Finding Balance
Spicy Teriyaki made the first official trip as a blog to Lumen Field to see our beloved Sounders live with our own eyes. We have been diligently watching from various couches, yelling at inanimate and indifferent television screens together, but it sure felt nice to be right next to the action, mixing it up with the Sounders community and getting to watch and cheer with thousands of others in Rave Green.
An excellent pre-game concert and a sunny Seattle day set the stage for a great evening out, however the Sounders once again failed to score, drawing 0-0 in a fairly dull game. Overall the game felt like it was for the taking and the offense created several opportunities to score. But the ball never found the back of the net and the Sounders dropped points at home, again.
Sounders top scorers Raul Ruidiaz and Jordan Morris were both unavailable on Saturday. It seems to be a theme this season, the Sounders very rarely able to pick from a full strength roster. Between injuries, international duties and suspensions the Sounders are regularly forced into different lineups. There doesn't seem to be a single cause of all the absences and it adds to a growing sense that luck isn't on the Rave Green side at the moment.
The team is often out-of-rhythm and struggle to find a winning balance. The main issue is the offense isn't firing. Goals have come in fits and starts, the Sounders saving grace is the rock-solid defense. The biggest question I have is: How can the Sounders generate more goals without sacrificing the defensive solidity?
The last two games have seen Albert Rusnak take the #10 role pushing Nico Lodiero outside on the right wing. Lodiero only nominally played on the right, often drifting all over the offensive zone to try to help build up play and create overloads. Credit to Leo Chu for making the left side the favored attacking zone for the Sounders. Against Orlando in particular, this lead to the Sounders often abandoning the right attacking side of the field in favor of overloads on the left. It lead to several chances at the starts of both halves respectively, but never resulted in a goal.
After the game I saw a lot of criticism online about Nico's performance. Many people were calling him positionally loose and as if he wasn't following directions. The fact that he has played this way for the past two games, suggests Nico is playing a specific, coached role. Schmetzer even tried this asymmetrical attack earlier in the year against the Red Bulls, where Jordan Morris was supposed to be playing right wing but operated much more as a second striker to Heber.
The attacking phases have been unbalanced and it's unclear whether that is a strategic problem or a personnel problem. I am encouraged that the last two games, while not leading to goals, did lead to different attacking ideas.
But with the Sounders trying different attacking schemes, many fans failed to see the strategic change. Credit to Schmetzer for trying to create a more unpredictable offense. Unsettling defenses by using less positional and freer attacking formations is an innovation I'm happy to see from Sounders coaches.
I would like to see the Sounders take less of a positionalist approach and allow offensive players to play with a little more freedom. The attack the sideline and put a cross in approach is predictable and easily defended against. The Sounders have skilled attacking players who can combine and rotate. A less structured, position-based approach on offense is viable with such a strong defense.
In fact, I would like to see the Sounders trust the defenders even more. Committing another player forward from the defense in order to try to force early turnovers and pin in an opposing defense was part of the strategy that helped the team win an MLS Cup in 2019. With Yeimar and Nouhou as the last two defenders, the Sounders can commit more bodies forward knowing that not many players will be able to run in behind.
The frustration amongst the team and the fans is clearly building and results need to change in order to stay near the top of the playoff spots. Luckily the Sounders have a very strong defense and players who can compete at the top levels of the league. It's easy to criticize and look at what's wrong when things aren't going well. However all it takes for the Sounders to turn around their season is a few goals and some confidence. Whether that requires some transfers for a goal threat or tactical tweaks, the season remains in the balance.
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