Joevin Jones & Roman Torres (right) defend Romell Quioto during Houston’s 2-1 victory over Seattle to start their 2017 MLS campaign on Saturday.
By Steven Agen
Here are three keys to watch for as the Seattle Sounders (0-0-1, 0pts.) travel east to take on the Montreal Impact (0-0-1, 0pts.) on Saturday:
1. Sounders’ right back vs. Ignacio Piatti
Offseason addition Gustav Svensson made his Seattle debut as a right back at Houston last weekend and the experiment didn’t go well. Brad Evans and Oniel Fisher were both ruled out from starting to due to injury, forcing Sounders’ new center back/center midfielder to play out of position. Romell Quioto scored off of a brilliant solo run against Seattle’s right side to put the Dynamo 2-0 up and that was merely a culmination of the difficulties Seattle faced on that flank.
The problem doesn’t get any easier to solve in Montreal, as Evans still appears to be a few weeks away from starting. This leaves Svensson in line to start again, unless Fisher is sufficiently recovered from a concussion to make his first appearance of 2017. No matter who Brian Schmetzer selects, it’ll be a tough match up with Impact play maker Ignacio Piatti lining up on the left side of Montreal’s 4-5-1 formation. Sounders must correct their defensive frailties on the right from a week ago, or face being torn apart by one of the most dangerous players in the league.
2. Nicolas Lodeiro vs. Ignacio Piatti
Speaking of play makers, Seattle’s top man is looking to pick up where he left off after joining MLS midway through 2016. The diminutive Uruguayan didn’t have his best performance at Houston but will be keen on getting back on the score sheet in his second try in 2017. Perhaps his lack of influence at BBVA Compass Stadium can be attributed to starting preseason a few days late. Maybe it’s just that Sounders generally don’t play well in Houston. Whatever the case is, Lodeiro has to bounce back quickly as he now faces one of the few players in the league whose skill set is like his own. Whoever performs better in the Lodeiro-Piatti match up is likely to see his side come out of the game with all three points.
3. How “back” is Dempsey?
Clint Dempsey scored Seattle’s lone goal in their loss at Houston last week. The match marked his first appearance since being diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat last fall.
For someone out of the game for six months, Dempsey performed extremely well and looked worthy of his Designated Player tag. Getting on the score sheet was a bonus — it was seeing him play all 90 minutes that should really give Sounders fans hope. Despite going the distance and grabbing a goal, Deuce looked a little out of sync with the rest of the Seattle attack. The shape of Sounders’ midfield was awkward and a little disjointed as Lodeiro and Dempsey seemed to both drift into the center of the park. The two didn’t combine particularly well either, nor did Dempsey find Morris much. This is all to be expected. and certainly the focus should be on the positives expounded at the start of this bullet point.
However, the rate at which Dempsey and his teammates recover their full potential together will determine how quickly Seattle start firing on all cylinders in 2017. Saturday’s match at Montreal marks the second chance to do so, and Brian Schmetzer would certainly be happier returning to the Pacific Northwest with a settled front six ahead of his side’s home opener against New York next week.
Match Prediction:
Seattle Sounders 2, Montreal Impact 1
Lodeiro (PK) 17′
Morris (Dempsey) 39′
Piatti 77′
Sounders FC
Montreal Impact
