Evans and Mears both stepped up big time on Sunday and will be an integral part of the Sounders back line going forward.
Could defense be a new strength for Seattle?
By Toby Dunkelberg
Sunday night’s match saw two MLS heavyweights go head to head. The Seattle Sounders and the New England Revolution were both feared last year for their lethal offenses. Coincidentally, each teams also suffered a variety of defending woes. Both sides saw their fair share of the chances on Sunday but the key difference was that Seattle was able to cut through the Revolution’s defense and force themselves into more shots in dangerous locations.
Sometimes the game is as simple as that.
At the end of last season the main need for the Sounders was defense. It took career seasons from Stefan Frei, Chad Marshall, and the ever aging Zach Scott and Leo Gonzalez for Seattle to have a semblance of defense. Even with all those great contributions Seattle was tied for the most goals conceded among all playoff teams.
Coupled with the departure of DeAndre Yedlin to Tottenham it was clear to many that an overhaul was needed. That made Seattle’s relatively quiet offseason all the more worrying. The addition of former Bolton Wanderer Tyrone Mears in late December filled the glaring absence of a natural right back but no other starting level talent was signed. Sure, they signed the young Colombian leftback Andres Correa, but it quickly became apparent that he wasn’t even close to being ready to challenge Gonzalez for the starting spot.
Then came the news that Brad Evans would shift to center back. Seattle’s midfield was getting more and more crowded and with the departure of Yedlin, the wide outs for Seattle needed to be real offensive threats on the wings in order to provide another offensive look besides Oba-Dempsey pairing.
That news was met with a mixed bag of responses. Clearly Evans has the aerial ability and soccer IQ to play the position well, but he had barely any experience back there with the Sounders but moving him to center back is far from the kind of move most clamored for.
But Garth Lagerwey, Sigi Schmid, and Adrian Hanauer seemed content with that shift and the young Jimmy Ockford and Damien Lowe to round out the depth chart. Fans started to get worried because of inevitable growing pains as Evans adjusted to his new position.
Preseason results did little to silence the critics as the Sounders first team struggled in the Desert Diamond Cup. Remick and Correa, the assumed backups for Gonzalez on the left, were overwhelmed defensively and showed themselves to be far from MLS ready.
Due in large part to those poor showings many predicted Seattle to struggle against the Revolution attack even with the absence of Nguyen and Jones. And yet the Sounders defense defied expectations and posted a shutout. Seattle returned almost the same lineup from the side that won the Supporters Shield. In fact there were only three differences. Mears for Yedlin, Evans for Scott, and Micheal Azira on for the recovering Alonso.
So how did Seattle manage to post a shutout?
It’s simple really. Every individual person on Seattle stepped up big time. Neagle and Pappa provided real defensive coverage in the Sounders third. Chad Marshall dominated as he always does and was mere inches from scoring. But more importantly he offered a reassuring backup for all the changes. Evans himself told the media that having a guy like Marshall as a partner takes a lot of the pressure off of him, and undoubtedly that extends to the rest of the line.
Sigi Schmid put the same thought this way:
“Certainly it makes life a lot easier when you’re playing your first game at centerback when you play next to the guy who is the only three-time Defender of the Year. That certainly helps you. Chad and Brad certainly have a good relationship not only on the field but off the field, there is a good understanding. They both talk – Brad probably talks more – but it certainly gives you comfort knowing that Chad is back there…I think they are already learning.”
That brings us to Evans himself. It was hard to tell that he was playing out of position. Brad seemed to have put the preseason behind him and shined last night. He made clearance after clearance on corners and showed glimpses of dominant man marking. Sigi had nothing but praise for Evans and pointed out that Evans has already started to show the fruits of his tutelage.
If you rematch the game you notice times where Evans reaches around New England attackers and pokes the ball away. That is a difficult move to pull off and Marshall’s mastery of that move is what makes him so feared. The duo of Marshall and Evans was downright dominant in the air last night and that’s only set to get better.
The back line for Seattle was really well organized against the attack. Marshall and Evans both commanded those around them. Evans looked comfortable lying back and pointing out spaces for his teammates to make runs. Often the one responding to those instructions was Tyrone Mears. The ex-Bolton Wanderer had a great showing in his first MLS start. The main issue for Yedlin last year was the timing of his runs and his inconsistency in defense.
Thanks to Evan’s instructions and his own ability, Mears’ runs were impeccable, but his service was even better. There were a couple of times later in the game when Bunbury dispossessed him and that led to a couple dangerous chances. It looked like his fitness may have been an issue later on but that’s a situation that will go away with time. All in all, Mears shined in his first ever start in Rave Green and looks to be a more than competent replacement for Yedlin.
Gonzalez on the left showed no signs on needing a replacement. The aging Costa Rica didn’t let a man past him all night. Sigi has also been asking Leo to get forward more this year and he did indeed get farther forward than many are used to. That being said Leo is a defender at heart and simply doesn’t have the speed to contribute on both ends. So he sat back and turned in a performance error free.
