Roldan – the pick of the youth?

By Steven Agen

Nearly three months into the 2015 MLS season, the Seattle Sounders have continued right where they left off. Following a Supporters’ Shield campaign in 2014 that also yielded a league-record number of wins, the northwest giants sit atop the tables nationally after 12 matches. Following the emergence of Sigi Schmid’s new possession-based framework nearly all of the criticisms leveled at the club during the preseason have subsided. So, what changed? Where’d it go? After boasting nearly 70% of the possession in another 1-0 home win, have the Sounders found answers to all of their problems?
The Centerback Dilemma

The biggest question facing Seattle in the lead up to the 2015 season was simple enough- is Brad Evans an above-average MLS centerback? Following a few shaky preseason outings and a particularly horrid evening against San Jose on matchday two, the rumblings were louder than ever from a fan base clamouring for a new defender. Since then, however, the tide has changed.

The midfielder-by-trade has quickly learned the essentials of playing centerback. There isn’t anyone behind him, and that means mistakes tend to lead to goals. Over the last several months, Evans has shown a great deal of improvement in his positioning. This has cut down on mistakes. In preseason, every other clearance seemed to fall to an opponent in a dangerous spot. Since the San Jose game, he’s put his clearances farther down field, or failing that, out of bounds. Through all of this, he’s kept his short passing ability, vision, and leadership qualities. The experiment has come through its tests with flying colors, and the front office should be lauded for their foresight.

Put simply, there’s no centerback dilemma in Seattle anymore.

The Youth Movement is in Full Swing

When Seattle brought Tyrone Mears in as their highest-profile offseason signing, it was clear that Garth Lagerwey & co. would be counting on some unproven youngsters to step up in 2015. This didn’t sit terribly well with Sounders faithful.

With an abysmal record in the SuperDraft and only a handful of starters originating from the bottom half of the squad, the concerns about whether or not Seattle would make the right player investments were very real.

Many quipped that the performances of players like Darwin Jones, Aaron Kovar, and Dylan Remick would need to carry Seattle where the aging front half of the squad couldn’t anymore. Without this infusion, where would Seattle find the energy this year?

No one has had to answer this particular question, as the youth have stepped up in a big way 12 games into 2015.

After starting at left back for almost five seasons, Leo Gonzalez has made way for the emerging Dylan Remick. The Brown graduate mixes a combination of the stalwart defending and sound placement of his positional predecessor and DeAndre Yedlin’s sorely-missed pace. The result has been a revelation for the Sounders, instantly reducing the age of their defensive unit while increasing its overall quality.

Remick’s starts has brought favorable comparisons with DeAndre Yedlin

Aaron Kovar, Victor Mansaray, and Darwin Jones comprise a trio of HomeGrown players who have all seen their first significant first team minutes, adding to the wealth of young talent. With Kenny Cooper shipped out of town due to his large salary figure, these HGP’s stand to benefit directly from having one less forward in the rotation.

Jones and Mansaray are forwards by nature, and Kovar moves up a spot despite playing wide midfield. With Lamar Neagle frequently moving up top to pair Dempsey or Martins in the others’ absence, Kovar will gain more minutes on the wing due to Cooper’s departure. It’s a limited sample so far, but all three have contributed well in their substitute appearances. Maybe it’s not a lot, but it’s what Seattle needed them to step up and do.

Meanwhile, University of Washington graduate Cristian Roldan is emerging as the pick of all the youth. The midfielder started his first home match against Colorado on Wednesday, and displays a creativity and athleticism that eludes the rest of the unit. The Sounders paid handsomely to move up in the SuperDraft to select Roldan, and it looks like it’s starting to pay off. No signs of being MLS-average, or serviceable- Roldan looks poised to be a star.

As S2 leads the USL Western Conference, other inexperienced players like Andy Craven and Damion Lowe have suggested with their play that the talent pipeline now runs deep in Seattle. There’s more than what folks see at CenturyLink Field on Saturdays, and it’s looking pretty good. Sounders fans might have been worried about relying on youth, but it appears the front office had the answer to this riddle as well.
Lack of Midfield Magic
With Marco Pappa, Lamar Neagle, and Gonzalo Pineda all looking a touch ragged in the preseason, there were concerns about how this Seattle midfield would function as it did a year ago. All the same pieces returned, but they returned a year older. Could they keep the tempo as high as they did the previous year? Could Pineda run the Seattle offense effectively at 32 years old?

Yes and no were the answers returned to these queries. No, Seattle cannot play at the same tempo as 2014. However, they don’t seem to want to. Yes, Pineda can run a midfield, provided that it doesn’t force him to cover 10 miles of ground in the center of the park. So what’s the solution? Sigi Schmid’s new possession style.

In a massive shift from 2014, Schmid decided his Sounders don’t need to score four every match. Really, just the one should suffice. Why wear your players out beyond that?

Seattle dominated possession in four of their last five wins, none of which had a margin of more than two goals. The Sounders have changed the style to fit the age of the squad. Pineda doesn’t get worn out as easily. Evans gets to show off his passing skills in tight spaces. Dempsey and Martins have numerous willing targets when they drop back into the midfield for the ball. The whole system fits the squad perfectly, and gives Schmid a tactical stranglehold on his matches.

How do you fix your age problem? Possess the ball, and make the game shorter and easier on your players.

The age problem which may rear its head later in the season, has been kept quiet by the dealings and faith of Sigi Schmid and Garth Lagerwey.

The Seattle Sounders may have issues still. Big ones, even. But they sure don’t appear to be youth, midfield dynamism, or a centerback crisis anymore.