Five things we’d love to see when the Sounders host Earthquakes

[ad_1]

It would be ridiculous to suggest that the Seattle Sounders are in a real slump now after losing two of their last three games. But this is perhaps the worst stretch of results they have endured in a season in which they spent most of them leading the Ansar Shield race. In addition to these two losses, the Sounders have been 2-2-2 in their last six overall and 2-1-3 in their last six on home soil, although only two of these opponents have been playoffs.

San Jose Earthquakes presents a good opportunity to get things back in the right direction.

The Quakes entered this game without a win at 11 – a streak that began when the Sounders beat them at their last meeting – and have not beaten the Sounders since 2015.

This is what we hope to see:

The Sounders are not used to losing at home especially due to multiple goals. Sunday’s 3-1 loss to Sporting KC lost a 15-game streak unbeaten and was the first time in Brian Schmitzer’s tenure as MLS coach that his team had lost by more than one goal at home, in 96 games. You have to go back to 2007 to find the last time a Schmetzer-trained Sounders side lost in any league by at least two goals at what is now Lumen Field. The best way to put that loss in the rearview mirror is to come back to win, and earthquakes are a great candidate to start that off.

We don’t talk much about it, but it’s worth noting that there’s a trophy at stake. The Heritage Cup, in the words of the organizers, is not so much a “competition” cup as it is an acknowledgment of the teams’ shared history since the days of the NFL. It’s somewhat funny that The Earthquakes took the trophy last year despite losing the season series 11-2 on aggregate and not winning any of the three inter-team meetings after the organizers decided to award it during the MLS is Back tournament. (The Sounders’ hosting of their Heritage game last week and honoring Jimmy Gabriel, who also coached the Earthquakes, probably speaks volumes about how important this special trophy is to the organization.) It’s always good and the Sounders have done so massively over the years. The Sounders are currently running 14 games unbeaten against the Quakes. Let’s continue with that.

Now you know all about how Matias Almeida uses a man defense system that aims, in the words of Sounders goalkeeper Stephan Cleveland, to wreak havoc. It can be uncomfortable to play against her, even when there is consistent success against her. Traditionally, Sounders beat this system with a clever off-the-ball movement and inserting passes where you want your teammate to be, not where you are. At the first meeting this year, the Sounders were forced to alternate heavily on their lineup and were knocked out at 3-4-3. I suspect this game will be closer to full force. It would be great to see how they match up.

It’s strange to think that at this point last year, Alex Roldan had gone over a year without starting an MLS match. Now, he is a seasoned international player whose value is indisputable to the Ansar Shield contender. While Brian Schmitzer has joked that Roldan will need to reclaim his starting point, the new El Salvador international is virtually certain to return to the right wing. Roldan was one of El Salvador’s best players in the Gold Cup, and even won the Man of the Match award for his defensive efforts against Mexico. Based on Roldan’s trajectory over the past year, it hardly seems odd to say his best days may still be to come.

The Sounders should be a little closer to full force in this game, with Alex Roldan and Will Bruin returning. But with Abdoulaye Sissoko likely out, that will likely leave the door open for at least another week of “extreme hardship” signings on the roster. Hopefully, this will be the last time the Sounders will need to take such action, but it’s also another chance for one of these players to show that they are worthy of a first-team contract. Alex Villanueva and Obed Vargas appear to be the two players currently closest to earning the final domestic player’s place on the roster. It would be great if the Sounders were in a position to give them another look.

[ad_2]