LUMEN FIELD – In a match billed as a revenge opportunity for the Seattle Sounders as they faced a Real Salt Lake side responsible for knocking them out of the 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs, the league leaders retained their place atop the Supporters Shield standings, buoyed by strong performances across the pitch as their impressive start to the season continues.
While the starting lineup featured an identical cast to last week’s 4-0 demolition of the Colorado Rapids, a returning Raúl Ruidíaz made a cameo off of the bench with nine minutes to run and the Sounders cruising at 2-0 up. The Peruvian had a late chance to ice the fixture, but a cross-goal shot banged off the left upright before being blazed over by João Paulo.
Despite the late flurry of spurned opportunities, the Sounders finished the match with a comfortable victory, ensuring that their clean-sheet start to the season remained in place.
The Sounders’ level was so remarkable that post-match, Head Coach Brian Schmetzer remarked, “Some of that play in the second half…that was some of the best soccer that the Seattle Sounders have played in a very long time”.
From a manager who’s brought two MLS Cups and the Concacaf Champions League title to the Emerald City, it’s certainly high praise for his team.
While last week’s performance saw Seattle outpace the Rapids and tear apart Robin Fraser’s defensive risks, the victory on Saturday night was far more calm.
The Sounders looked confident in possession, reacting to Real Salt Lake’s decision to sit off with patient rotation through the back line. They finished the match with 60% possession, a testament to the group’s ability when given the ball.
The time allowed two-assist defender Alex Roldan to push high in possession, a luxury he wasn’t afforded when dealing with constant runs from Rapids midfielders a week ago. The freedom resulted in a plethora of deep crosses, one of which found the head of Jordan Morris for a triumphant opener in the 35th minute.
Stefan Frei described the performance from a mental standpoint, saying, “It doesn’t sustain itself. You have to do the basics right…technically we’ve been quite good in the basic things.”
Those essential components of the game were what saw the Sounders end with 3.41 xG, a plus-3.02 differential to their opponents. Frei discussed the nature of streaks, acknowledging that, “it doesn’t sustain itself and at some point streaks end…it’s a matter of trying to prolong it for as long as you can”. At the moment, there seem to be no signs of slowing down in Seattle.
New pickup Héber impressed once again in his role as the lone striker, and was on the end of two or three great chances, putting one in the back of the net for the Sounders’ second in the 59th minute.
The finish came off of a recycled cross from an overshot Lodeiro effort which found Alex Roldan, who neatly pinged it to the Brazilian forward who grabbed his second goal as in many MLS games for the club.
Schmetzer congratulated his signing’s performance, and bemoaned the fact that he’d ostensibly have to pick between one of Héber and Ruidíaz in the upcoming matches, quipping that, “(It’s) going to be horrible! I don’t know what I’m going to do!”
However, he didn’t rule out the possibility of the two featuring in a front two, and even name-checked legendary Seattle strike duo Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins earlier.
Héber often partnered former MLS MVP finalist Taty Castellanos with NYCFC, and Ruidíaz has experience with both Fredy Montero and Will Bruin under Schmetzer, who referenced the possibility with, “Absolutely, we’ll work on it.”
While the Sounders’ attacking prowess has been on full display in the two opening fixtures, a massive reason why they find themselves top of MLS is down to defensive excellence. Both Frei and Alex Roldan referenced their work as a group after the game.
Roldan, the night’s Man of the Match, expressed his happiness with the defensive mentality, asserting that, “(They’re) the standards we set for this season. Last year with Champions League…it fell off in the middle of the year and towards the end of the year, so we’re really making it a point to get back to our defensive principles”.
For Roldan and his teammates, that focus is what will fuel their quest for a return to the playoffs and the showpiece match in November.
Next week, Seattle makes their first away journey of the season as they travel to TQL Stadium in Cincinnati to face a side a long way away from when the Sounders welcomed them to the league in 2019 with a 4-1 thumping on opening night.
It’s an opportunity welcomed by the team, with Schmetzer marking it as a “good test, but we’ll be prepared, we’ll be ready for them”. Right now, the Sounders look as ready as anyone in the league.
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