The Sounders capped off a five-game homestand on Wednesday night at Lumen Field. Unfortunately for Seattle, the result went the way of the visitors, as CF Montréal came back from a 1-0 deficit to take all three points and snap Seattle’s four-game unbeaten streak. The Sounders went into the interconference affair in a good run of form, having won five of their last seven matches and making up valuable ground in the standings after a slow start in league play due to Champions League commitments. This contest with CF Montréal was a great opportunity for Seattle to continue accruing points and elevate themselves higher up the table.
It didn’t take too long for the game’s scoring to begin, when Cristian Roldan played a long ball to Jordan Morris at the top of the area, who shielded the ball away from the Montréal defender before slotting it into the back of the net. This tally was another demonstration of the strong relationship between Cristian Roldan and Jordan Morris, which was on full display in the 3-0 victory versus Sporting Kansas City last weekend, but the goal also marked Jordan Morris’ 50th goal across all competitions as a Sounder. “It feels great,” said Morris after the game. “It’s an honor to play for this club that I grew up supporting. It’s a cool milestone for myself and for my family. Just got to keep working hard and doing what I can to help the team.”
CF Montréal would find the equalizer just 15 minutes later, when Kei Kamara picked the ball off from Jackson Ragen in midfield, brought it back on the counter, and squared the ball to Mason Toye for a clinical finish past Stefan Frei to get the visitors on the board. Brian Schmetzer spoke briefly about Ragen’s giveaway after the match. “That’s a learning moment for that kid,” said Schmetzer. “He’s got to grow through those moments.” The Sounders were unable to turn the tide back in their favor for the remainder of the first half. “I think once they scored, it flipped,” said Morris. “Maybe the momentum changed a little bit, gave them some confidence, and then they were really on top of us.”
After the Sounders opened the second half with about five minutes of promising play and signs of life, CF Montréal would score once again in the 62nd minute when Kamara would make his way up the left wing before delivering a low cross for Mason Toye to connect on and put the visitors ahead by one goal. “I thought we were playing pretty well (in the second half) and then when they scored, it flipped again,” said Morris. Even when substitutions and tactical changes were employed by Brian Schmetzer, the Sounders struggled to put together the lethal goal-scoring chances they’re capable of creating and CF Montréal was able to escape Lumen Field with the full three points in a comeback victory.
The eastern conference visitors were pressing throughout the game and they also made it difficult for Seattle to press in the process. “I think we tried to play through the press and then once we got through, we rushed our final pass (and) the final piece,” said Cristian Roldan. “(If) we break the line and we’re already trying to play the final pass, that’s a lot of ground for them (backline and midfielders) to make up. So I think at times we (front four) could be a little bit more patient.” Brian Schmetzer shared some of the same thoughts with his midfielder. “We weren’t able to put enough pressure higher up the field and they were finding those little outlet passes that were able to break our press,” Schmetzer explained in the post-match press conference. “I don’t think we did a very good job of that (pressing) and so that allowed them to get into the game.”
The Sounders' lengthy stay at home has come to an end, and now the Champions League winners are getting ready to hit the road for the first time in over a month, where they will be visiting Toronto FC, a team that Seattle knows very well from their MLS Cup battles in past years. In fact, the last time the two sides met was in the 2019 MLS Cup final, when the Sounders triumphed and set a Lumen Field attendance record of over 69,000 fans. Although his side has been hampered by injuries, Brian Schmetzer remains optimistic. “We do have some important players that are out injured but that happens in MLS,” said Schmetzer. "For this match against Toronto, we’ll just have to see who’s available and put the best team that we can out there.”
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