SEATTLE – Coming off their first loss in a couple of months, the Seattle Sounders turned in one of their worst halves of the season. Luckily, it wasn’t a total disaster. Thanks to a strong second half, they were able to escape complete embarrassment by claiming a 1–1 tie with CF Montreal on Saturday.
That point will likely feel unfulfilling, though. Montreal, who sits last in the Eastern Conference, came into this game in the middle of some heavy fixture congestion and having traveled across the continent on short rest.
But instead of pouncing on a team likely looking for a reason to pack it in, the Sounders came out lacking intensity and sharpness. They didn’t take their first shot until 30 minutes into the game and were lucky to only go into halftime trailing 1–0.
Montreal, on the other hand, seemed to be inspired. They weren’t exactly sharp but they were winning nearly every second ball and brought plenty of energy. They got a well-deserved goal in the 13th minute when a Sounders turnover sprung a counter-attack. Alexis Sanchez, who had not had a goal contribution since signing in the summer, lofted a ball over the top to Noah Streit, who then fed Gennadiy Synchuk for a tidy finish.
After fans booed the Sounders off the field at halftime, head coach Brian Schmetzer made two changes to the lineup. He brought in Kalani Kossa-Rienzi for Alex Roldan and Sebastian Gomez for Caden Clark.
The Sounders responded well and were immediately looking better in the second half. Still, it was Montreal who had the next big chance when Sanchez found Fabian Herbers streaking into the box, but his open shot from about 10 yards out went wide.
The Sounders nearly found an equalizer in the 62nd minute when Albert Rusnák found Jordan Morris over the top. Morris did well to control the ball and get off a shot that forced an awkward save. The rebound fell to Dejan Joveljić, who hit it first time only for a defender to block it off the line.
Not to be denied, the Sounders equalized in the 66th minute. Jesús Ferreira forced a turnover on a counter-press and drove into the box. Although a defender knocked it away, the ball fell to Gomez, who stroked his shot inside the far post.
At that point, the energy in the stadium was rocking and a winner felt almost inevitable. The Sounders nearly got it when Kossa-Rienzi played Morris in on the wing. Morris drove into the box and unleashed a trivela shot that nearly bent inside the far post, but it struck the woodwork and stayed out.
The Sounders kept up the energy, but didn’t quite have the quality. Their last close chance came in stoppage time when Kossa-Rienzi latched onto a volley at the top of the box that went just wide.
Lineups
The Sounders make six changes, including three of four defensive spots. Highlighting those changes is Ryan Sailor, who geta just his third career start and fourth career appearance for the Sounders. Also entering the lineup are Caden Clark at left midfield, Jordan Morris at right midfield, Hassani Dotson in central midfield, Alex Roldan at right back and Yeimar Gomez Andrade at centerback. Nouhou, who is playing with a broken finger, is the only defensive player who is a repeat starter from Wednesday.
Key moments
10′ — Chance! Noah Streit finds a little bit of space near top of the box on the counter and sets up Gennadiy Synchuk for a look at the top of the box but he shoots wide.
13′ – Goal! Albert Rusnák and Hassani Dotson seem to miscommunicate and give away a ball near midfield. Dotson then fails to win it back, allowing Montreal a numerical advantage. Yeimar gets caught in no-man's land as Alexis Sanchez lifts a ball over him and plays in Noah Streit. Ryan Sailor seems to arrive in time to break up the chance, but it falls to Synchuk who strokes his shot inside the far post, 1–0 Montreal.
30′ – Jordan Morris does well to get his header on frame from a Alex Roldan cross, but Sebastian Breza has it covered. It’s the Sounders’ first real shot.
45+1′ – Fabian Herbers is played in behind off a clever ball from Alexis Sanchez. Sailor does well to recover and keep it from getting ugly.
Halftime – Schmetzer makes two changes, bringing in Kalani Kossa-Rienzi for Alex Roldan and Sebastian Gomez for Caden Clark.
56′ – Chance! After a sloppy turnover by Rusnák, Sanchez puts a gorgeous ball through the box. Herbers races in unmarked and hits it just wide.
62′ – BIG CHANCE! Rusnák plays a ball over the top to Morris, who does well to control it and put it on frame. The rebound falls to Dejan Joveljić whose volley is blocked.
66′ – SEBASTIAN GOMEZ!!!! The substitute tucks it away after picking up a loose ball after Jesús Ferreira wins the ball back and then drives toward goal before a slide tackle knocks it away.
70′ – POST! Kossa-Rienzi plays in Morris on the right wing, he drives forward and slams his shot off the far post.
72′ – SAVE! Morris gets the edge again and drives toward goal. This time, he cuts it back to the penalty spot where Gomez attempts an off-balance shot that forces a diving save.
83′ — Chance! Kossa-Rienzi plays Joveljić into the box, but his tight-angle shot is saved.
89′ – POST! Wikelman Carmona gets an open look from the penalty spot after Sanchez deals a cross from the ground, but it slams it off the post.
90+1′ — WIDE! Kossa-Rienzi attempts a volley from the top of the box but it goes just wide.
Quick thoughts
No excuses for first half: After months of positive progress, it seemed like the Sounders had put some of their worst tendencies behind them. The first half was a reminder that they can not afford to relax. Montreal was as ripe for a beatdown as any team, but the Sounders never even gave themselves a chance. Schmetzer admitted that he may have made some mistakes with his lineup, but the players need to own the way they played. The attack looked completely clueless, the midfield couldn’t connect passes and the defense looked slow. In the playoffs, a performance like that will end their season. They need to treat each of their four remaining games like playoff matches.
Good response: On the other hand, the way they played in the second half was a good reminder that there is some quality. Having Gomez as the first attacking sub was definitely a surprise, but he paid off Schmetzer's gamble with good energy and a quality finish. Morris, too, looked completely different after moving to the right wing and playing more as a second forward. Cristian Roldan also did yeoman's work after moving to center back and following Sanchez all over the pitch. It ended up not being enough, and Montreal is not a team who should be giving the Sounders that much trouble, but it was still good to see the Sounders get their heads together.
A kind day in the table: Depending on how you look at things, this was either a massive missed opportunity to close the gap further up the table or a relief that the Sounders didn’t actually lose any ground. Basically, every team around the Sounders in the Western Conference dropped points. That means the Sounders still control their own destiny to move up to sixth, still have a reasonable shot to get to fifth and still have a six-point cushion to at least make the playoffs.
Notable quote
Cristian Roldan: "Of course, we’d like to have this these three points, but it is a bit of a wake-up call. We haven’t done anything yet, and if we want to do something in the playoffs, then we have to have complete performances.”
Player spotlight
Jesús Ferreira didn’t get the start and wasn’t even the first attacking player off the bench. He seemed to almost take that personally. When he finally did get on the field, he was a man possessed. In just 26 minutes, he completed 36 of 40 passes and created a team-high three chances. His play on the goal, both the pressure and the will to drive into the box, was arguably the Sounders’ most important play of the night. Hopefully, he has earned himself some more minutes.
