On Monday night, the Sounders returned home and got their playoff plan back on track. Scoring dynamic goals and forcing Minnesota United to come out of their parked bus, everything was rosy for the first 45 minutes. Seattle controlled the match and built a 3-0 lead heading into stoppage time, expecting to return after half for a celebratory and inconsequential second period. Unfortunately, their collective brains fizzled out in extra time, and the Loons’ transition danger erupted in fantastic fashion. Not once, but twice, the Sounders overextended in pushing forward, turned the ball over, and were almost immediately scored upon. Instead of cruising, Seattle was suddenly in a dogfight, with the threat of another shootout just one goal against away. Luckily, the Sounders came out with more structure in the second half, effectively taking the air out of Minnesota’s momentum. Limiting the Loons to almost nothing offensively, and adding another late goal of their own, Seattle managed the second half professionally. They’ll return to Minnesota for the final game of the series this Saturday, after a 4-2 win that was both a bit nervy and not as close as the score indicated.
Cakewalk: Outside of about eight minutes at the end of the first half, Seattle had Minnesota completely flustered. The early goal wasn’t enough, but the second tally forced the Loons to stop delaying every play, and the gamestate was pretty much Sounders dominance. After regrouping at halftime, Seattle shut everything down and managed the match well.
Pie in the face: The whiplash from dancing in the stands to visions of another nightmare penalty shootout was devastating. The crowd went from raucous cheering to nervous murmuring as this game became a microcosm of the season so far: beautiful offensive production marred by silly defensive mistakes that were immediately punished.
Goalkeeper
Stefan Frei – 5 | Community – 6.4
Frei was put in a tough spot with two quick counter attacks leaving his defense scattered. Otherwise, he was more of a director from the back against Minnesota. His distribution was smart and safe, and for the most part, Stefan sat back on his line and watched a controlled match in front of him.
Cakewalk: A 14th minute reaction save near-post was big, as Minnesota created a shot out of nothing, and it looked to both surprise the defense and deflect awkwardly. As usual, Stef was positionally sound and able to make the save to keep the Sounders on the front foot.
Pie in the face: Minnesota didn’t do much for most of the match. Frei was credited with two saves and charged with two goals against, which isn’t a great ratio. He didn’t look particularly spry on the first goal, just sort of falling over as the Loons drew one back.
Defense
Nouhou – 7 | Community – 6.7
For much of this match, Nouhou was who he needed to be: a strong defender who took few chances and got the ball forward to teammates quickly and accurately. His 96 percent passing indicates he prioritized possession, and he was excellent at preventing counter attacks from errant passing. At times he was pulled out of position, but he added five headed clearances as Seattle neutralized Minnesota’s attempts into the box.
Cakewalk: Nouhou found the brilliant cross-field movement of Danny Leyva with a well weighted first-time ball that allowed Seattle to build up their final goal. When he slows down and takes what the game offers him, Nouhou has the technical ability to connect the right passes.
Pie in the face: With a 3-0 lead and halftime approaching, Nouhou got caught up in the excitement and charged forward unnecessarily. Normally that wouldn’t have been a problem, but when Obed Vagas short-armed his pass to Jordan Morris, who turned the ball over near midfield, Minnesota immediately attacked and Nouhou was nowhere near to help.
Jackson Ragen – 7 | Community – 6.9
Ragen had another great match, in spite of the two goals against. He won every one of his aerial duels, and was a key part of a resilient defense that denied Minnesota anything tangible from dead ball service attempts. Time and again, Jackson directed the team from the back via smart connection and vision.
Cakewalk: Ragen had the most touches of the ball, and he impressed at running the Sounders’ offense from the back. His decision making and execution of all that possession were integral to Seattle’s success. He had 12 passes into the final third, cleanly pushing teammates into good attacking positions.
Pie in the face: When Yeimar was caught on a walkabout right before halftime, Jackson was victimized by a quick transition behind him. After failing the offside trap, Minnesota played behind Ragen, and neither Nouhou nor Frei could bail him out. Jackson couldn’t track the run behind him, resulting in a much closer scoreline than hoped for going into half.
Yeimar – 6 | Community – 5.9
Effective defensively, Yeimar won a team-high 10 duels and a massive nine aerials. This was part of a dominant physical display from both centerbacks, who won their challenges and repeatedly rebuffed any attempts to force the ball over the top. Yeimar had a lot of the ball (111 touches), and was mostly clean in his distribution.
Cakewalk: The best defense against Minnesota’s long throw and set piece-based offense was Yeimar’s timing, size, and leaping ability. He repeatedly won aerial battles and denied the Loons from creating big chances on their attempts. This was a massive advantage for Seattle, and nullified much of the Loons’ game plan.
Pie in the face: On the first Minnesota goal, Yeimar appeared to slip awkwardly, part of a team breakdown that allowed a clear shot down the middle. The second goal was just unforgivable decision making from the center back, as his spirited charge upfield included multiple fancy dribbles, and ingloriously ended with a failed Cruyff turn that was immediately transitioned into a second goal against.
Alex Roldan – 5 | Community – 6.6 (off 46’ for Kossa-Rienzi)
Alex only played a half, clearly still dealing with some injury issues. In that time, he had a shot and 80 percent passing, pushing high on the right to support the team up against a low defensive block. His calm play meant that Minnesota had little success offensively until late in the half when they found transition moments.
Cakewalk: Although having just one shot, Alex was consistently goal dangerous, slipping through vertical runs and looking for clean square balls. He had an integral last-man tackle on one of the few times Minnesota nearly broke through.
Pie in the face: Alex’s continual injury problem is concerning, as his two way play is a big factor in Seattle’s success. His movement and connection are directly related to Seattle scoring multiple times from his side, and any longer term injury would be tough.
Defensive Midfield
Cristian Roldan – 8 | Community – 8.1
This was yet another playoff masterclass from Roldan, who seemed to be everywhere. The first half catalyst for multiple massive chances, he was also the fulcrum of a compact and methodical second half that saw Seattle close down shop, eliminate gaps, and effectively see out the match on their terms. He filled up the statbook with creative movement and connection, defensive stops, and was somehow never fouled in the match.
Cakewalk: Twice Roldan got into the deep right channel; twice Seattle scored. He understood the few gaps in Minnesota’s defense, and he burst into these areas. His head up, going full speed, Cristian picked out the open pass in the box, resulting in two layoffs that were redirected in by strikers. This was smart, effective soccer from the Best XI Roldan.
Pie in the face: Similarly to a few others, Cristian was caught trying to do too much, charging forward without protection or being pulled too wide. This allowed Minnesota to find vertical counterattack runs through the middle and make Seattle pay for momentary lapses of tactical organization.
Obed Vargas – 8 (MOTM) | Community – 8.4 (MOTM)
Obed started early, reminding everyone why he was on the field, and bookended the match with two massive goals. In between, he combined well with Cristian, and outside of the ten minutes when the team lost their minds, Vargas was part of a controlled romp. Especially impressive was his defensive work; he won all of his duels and failed to be dispossessed even once all match.
Cakewalk: In the 8th minute, a ball deflected off a corner to Obed at the top of the box. He controlled and slammed a hard, low shot that snuck by the Minnesota keeper, who was too slow to react. This early goal forced the Loons into a new gamestate where they were no longer able to delay and play for dead balls. Obed scored his second on another deflected goal, putting this match away, and he nearly had a third when a late first half shot clattered off the post and out.
Pie in the face: Hand me the BBQ sauce: I will happily eat crow for suggesting that Obed be subbed off in favor of a tactical change to combat Minnesota’s defensive structure. If he can continue to produce goals in this fashion, he needs to be on the field. Obed made plenty of mistakes, like a weak pass to Morris that handcuffed him and helped create the first Minnesota goal, and he still doesn’t penetrate the box enough, but I was wrong, and happy to admit it.
Attacking Midfield
Jesús Ferreira – 7 | Community – 7.3 (off 83’ for Leyva)
Ferreira started on the left midfield and pushed central to combine, find teammates in fortuitous spots, and be goal direct with his movement and touches. He created the two biggest chances of the match, remembered his defensive duties, and combined centrally to help Seattle utilize their possession advantage. This match also showed a direct aggressive dribble from Jesús, which was a welcome wrinkle in his play.
Cakewalk: Twice Jesús came to the middle of the box, and twice he dialed up a teammate for a goal via a close-in shot. His ability to find the right space to get on the end of crosses from the right corner was impeccable. The first might have gone in on its own, but Morris made no mistake after a brilliant diving header, and the second was a redirect to Musovski, who wasn’t missing from a yard out. Ferreira also had a nice ball to Moose through Albert Rusnák that should have earned a DOGSO red later on.
Pie in the face: Jesús will want a few moments back, like a free shot from outside the box. He maneuvered well to find space but still lacks the power on his outside shots to beat keepers. Some of his best plays were denied by the referee.
Albert Rusnák – 6 | Community – 6.7 (off 90’ for De Rosario)
Albert was relatively quiet in this match, with a single shot, a single key pass, and three defensive recoveries as part of a balanced outing. His control and possession were essential to the Sounders’ success, and his movement constantly created small gaps for Seattle to use. Rusnák ended with 85 percent completion in a match where he largely took up residence in the attacking third and connected.
Cakewalk: This was a solid game from Rusnák, but you had to be paying attention to his connectivity and movement to notice it, as he was mostly absent from the statbook and the big moments. There were a lot of players like Albert who did excellent work at all the little things, creating opportunities for others and rarely making mistakes. Albert also put Moose through on the DOGSO play with a nifty first time touch, which was erased by abysmal refereeing.
Pie in the face: There were moments for Rusnák to be more directly impactful in this match, but for a number of reasons, he missed his chances. He was sometimes open when teammates took other options, even calling for it from a good spot when Obed scored at the end. Seattle will need more from Albert if they want to move on in Minnesota.
Jordan Morris – 7 | Community – 6.9
Morris started on the right wing but consistently moved inside, becoming another big target in the box and allowing overlapping runs from both the width and central areas to the spaces he created. One of these movements earned him a goal. Jordan was a constant asset on set pieces as well, finding both offensive and defensive header success. He moved forward for a time, becoming an outlet before being pushed wide to see out the match.
Cakewalk: Jordan doesn’t get enough credit for his soccer intelligence, like when he constantly moved off teammates to create space. When that space was utilized by the equally savvy Ferreira, Morris took the offering from Jesús and put it in the net. Another underappreciated part of Jordan’s game was his second half holdup play. When he moved to the front, he was Frei’s favorite target to alleviate pressure and tilt the field.
Pie in the face: From a holistic and teamwide success metric, this tactical move was a success. It’s interesting that Jordan’s personal success in this match came from playing centrally, not wide, and there was little attempt to get him into wide spaces, instead having central players like Cristian Roldan make third man runs to the gaps on the width. This worked for the team, but outside of the big chance he finished, Morris was not particularly goal dangerous.
Striker
Danny Musovski – 7 | Community – 6.7 (off 66’ for Rothrock)
Danny started up top and planted himself in between the central defenders, buzzing around and keeping them occupied. This presence constantly opened up both attacking channels and overloads central, which when combined created two goals, one of which Moose himself capitalized on.
Cakewalk: Moose did what he does, sitting deep in the box and finishing when the opportunity presented. His third goal was critical, due to the immediate defensive flubs shortly thereafter. He also showed his surprising burst speed in the 60th minute when he should have earned a DOGSO red after being fouled on a breakaway.
Pie in the face: It may be weird to say he “only” scored one, but outside of that goal, Danny wasn’t particularly notable. That was his only shot, he didn’t create much for teammates, and his holdup was not great. He had a low 15 total touches and only attempted five passes.
Substitutes
Kalani Kossa-Rienzi – 5 | Community – 6.3 (on 46’ for A. Roldan)
Kalani was pressed into action on the right when Alex wasn’t able to continue the match after halftime. He was solid both ways, but had a number of scary turnovers and lacked the calm patience of the player he replaced.
Cakewalk: Stats-wise KKR was good, winning his duels and completing 25/28 passes. He had a key pass and a successful dribble. This dribble is a massive strength from Kalani, as he continually received the ball under pressure on the sideline and was able to maneuver to the middle with rapid dribbling pace that created problems for Minnesota’s attempts to press him.
Pie in the face: Although Seattle didn’t get punished for it, there were a number of times when Kalani wasn’t connecting with teammates. The Loons continually attacked down his side and had success locking the Sounders in down their defensive right. The pressure overwhelmed Kalani on a few occasions.
Paul Rothrock– 6 | Community – 7.3 (on 66’ for Musovski)
This was the most Rothrock appearance ever: Paul came in and immediately tilted the field for Seattle. His effort and physical play put Minnesota on their heels, and he was a relentless force for chaos in his entire time on the field. With two fouls earned, 4/4 on tackles, two dribbles, and popping up everywhere, this was classic Pauly Primetime with unstoppable energy.
Cakewalk: In the 85th minute, Paul recognized an opportunity from Leyva and charged onto a curling pass up the wing. With the defender step for step, it was a battle of wills for possession, and Paul decisively won via a picture-perfect shoulder tackle to gain the ball and space. Picking up his head, he charged into the box and found Obed, who scored his second and ensured Seattle would get another match.
Pie in the face: There were a number of times when Paul just missed better options, either from dribbling too much or not having the vision to see a brilliant run backside from Jesús or Jordan.
Danny Leyva – 6 | Community – 6.8 (on 83’ for Ferreira)
Danny came in and changed the match for the better. His energy, control, and vision meant Seattle suddenly had another player in the middle who could both defend the central counter spaces and turn possession into attacks for Seattle quickly and efficiently. He was in full command of the match after entering, and he turned his 20 minutes into 94 percent passing, two tackles, four won duels including two impressive headers, and another quality appearance.
Cakewalk: Coming all the way across the field in the 85th minute, Leyva first found Nouhou as a release valve for center pressure before adeptly continuing his run to be a give and go option. Nouhou one-timed a ball into Danny’s horizontal run and Leyva immediately hit a left-footed curling ball up the line into the run of Paul. Some Rothrocking and yet another Obed deflected shot put this match to bed.
Pie in the face: Danny missed his one cross attempt, and his set piece didn’t end in a Seattle goal.
Osaze De Rosario – 5 | Community – 5.5 (on 90’ for Rusnák)
Using a sub and making sure Albert didn’t get a red card with a silly stoppage time tackle, Osaze entered right as extra time began. He wasn’t needed much, but it was great to see the big forward in there for some runs.
Cakewalk: De Rosario completed both his pass attempts, showing off his connective ability as he came in late to help see out the match.
Referee
Pierre-Luc Lauziere – 4 | Community – 4.0
He’s not a complete unknown, but this referee had only done three Sounders matches prior to this one. He had been rated average in his earlier Seattle matches, and he started well in this one, but he faded as the match got stretched. With both teams frustrated, the Sounders got the worst of a few potentially game-changing calls.
Cakewalk: Obed earned his card, as did both Loons who were shown yellow. The first half was relatively well refereed, with a positive key moment early on, as Lauziere brought the team captains together to get on the same page after a scuffle. He also ignored at least one blatant dive, which we always enjoy.
Pie in the face: In the 60th minute, a galloping Moose was through on goal and there was a shoulder challenge that included a step on his ankle. To not even look at it was ridiculous. This was only part of a second half failure to ref competently. The calls were very inconsistent, or just plain didn’t make any sense.
Minnesota United MOTM
Robin Lod is a trouble man. The Finn did all the usual Robin Lod things in this one, which, when you play for this United side, meant large swaths of not having the ball. But when he did have the ball, he did clever and troubling things with it, like teeing up Joseph Rosales to force Frei into a save at his near post in the 14th minute. He assisted on Minnesota’s first, driving at the Seattle defense before laying off. And, of course, he scored Minnesota’s second.
Upcoming: Back to Minnesota to finish this.
