By Toby Dunkelberg

STARTERS 

Stefan Frei – 6.5 – It was a good night for the Swiss keeper. He wasn’t called upon all that often but he stepped up every time he needed to. There was no hesitation in any of his actions either. When he had to come out and challenge for a ball, like he did early in the first half, he did so right away. That great sweeper moment coupled with excellent command of the box as Houston started launching attack after attack near the end earn him the 6.5.

Tyrone Mears – 6.5 – Another solid performance from the biggest offseason acquisition for the Sounders. After three home games it appears safe to say he’s at home in CenturyLink Field. The Englishman timed his runs really well and didn’t let a man past him all night, nor was he ever truly out of position. When the Sounders switched to a five man back line after Pineda was sent off he adapted well and proved his defensive chops. This type of performance looks to be what we can expect from Mears, rock solid defense with the added bonus of smart service going forward.

Brad Evans – 7.5 – Evans finally looked confident at centerback and barked orders just like when he was in midfield. His five tackles, ten clearances, an four aerial duels won are impressive for any centerback an great for a newly minted one. People are going to criticize him for every single mistake he makes but last night he never gave them a chance. Even Chad Marshall had that slide tackle he completely whiffed on. Centerbacks aren’t allowed to make mistakes and that’s why Evans near flawless performance (he did get beat on the touchline, once) get’s such a high score. Houston saw more and more of the ball as the game went on and started to launch in cross after cross. To remain calm, composed, and error-free under that onslaught is something that few players can do. In addition, Evans is showing an ability to direct more of his clearances to other Sounders. This is the type of game Sigi imagined when he first conjured up the idea of moving Evans to centerback.

Chad Marshall – 7 – With Chad Marshall we’ve come to expect aerial dominance , great man marking, and last minute coverage to bail the Sounders out. He delivered on all of those last night. The only downside to his performance was that he wasn’t the final defender all that often and the most vivid of those actions was him going to ground for a slide tackle and completely whiffing in the sixth minute. That error forced Frei to come out and make a save that ended up injuring him slightly. Other than that mishap he was the Marshall we all know about and didn’t let a man by him while also directing all his clearances to a man in rave green.

Dylan Remick – 6.5 – In his first MLS start of the season the youngster delivered. Remick only had a few mishaps defensively and none of them were in one-on-one scenarios. What few mishaps he did have were all explainable. Yes, he did get caught out of position, once, but that was only because Neagle unexpectedly turned it over. True, he didn’t sprint back, but Seattle still had numbers and DeAndre Yedlin himself jogged back in similar scenarios. That’s not to say there weren’t any issues. Remick was slow to find his man defensively and sometimes left people with too much space because he thought one of his teammates had it covered. Those are really nitpicky responses that should fade away as he gets more experience and chemistry with his teamates. The important part is that Remick was solid defensively even though Houston picked on him all night, and that Seattle has another speedy young fullback to run at defenses with.

Andy Rose – 6 – Rose was pushed out wide this game and it’s a position that just doesn’t suit him as well. One of Rose’s better attributes is his ability to be a threat in the box. Forcing him out wide negates that to some effect.That wide position seemed to confuse Rose a little bit. He remains a good two  way player but he was just more uninvolved then he usually is. Not bad by any stretch of the imagination just didn’t really do all that much. He started to play better when Seattle was forced into a three man midfield as that suited his strengths a little more.

Osvaldo Alonso (off 73′) – 7 – Now back in the lineup after his preseason injury, the question on everyone’s mind was would Alonso need some time to get back in the wing of things? His performance answered a resounding “NO!” Alonso picked up right where he left off last year as a dominating defensive midfielder capable of starting a counter and feeding Martins and Dempsey. He forced people off the ball, intercepted loose passes, and tracked people down. He showed us exactly what the Sounders were missing these last couple games. Micheal Azira can match him defensively but it’s Alonso’s quickness, vision, and passing going forward that really set him apart. Alonso showcased that last night in the 65th minute when he stole the ball, shook off two Houston defenders, and forced Deric to come out and make a spectacular play to stop him from scoring.

Gonzalo Pineda – (Red card 56′) – 4.5 – Pineda was playing well up until his flying kick challenge that earned him the red. Despite getting sent off in the 56th minute Pineda saw 4.6% of the total possession only 0.1% off the Sounders leader, Frei. That just goes to show how integral Pineda is to the Sounders side. His distribution was the attack for Seattle over the last couple games. In last night’s match Alonso took on a bit of that mantle but it’s clear that Pineda is the more attacking midfielder of the two. The red card and Seattle’s tendency to focus more on fullback attacking an go around Pineda lead to Pineda’s poor rating.

Lamar Neagle – (Off 60′) – 4.5 – Once again Neagle just didn’t do all that much. His attacking style seems to be run at people and hope for the best. And that one trait, running down anything and everything doesn’t get you anything unless someone makes a mistake. When I say that’s all Neagle’s done so far I really mean it. Neagle has had no shots this year. That coupled with his inability to link up well with others give you the Neagle that we saw last night. He was just as uninvolved as Rose but he made more mistakes and had even less to show for his runs forward.

Obafemi Martins – 7.5 – His spin move of Taylor was a clear goal of the week candidate. But Martins performance was more than just that one goal. He consistently dropped back into the midfield to try and spur another attack. Even when the Sounders went down to ten men, Martins continued to be a thorn in Houston’s side. Constantly chasing long balls and winning numerous throw ins and clearances that otherwise would’ve been played forward by the Dynamo. Obafemi Martins had a great performance no doubt about it.

Clint Dempsey – (Off 87′) – 7 – He got an assist, he showed his flair, and he even played defense and midfield. It took Dempsey some time to shake off the slightest bit of rust but his assist to Martins is what we’ve grown used to. The Dempsey Martins pairing wasn’t as showboaty as it ‘s been in other games, but it also wasn’t as productive. After going to ten men Dempsey was forced to play deeper and deeper, eventually dropping into the midfield altogether. Some of Dempsey’s backheels were needless and sometimes even detrimental but he still put in a performance any side would be lucky to have.

SUBS

Micheal Azira – (On 60′) – 6 – Azira chased down balls and clogged the midfield in Pineda’s absence. He was clearly tasked assigned a more defensive ro;e but he fufilled it well. He didn’t have a whole lot of time to make much of an impact on the game but he was net positive on the night and for that he earns a 6.

Zach Scott – (On 73′) –  6 – It’s tough to come into a game as a centerback. It’s even tougher when you switch from a 4-4-2 to a 5-3-1, an unfamiliar formation for anybody. Scott slotted in well and although he wasn’t tested much, he helped the Sounders preserve a clean sheet against an onslaught from Houston. And for that he gets a six.

Leo Gonzalez – (On 87′) – N/A