LUMEN FIELD - The skies showed off in Seattle on Saturday afternoon as two of MLS’ best faced off in a heavyweight fight that saw both sides stifled despite quality play from both sides. The match, regarded by many as the most talent-laden of the young season, disappointed on paper but was quite enjoyable for a crowd of 32,515 (Seattle’s biggest of the season so far), as continued defensive excellence from both sides meant that the array of attackers couldn’t find their way to goal.
Seattle’s all-time leading scorer, Raúl Ruidíaz, made his return to the starting lineup as the club debuted their Bruce Lee alternate kit. The Peruvian featured for over an hour in his longest appearance of the season before exiting for Leo Chú in the 63rd minute.
The Sounders funneled play toward their DP striker, but he couldn’t make much of the limited opportunities. An acrobatic effort from the top of the box was smothered by John McCarthy in the 29th minute, the most of Ruidíaz’s influence before being withdrawn.
The visitors started the match on the front foot; three corner kicks in the first 15 mins saw the chances flowing for Los Angeles. It was apparent that they were looking to create a high volume of chances as their star-studded attacking trio of Denis Bouanga, Kwadwo Opoku, and former MLS MVP Carlos Vela all found shooting chances from outside the box. There were few high-value opportunities, though, as they’d end the half on just 0.32 xG from four shots.
Seattle would find the better chances, and while they went into the locker room with 0.33 xG from six shots, their quality of play across the pitch was more confident as a full-strength starting lineup took the pitch for the first time in 2023.
The three-man midfield of Lodeiro, Rusnák and Joao Paulo controlled the ball while LAFC’s shape in possession left two midfielders consistently outmatched while the other dropped between Aaron Long and Jesus Murillo.
The midfield battle was evidently addressed by Steve Cherundolo at halftime, as the second half began with a far more even balance of play largely down to Carlos Vela’s positioning. The Mexican moved further back, seeking to instigate play ahead of Acosta and Tillman.
Leo Chú took Morris’ place on the left wing in the second half as part of an attacking rotation that changed the makeup of Brian Schmetzer’s attack. Jordan Morris saw time up front before Fredy Montero pushed the USMNT man to the right for the remaining 15 minutes. With the shift, Cristian Roldan moved to right back, a tactic that made its first appearance in the second half.
Seattle’s attack, while varied, couldn’t find its way to the back of the Los Angeles net. The possession battle finished with almost 60% of the ball with the home team, but they struggled to turn it into goals. Brian Schmetzer said postgame that he felt his side became, “stretched, we were trying to find a goal at (their) end of the field”, referencing the flurry of chances that flowed LAFC’s way in the second half.
Through 75 minutes, LAFC could only muster 0.35 xG. However, they finished with 1.22, a huge jump that tells the story of the final fifteen minutes. Alex Roldan referenced the idea that they couldn’t find a flow in the match, and while Stefan Frei praised his teammates' efforts, he thought that, “...we ran out of juice a little bit”.
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The drop in form late in matches is something that multiple members of the team have discussed as something they’ve looked to eliminate from last year’s campaign. Frei put it down to the transition state the Sounders found themself in as LAFC pressed for a winning goal, saying that, “(the slowing) was probably because…it was going back and forth and we found ourselves on the wrong side of that”.
While the Sounders pride themselves on their ability to utilize weapons like Jordan Morris’ speed to rip teams apart on the counter, their possession in the match shows that desire to control matches, something that didn’t happen against the champions.
However, the stout defensive display was praised by both Frei and Roldan, who made it clear that they put it down to the unit’s work together in the offseason. Frei told the media, “I feel stronger than ever”, and Roldan put his newfound attacking influence down to the balance that he felt their familiarity created.
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Despite only taking one point from the last six possible, Seattle enters Matchweek 5 with one goal conceded and three shutouts. After their victory over Colorado on opening day, Schmetzer said that they were looking to make Lumen Field “a fortress”, something that they can find solace in completing.
LAFC’s trademark attacking rotations were heavily discussed in the buildup to matchday, but they ended up being influenced by the stylistic differences of the Sounders’ fullbacks. Alex Roldan’s forward movement caused issues when Bouanga or Vela was on the left, and Nouhou’s physicality limited options on the right.
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Next week, the Sounders will look to rediscover their form as they travel to Kansas City to face Peter Vermes’ side. Sporting Kansas City, awaiting the return to form of DP striker Alan Pulido. Despite joining in 2019 for over $9,000,000, he’s only found the back of the net 13 times for the club. Now 32, he’ll look to push SKC back into contention. Ruidíaz will likely make his second start, and build up his minutes as he gets closer to full fitness.
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