Seattle Sounders FC are picking up steam. Even with the absence of injured forward Obafemi Martins.
Sounders are set to take on Sporting KC in a home game on Saturday night following their flawless 2-0 victory at BC Place Stadium in Week 11. Chad Barrett came up huge in that match, as Oba was out of the starting 11, and Barrett scored a brace to supply Seattle with the lone winning goals in the contest. Barrett was named to the MLS's Team of the Week earlier this week on Monday.
The back line and goalkeeping in that match were also stupendous, as Stefan Frei and his men in back picked up another astounding clean sheet. Tyrone Mears shut down Kekuta Manneh from the right back slot, defensive midfielder Osvaldo Alonso helped regiment the back four, and Brad Evans shined in his new role as a defender. Dylan Remick and Chad Marshall were also stalwart presences on defense. Coach Sigi Schmid certainly seemed to agree that his defense was playing top-notch soccer.
"It meant a lot. Three out of our back four are new guys. Remick didn't play that much last year. Tyrone's a new guy, we shifted Brad Evans position and I think those guys are really starting to gel and understand each other... Chad certainly helped us. He solidifies our backline. His defending is an important part of our team. More than anything we asked Chad to change his game. Chad was never a guy who wanted to play possession. I thought he did a great job at it today. He is getting more and more comfortable. He is a good passer of the ball. Sometimes he doesn't want it but he is a good passer. Obviously his leadership, his ability to win headers, the one block that he made. I forgot who dribbled across and he came sliding out to block that shot; that was a big play... I thought Brad was good. I thought the whole defense was good. Tyrone Mears has been solid on the outside. He's got a tough day with guarding Manneh and I thought he did a good job with him. Remick did well and Ozzie [Alonso] sitting in that gap in front of them makes us a much more solid team defensively. I know we gave away more shots, but so many of their shots were from distance, they were not very troublesome. It's good for the stats but they weren't dangerous."
The 2-0 result at Vancouver was certainly a statement win. Sounders dominated in every way possible, and now look to make a run at the top of the Western Conference league table. Manager Schmid also made it clear that Sounders know they can overtake Dallas and Vancouver atop the conference.
"It's early in the season but we wanted to let people know that we are still here. We haven't disappeared. I know Dallas and Vancouver have been on top of the table pretty much from the beginning of the season. But we wanted to let people know the road still goes through Seattle."
Seattle needs to continue stringing together consistently solid performances all around, like this last one at Whitecaps FC, and who better to lead them than star forward Clint Dempsey? Dempsey has recorded a point in each of his last 10 matches for the Sounders, meaning that he has either scored or picked up an assist in all 10 games. That is one game away from the MLS regular season record. The attack for Seattle has been a constant aggressor, and possibly the strongest aspect of this elite Major League Soccer club.
Sporting KC have not been too shabby either. Sporting currently holds sixth place in the Western Conference, with 17 points and 15 of those coming in their last 8 matches.
KC had another game earlier this week on Wednesday night, as they took on New England Revolution. Sporting went on a monster run right before the half time interval, scoring goals in 29', 39', and 43', and then netting their final score only a minute into the second half (in 46'). The result was an extremely solid 4-2 victory for Sporting.
While the attack was relentless all night for Sporting KC, the defense, especially on the breakaway, was far from perfect. The chances off of through balls and runs kept coming, and sure, New England only capitalized twice, but Revolution revealed and exploited the weakness and misalignment of the back four in transition.
The chances for Revolution in transition began in 9', when London Woodberry hit Diego Fagundez for a wide open shot at the top center of the penalty area. Fagundez missed the shot wide right, but had his strike been on target, there was no chance for the keeper to stop Diego from scoring. The play really brought to attention the lack of speed and composure in the back on a breakaway, and those two shortcomings for KC showed again two minutes later, when Juan Agudelo broke through for a brilliant goal.
Agudelo received a low and slow through ball from Kelyn Rowe off a Sporting giveaway, and while he was just barely ahead of his marker when he received the pass, there were two defenders and the keeper who were available to tackle Agudelo. Instead, Agudelo took an incredible number of touches just outside the box to weave through the weak tackle attempts of Matt Besler and Kevin Ellis from his left and his behind. To finish off this exploitation, Agudelo took a soft touch to the right, gliding under the diving tackle attempt of goalkeeper Tim Melia, who was caught well offline and too far out of goal.
These two chances on their own showcased the inability of the Sporting KC defense to keep up with forwards on the run, and then Agudelo's goal just epitomized the lazy tackling sometimes demonstrate. Matt Besler and Kevin Ellis are still high quality defenders, but they and Melia, the keeper, need to show better discipline when the plays break down for them and the opponents get transition penetration. Panicking is never the answer as a defender.
The back line for Sporting did have their moments for the next 40 or so minutes, shutting NE down for the most part. The attack took control and scored four unanswered goals to all but seal an easy victory, but then again in 64', when Charlie Davies received an onside through ball way ahead of the back line of Sporting KC to the left of the box, and when Besler came out to challenge Davies, Scott Caldwell was left as open as can be at the top of the box. Caldwell was left with a virtual one-on-one situation with Melia, and so Scott one-touched the pass from Davies into the right corner of the next to score the second Revolution goal of the match.
Now that the flaws and lack of pace for the SKC defense have been unveiled, it's time to look at some of the strengths they will need to emphasize against Sounders. Aside from those few breakaways achieved by Revolution, the Sporting back line only let 2 shots on target be struck on goal. That means that Melia only had to make 2 saves. That is the same number of goals they conceded, but still, the less shots on goal your opponent has, the higher the chance of racking up another clean sheet.
If one takes a look at the statistics for tackles won and duels won, the makeshift 11 for New England outhustled Sporting. Tackles won went 14-8 in favor of NE, and duels won also went to Revolution, 56-44. The separation point between the two back lines, both which struggled, was the successful clearances made, the category in which Sporting dominated. 23-6 was the final tally of clearances, easily showing the triumph in the battle of defenses in the match.
Next, to analyze how the midfielders and attackmen performed in the match, one can just take a look at the score. 4 goals on the board is an outstanding number, and can win a team nearly every match. The midfielders passed the ball around with precision until an attack broke free on a run, at which point the attacker would be hit with a through ball to dissect the defense. The Revolution's makeshift back four may have contributed to KC's success Wednesday night, but nevertheless, the Kansas City attack looked on point.
Dom Dwyer has been a constant presence in the front line for Sporting, scoring now 4 goals on the year following his one score against NE. He got a pair of chances in 19' and 20', which were well defended by Jose Goncalves. Finally, Dwyer equalized for Sporting on a stellar turn-and-shoot chance he created off a pass into the penalty from Krisztian Nemeth. That's when the onslaught began.
From there and through 46', Sporting put an additional 3 shots into the back of the net. 10 minutes after Dwyer's spectacular strike, Nemeth took the lead with his fifth goal of the season. This score came off a perfect free kick from Benny Feilhaber that was tapped on a header by Nemeth just to steer the ball into the goal's lower left corner.
Merely four minutes later in 43', Jose Goncalves got called for an extremely harsh and controversial penalty, which led to an easy Feilhaber score to extend the lead to three goals. The constant offensive aggression for Sporting against NE and all season has led to their success of late.
The final attack spurt came 25 seconds into play after half time, when a breakaway teamwork-heavy run led to a Nemeth one-on-one goal. It was simply a remarkable break that was easy on the eyes, and on the finish.
Sporting won the match easily, and they'll have to produce a similar output on the offensive end in order to overtake Sounders on Saturday night. Dwyer, Feilhaber, and Nemeth must continue their chance-creating ways on breakaways and set pieces.
"There's no doubt that Dom can score and there is no doubt that Krisztian can. It's just them getting used to the league a little," said manager Peter Vermes.
Rest may play a factor that adds to Seattle's advantage. Sounders FC have had a full week to get back in shape for Saturday's game, and they barely had to travel to Vancouver for that 2-0 victory last week. KC, on the other hand, have just played a game this Wednesday at home in Sporting Park, Kansas City, 1,832 miles away from CenturyLink Field in Seattle. The absence of rest time for SKC could really slow down the pace on attack and defense that Sporting likes to play with. The Sounders would then have even more ease breaking through the back four. And they won't have to work as hard with their defense either.
Sounders have also been playing better soccer than KC, this season, and in their history. Last season, the two sides faced off on opening day. Sounders were also the hosts of that contest, and won a defensive battle, 1-0. Who was Seattle's savior in that one? Chad Barrett, a third-choice striker, who came on in the second half to score a literal last-minute goal.
There's a parallel already. Barrett will be starting his second game in a row this season with Obafemi Martins out, and he won MLS Player of the Week honors in week 11 last week after his brace powered Seattle to their 2-0 win over Whitecaps. Moreover, Dempsey assisted on Barrett's winner, and on Saturday, he'll look to pick up another point to tie the MLS regular season record-long points streak. Deuce and Chad will be absolutely vital to Seattle's overall success in this one.
Earlier, the weakness on the back line for SKC was exposed, and in the 2014 matchup between Sporting and Sounders, the defensive lapse on the final goal was Sporting's downfall. The defense bunched up right in front of net after a cross to the middle of the penalty area, yet let Chad Barrett get off an audacious overhead kick from not even one yard out to score the Opening Day winner. The defense for Sporting has been lacking this season as well, and it will be crucial for them to step up and communicate in order to prevent the conceding of a frenzy of Sounders goals.
Sounders ended up winning the league table in 2014, as they are on pace to do in 2015 thus far, and Sporting KC finished 5th in their conference in 2014. To continue to parallel scenario, Sporting are now 5th in the Western Conference. So right now, the Sounders and Sporting KC are in similar form to last season. Has anything changed? Has anything ever changed between the matchup of these two teams?
VAVEL USA writer Chris Blakely analyzed the history of this matchup, and Sounders have clearly had the advantage when they face Kansas City. More so, in the last seven matches between the two teams, there have been 6 stoppage time goals scored. This is certainly an intense matchup that could end up in a 90-minute duel that is yet again decided by a late stunner, which will leave one team in utmost celebration, but will leave the conceders heartbroken.
Sporting KC's Keys to the Game
1. Attack the weakness - Go at Brad Evans on defense
Brad Evans is the captain of Sounders for good reason. And he is one hell of a soccer player. But only recently did Evans change position from right midfield to defender. Brad has been playing well as a member of Seattle's back line, but one could assume that if he faces a formidable attacking opponent, like Dom Dwyer or Krisztian Nemeth, he could be beaten and scored on.
2. Play with pace on defense - Don't let Dempsey and Barrett get behind the back line
The majority of Seattle's goals come on through balls past the defense for one-on-one situations. Chad Barrett scored his brace on a pair of classy finishes that were uncontested by any defense other than the keeper. Clint Dempsey is also great at picking out runs to feed and to make, so KC really need to buckle down and make sure to stand their ground on D.
3. Don't get too tired - Only exert greatly when absolutely in dire need
Coming off a trip of over 1,800 miles and only 3 days rest after their Wednesday night match, Sporting KC have the disadvantage of less time to regroup and prepare for their next match. Sporting must play with a slow enough pace to suit them, but can't play like they just fought a war and are wounded and exhausted. Expect some quicker subs than usual from KC. The more players exert their energy, the higher chance of injury. And nobody wants that.
4. Shut down the stars - Shield Dempsey from the ball
Don't let Clint Dempsey get the ball. He is the single most valuable player on Sounders and maybe in MLS. And his point streak goes so far to show that Seattle scores more often when he gets touches. Now that Obafemi Martins is out, Dempsey is the only player who can create his own shot chances.
Seattle Sounders FC's Keys to the Game
1. Play with pace - Create as many runs and through ball opportunities as possible
Remember how little rest and time to adjust the Sporting KC defense has, on top of their constant weaknesses? Well, Seattle has possibly the league's top attack, so Sounders need to exploit their strength and also capitalize on the fatigue and sluggishness that is bound to be seen on Saturday night.
2. Exhaust the opponent - Make Sporting KC run out and challenge every possessor of the ball
Another point about taking advantage of the rest factor. Sounders can hold the ball and also play slowly in the midfield while waiting for open runs and cuts. Some ball movement around the defense could force KC to come up the field and sprint to challenge, and therefore become fatigued. That will create the opportunity for the attackmen to make runs and have ease in blowing past the defense for those one-on-one situations Seattle just adores.
3. Let Dempsey control things - USMNT captain knows what's good
Clint Dempsey is the Team USA captain. And can tie an MLS record on Sunday. Let him dictate what will transpire on the pitch. And it'd be nice for him to have his point streak go on. This game hopefully won't be too stressful to make that one of the day's goals.
4. Control Dom - Prevent Dom Dwyer from penetrating the penalty area
Dom Dwyer has played very solid attack play in the box, and on Wednesday night, finally put a shot past the NE keeper to score one of his many opportunities from close range. Make Dwyer shoot from outside if necessary. Just don't let that guy establish position in front of net.
Projected Starting 11
Sporting KC (4-3-3)
Melia
Ellis Besler
Anibaba Dia
Mustivar
Feilhaber Nagamura
Peterson Nemeth
Dwyer
Seattle Sounders FC (4-4-2)
Frei
Evans Marshall
Mears Remick
Alonso Pineda
Pappa Neagle
Dempsey Barrett
Author's Prediction - Seattle Sounders 3 - 1 Sporting Kansas City
Seattle has just too many advantages. Expect an abundance of chances in the penalty area and some great midfield movement.
The match will take place on Saturday night, May 23, at 10 PM Eastern Time. It'll be an entertaining one folks. Tune into VAVEL USA for all your pregame, game time, and postgame coverage.