RENTON – The Seattle Sounders are days away from a win-or-stay-home match against Minnesota United, Game 2 of their best-of-three, first-round playoff series. With a game in front of their home fans – possibly for the last time this year, even if they win – to keep their season alive, the consensus around the team is that the Sounders need to be more aggressive on Monday night if they want to put the ball in the back of the net and have a chance of moving past the Loons.
“We know we’ve gotta win every game, basically, from now on,” Albert Rusnák explained after training on Friday. “We can’t afford to lose any games.”
He expressed a sentiment that’s been consistent from numerous players following the opening game, that they felt good about their performance but not necessarily with the execution. “We know that we have played a good game on the road, and we’re a better team at home.”
There’s an acknowledgment – spoken and otherwise – that the Sounders will need to be more aggressive. That might mean pushing more numbers forward at the potential risk of opening themselves up to the counter, or it might mean some personnel or formation tweaks. In Game 1, for instance, the Sounders stuck with their 4-2-3-1 formation but put Jordan Morris on the right wing with Danny Musovski at the No. 9. They created their two best chances of that night that way and could see that formation as better equipped to break down the Loons' packed in defense.
Asked on Thursday about the idea of playing with two strikers, whether in the manner used in the first game or as more of a true two-forward look, Morris made it clear that he can see the value in the approach.
“I have experience playing on the wing," he said. "Danny has done so well playing up front this year and again that’s up to the coach, what Schmetz wants to do, what he saw with the game.”
Minnesota’s stout defense has shut out Seattle twice this season as they’ve won all three of the two sides’ meetings.
It’s been pretty clearly established and discussed that Seattle created plenty of chances against Minnesota in the first game of the series, more than enough than they’d typically require to score a goal. Morris and Rusnák were a major part of that, each credited with creating four chances as the Sounders tallied 14 shots for 2.4 xG. Morris created 3 of his 4, and some of the team’s best chances of the whole game, after moving to the right wing in the second half. Chance creation hasn’t been the issue, it’s been turning those chances into goals.
“We have a lot of guys that can create for others, and now someone needs to step up and score on Monday,” said Rusnák after training.
There are plenty of players in the squad capable of being that someone and the Sounders have more experience than just about anyone else in these types of situations.
"Every game is win-or-go-home now," Morris said. "We just have to string a couple of wins together and get to a final. Our main focus is winning this game and then we focus on the next one.
"We feel like we're built for moments like this."
