Sounders slide again at home in tight loss to Austin
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA – In a return to Lumen Field following two grinding away matches, one in US Open Cup play and the other in MLS regular season play, the Seattle Sounders dropped another frustrating contest in their own building. In a similar situation to their last home match, the Sounders failed to get their attack going against a club that was trudging through the early stage of the season, this time in the form of Austin FC. The first half set the tone for the entirety of the match, as although Seattle had the big chances and were mere inches off, it was Austin who capitalized and got on the board. Despite the loss, the Sounders remain atop the MLS Western Conference now, but their hot start will only keep them in that position for so long.
30,026 fans packed into Lumen field as our Sounders fell to Austin (Photo by Mathew Bermudez)
Frustrating end to the first half
This contest began relatively even, as possession was about split and neither side were able to get a real dangerous chance on each other's goalkeeper. As we approached the 30-minute mark, the Sounders started to find some sort of cohesion and were able to get attempts from Heber and Dylan Teves, but nothing that beat Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver. Those opportunities seemed to point momentum in the direction of the home side, but things took a sudden turn in the 36th as Ethan Finlay found the bottom corner to get Austin on the board. In an add play, Adam Lundkvist was going out of bounds but was able to keep the ball in play and send it in the direction of Finlay, where two Sounders couldn’t intercept. The ball found Finlay, and with the help of the Seattle defenders in the box that stood still like status, he was able to rifle it home. Any momentum or positive pace of play that was being generated by the Sounders was wiped away in that instance, leaving a bad taste in the mouth of the rave green.
Defensively, Seattle’s two slip ups loomed large in the loss as their finishing couldn’t equalize (Photos by Mathew Bermudez)
Promising start to the second squandered
Following the frustrating end to the first, the Sounders came out of the locker room with quick and efficient passing that had them looking to strike at any moment. It looked like Seattle was unbothered by the goal that they had allowed going into the break, and they were ready to equalize like it was just a small inconvenience towards their overall goal. With Raul Ruidiaz still out, Heber was able to create a ton of danger as he totaled six shots within the Austin box. Dylan Teves, getting another start on the right wing, made numerous quality runs throughout the first 15 minutes of the half before he was subbed off in favor of Leo Chu. Once again, it was Austin spoiling Seattle’s positive play with one quick and fluid strike as if to defiantly say that what the Sounders had been building didn’t matter.
Ethan Finlay, scorer of the first goal of the night for Austin, sent an excellent ball into the box where the Sounders had numbers and it seemed a headed clearance was imminent. Seattle midfielder Joao Paulo attempted to clear the cross with his head, but was out of range and more so leapt backwards and missed. The attempt by Paulo seemed to influence the decision of Sounders center back Yeimar, who decided to not contest the ball, allowing Gyasi Zardes to perfectly head it far bottom corner for Austin’s second score of the night. For the second time in the match, Seattle had been left watching an Austin goal as if they were fans on YouTube watching the highlights.
Seattle Sounders midfielder Dylan Teves had numerous great looks in the match and made some quality plays (Photos by Mathew Bermudez)
Promising player subbed off
In an interesting move, Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer decided to substitute forward Leo Chu on for midfielder Dylan Teves in the 60th minute of the match. While bringing Chu on wasn’t a bad idea, and it was good to get him back out on the pitch following an injury and being out due to the birth of his daughter, taking Teves off is a move I wouldn’t have made. The University of Washington alum had been making good runs and could be looked at as a substantial factor in the club’s strong play after the halftime break. Taking into consideration the fact that the other option that would’ve worked best was taking out Jordan Morris, which probably wasn’t going to happen at all, this sub makes some sense. That doesn’t make it any less tough, as Teves had been playing well and looked to be finding a head of steam.
Seattle Sounders forward Fredy Montero scored the lone goal for the club in the loss (Photos by Mathew Bermudez)
Club legend makes another memory
Sounders club legend Fredy Montero came on as a substitute in the 71st minute, bringing a nice spark to the match and eventually scoring the only goal for Seattle just eight minutes after hitting the pitch. As the match wore on, the Sounders continued to present danger and had numerous near-miss opportunities that made it seem as if there was a force field around the goal, a problem the 2022 second-half Seattle club faced often. Heber, off a broken possession, was able to find a drop pass to a streaking Montero who was left all alone to beat Stuver far corner and cut the deficit in half. Although mainly a substitute now and someone that doesn’t contribute a lot of minutes, Fredy Montero continues to add to his legacy in a Sounders uniform and was quality here when he was called upon. Unfortunately, nobody else was able to replicate what Montero had done, whether it unlucky or just not good enough, and his goal remained the lone score for Seattle.
Seattle Sounders forward Heber had numerous quality attempts on goal in the loss (Photos by Mathew Bermudez)
Is it time for some concern?
While the Sounders remain atop the Western Conference despite the loss, there is some cause for concern after the losses to Sporting KC in the last home match and tonight's result. Those are two clubs that had been waddling through the mud to begin the season, and if KC's recent stretch is any indicator, while have used a win in Seattle to kickstart their season as if it was an energy boost. Yes, with the Sounders being the powerhouse that they have been in their MLS existence, it's reasonable to expect that clubs may bring a little extra to play them, especially at Lumen Field. Even with that being considered, these losses and even the win that was far too tight on the road against Houston are Seattle's on fault.
The midfield hasn't been good, not looking sharp in the loss and struggling with the team's press was also failing to bring enough speed defensively. The play at centerback struggled, largely highlighted by the Zardes goal, and if I must mention issues at centerback, we're in trouble. Lastly, the finishing was reminiscent of what we saw in the second half of the season for this club last year, where they couldn't buy a goal if they tried. Seattle must kick things back into gear, as their hot start to the year will only keep them near the top of the standings for so long.
They’re spot in the standings
As mentioned, despite the negative result the Sounders still sit at the top spot in the Western conference. Whether it be by their own result or not, Seattle may be knocked out of that sooner rather than later considering that both LAFC and FC Dallas are within striking distance. The reigning MLS champions sit just one point behind the Sounders, and things must change for Seattle to avoid being overtaken. This may just happen anyway, as mentioned, as LAFC has two games in hand against the Sounders and Dallas has one game in hand. Controlling what’s controllable is always the big factor so that Seattle doesn’t have to worry about tie breakers when we reach the critical weeks of MLS Playoffs seeding.
Quick notes
Tonight’s loss was Seattle’s first against Austin FC. In the all-time regular season series against Austin, Seattle moves to 2-1-2, with a 1-1-1 mark at Lumen Field.
With his goal in the 79th minute of play, Sounders FC all-time leading scorer Fredy Montero bagged his 79th goal in all competitions for the Rave Green. The Colombian remains the club’s all-time leading scorer, four tallies ahead of teammate Raúl Ruidíaz.
Goalkeeper Stefan Frei achieved a major career milestone tonight, making two saves and passing Jon Busch for the fourth-most saves in MLS history (1,152). Frei has been an ironman for Sounders FC since joining the club in 2014, and recently he broke Osvaldo Alonso’s club record in the MLS era for career starts across all competitions. Frei still trails Alonso’s club record for all-competitions appearances (339). He is also first in MLS in shutouts so far this season with seven.
After being officially signed to the First Team on Tuesday, Sounders FC Academy product Cody Baker made his first start at Lumen Field for the club on Wednesday night. The Issaquah native started his first match for the club on May 13 at Houston after making his Major League Soccer debut as a substitute on May 7 vs. Sporting Kansas City (via short-term agreements). Baker started 25 of his 40 appearances for MLS NEXT Pro side Tacoma Defiance since 2021.
Head Coach Brian Schmetzer returned to the same starting XI that defeated Houston 1-0 last weekend, with Stefan Frei in goal, alongside Alex Roldan, Yeimar, Jackson Ragen and Cody Baker playing across the backline. The midfield was anchored by João Paulo and Albert Rusnák in the middle, with Jordan Morris and Dylan Teves playing on the flanks. Héber played up front as the lone forward.
Entering the match as a substitute in the 60th minute, Léo Chú returned from the injury report following a brief bout with a midfoot sprain suffered during the Sporting KC match on May 7. Through 12 regular-season matches played, the Brazilian has five assists and one goal in 2023.
Nouhou also made his return to the team following a bout with illness, entering the match in the 84th minute of play. The Cameroonian international last appeared for Sounders FC on April 15 at Portland.
Austin FC forward Gyasi Zardes netted his sixth goal against Sounders FC dating back to 2013 in all competitions. The California native previously played for the LA Galaxy (2013-2017) and the Columbus Crew (2018-2022). Zardes’ five regular-season goals against the Rave Green are tied for sixth all-time amongst opposing goal-scorers.
Former Sounders FC forward Will Bruin returned to Lumen Field for the first time since departing the club this past offseason, coming into the game in the 83rd minute. Bruin scored 32 goals in 152 appearances across all competitions for the Rave Green from 2017 through 2022. The 13-year MLS veteran is in his first season with Austin.
What’s next?
Seattle will head up North to face their Cascadia rivals Vancouver for their next battle on Saturday, May 20th. It'll be the second Cascadia match that the Sounders will play this season, and Seattle will have to play far better than they did when they were in the Rose City to avoid being blasted by a Whitecaps team that's had an alright start to the 2023 campaign. Defender Nouhou should be ready to go for Seattle in the upcoming contest after getting some minutes towards the end of tonight's loss, while the rest of the Sounders will continue to need to pick things up as they will most likely still be without forward Raul Ruidiaz and midfielder Cristian Roldan. Kickoff for that match this weekend is at 7:30PM PST, on the Apple TV subscription MLS pass.