By Steven Agen
When Fabian Castillo ran onto a Mauro Diaz through ball in the 18th minute of last weekend’s MLS Western Conference Semifinal first leg, it looked as though everything was going according to plan for the top seed. Castillo raced past aging veteran Zach Scott and left Stefan Frei helpless with a tidy finish into the bottom far corner. It was an eighth of the way into the tie and Dallas both had the road goal and led globally.
What then, Dallas manager Oscar Pareja may have posited, could Seattle possibly have left in the tank? After all, with a preferred starting eleven that doesn’t feature anyone younger than 29 and eight players over 30, and the additional burden of having played two elimination games already in the preceding week, the Sounders surely would have to hold on and hope to make up the deficit in Texas.
If that was, in fact, the Coach of the Year candidate’s pattern of thought, he may at least be forgiven for his mistake. What happened next was hardly predictable.
Seattle started to possess in greater stretches after the opening goal. A midfield tandem of Andy Rose and Erik Friberg found success closing down the space of Mauro Diaz, and Sounders could start to look to do more than hit Oba Martins over the top. They went into the half in the ascendancy.
The second period, as everyone knows, saw Andres Ivanschitz use every bit of his guile and European experience to level the tie on 66 minutes. The Austrian trapped a second ball in midfield and saw the entire left half of the attacking third open, ran into the space, and ripped a low half volley by Jesse Gonzalez from just outside the area.
Clint Dempsey then showed a touch of class on 88 minutes, depositing the winner on the night and completing the turnaround. Via hard work, possession, and tactical awareness, Seattle never let Castillo look dangerous after his first half goal. The young Dallas side left stunned, and left us to ponder if the Sounders could get through with age where they lacked speed.
If Seattle are to advance to an all-Cascadian Conference Final in on Sunday, they will need to conjure the same magic they did in the last seventy minutes of the first leg. With a week’s rest this time compared to only three day’s rest last leg, many say the Sounders will have more yet in the tank to get the job done. It took a group effort from one to eighteen at CenturyLink Field.
Somehow reserves Oniel Fisher, Andy Rose and Cristian Roldan conspired to hold the Hoops off and neutralize several of the best attacking threats in the league in that seventy minutes. Fisher will likely need to do the same again as Leo Gonzalez is unlikely to return from an injury that forced him out of the match last weekend. Rose may reprise his role as well, but Seattle hope to see Osvaldo Alonso return to his normal spot in midfield. If Alonso starts, that pushes Roldan one spot farther down the depth chart and makes playing time for the rookie doubtful. All the rest of Seattle’s best eleven look to be available, so the takeaway is that Fisher will be the likely target of the Dallas attack. Sounders must keep him away from any one on one with Castillo, and try to positionally insulate him via avoiding the counter.
As far as picking up an away goal goes, Seattle should have plenty of threats. All of Nelson Valdez, Andres Ivanschitz, Clint Dempsey, Marco Pappa, and Oba Martins are healthy for the first time in a long time. A sturdy Dallas back seven (including Gk and defensive midfielders) made clear last weekend that it’ll take something special to beat them. Fortunately for those in green, there may be plenty of room for moments of brilliance from Seattle’s front four with Dallas pushing to knot up the series at two.
The keys for Seattle are simple:
1. Whip up the same magic as last week.
2. Keep the reserves protected, at least partially by stopping the Dallas counter.
3. Let the front four operate in space and hope they create chances like in the first leg.
The last key is obvious, but must be stated: don’t give up an early goal. The longer Sounders hold the lead, the more Dallas must press and risk giving up the vital away goal.
If Dallas are to spoil Sounders’ Cascadia party, they must show more the flashes they had in the first twenty minutes last weekend.
This means getting Fabian Castillo isolated against virtually any Seattle defender, particularly Oniel Fisher. It means keeping Diaz away from whatever combination of Alonso, Rose and Friberg start, so that he may operate in the playmaking capacity he so excels at. It means ganging up on Dempsey and Martins when they get the ball, and not conceding dangerous set pieces.
Really, it means they have to take the positives of their young roster (speed, fitness, bravado) without being overcome by the same pitfalls of inexperience they faced last week (getting rattled, tactical inflexibility, naivety).
An early goal for the Hoops puts them ahead globally on away goals, and that will surely be at the forefront of Pareja’s thought process on Sunday. He must balance his team’s exuberance with the sharp price they’ll pay for not retaining an away goals advantage.
It’s experience versus youth, old versus new in this Conference Semifinal on Sunday. Is it Cascadia’s year to smile, or are Dallas ready to get over the hump they couldn’t in 2014?
MATCH PREDICTION
FC Dallas 1, Seattle Sounders FC 1
Martins (Valdez) 35′
Diaz 67′
Sounders advance by 3-2 margin.
