said. “It’s going to be a dogfight. It’s going to be tough whoever we’re matched up against. But I have plenty of confidence in our team.”
