LUMEN FIELD - The Sounders closed out their final matches before the All-Star Break and Leagues Cup with a 1-1 draw at home that left Head Coach Brian Schmetzer and the squad unsatisfied. Léo Chú burst through the Dallas back line, where his cross would be turned into the net by an unfortunate Sam Junqua, but an early cross that found Bernard Kamungo unmarked left Seattle defenders lacking just before halftime, and the scoreline level.
Despite a plethora of second-half adjustments from both sides, the festivities would largely stop there, and Seattle dropped to fourth place in the Western Conference as they turn their focus to the intercontinental tournament that will consume the next month of action.
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Seattle’s lineup saw some rotation from the side that lost to San José; Cristian Roldan took the place of Nicolás Lodeiro and Cody Baker (withdrawn at halftime on Wednesday) was replaced from the outset by Alex Roldan. Raúl Ruidíaz took his spot up top - Héber started there in midweek. The three changes were the focus of postmatch activity, with Cristian Roldan singled out as the more impactful returner, especially as they inch Seattle closer to a first-choice 11 ahead of the run-in.
Also returning to the side was Stefan Frei, who made his first appearance since suffering a concussion in training ahead of last weekend’s match in Vancouver. The Sounders’ captain was unable to keep a clean sheet (although they lead the league in the category, they haven’t stopped the opposition from scoring since July 1), but his play gives a much-needed boost to the team, who look to hold the other side at bay in an effort to secure their place in a home playoff spot. Brian Schmetzer confirmed postmatch that Frei is “fully fit and healthy, (and) we’ll put our best team out for Leagues Cup,” signaling that Stefan Cleveland’s run in the side has come to an end.
Aimee Arnold-Worthington / Area Sports Network
Dallas’ chances were extremely limited: just three shots - two on goal - meant that the singular goal conceded by the Rave Green left a bitter taste in the mouths of the players and staff. Schmetzer reflected on the moment, saying, “I think that we just needed to do a better job as a group in that moment…giving up goals right before halftime gives the opponent belief. We should’ve closed the half out one-nothing up and we would have been able to dictate the tempo and control the game”.
At the other end of the pitch, set pieces were an area of focus for Schmetzer (he said that the Sounders worked “extensively” with them during the week). Missing Lodeiro until the 66th minute, João Paulo had his hands on the majority of the free kicks and corners, and the few shots on target that came as a result failed to work Dallas into a frenzy.
Dallas’ hard-nosed defensive approach - Roldan said, “They were playing in a low block…that makes the space out wide, and then you end up having to cross the ball since there are so many guys back there and it’s hard to play through the middle” - meant that their most dangerous opportunities came on the break, something that Chú exploited for Seattle’s goal on the night. Found in behind by Albert Rusnák, Chú cut the ball across the net towards Cristian Roldan, only for the ball to be turned home inadvertently by Junqua
Returning from USMNT duty where he and Jordan Morris watched Sounders matches together, Roldan analyzed the lack of opportunities in the locker room, saying, “Good things happen when the ball goes into the box - you saw the goal (today), and you make runs that create space and cause a little bit of havoc in the box, and that’s something that we’ve been lacking.”
Aimee Arnold-Worthington / Area Sports Network
The prevailing rhetoric, though, was echoed by Schmetzer and the players throughout the postmatch availabilities: it’s past time for the finishing to arrive. 17 shots couldn’t find their way to the back of the net, and while Schmetzer hopes that will improve with the reintegration of Jordan Morris alongside a return to form for Ruidíaz, his resolve is far firmer than earlier in the season; he said, “The message is to keep putting the ball in dangerous spots, getting guys in the right positions, working through what we’ve worked on in training. I certainly wasn’t pleased with the lack of finishing, but it certainly wasn’t from a lack of effort.”
The Sounders now look to the newly formatted Leagues Cup for momentum and another trophy; the group stage begins in a week’s time in Sandy, Utah, against Real Salt Lake. RSL, who jumped above Seattle in the league table after the matchday’s conclusion, stifled the Sounders on their last visit to America First Field with a 0-0 draw.
The match, for which the full squad saves presumably Ethan Dobbelare, Sota Kitahara, Xavier Arreaga, and Kelyn Rowe will be available and will stream on Apple TV, with kickoff set for 6:30 PM Pacific Time.
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