Sounders strike first, taking leg one of MLS Cup Playoffs round one matchup against FC Dallas
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA – The saying “defense wins championships” is typically affiliated with American football, but it can certainly apply to the Seattle Sounders if they continue their run of form throughout the course of this year's MLS Cup playoffs. While the clubs attack has struggled throughout a large majority of this season to convert chances, the backline and goalkeeper Stefan Frei have held things down and kept the squad in games, and that’s set the tone for the Sounders late run as they entered the playoffs. Despite a small break after decision day, that defensive form has persisted in leg one of Seattle’s round one matchup against FC Dallas as it set the tone for an eventual 2-0 victory over the visitors. Outside of a few bad giveaways that Dallas failed to take advantage of, the Sounders dominated this match in terms of the chances produced and could have had more than just those two goals, had they been sharper. Regardless, it’s a strong start to the playoffs and an encouraging display.
Making the most of a strong attack
If these past two matches for the Sounders are any sort of indication of what’s to come, Seattle is back in the form that we saw at the beginning of the season. While the club is currently on a ten-match unbeaten streak, the issue with this team this season has been their inability to convert on their chances, and that in May. The Sounders are still missing some big opportunities that they’re creating, but they’re seemingly picking up steam when it matters most as we kick off the postseason. With a nearly fully healthy roster at their disposal, save for Reed Baker-Whiting who will be unavailable until the later rounds if the club makes it, Seattle has the playmakers to go toe to toe with anybody in MLS and the finishing looks like it’s coming along enough to compliment them.
The Sounders were able to get their pressure going early into this contest, as Josh Atencio had two near misses in the first twenty-minutes as he continues to excel in starting minutes. The first half was a positive one for Seattle, save for a few bad giveaways in the first 45 minutes, the Sounders had their foot on the gas pedal to begin this game as they generated ten total shots, four of them on target, and two “big” chances. Despite all these positives notes about their attack, Seattle couldn’t make it count until we had nearly reached the halftime whistle. Midfielder Cristian Roldan, who is a major factor for the Sounders and his absence is noticeable, saw an opening up the sideline off a throw in, and his brother Alex led him up field. Cristian was beating Dallas defender Marco Farfan with speed, and Farfan had no choice but to foul him in the box, resulting in a penalty. Seattle’s Albert Rusnak, taking the penalty considering his history of doing so in his time with Real Salt Lake and traditional PK taker Nico Lodeiro on the bench, had just enough strength on his shot to score as Dallas goalkeeper Maarten Paes got his gloves on it.
“Those giveaways that we gave them in the first half, two clear opportunities, one big save by Stef and the other one they missed. But overall, I felt like we created enough chances to score and they just didn’t go in until the PK and then Jordan’s goal second in the second half. I think there’s a lot of positives that we can take into the next game on Saturday.”
Seattle Sounders FC midfielder Albert Rusnak celebrates his penalty kick goal scored in the 43rd minute. (Photo by Jane Gershovich / Sounders FC Communications)
The second Sounders goal of the night came because of some brilliant connecting play, with club legend Nico Lodeiro playing a massive part. Seattle had the luxury of bringing Lodeiro on as a substitution in the 66th minute, as Albert Rusnak started the match as the club's number ten, slotting in for Leo Chu on the left wing. Normally that late into the match, an opponent is happy for a sub considering it’s typically a player of a “lesser caliber,” but Lodeiro came on hungry as a player with gas left in his tank while he aims to finish his time in Seattle on a high note. Aware of the Dallas defender on his back and teammate Nouhou slowly creeping up the field for a run, Lodeiro coyly sent a pass towards the box, and his Cameroonian teammate made great work of it. Using his speed, Nouhou whipped in a cross perfectly placed for Jordan Morris, who had plenty of space around him to smash the header home to double the Sounders lead.
“It was a really good buildup on the left side when I saw Nouhou get down the line, my job as the number nine is to get in the box and try and be in the right spot to score some goals, and he put in a great cross. Put it right on my head and fortunately I was able to finish it, but credit to Nouhou, it was a really, really good ball.”
The Seattle Sounders surround forward Jordan Morris after his 74th minute header goal that doubled the clubs lead in their win over FC Dallas. (Photo by Jane Gershovich / Sounders FC Communications)
Escaping early danger
The lone spot of disappointment in this match came in the first half, as Seattle had two separate instances where poor giveaways in their own end nearly resulted in Dallas goals, but a bit of luck and Stefan Frei magic ensured that a clean sheet was on its way. The first of those two came in the 22nd minute, as Sounders defender Jackson Ragen played a ball towards teammate Josh Atencio that didn’t have nearly enough on it, and Dallas midfielder Paxton Pomykal pounced on it, finding teammate Jesus Ferreira in the box for a strong opportunity on goal. Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei was up to the task, coming off his line to close space and using a left leg save to ward off the danger. The second such chance from Dallas was similar, as they kept the Sounders under duress around jumped on Seattle midfielder Joao Paulo immediately as he received a pass. With Pomykal again hurrying an opponent receiving a pass, Paulo attempted to play the ball back to Ragen, but his pass didn’t have enough power behind it. Dallas attacker Jader Obrian found Ferreira in a dangerous position with some space inside the 18-yard box, but a hurried shot sailed up and over the goal.
“I thought that was one of his better games since he’s been with the club… I thought he had a tremendous performance tonight.”
Defending home field in this new playoff format
In this new playoff format that MLS is using, it’s crucial for the higher seed to handle business in their first hosting match, considering the danger that they put themselves in if they fail going into leg two of that round. While some may remind you that FC Dallas really has struggled coming into the playoffs, needing a big win on decision day (which they obviously got) to punch their ticket and only having won four of their last 21 matches coming into tonight, the postseason is an opportunity to wipe the slate clean. Nothing from the regular season campaign matters once the playoffs begin, it’s not as though you can carry that prior success into the postseason like an accessory. Despite the goal drought throughout the summer, the Sounders have remained optimistic that they were going to break through and find their form, and the way that their defense has played has allowed that to happen. Seattle has looked good recently, and while there are still areas for improvement, tonight was very encouraging to see such a strong display and while taking advantage of their home field. There is still much work to be done, but this one feels good.
“When Nico came on the field he made an immediate impact. It was good to see.”
Seattle Sounders FC forward Raul Ruidiaz came on as a substitution in the 83rd minute of this match. (Photo by Jane Gershovich / Sounders FC Communications)
Quick notes
Attendance for this match at Lumen Field was 30,741
Sounders FC opened its Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs campaign with a 2-0 win against FC Dallas at Lumen Field. Game two of the three-match series is set for November 4 at Toyota Stadium. Should a series-deciding third match be needed, Sounders FC is set to host that contest at Lumen Field on November 10.
Following the win, Sounders FC’s postseason record moves to 23-13-7 dating back to the club’s 2009 inaugural MLS season.
Tonight’s match marked Seattle’s ninth all-time postseason contest against FC Dallas. The Rave Green are now 5-2-2 in those contests. Prior to tonight, the two sides most recently played in the 2020 Western Conference Semifinals, with Seattle winning that match 1-0.
Sounders FC has not lost to FC Dallas in 18 matches in all competitions at Lumen Field, with its last defeat at home against the Texas side coming on May 25, 2011.
Seattle’s late-season unbeaten run continues and now stands at 10 matches (5-0-5). This is now the club’s longest unbeaten run in all competitions since Sounders FC rattled off 13 matches without a defeat to open the 2021 season.
Slotting home his 43rd-minute penalty kick to open the scoring for Seattle, midfielder Albert Rusnák recorded his first goal in the MLS Cup Playoffs for the Rave Green and his second postseason tally all-time.
Jordan Morris’ headed goal in the 74th minute of play was his seventh postseason goal dating back to his rookie year in 2016. The Mercer Island native is fourth among active players in MLS in postseason scoring, with former Sounder Will Bruin (9) and current teammates Raúl Ruidíaz (9) and Nico Lodeiro (8) in front of him on that list.
Nouhou’s assist on Morris’ goal was his first helper in the MLS Cup playoffs. The Cameroonian has eight assists in MLS regular-season action.
Nico Lodeiro earned a secondary assist on Morris’ goal, building upon his club record. The Uruguayan now has 95 total assists, 43 ahead of the next closes player in team history (Fredy Montero, 52 assists). Eleven of those assists have come in the MLS Cup Playoffs, the most among active MLS players.
Getting the starting nod tonight at right wing, Cristian Roldan equaled former Sounder Osvaldo Alonso’s career high for postseason appearances by a Rave Green field player. Goalkeeper Stefan Frei leads all Sounders with 29 appearances in the postseason.
Roldan’s 25 postseason appearances are also good for fourth in MLS among active field players. Entering the match tonight as a second-half substitute, Nico Lodeiro is tied for sixth all-time in this category, as well, with 23 postseason appearances.
Stefan Frei’s 29 appearances in the MLS Cup Playoffs are fourth all-time in league history. Former MLS stalwart Kevin Hartman leads this category with 49 all-time appearances.
Frei also hit another major club milestone this evening, becoming the first Sounder in club history to record 350 appearances in all competitions for the club. He added to his single-season high in shutouts in the process, capturing his 15th clean sheet of 2023 (MLS regular season and postseason).
What’s next?
Following tonight’s leg one win in their round one MLS Cup Playoffs matchup against FC Dallas, Seattle now has a few days to review the game footage and see what necessary tweaks need to be made as they’ll head to Frisco, Texas for leg two. That match is on Saturday, November 4th with a kickoff time of 6PM PST as Dallas will look to defend home field and Seattle aims to handle business for a second straight match to advance to the next round. While the Sounders had a lot of positives come out of tonight’s victory against Dallas, Seattle can certainly improve as they could’ve scored more than the two actual goals that found the back of the net. Considering the strong effort that the Sounders got from Nico Lodeiro and Raul Ruidiaz off the bench, it’ll be intriguing to see what starting eleven head coach Brian Schmetzer goes with on Saturday.
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Cover photo by Jane Gershovich / Sounders FC Communications
Check out our previous articles with writing by Charles Hamaker here