Seattle, WA – The saying “defense wins championships” is typically affiliated with American football, but it can certainly apply to the Seattle Sounders if they continue their run of form throughout the course of this year’s MLS Cup playoffs. While the clubs attack has struggled throughout a large majority of this season to convert chances, the backline and goalkeeper Stefan Frei have held things down and kept the squad in games, and that’s set the tone for the Sounders late run as they entered the playoffs. Despite a small break after Decision Day, that defensive form has persisted in leg one of Seattle’s round one matchup against FC Dallas as it set the tone for an eventual 2-0 victory over the visitors. Outside of a few bad giveaways that Dallas failed to take advantage of, the Sounders dominated this match in terms of the chances produced and could have had more than just those two goals, had they been sharper.
The Emerald City Supporters TIFO references the 1990 LL Cool J song “Mama said knock you out” ahead of the Seattle Sounders win over FC Dallas. (Photo by Nate Koppelman)
Converting their chances
The Sounders were able to get their pressure going early into this contest, as Josh Atencio had two near misses in the first twenty-minutes as he continues to excel in starting minutes. The first half was a positive one for Seattle, save for a few bad giveaways in the first 45 minutes, the Sounders had their foot on the gas pedal to begin this game as they generated ten total shots, four of them on target, and two “big” chances. Despite all these positives notes about their attack, Seattle couldn’t make it count until we had nearly reached the halftime whistle. Midfielder Cristian Roldan, who is a major factor for the Sounders and his absence is noticeable, saw an opening up the sideline off a throw in, and his brother Alex led him up field. Cristian was beating Dallas defender Marco Farfan with speed, and Farfan had no choice but to foul him in the box, resulting in a penalty. Seattle’s Albert Rusnak, taking the penalty considering his history of doing so in his time with Real Salt Lake and traditional PK taker Nico Lodeiro on the bench, had just enough strength on his shot to score as Dallas goalkeeper Maarten Paes got his gloves on it.
Seattle Sounders FC midfielder Cristian Roldan is fouled by FC Dallas defender Marco Farfarn, resulting in a penalty. (Photo by Paul Kahl)
The second Sounders goal of the night came because of some brilliant connecting play, with club legend Nico Lodeiro playing a massive part. Seattle had the luxury of bringing Lodeiro on as a substitution in the 66th minute, as Albert Rusnak started the match as the club’s number ten, slotting in for Leo Chu on the left wing. Normally that late into the match, an opponent is happy for a sub considering it’s typically a player of a “lesser caliber,” but Lodeiro came on hungry as a player with gas left in his tank while he aims to finish his time in Seattle on a high note. Aware of the Dallas defender on his back and teammate Nouhou slowly creeping up the field for a run, Lodeiro coyly sent a pass towards the box, and his Cameroonian teammate made great work of it. Using his speed, Nouhou whipped in a cross perfectly placed for Jordan Morris, who had plenty of space around him to smash the header home to double the Sounders lead.
In crucial moments during the first half, Seattle Sounders FC goalkeeper Stefan Frei was up to the task with big saves. (Photo by Paul Kahl)
Escaping early danger
The lone spot of disappointment in this match came in the first half, as Seattle had two separate instances where poor giveaways in their own end nearly resulted in Dallas goals, but a bit of luck and Stefan Frei magic ensured that a clean sheet was on its way. The first of those two came in the 22nd minute, as Sounders defender Jackson Ragen played a ball towards teammate Josh Atencio that didn’t have nearly enough on it, and Dallas midfielder Paxton Pomykal pounced on it, finding teammate Jesus Ferreira in the box for a strong opportunity on goal. Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei was up to the task, coming off his line to close space and using a left leg save to ward off the danger. The second such chance from Dallas was similar, as they kept the Sounders under duress around jumped on Seattle midfielder Joao Paulo immediately as he received a pass. With Pomykal again hurrying an opponent receiving a pass, Paulo attempted to play the ball back to Ragen, but his pass didn’t have enough power behind it. Dallas attacker Jader Obrian found Ferreira in a dangerous position with some space inside the 18-yard box, but a hurried shot sailed up and over the goal.
What’s next?
Following tonight’s leg one win in their round one MLS Cup Playoffs matchup against FC Dallas, Seattle now has a few days to review the game footage and see what necessary tweaks need to be made as they’ll head to Frisco, Texas for leg two. That match is on Saturday, November 4th with a kickoff time of 6PM PST as Dallas will look to defend home field and Seattle aims to handle business for a second straight match to advance to the next round. While the Sounders had a lot of positives come out of tonight’s victory against Dallas, Seattle can certainly improve as they could’ve scored more than the two actual goals that found the back of the net. Considering the strong effort that the Sounders got from Nico Lodeiro and Raul Ruidiaz off the bench, it’ll be intriguing to see what starting eleven head coach Brian Schmetzer goes with on Saturday.
Check out photographer Paul Kahl’s photos from the match here
Check out photographer Nate Koppelman’s photos from the match here
