Morris Fires Sounders to MLS Cup Final by Chris Brown
November 27, 2016 – The second leg of the Western Conference Finals saw the Colorado Rapids welcome Seattle Sounders to Dick’s Sporting Good’s Park with the Sounders leading 2-1 on aggregate, thanks to a first leg win on Tuesday night. The Sounders 2-1 victory came on the back of goals from Jordan Morris and Nicholas Lodeiro, while Kevin Doyle found the back of the net in the 13th minute of play at CenturyLink Field for the Rapids.
Seattle Sounders advanced to their first MLS Cup Final. (Photo Credit: Corbin Elliott)
Colorado were forced to play without Captain and midfield staples Sam Cronin who was suspended for the second leg due to yellow card accumulation. Colorado also had to play without their first choice goalkeeper as Tim Howard was ruled out for the season after injuring his adductor while on duty with the U.S. Men’s National Team and undergoing surgery to repair the damage sustained while playing against Mexico.
When the team starting lineups were announced the biggest surprise was that Pablo Mastroeni decided to start Dominique Badji on the bench and elected to play both Dillon Powers and Jermaine Jones in midfield. Jones was also handed the captains armband in place of Sam Cronin and was positioned to play as the attacking midfielder for the Rapids. Kevin Doyle started as the lone striker for Colorado and his ability to hold up play and allow the midfield to join the play would be helpful to a Rapid side that struggled to maintain meaningful possession in the first leg in Seattle.
For the Sounders, Erik Freiburg was unavailable for selection and Andreas Ivanschitz started out right for Seattle, while Nicholas Lodeiro started in central midfield.
At kick off there was a strong, cold wind blowing predominantly from West to East directly across the pitch but also swirling around Seattle’s Eastern corner.
The first shot of the match came after just 18 seconds of play with Jermaine Jones firing high from 30 yards out as Colorado looked to show their teeth early.
There was early drama in the sixth minute when Sebastien Le Toux took a hand/wrist to the face while trying to get open for a corner kick. Le Toux dropped to the turf but contact was incidental, though it was foreshadowing for what would come as the match wore on.
In the 11th minute, Colorado worked the ball well on a counter attack with Kevin Doyle holding up play well before bringing Shekelzen Gashi and Sebasiten Le Toux into the play. Le Toux laid off for Doyle who shot low and hard but wide right of Stefan Frei’s goal. The Rapids were the brighter of the two teams in the first minutes of the match.
In the 14th minute, following a hard foul, Roman Torres was booked for obstructing Zac MacMath while he attempted to take a free-kick. The match was very chippy, even early on.
Jordan Morris scored two goals over the two legs to give Seattle their first MLS Cup Final berth. (Photo Credit: Corbin Elliott)
In the 23rd minute Colorado had a golden opportunity to take the lead when Kevin Doyle cleverly went around Roman Torres and stole the ball off him after the Sounders defender thought he had the angle on a long ball well covered. Doyle took the ball in the box and even slipped past Frei who came off his line. Doyle should have tried to score, though from a difficult angle, but instead squared across the box looking for Sebastien Le Toux. The ball was hit far too hard and Le Toux couldn’t get on the end of it. Seattle were lucky to escape.
Just minutes later Colorado earned a corner kick and Jermaine Jones found the ball landing at his feet after Frei’s attempted punch clearance bounced off a head in the box. Jones tried to volley on the bounce but his looping shot landed on the netting on the top of Frei’s goal.
Colorado were applying all the pressure in the early stages of the match, but needed to put efforts on target.
In the 40th minute Colorado won a free kick after Jermaine Jones was dropped 30 yards from goal. Shkelzen Gashi, who scored the goal of the year a free kick chance from even further from goal stood over the ball. While the wall organized Dick’s Sporting Goods Park chanted “Gashi! Gashi!” At the referees whistle Gashi shot into the wall and though Dillon Powers fired the rebound through the wall, the shot went wide left and Seattle maintained their aggregate advantage.
At halftime the score remained level at 0-0, but Colorado had the better chances and a lot more of them. The official statistics said that Colorado had 11 shots to the Sounders 1, and Colorado had 60% possession in the first 45 minutes.
Jermaine Jones appeared the best player the pitch for large chunks of the first half and the Rapid defense did well to keep Nicholas Lodeiro in check. After being shut down through the middle of the pitch in the first match, Pablo Mastroeni’s men seemed keen to attack down the wings. As the half went on the Seattle defense seemed more spread out and there were channels open through the middle of the pitch.
Jermaine Jones was the best player on the pitch in the first half of play. (Photo Credit: Corbin Elliott)
The second half began with both sides cancelling each other out with the ball stuck in the in middle third.
In the 56th minute the tie was all but decided. Michael Azira’s through ball to Sebastien LeToux was intercepted and Seattle launched a counter attack. Jared Watts was pulled out of position and dove in against Nelson Valdez who was able to shed the challenge and find Jordan Morris on a diagonal run. The pass set Morris through one on one with Rapids keeper Zac MacMath. Morris had a heavy touch in the box and MacMath came off his line and slid to try and take the ball. Morris deftly clipped the ball just over MacMath’s sprawling form and it nestled in the back of Colorado’s goal, putting Seattle ahead 1-0 and 3-1 on aggregate.
Seattle celebrate after Jordan Morris put the Sounders ahead. (Photo Credit: Corbin Elliott)
For Colorado to earn extra time they would have to score twice in the final 35 minutes, a very tall task for a side that struggled to score all season long.
In the 64th minute Marlon Hairston, in for Le Toux, won the ball in the Seattle box and sent in a cross from near the touchline. Stefan Frei was ready for the cross though and collected easily.
In the 66th minute Hairston cut in across the top the box and attempted a shot with his left foot. The ball appeared to strike a Sounder defender’s hand but the team’s calls for hand ball were turned away by Referee Ricardo Salazar.
Colorado pushed hard for an equalizer but Seattle was content to stay deep and compact, clearing potential trouble long up field. The Sounders broke occasionally on the counter but most of the attacks were with few men, in the interest of safety.
At the final whistle it was 1-0 to Seattle and the Sounders would be going on to their first ever MLS Cup Final, representing the Western Conference.
Seattle were the better side over the two legs a Brian Schmetzer’s Sounders will face either Toronto FC or Montreal Impact, meaning that 2016 will see a first time MLS Champion.
After the match, when asked to reflect about Colorado’s season, Pablo Mastroeni said “Obviously there’s a grieving period, you lost the game but what people don’t realize is the amount of work, sleepless nights, arguments… with players, with your staff, with your family and you sacrifice… you sacrifice a lot. And the emotion that goes into that sacrifice and the pain that goes into it, that’s what we feel down about. It just vanishes into thin air. You know? It’s gone. And it’s a lot like life, at the end it’s about what you leave behind, and I think what these guys left behind is incredible. It’s powerful.”
Making the 2016 MLS Cup Final meant the world to Brian Schmetzer who played as a Sounder in the NASL, even playing in a final in 1982. A Sounder through and through Schmetzer’s emotions overcame him during the post-match press conference. When asked about the historic nature of his teams accomplishment, especially after the rough start to the season, Schmetzer said “We’re not finished yet.” Going on to say “I’m very proud of this franchise. [choking back tears]it’s… the fans deserve that. They deserve it.”
