Seattle Sounders report card: What’s gone right (and what really hasn’t) | OneFootball

It is not an exaggeration to say that Sounders have floundered for the first chunk of the season. Every team has to deal with departing players and new players and all the adjustments that have gone with it. Most teams have this sorted out. The Sounders have not.

Seattle Sounders report card

1. Goalkeeping: A+

Make no doubt about it, Stefan Frei continues to be the backbone of the Sounders. He continues to amaze Sounders Nation with a slew of incredible saves. His footwork, positioning, and ball distribution is amongst the finest in MLS.

2. Defense: C-

Defending during the run of play is a strength of the Sounders. Their back line pressures the ball, keep their shape, and routinely shut down opponents. However, once they recover the ball, their distribution has been poor. In the games where they struggled, the opposing team has pressed, they turn the ball over frequently which makes them vonerable to quick counterattacks. They tend to take too much time and make too many unproductive touches to initiate the offense. This will have to improve for them to be successful.

3. Midfield: D

Even though for the most part, they have not received the ball with opportunities to start an attack, the midfield has been forced to drop back further due to the turnovers in the back line. They have not had many opportunities to build an attack, and have not chosen to make more direct counterattacks, mostly they have just been stuck there. The players are talented enough to influence the flow of attack, but they have not had the opportunities.

4. Attacking: D

It is hard to score when you don't get the ball. Ideally, you want lots of opportunities so that some of them yeild positive results. For the first 7 games, they have not had many opportunities, and when they have had them, their passing, touches in general and shooting have been lacking. The Sounders are picking up momentum, but they also need to figure out how to play with each other, which seems to be changing as injuries force the lineup to be fluid.

5. Overall: C-

The Sounders have very skilled players and enough talent to make a run in the playoffs. They need to stay healthy and work better together to produce results. There have been signs of that as of late, but they need to continue to improve. Their cohesiveness is the key to taking on highly talented teams like LAFC or Miami.

With so many injuries to key players to open the season, the Sounders have not had the opportunity to play their best players on the pitch at the same time. This seems to be a recurring them for them as they have struggled to earn points early in the season what seems like every year now.

Is that part of their philosophy? They may not intend for players to get hurt, but they take their time bringing them back and even more time integrating them into games once they return.

Does that philosophy work? Looking at the results, the Sounders seem to be in the playoffs every year (except in 2022). They play their best toward the end of the season and regardless of their seeding, they make runs in the playoffs and are a constant threat to take the title.

The Sounders are in that situation again. Injuries to Ragen (Hamstring), Arriola (cruciate ligament), Alex Roldan (hip), Rusnak (groin), Musovski (back), Morris (hamstring, twice), De La Vega (hip), Baker-Whiting (hamstring), and Ferreira (abductor) have forced the Sounders to continuously shuffle their line-up.

Most of the players with the exceptions of Arriola (out for the season), Ragen (may be back in a couple of weeks), Morris (now thought to be out for the season), and recently Ferrera (unlikely available on Saturday) are back and are just now getting to learn the tendencies, strengths and weaknesses of their teammates. The first seven games were difficult to watch as the team struggled to keep possession, and to connect for good scoring opportunities in the attacking third. The last 3 games tell a different story.

With players returning and becoming match fit, they have been exciting to watch as their technical skill making things difficult for the opposing defense. There is still a disconnect at times between the back line possession and going on to the attack, but they are setting themselves up in the familiar position to make a run in the playoffs, again.

Stefan Frei: His greatest save may have been on the Jose Altidore header in the MLS finals in 2016, but he continues to perform at a high caliber. He is superb talent and not getting a goalkeeper of the year award is almost criminal. He has continued his excellence this season.

Pedro De La Vega: De La Vega had a slow start with the Sounders, but was rounding into fantastic form when he was injured. He has great skill with the ball and is an exciting distributor. He adds a dynamic level of play with his understanding of the game that sets him apart. As the team comes together, look for him to be a bright spot.

Nouhou Tolo: Always a crowd favorite, his athleticism sets him apart from most players in MLS. He may not directly contribute to goals, but he is a defensive stalwart and exciting to watch.

Albert Rusnak: Rusnak is one of the most technical players on the team and his passing and goal scoring threat keeps other coaches up at night. There is a noticeable uptick in the speed and accuracy of the whole team when he is on the pitch.

Obed Vargas and Christian Roldan: The play of Vargas and Roldan will determine the success of the Sounders this season. If they can distribute the ball in a timely fashion to the skilled playmakers up front, Seattle has the talent to do damage to any defense they come across.

They both have the skill, and Roldan has the experience to make this happen, provided they can get the ball from the back line. Roldan's goal-line defence this season has saved the Sounders on more than one occasion. The Sounders need their sixes to perform at a high level.

Danny Musovski: Musovski (Moose) spent the majority of the first 7 games without much to show for it. He wasn't getting the ball, so he wasn't scoring goals. Lately, the Sounders' attack has shown signs of life, and he has shown a knack for putting the ball past the reach of goaltenders. He doesn't need to keep his streak of a goal in each of the last 3 games going, he just needs to keep being productive when given the opportunity. It would be nice if he kept the streak going too.

Ryan Kent: Ryan Kent has the speed and technical ability to push this team to the next level. This may be critical following the injury to Jordan Morris. He and De La Vega seem the only players that can successfully take on defenders 1 on 1 and be successful with Morris out. If he plays to his potential, he may be the difference-maker this season.

Jesus Ferreira: Ferreira is a solid, technically skilled player. He tends to play a hold-up position in an attempt to maintain possession, which has not worked well in the first third of the season. Assuming his abductor injury will only cause him to miss a game or two, look for him to make adjustments as the team's attack picks up its pace. If he can adapt, look for him to start piling up assists to players making runs at the goal.