The Sounders had a bittersweet week of action against FC Dallas, starting strong with a solid 2-0 win in game one against the familiar playoff foes. An away loss over the weekend sees the Sounders now shifting their focus to a forced game three, back in Seattle. In both games, Coach Schmetzer rolled out the same lineup, leaving out Raúl Ruidíaz and Nicolás Lodeiro as substitutes. Lately, the central-attacking midfield and striker role has been respectively featuring Albert Rusnák and Jordan Morris– two top performers in the recent months. Kelyn Rowe also featured this week, specifically on Saturday, marking his first appearance since July due to injury.
Game 1: Sounders FC 2-0 FC Dallas
LUMEN FIELD – Monday night was welcomed with a perfectly-executed tifo from the ECS and a strong Sounders start, who maintained control for the majority of the first half. Throughout the match, the Sounders were able to find 19 total shots, with six going on target. After a number of consecutive Sounders chances, Seattle looked like they were going into halftime without a first-half goal. With a matter of minutes before the halftime whistle, Cristian Roldan won a penalty for Albert Rusnák to seize the opportunity. Slotting the ball low, Rusnák sent in a calmly-placed low shot, hitting the properside of the post to beat the Dutch goalkeeper, Maarten Paes.
Aimee Worthington / Area Sports Network
A highly-notable performance from the Sounders was at left-back, where Nouhou put on a spectacular display with an 83% passing accuracy stat, perfect dribble rate, and topping the night off with an assist. Making remarks about Nouhou’s performance, Schmetzer said “I thought that was one of his better games that I have seen, since he’s been at the club. Locked down defensively in the first half. O'brien's a talented player, didn’t get anything past him. His offensive contributions, those was a bonus”.
Game 2: FC Dallas 3-1 Sounders FC
TOYOTA STADIUM – Contrary to the promising display from earlier in the week, a poor beginning saw the Sounders chasing the game in Frisco, TX on Saturday evening. Six minutes was all it took for Dallas to find the opening goal, when Paul Arriola grabbed his third of the 2023 MLS campaign. As the Sounders looked to bounce back, a late challenge from Nouhou inside the penalty area gave FC Dallas a penalty, all for Jesús Ferreira to double Dallas’ lead within twenty minutes.
Soon after the Sounders found themselves with a two-goal deficit, the momentum started to shift heavily into Seattle’s favor for a vast majority for the rest of the game. Within minutes after the second half started, Jordan Morris used his pace to beat center-back Sebastien Ibeagha, finding himself going all the way to pull back a much-needed goal for the team. The controversy immediately began with the officiating, as the assistant referee mistakenly flagged for Morris’ initial run to be offside. Morris ran over to referee Rosendo Mendoza protesting, visibly enraged, though the call was eventually ruled as a Seattle goal.
Mike Fiechtner / Sounders FC Communications
A penalty shout later unfolded in the 74th minute, involving Raúl Ruidíaz, who had entered the game as a substitute a few minutes prior. Ruidíaz was brought down by Jesús Ferreira, pulling his shirt in the penalty area during a Sounders attack. Play continued on for another minute until the ball went out of play, and the appeals began to the referee. After Rosendo Mendoza was sent to a VAR review, he concluded no penalty, on the grounds of Ruidíaz “not having a realistic opportunity” to get to the ball, per the commentary.
The Sounders seemed to be doing everything they could to force the game to equal terms, whilst dominating over 60% of the possession, alongside the consistent momentum in the game. After a series of significant goal opportunities from the Sounders, a mis-pass from Jackson Ragen, trying to find Kelyn Rowe, turned over Sounders possession into an FC Dallas counterattack. Ultimately, this error led to the third Dallas goal in the 89th minute, confirming there would be a game three in Seattle.
Schmetzer, after the game, did not pin the loss on the officiating crew, explaining “we didn’t generate enough chances to get back to 2-2, but I think there were some positives, and we’ll try and balance out the narrative of the first fifteen minutes”.
Game 3: Sounders FC vs FC Dallas: Friday, 11/10/23
Game three will have both sides traveling back to Seattle, since Seattle has hosting priority. Expect a similar lineup from Schmetzer, as he historically does not like to implement many squad changes during the playoffs. However, due to the struggles from game two, there is a chance we may see some offensive changes on Friday. Lodeiro and Ruidíaz are obvious notable starting options, who have not seen a start in the playoffs this year.
Aimee Worthington / Area Sports Network
The winner of game three will move on to play LAFC in the Western Conference Semifinals. LAFC supporters will surely be rooting to play Dallas, since the black and gold are third-seed contestants, and would play Dallas in SoCal. As usual, the game will be streaming on Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass, and for those attending the game, gates will open to supporters 90 minutes before the advertised kickoff. Recall that there is no aggregate score, nor extra time, and therefore the game will go until a winner in regulation, or a penalty shootout.
Cover Photo by Aimee Worthington / Area Sports Network
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