Sounders begin final stretch of season with disappointing loss to Atlanta
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA – The Seattle Sounders continue what has been a rough season, after beginning the year blisteringly hot, as they fell to Atlanta United at home and now have not won since July 8th. Seattle continues to lack creativity and production on their attack, as they racked up a total of 16 shots but only creating one chance on the night that they missed. The Sounders weren’t particularly poor defensively, but Atlanta forward Giorgos Giakoumakis beat Seattle’s Nouhou twice on headers to give the away side the two-goal lead that proved too much. What was left of the 31,149 in attendance for this match let out audible boos once the final whistle was blown, and not without good reason, as their Sounders continue to struggle when they should be making a playoff push.
The pre-match sights and scenes ahead of Atlanta United defeating the Seattle Sounders FC at Lumen Field (Photos by Bryan Saldana)
Nouhou gets burned twice
After the qualifying matches for the previous FIFA Men’s World Cup, Cameroonian left back Nouhou Tolo was getting predicted as a player that was going to make the big jump from the MLS to a European club due to his strong play for his country and, locking down Mo Salah. It was rumored that the Sounders were going to sell Nouhou after the Men’s World Cup had ended, but instead they gave him a three-year contract with an option for 2026. Nouhou has had his ups and downs this season for the club, but tonight’s effort was easily his lowlight of the year as he was largely responsible for the two goals that Atlanta scored.
For the second score, Nouhou let Giakoumakis get behind him as the last man on the backline for the easier header of the two that he scored tonight. Giorgos raised his hand to signal that he had the step on Nouhou, and the Sounders left back never had a chance to try and head it down as he was left chasing Atlanta’s number seven on a header that bounced below the outstretched left arm of Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei and up into the net. Several Sounders players could be seen waiting to restart the match in position, hands on their hips and heads looking into the sky. Frustrations continue, and nobody in the club seems to have an answer.
Defensively, the Seattle Sounders didn’t do a bad job, outside of Nouhou getting beat twice. (Photos by Bryan Saldana)
Offensive attack still as exciting as watching paint dry
Like how matches have gone for them since Mid-April, Seattle’s offense hasn’t been able to lighten the load that their defense has had to carry. The Sounders attack put up 16 shots on the night, which at first glance makes you wonder why the negativity around the attack because surely that’d be enough to get Seattle on the board or at least really threaten Atlanta throughout the course of this match. You’d be wrong, though, as the Sounders only had two of those shots on target. Despite the amount of time off that they had to regroup and recenter themselves on the attack after being bounced from the Leagues Cup, Seattle lacked any real creativity with the ball, leaving them with little to challenge Atlanta keeper Brad Guzan with.
Once again in a match this season, the Seattle Sounders struggled with their attack throughout the night (Photos by Bryan Saldana)
Substitution situation
The first substitution window saw Seattle take off Joao Paulo, Nico Lodeiro, Leo Chu for Obed Vargas, Fredy Montero, Paul Rothrock in the 68th minute. This sequence saw the club take off their highest rated player in the match (Paulo) and their second lowest (Lodeiro), trying to get some youth injection into the attacking flow while also getting a veteran scorer onto the pitch. All three of the players that the Sounders brought on with this switch arguably did the job asked of their respective position, with Montero recording one shot that had decent expected goal rating with the two midfielders (Vargas and Rothrock) having good passing percentages in their 22 minutes of play. But obviously the biggest holdback of any praise, is that Seattle still couldn’t score.
The second switch that the club made was in the 73rd minute, when Seattle took off left back Nouhou for Reed Baker-Whiting. With the two goals against him, I’m sure that some fans would’ve made the argument to have Nouhou taken off after the second or even first goal. This move saw Baker-Whiting come on, a player that has shown some solid promise, and play a decent 17 minutes, as he completed 93% of his passes, got fouled, complete the only tackle that he attempted, tally an interception and recovery while having 21 touches on the night. While it wasn’t particularly flashy or spectacular, with the play of Alex Roldan and Nouhou, it could be a solid option to see Baker-Whiting get more consistent time as an outside back for the club.
Playoff push in danger
With tonight’s loss, the Sounders still currently sit in the fourth spot in the Western Conference of MLS by some miracle. The race is getting more and more important for Seattle as the days go by, as the Sounders have been in a funk since their ugly and humiliating loss on the road to the Portland Timbers back on April 15th. Since the month of May began, Seattle has gone a dismal 4-10-3 across all competitions and has only scored more than two goals in a match twice in that span. The Sounders haven’t been cohesive or explosive on offense since Jordan Morris and Leo Chu were connecting like wild. Defensively, the club hasn’t particularly been playing poorly this season as they still lead the league in clean sheets, but it’s obvious that you can’t expect the back line to be perfect every match when the attack has been so bone dry.
Quick notes
Attendance for tonight’s match at Lumen Field was 31,149.
Following tonight’s loss, Sounders FC remains on 36 points for the season through 25 matches played (10-9-6), with the Rave Green currently occupying fourth place in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference, one point behind LAFC and Real Salt Lake, and eight points behind conference-leading St. Louis.
Goalkeeper Stefan Frei became Seattle’s all-time leader in club appearances tonight, reaching 340 since 2014 (MLS era only). The previous holder of this record, midfielder Osvaldo Alonso, was on hand tonight as an Atlanta United player. Alonso presented Frei with a framed jersey to commemorate the occasion in a pre-match ceremony. In addition to the all-time club appearance record, Frei has set franchise records in every goalkeeping category, leading Sounders FC to five major titles in the process. He leads MLS in shutouts this season (11).
In the all-time series dating back to Atlanta’s inaugural season in 2017, Seattle moves to 1-2-3. At Lumen Field, the Rave Green are now 1-1-2 against the Five Stripes.
With the start tonight, fullback Alex Roldan made his 150th all-time appearance for Sounders FC in all competitions. The Seattle University product has been a mainstay for the Rave Green, joining the club in 2018 as the 22nd overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft.
New addition Paul Rothrock made his official Lumen Field debut in Rave Green tonight, coming into the match as a 68th-minute substitute after being unveiled earlier this week. Rothrock, a Sounders FC Academy product, notably scored three goals in three appearances for Sounders FC earlier this year via short-term agreements prior to signing his new deal. After finding the net in a pair of Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup matches against San Diego Loyal SC (April 26) and LA Galaxy (May 10), Rothrock scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 regular-season win at Houston (May 13).
Atlanta United forward Giorgos Giakoumakis recorded a brace in tonight’s match, good for his 11th and 12th goals of the year. The Greek international is now tied for second place in the MLS Golden Boot race.
Prior to tonight’s match, Sounders FC honored former Sounders Gonzalo Pineda and Garth Lagerwey. Pineda, a former Sounders FC player and assistant coach on Brian Schmetzer’s staff, is currently Head Coach of the Five Stripes, while Garth Lagerwey, who served as General Manager & President of Soccer for Seattle, is now the Georgia club’s President & CEO. Lagerwey received a commemorative watch in recognition of the 2022 Concacaf Champions League title, presented by Owner Adrian Hanauer on behalf of the club.
What’s next?
After this brutal loss to Atlanta, the Sounders will be headed out on the road for their next two matches, starting with Minnesota United on August 27th. That match has a kickoff time of 1:30PM PST at Allianz Field, as the Sounders take on a Minnesota side that currently sits in the ninth and final playoff spot in the West. While Seattle has had good fortune against Minnesota in their history, Seattle’s struggles this season put a positive result in doubt. The Sounders couldn’t capitalize after a reset period between matches (21 days since the loss to Monterrey) and will face a Minnesota club that is coming off a decent Leagues Cup run and regular season victory over New York City FC. Seattle still currently sits in a playoff spot, but they must improve if they’re going to finish there.