Aaron Kovar, scorer of Seattle’s lone goal in their 2-1 loss at New England on Saturday.
By Steven Agen
Some days soccer is a just game. Other days it’s a cruel one, as the Seattle Sounders experienced in their 2-1 loss at New England on Saturday.
Coming into the match Seattle were winless in their previous two and also knew that their pair of Designated Player-level strikers would be away for Copa America Centenario warmups. At 9th in the Western Conference, taking points against Eastern Conference stragglers New England seemed imperative. With two matches in five days along the Atlantic, however, it was also clear that Seattle’s depth and resolve would have to hold up better than they have so far in 2016 for that to become a reality.
That’s what made Saturday such a frustrating day for Sounder fans. Sigi Schmid fielded a lineup of mostly starters, with center back Chad Marshall being a notable exception. Zach Scott deputized in his absence but defensive reserves would soon become a major talking point in the match.
Seattle’s other Stanford standout, Aaron Kovar, opened his MLS goalscoring account on six minutes when he calmly controlled a ball on the edge of the area and fired a low volley that found the bottom far corner. Since signing as a Homegrown Player in 2014 Kovar has been searching for a role that meets his skillset. Since Seattle switched to their new 4-3-3 look, Kovar has thrived as a withdrawn winger of sorts. Playing high next to Jordan Morris and Herculez Gomez on Sunday, Kovar took on a role that resembled the classic shuttler in the 4-4-2 diamond formation.
Everyone is aware by now that the perhaps the biggest focus of 2016 for Sounders GM Garth Lagerwey is to make the squad younger. In a transitional period filled with positional defending mishaps from notable youngster Joevin Jones and missed chances from rookie striker Jordan Morris, Kovar’s early goal was a beacon of light for Lagerwey’s youth movement. It was a moment when everyone could watch for themselves as a player finally put all the pieces together.
It was fitting (at least for this season), then, when Seattle conceded the Most Dubious Penalty Call of the Year (we’re starting a new award) so far. Zach Scott’s clearance hit Erik Friberg, facing his own goal near the edge of the area, directly in the stomach. Referee Fotis Bazakos pointed to the mark and Lee Nguyen had the Revs level on 24’. As seems to be the case with Seattle this year, as soon as they built up a bit of momentum it immediately came crashing back down to earth. This time, though, there wasn’t much they could do about it. The ball never even hit Friberg’s arm and Bazakos had a terrible view of the play — we don’t normally talk about the officials on this site, but Bazakos decidedly got this decision wrong and had a huge influence on the game’s outcome.
Things got worse on 40 minutes, when captain Brad Evans left the match after he took a Kei Kamara shot directly to the back of the head in his own area. Without Marshall available and with Roman Torres still yet to make a season debut, Schmid had to send on rookie Tony Alfaro for his MLS debut. To be clear, the fourth- and fifth-choice center backs made up the defensive partnership for Seattle for the last 50 minutes of the match.
Alfaro performed relatively well, to be fair to him. Clearances from his weaker right foot were shaky at times, but he otherwise looked solid both defensively and in possession. Evans’ leadership and organization were sorely missed, however.
New England’s rookie substitute Femi (on for Kelyn Rowe on 77’) took advantage of the makeshift Seattle back four and scored the game’s winning goal on 80’. Only three minutes after entering the field, the Benin-native caught a full five Seattle defenders ball watching; he touched and shot right-footed from outside the area and found the bottom right corner.
It seemed a bit cruel.
The one constant through Seattle’s scoring woes has been the solidity of their defense. In the end it was a gaffe by that same unit that sent them packing with no points. To make matters worse it wasn’t blunder that can be attributed to a single lapse of judgement but rather to a systemic issue with not cutting off shooting lanes in the final minutes of the match. It didn’t even have anything to do with Tony Alfaro, the 22 year old making his league debut! Who would’ve guessed?
Jordan Morris nearly snatched a point for Seattle late on, but he somehow missed wide from only several yards out off a Jones low ball into the area. He seemed shocked not to have scored, but not nearly as shocked as everyone else in attendance. It was at that moment (if not far sooner for some) that it became clear that it was not to be Seattle’s day. There were positives, like Kovar and Alfaro, but generally speaking even with a good performance the Sounders left the first match of their vital run-in on the East Coast without a point.
It was a punch to the gut for a side that desperately needs a break or two to get back on track.
To right the ship, Seattle need to repeat that performance and hope their bad breaks subside. They’ll need to do it quickly, as well, as they take on D.C. United (4-5-4, 16 points) at RFK Stadium at 8pm EST on Wednesday night. The Black and Red are coming off of a 1-0 win at Sporting KC on Friday, giving them an extra day of rest over Seattle.
Wednesday’s match could quickly eclipse Kovar’s goal for symbol of the Seattle youth movement, if Sigi Schmid opts to rest most of the starters from Saturday. Tyrone Mears, Zach Scott, and Andreas Ivanschitz all seem to be candidates to start on the bench. That could leave room for Tony Alfaro’s first-ever MLS start, or appearances from Dylan Remick, Oniel Fisher, Cristian Roldan, or Oalex Anderson. Everything depends on how hard Schmid wants to push for points in the last match before the international break. If he plays his starters from Saturday and wins, he’ll be hailed as a genius. If someone on the wrong side of thirty pulls up with an injury on Wednesday after playing against New England, he’ll be heavily criticized.
As for D.C. United, they started their 2016 campaign slowly, failing to record a win in their first five matches. Ben Olsen’s men have had something of a resurgence since then, as four wins and a draw in their last eight matches (4-3-1) have United up to 5th place in the East. The match represents a chance for D.C. to solidify their momentum heading into the international break – the win at SKC gives them their first opportunity to get back to .500 on the season since a 2-0 home loss to NYCFC on May 8.
Like Seattle, D.C. will miss key starters on Wednesday due to Copa America Centenario. Leading goal scorer Alvaro Saborio is away with Costa Rica, while center back Steve Birnbaum will be with Clint Dempsey in Santa Clara, CA preparing for the USA’s tournament opener against Colombia on June 3rd.
The Sounders could face a second Kamara in as many matches, as recent D.C. acquisition Alhadji Kamara came off the bench and scored the game winner on Friday. They’ll almost certainly face one very familiar face, that of three-time Sounder Lamar Neagle. The outside midfielder and Federal Way, WA native made the move to D.C. over the offseason and has recorded two goals and three assists, starting all 13 league games United have played. He’s been a crucial piece in a D.C. attack that also features two prominent Argentine DP forwards, Fabian Espindola and Luciano Acosta.
As they proved in Kansas City, D.C. can be plenty dangerous even without Saborio. Espindola and Acosta, who started up top together last Friday, may themselves prove to be a handful for Seattle’s weakened defense. Acosta has had moments where he looks like he might be a genuine superstar in this league. Espindola is the leading goalscorer (3) D.C. will have available, as Patrick Nyarko (also on 3 goals) has been ruled out due to a concussion.
D.C. have also relied upon their defensive unit for results in 2016. United have allowed 1 goal per game at home and 1.2 goals per game overall. Seattle’s aforementioned bright spot is also allowing 1.2 goal per game so far this season. The recent return of Bill Hamid to the DC goal helps to make up for Birnbaum’s absence, and Ben Olsen can be sure his back line will be closer to full strength than Sigi Schmid’s.
On the face of it, this match sets up to be a low scoring one. Seattle and D.C. have allowed a single goal or less in twenty matches combined in 2016. Short rest and depleted rosters add to the feeling that whoever has more in the tank will gut-check their way to victory.
Seattle suffered a blow at the weekend. Now the question is, do they have a counter-punch?
PREDICTION:
DC United 2, Seattle Sounders 1
Lamar Neagle (Acosta) 17’
Fabian Espindola (PK) 41’
Jordan Morris (Anderson) 71’
DC United
Sounders FC
