The Seattle Sounders secured a crucial 1-0 victory against their Cascadia rivals, the Portland Timbers, at Lumen Field last Saturday. The fans witnessed a hard-fought match where the Sounders’ focus and determination were evident. A great team goal in the first half and a resolute defensive performance ensured a clean sheet against the Timbers, who had won in Seattle far too often as of late. It wasn’t a high-scoring game, but Seattle created several significant opportunities and effectively limited Portland’s chances. This much-needed win earned all three points against their fiercest rivals, providing a significant boost to their vibes, but a late red card means there will be one fewer player at the next game, which was already going to be short due to international callups.
Timbers’ salty tears: The Sounders showcased a more consistent performance, particularly in their defensive organization and ability to capitalize on a single, decisive attacking moment. They were able to maintain focus, execute their game plan, and hold on to the win under pressure. Finally breaking a ridiculous streak of home losses against Portland was a relief.
High blood pressure: There were too many undisciplined moments. Between selfishness in front of goal with a chance to put the game away, guys having overlapping assignments, or a leader getting a ridiculous late expulsion, this team remains prone to stupid errors.
Goalkeeper
Stefan Frei – 8 | Community – 7.6 (MOTM)
Frei had four saves, keeping an essential clean sheet and ensuring that the early goal would hold up as the game-winner. Not as mobile as many would like, he made the big saves that were needed. He also displayed excellent long service, repeatedly dialing up Jordan Morris for clearances that were turned into attacking opportunities.
Salty tears: A 34th minute save on a David Da Costa attempt needed strong hands to parry the hard shot on goal, and Frei was up to the task, diving to his left and pushing the ball away from his net.
High blood pressure: In the 25th minute, Frei got caught dribbling the ball, and his foot skills didn’t inspire too much confidence.
Defense
Nouhou – 8 (MOTM) | Community – 7.5
Nouhou was a defensive rock, shutting down Portland’s attempts on his flank. He continually forced everything back to the middle, ending attack after attack while also roaming centrally to help. His distributions up the width were 89 percent accurate.
Salty tears: Nine crucial clearances denied the Timbers attackers, none bigger than a 30th minute goal-saving denial where Nouhou read the play and came across to block a shot after both center backs faltered.
High blood pressure: A 23rd minute foul was a rare misstep for Nouhou in the game, and it offered Portland a set piece chance against the run of play.
Jackson Ragen – 7 | Community – 6.8
Ragen started on the left and eventually moved to the right, showing his usual flexibility and passing control. He both completed the most passes and had an absurd 95 percent completion rate, but he wasn’t quite as accurate looking for long balls.
Salty tears: An early over-the-top pass to Alex Roldan showed his distributive prowess, and a lovely 10th minute challenge flexed his defensive skills. These two were intermixed for much of the evening as Ragen helped hold down the shutout.
High blood pressure: Jackson seemed to be over-committing a little too often, with Portland taking advantage in a number of big moments. When he was beaten in the 34th minute, Seattle was lucky that Frei was on it.
Kim Kee-hee – 5 | Community – 6.0 (off 46’ for Bell)
Starting on the right in place of the injured Yeimar, Kim was an able connector with both Roldans and Ragen around him. Although he doesn’t bring the same skills as the man he replaced, Kim was excellent at playing his game before being forced off at halftime.
Salty tears: A nice attempt over the top for Morris in the 14th minute showed both center backs could hit long balls, and a 37th minute chest control to a teammate was a pretty bit of calm skill.
High blood pressure: In the 34th minute both he and Ragen were beaten badly, leading to a big chance. A little over 10 minutes later his night was done because of an injury.
Alex Roldan – 7 | Community – 7.1
After subbing off injured very early in the prior match, Alex was not only back with the team, but able to start against Portland. He showed no ill-effects from that previous issue, immediately mixing his defense with strong overlapping runs, to great result.
Salty tears: In the 16th minute, Alex started a long run near his own 18 yard box as he recognized a developing opportunity. He charged full field and burst into the box, cutting back to Pedro de la Vega for the only goal of the match.
High blood pressure: In the 41st minute, Paul Rothrock made a sneaky run and had a step, but Alex’s crossed ball just missed him, denying the Sounders a big chance.
Defensive Midfield
Cristian Roldan – 8 | Community – 7.3
Once again, it was Cristian Roldan who ran the middle of the field, this time paired with Albert Rusnák, but still finding immense effectiveness. He filled up the statbook with 84 touches, a shot, three key passes, and four tackles. The Seattle midfield didn’t miss a beat, even with the turnover centrally.
Salty tears: In the 76th and 77th minutes, Cristian set up Danny Musovski to seal the game twice, as usual getting stronger and stronger throughout the match.
High blood pressure: When he lost possession in the 15th minute, there were flashbacks of recent domino-effect goals against from the same spot, but Seattle managed to deny Portland on this occasion.
Albert Rusnák – 6 | Community – 6.1
Another rotated piece was DP Albert Rusnák, who slid back a line, taking the position normally occupied by Obed Vargas. While not a hard tackler, Albert did well to facilitate both offense and defense from this deeper positioning.
Salty tears: Ninety-four percent passing from defensive midfield was part of the control that Albert brought to this role. Time and again, Seattle was able to calm down the chaotic Portland offense by routing through Rusnák, who cleanly fed forward and retained possession.
High blood pressure: Georgi Minoungou and Albert should not have both been challenging the keeper high up the field in the 96th minute. This critical mistake led directly to Rusnák, out of position, charging back on defense and committing a stupid red card foul, which will remove him from Seattle’s next match.
Attacking Midfield
Pedro de la Vega – 7 | Community – 7.6 (off 65’ for Minoungou)
Pedro returned to the starting lineup and picked right back up where he left off, with high level play and plenty of energy. He was effective at combining through the middle and with his off-ball movement. He had two shots, two successful dribbles, three key defensive recoveries, and most importantly, scored the lone goal of the match.
Salty tears: When Alex Roldan got into the box and cut the ball back in the 16th minute, it was Pedro who got to the right spot and slammed it home with his usual aplomb. His ability to get deep into the area and find finishes was on full display.
High blood pressure: PDLV’s 58th minute turnover to the middle nearly started a big Portland counter attack and may have been due to some fatigue; he was subbed off shortly after.
Jesús Ferreira – 7 | Community – 6.8 (off 70’ for Leyva)
Jesús moved into the middle and was excellent, starting nearly every good moment in the first half. Although only credited with a single key pass and two shots on 36 touches, he was constantly probing forward, putting Morris into space and connecting through the middle with excellent vision.
Salty tears: Ferreira’s pass opened up Alex for the assist on the Sounders’ goal, and he set up Rothrock on a number of occasions for big chances that didn’t quite come through.
High blood pressure: A miscommunication with Morris meant a missed chance in the 27th minute. Much of Jesús’ effectiveness was mitigated by Portland dropping their lines in the second half.
Paul Rothrock – 6 | Community – 6.4 (off 87’ for João Paulo)
Paul slid over to the right side, charging up and down the wing as usual. He set the tone early, winning fouls as Seattle didn’t back down to physical play. He earned three fouls, had two big chances created, and brought intensity to the match for the Sounders.
Salty tears: A lovely run in behind in the 42nd minute and another over-the-top two minutes later were just two examples of the continual stretching of the defense by Rothrock’s perpetual movement.
High blood pressure: Like last match, Paul struggled to understand the movement of others around him, especially Morris. He found himself in Pedro and Jordan’s space on a few occasions and will want to fix that. He missed his big chance on goal.
Striker
Jordan Morris – 5 | Community – 5.7 (off 65’ for Musovski)
Jordan started well, making a ton of runs and continuously stretching the Portland defense. Unfortunately, his runs went mostly unused, relegating Morris to a decoy, a role where he was effective at moving opponents around to create space for others. All of the little things you wanted to see in a forward were there, and his dynamic movement looks great.
Salty tears: Instantly in behind in the 8th minute, his run in the 16th opened up space for Pedro to score behind. Throughout the entire match, he was a big target for Frei, constantly holding up or flicking on behind from long balls.
High blood pressure: Still figuring it out, some of Jordan’s runs ended up being redundant with teammates, and outside of Frei and Ferreira, not many Sounders were finding him. Morris will need to be more impactful.
Substitutes
Jon Bell – 5 | Community – 6.0 (on 46’ for Kim)
Bell came in for Kim and slid over next to Nouhou. He was solid in his time, helping to see out the shutout and earn all three points, including a fantastic 96 percent pass completion rate.
Salty tears: Multiple times, Bell stepped up and offered pressure high on the field, forcing Portland back and allowing Seattle to lock possession forward.
High blood pressure: A 63rd minute pass across the middle was the kind of pass that can get you into trouble, and Jon was lucky it didn’t turn into a punishment.
Georgi Minoungou – 5 | Community – 6.1 (on 65’ for PDLV)
Minoungou came in at his usual scheduled time and provided instant offense, charging through the wing and dribbling around and through the defense, creating chances for teammates. He had 85 percent passing.
Salty tears: Immediately after coming on, he set up Musovski for a chance in the 67th minute. His fancy dribbling earned a 78th minute yellow card as Portland had no answer for him.
High blood pressure: After slipping in the 73rd minute, he was able to hold on, but eventually the opportunity slipped away as a harmless goal kick.
Danny Musovski – 4 | Community – 5.0 (on 65’ for Morris)
Musovski came in for Morris and got into some great spots. His effort and intensity meant when he arrived with Minoungou, Seattle took more control of the match. Unfortunately, he lacked the Moose Magic in this rivalry game, failing to put the game away via his multiple opportunities, including seven touches in the Portland area.
Salty tears: A willing defender, Danny tracked all the way back to his own box in the 89th, providing some important defensive work to help see out the shutout win.
High blood pressure: Moose wouldn’t have needed to defend so much if he hadn’t missed a number of open looks, like chances he missed in the 75th, 76th, and 77th. The final attempt was the most egregious error, as he had Rothrock wide open for a finish and instead selfishly took it solo, and missed.
Danny Leyva – 5 | Community – 6.0 (on 70’ for Ferreira)
Danny came in to run midfield and showed his improved control of the match. He did that via clean 15/16 passing, connecting with his teammates and pushing the ball into good spaces. He showed he can run the midfield competently.
Salty tears: Really excellent 74th minute defensive work involved strong tackling and a vigor to get stuck in, that showed improved physicality from Leyva.
High blood pressure: Seattle was likely looking for more from Danny, who was less of a creator and more of a connector.
João Paulo – 5 | Community – 5.4 (on 87’ for Rothrock)
Veteran João Paulo returned to the field in a short cameo to help ensure that Seattle could earn three points at home against Portland for the first time in a long time. He had six touches in a busy few minutes, but only completed one of four pass attempts.
Salty tears: The effort was there. JP hustled all over the field, getting involved in numerous plays and running hard.
High blood pressure: A terrible 93rd minute pass was almost a complete disaster. After it was stolen, we all had visions of yet another game with late dropped points, which luckily did not occur.
Referee
Rubiel Vazquez – 6 | Community – 4.8
Rubiel Vazquez came to Seattle and did an okay job of refereeing the match. The near-side assistant ref seemed to have some issues early, but the refs and VAR got most of the calls correct throughout the match. The 11-10 foul count could perhaps have used another card for cynical play, but a single card was given to each team.
Salty tears: After an early 19th minute foul on Cristian Roldan, this referee stopped play after evaluating that a dead ball was better than an advantage call. This one, and the 96th minute red card, were called correctly.
High blood pressure: There were some inconsistencies, especially early as Nouhou was called for a physical foul, but Rothrock didn’t receive the same treatment when he was pushed immediately afterward. An 87th minute offsides call was puzzling.
Portland Timbers MOTM
As usual, y’all love a goalkeeper. Maxime Crépeau didn’t have a ton of work to do in this one, finishing with just two saves and conceding a goal that he really couldn’t do much about. His best play of the night came in the 67th minute, as he stayed big to deny Musovski after a delicious ball in behind from Minoungou. This kept the deficit at one as his side continued to look for a path to a road point.
Upcoming: Speaking of salt, the Lake of Salt comes to Seattle to play this weekend in the Sounders’ final home match of the year. The lineup could be interesting.
