With the Seattle Sounders desperate to finally bank a league win after 10 games without tasting victory, they’ll be buoyed by Dejan Joveljić’s brilliant brace in his debut and the positive draws against FC Cincinnati and the Chicago Fire. And while the Sounders will be well aware of the areas where they can hurt Michael Bradley’s exciting young side, they’ll also be alert to the threats Red Bull New York brings.
Given the Red Bulls’ love to aggressively press high when opponents are building out from the back in a defined style, expect the Sounders to come with a plan to outfox them. With the likes of Nashville SC and Philadelphia Union showing in recent matches, both teams whose base 4–4-2 formation shares similarities with the Rave Green, the blueprint to beat the press is there.
Seeing as RBNY — who rank third for challenge intensity and fourth in MLS for passes per defensive action — tend to press with the ball-side winger narrow on a centerback, this inherently leaves the near fullback free behind. The fullback can therefore be accessed directly through a long ball or via a third-man combination to progress upfield even if the presser keeps the fullback in their cover shadow.
The Red Bull 8s tend to jump high onto the two opposition midfielders or even up to a central defender at times. This can create some exploitable room between the lines, which will be music to the ears of Albert Rusnák in particular.
Moreover, with RBNY often evolving into a 4-1-4-1, the single pivot can get left with tough decisions and vast ground to cover either side of them, as this could certainly generate openings for Seattle if Paul Rothrock and Sebastian Gomez are also instructed to venture infield and get narrow so they can overload central zones and combine in close proximity with Rusnák and now Joveljić.
Even though this can be negated by a centerback jumping out, this is made far more complicated with the presence of Joveljić, who defenders will not want to leave 1v1 at the back due to his tremendous threat.
Expect Joveljić to serve as a useful outlet if Seattle can’t beat the press too, giving them an ideal target man to win second balls high up. Proving he’s effective at bringing others into play and feeding his fellow attackers in forward‑facing positions, this should be aided by the Sounders’ compact offensive structure, where the nominal wingers repeatedly indent.
In addition, watch for the crafty striker to relish using his nous and experience against the more inexperienced, less battle‑hardened Red Bulls defense.
Another avenue that could bear fruit for the Sounders will be penetrative runs from deep, which is something midfielder Danley Jean Jacques used to devastating effect vs. RBNY in Philadelphia’s triumph last weekend. Doing a fine job of exploiting the space between the occupied fullback and centerback, Jean Jacques intelligently targeted these channel gaps to exploit ball-watching and preoccupied foes.
Snyder Brunell’s aptitude in this regard could rise to the fore, as he’s great at darting in behind to inject an extra layer of nuisance, which he displayed on multiple occasions vs. Chicago.
Rotations will be handy tools in the Sounders’ armory, with the attackers and midfielders, and also the fullbacks capable of switching to bring some variety and unpredictability to keep defenders guessing and never let them settle into a pattern. Seattle’s often narrow attacking structure lends itself to seamless swaps to compound issues for trackers to destabilize rearguards and manufacture disconnects. The lead-up to the Sounders’ second goal against the Fire, where Brunell and Gomez dovetailed astutely, served as a testament to the effectiveness of the aforementioned.
The crisp rotation between Brunell and Gomez was key ahead of the Sounders’ second goal against Chicago, helping unbalance their opponents and open the free space.
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Seattle will need to be wary of the 3v2 midfield overload RBNY will enjoy, much like Chicago did, so in both pressing and in a mid or deep-block stance, they'll need to be coordinated and smartly use their cover shadows to limit the classy Adri Mehmeti getting on the ball. Alternatively, when pressing high, they can transition into a man-marking press to stifle them, but this would force them to cede their numerical superiority at the back.
Seattle’s pressing shape from the Chicago encounter should transfer smoothly into this one, though, as RBNY also operates from a similar base 4-3-3. The Sounders will again press out of a 4-4-2, screening passing lanes, denying central access, and shifting horizontally in a coordinated manner, with the far‑side winger notably pinching in to help track RBNY’s interior midfielders.
Furthermore, the Rave Green will need to manage distances and spacing when pressing, especially with RBNY liking to spread their central defenders wide to stretch the first line of opposition pressure, which poses questions to the front two and the wingers about whether to hold or press and risk leaving spaces to be explored. For example, if the winger goes to the centerback, as happened often for Philadelphia, the fullback can then be tasked with stepping out to the winger, which can expose the wide areas in behind, which would force a center half to shift across, which can compromise them structurally if this isn’t executed coherently.
Using some crafty variations and different build-up shapes that often see RBNY morph into a back three when a midfielder drops or a fullback tucks in, observing how Seattle handles being outnumbered will be key, particularly given the RBNY central defenders love to charge forward into any gaps to gain territory, draw out markers, and unbalance opposition setups.
With RBNY possessing a dangerous midfield trio, consisting of the energy of Ronald Donkor, the control of Mehmeti, and the ingenuity of Emil Forsberg, Seattle will be keen to neutralize them to block the supply line to 18-year-old phenom Julian Hall and wingers Cade Cowell and Jorge Ruvalcaba.
Their dribbling menace needs to be taken seriously as well, for Seattle will need to be on top of their game against the likes of Hall, Cowell, Ruvalcaba, Donkor, and Forsberg to blunt a team that tops the league for dribbles per 90 at 18.76 and progressive runs (18.14 p90).
Boasting so many extra strings to their bow, including a heap of rotation variations, underlapping fullbacks, and crisp counter movements, the Sounders will need to be vigilant to the plethora of threats posed by Bradley’s team, who actually have recorded the second most touches in the box (23.27 per 90) and third most passes into the final third (53.8 per 90) in the Eastern Conference. But Seattle will back themselves and their game plan in their quest to nullify this multifaceted outfit.
RBNY’s fierce counter-pressing is another weapon, designed to smother and suffocate opponents in a jiffy after losing possession. Very influential in recovering the ball rapidly and stop transitions at the source to limit the opposition's ability to counter, Bradley's instilled this into his team superbly.
What makes their counter-press so deadly is the many numbers they commit in attack, as this usually ensures they have access to press immediately and successfully. Their counter-pressing doesn’t solely halt attacks, however, for it also serves as a dynamic chance creation method, turning defense into attack in an instant.
Determined to make life uncomfortable for adversaries so they can't execute their actions cleanly to get up the pitch, this supplements their high press neatly when carried out with aplomb.
If Seattle can overcome this counter‑press, the Red Bulls can undoubtedly be exposed on the break, as Philadelphia showed brutally for Cavan Sullivan’s goal, where Mehmeti turned the ball over cheaply while their midfielders and attackers were all pushed into the final third. As a result, this left oceans of time and space for the Union to maraud forward in transition and use their 5v4 overload to punish the Red Bulls and fully capitalize on the situation. Seattle will no doubt be eager to replicate this.
It must be said that, seeing as RBNY are fifth in MLS for most turnovers at 102.97 per 90 and have conceded the fifth most goals with 46, this only amplifies how Seattle will look to seize upon any deficiencies in their rest-defense and on sloppy giveaways.
Always balancing risk with reward courtesy of their brave, bold, progressive, and expansive approach, which Bradley deserves credit for implementing with a group that features plenty of talented youngsters, expect them to aim to do so in this fixture too.
Wanting to impose themselves and dominate in and out of possession in true Red Bull fashion, this upcoming contest looms as a fascinating tactical battle and clash of styles that the Sounders will be hoping they can edge to clinch their first win since May.
All statistics sourced from Wyscout
