Morris can’t waste any chances on Sunday if the Sounders are to prevail
By Toby Dunkelberg
Sunday marks the final regular season meeting of the Seattle Sounders and the Portland Timbers. A scant week has gone by since the last meeting where the Sounders bested the Timbers by two goals in front of their home fans. This time is the Timbers chance to play in front of their crowd. That alone should go a long way towards providing a better result for the Timbers fans in attendance.
Portland’s 2016 away record is simply atrocious. With a record of 0-7-6 on the road the only thing keeping the Timbers in playoff contention is their 8-3-2 record at home. With just three home losses it’ll be a tough for the Sounders to walk away with the full three points.
That task is made all the more difficult due to two happenings during the intervening week. The first was the dreary 1-1 draw at Houston on Wednesday. The travel, heat, and humidity all combine into one tremendous energy sap. Brian Schmezter did well to rotate players allowing Joevin Jones, Chad Marshall, Jordan Morris, and Clint Dempsey to rest. Even still Nicolas Lodeiro, the catalyst behind the Sounders recent 3-0-2 run went the full 90. During training on Friday Schmetzer assured the gathered media that it the midweek match wouldn’t affect the Sounders. Even still look for the Sounders to struggle as the game progresses and the Timbers try to ramp up their speed.
The second event of impact was the announcement that Clint Dempsey will miss the derby match due to further testing of an irregular heartbeat. His health is obviously the most important thing to worry about. Soccer is simply a game, and health always takes precedent over that. But there’s no denying the Sounders will miss his presence. The USMNT veteran has been having something of a resurgence lately with five goals and an assist in his last three games. With Dempsey out of the picture Ridgewell, Chara, and the rest of the Timbers defense can focus more on dealing with Lodeiro and Morris.
The most likely replacement for Dempsey is for the Sounders to start a wide midfielder and push Lodeiro into the center. Schmetzer has many options. Andreas Ivanschitz, Alvaro Fernandez, Oalex Anderson, Nelson Valdez, and Cristian Roldan all have experience playing the wide role in the band of Schmetzers 4-2-3-1. With so many options available it’s near impossible to predict what we’ll see at 2pm on Sunday.
Whoever does end up starting will likely have little help from the rest of the midfield. In Seattle the Sounders midfield ran rampant as Valeri, Chara, and Nagbe all struggled to assert themselves. Blame it on playing on the road, the Seattle fans, or, more likely, a fantastic game from Alonso and Roldan.
Whatever the case the Timbers midfield is sure to play much better. And with Fernando Adi back up top after not starting in Seattle due to what Caleb Porter referred to as a personal matter, that better play will result in goals. Adi is one of the top five in the league at bodying up defenders. That coupled with a surprisingly soft touch and a good dose of pace makes him a handful for centerbacks. At the very least he’s sure to be an improvement over Jack McInerney who squandered two sterling chances last week.
Seattle has the form but in Portland sans Dempsey and playing their third game in a week it’ll take at least one standout performance for the Sounders to come away with all three points. With the Timbers playing at home with all their players and coming off a full weeks rest this game is Portland’s to lose. With both sides desperate to stay above the red line it’s sure to be a derby match to remember.
PREDICTION
Seattle Sounders 2 – Portland Timbers 2
Portland has history, Sounders momentum for Sunday’s clash
