Brad Evans had a night he wishes he could forget

By Steven Agen

Going into the match, expectations were high for a Sounders side coming off a solid 3-0 performance. It was an entirely different story this week as Seattle fell behind 2-1 and then couldn’t capitalize on an Earthquakes red card. Perhaps worse for Sounders fans was how lifeless they looked on both sides of the ball in their second game of the year. A series of blunders led to a 3-2 loss with Brad Evans receiving perhaps the lowest grade ever given to a Sounder.

Stefan Frei – 5.5

Conceded three and never really had a shot at any of them. You can’t really knock his score down for his defense’s blunders individually, but he loses a half point for being a part of a back five that gave up three at home to a side that couldn’t score any in Dallas last week. His effective distribution, even when the rest of the team was going half speed, gains him the half point back.

Tyrone Mears (Subbed off on 80’ due to injury) – 6.5

One could wonder where he was when Emeghara scampered down his side for San Jose’s third but beyond that, the Englishman had a nice second outing for Seattle before coming off with what he described as a slight left hamstring tear. His shot in the first minute directly led to the opening goal as Bingham’s parry was knocked in by Dempsey. His service wasn’t as sharp as last week, but he combined well with Pappa on the right and defended well enough. The Sounders will be concerned by his absence the next few weeks, as he was competent despite the home side conceding a boatload of goals.

Chad Marshall – 7

This is a natural 7.5, once again dragged down by being associated with the back five. His bicycle kick-esque clearance in the first half, coupled with a remarkable block at the top of the box in the second half earn him the top marks for a Seattle defender. Similar to Frei, nothing was Marshall’s fault on the night. He looked like the defender of the year again (still?), even if his partner didn’t.

Brad Evans – 2.5

Loses half a point on the first goal when he rushes in to win a header from a cross on the right side, and misses. He doesn’t get close. This takes him further out of position, allowing Chris Wondolowski ample time and space to finish. This was the only goal that wasn’t entirely his fault however as Pineda failed in pressuring the cross. Loses a point for the second goal, and that’s probably kind. A horrible attempted header back to Frei was easily picked off by Wondo, who roofed it over the goalkeeper for his second. One has to wonder what he was thinking. Loses another full point for the third goal, mostly because of how silly Emeghara made him look. Evans dove in as the Quakes DP ran at the left corner of the six yard box; Emeghara cut back as Evans slid about three yards past him, nowhere near the ball. The forward clinically placed it into the bottom right corner. Loses a further half point for repeated turnovers, missed tackles, etc. A really rough night for the Sounders captain- probably his worst for the club.

Leo Gonzalez – 6

Got forward awfully well for the second week in a row, particularly after the red card. Another defender you can’t really blame for Evans’ transgressions, but where was he on the first goal? That’s Pineda tracking back, trying to cover Wynne. Maybe I’m just nitpicking. Stung quite the volley from about 30 that Bingham barely pushed over. All in all, the Costa Rican continues to defy his age, and is the team’s best one on one defender outside of Marshall. However his lack of speed was on full display due to a speedy San Jose side. Despite that, he’s still a big key for Seattle moving forward after this disappointing loss.

Marco Pappa – 6

Unlike last week, he did very little defensive work, and dwelled on the ball too frequently in the latter stages. He “popped” in and out of the center really well in the first half hour, but proceeded to do little of it as the match wore on. Switched very frequently with Neagle, and combined better with Martins than Dempsey. Had several shots blocked from outside the area, but put it a great dead ball to Dempsey who nearly made it 2-2 before the red card.

Michael Azira (Off on 67’) – 6

Quiet night, but did alright. Had a nice dispossession in the first half that he back heeled to safety. During the first thirty minutes he continually stole the ball back and passed it to a streaking forward. Let’s face it, he does a perfectly adequate job of filling in for Alonso defensively. Offensively? Not so much.

Gonzalo Pineda – 4.5

Simply didn’t run the attack as well as he did last week. Seattle had a hard time playing down the center, and that’s ultimately on him. Didn’t track Wynne well when he crossed for the first goal. It looked as if he thought the ball would go out of play, and was surprised to see the quick forward reach it. In addition he let Emeghara run right by him on the last goal dropping his mark. He didn’t really help Dempsey and Martins threaten, and his set pieces weren’t wonderful. A disappointing night for him and one that he can’t repeat if Seattle is going to follow through on it’s lofty expectations.

Lamar Neagle (Off on 72’) – 5

Outside of leaving a defender in the dust and a nice low cross (both in the first half), it was another poor performance from Neagle. Didn’t contribute much to the attack, and doesn’t look like he’s in the same class as Pappa, Dempsey, and Martins yet this season. Schmetzer even mentioned in his postgame presser (without being asked) that he didn’t think Neagle had much of a game.

Clint Dempsey – 6.5

Recorded his third goal of the season when he headed home over Bingham following Mears’ shot from the top of the area. Alashe basically man-marked him most of the match, and it limited his effectiveness. A little disappointing that he couldn’t couldn’t do more after Seattle went up a man, but he did make Bingham stand on his head when head nearly directed a Pappa free kick into the net.

Obafemi Martins – 6.5

Right place, right time on the goal. Finished it easily, as one would expect of a forward of his caliber. At times, he looked like the only Sounder interested in getting back into the game. His liveliness was offset by some poor service into the box, but why is Martins the guy who has to play it in? He should be the one finishing plays off, and this highlights some of why Neagle just isn’t getting the job done yet. When the forward’s doing your dirty work, that’s a bad sign.

SUBS

Andy Rose (Subbed in on 67’) – 6.0

Didn’t really notice him much outside of his assist to Martins which gets him a half a point. He did look threatening on a few late set pieces and linked up fine with the rest of the team more effectively than some of the starters. But there was nothing spectacular enough to bump him farther than the baseline. Even his assist was more of a right place right time, but there also wasn’t anything bad to knock him down.

Chad Barrett (Subbed in on 72’) – 5.5

Seemed like no one wanted to give him the ball, even when he got open in good spaces! Can’t blame him for that. He was the only one chasing after the ball before Seattle scored their second which is what we’ve come to expect from the 12 year MLS veteran.

Cristian Roldan (Subbed in on 80’) – 5.5

Doesn’t lose a point despite getting a yellow card. That foul showed some smart composure from the rookie in his first real outing for Seattle. If he doesn’t stop the counter there, maybe Emeghara grabs a second. He served the wide role well in the waning moments and combined well with Dempsey int stoppage time. Schmetzers use of him here shows that he’ll get his time in MLS eventually. Here’s hoping he capitalizes on it.