Sounders offensive attack too little, too late in loss to Inter Miami CF

Seattle’s Kelyn Rowe and Miami’s DeAndre Yedlin fight for the ball

Seattle, WA – The Seattle Sounders fell to Inter Miami CF at Lumen Field by a score of 1-0. The Sounders offensive attack failed to show up in this match until it was too late, resulting in their third loss of the MLS regular season. Miami scored a late first half goal as Seattle-born DeAndre Yedlin’s cross found Robbie Robinson right in front of net. Seattle’s lineup consisted mostly of younger players and their bench coming off of their April 13th match against NYCFC that saw the Sounders advance to the Concacaf Champions League final.  

First half offensive stagnancy 

With several younger players mixed into the lineup, and three days off of their Concacaf Champions League semifinal victory over NYCFC, Seattle failed to get anything going in the first 45 minutes. The Sounders did not register a dangerous chance in the first half, and never got any significant build up in the Miami half. The same could have been said for Miami, were it not for Robbie Robinson’s 41st minute goal. Miami had also looked relatively bland in their attack, until Seattle native DeAndre Yedlin brought the ball up along the right side of the pitch. Yedlin was able to whip a cross around Seattle’s Jimmy Medranda, finding Robinson. Robinson was able to receive the cross cleanly, hitting the ball bottom left corner past a sprawling Stefan Cleveland.  

Sounders defender AB Cissoko had a solid match, blocking several crosses in the box

Late substitutions make an impact, but fail to equalize. 

In an effort to equalize and possibly even win, the Sounders made some big substitutions in the second half. Cristian Roldan came on in the 46th minute, Albert Rusnak and Raul Ruidiaz in the 70th, and Nicolas Lodeiro in the 85th. Those four substitutions made a big impact, as the attack looked noticeably better in the second half and dominated possession wise. There were multiple chances that Seattle had on net, but Miami goalkeeper Nick Marsman was able to handle everything the Sounders threw at him. An interesting note from this match would be that Seattle won the shots contest with eleven more total shots, but tied Miami for shots on goal with only three.  

Albert Rusnak was a late substitution in this match

What can Seattle take from this match? 

While this was another frustrating match for Seattle (their other two losses in MLS play this season have been similar), the immediate impact of Cristian Roldan was a bright spot for the Sounders. Cristian has been playing at an MVP-like level for Seattle, and has been the driving force for the Rave Green. While it makes sense that many of the Sounders starters did not play, or came on late, the Sounders currently are dealing with the issue of balancing Concacaf Champions League and MLS play. After Champions League, expect to see a more consistent Sounders club in MLS play, with Cristian Roldan leading the way.

Midfielder Cristian Roldan made an immediate impact after being subbed on in the 46th minute

Brian Schmetzer reiterated in the post-game press conference that the club wants to win every competition, and said that the club was “pissed” following tonight’s loss. The Sounders will look to bounce back in their next contest, against the San Jose Earthquakes on the road. That match will take place on April 23rd at PayPal Park, with a 7PM PST kickoff.  

Thank you to Melissa Levin for the excellent photos used in this article!