Seattle, WA – In a return to Lumen Field following two grinding away matches, one in US Open Cup play and the other in MLS regular season play, the Seattle Sounders dropped another frustrating contest in their own building. In a similar situation to their last home match, the Sounders failed to get their attack going against a club that was trudging through the early stage of the season, this time in the form of Austin FC. The first half set the tone for the entirety of the match, as although Seattle had the big chances and were mere inches off, it was Austin who capitalized and got on the board. Despite the loss, the Sounders remain atop the MLS Western Conference now, but their hot start will only keep them in that position for so long.
Seattle Sounders forward Heber holds his face in his hands after a missed opportunity, encapsulating the feeling of the fans (Photo by Paul Kahl)
Frustrating end to the first half
This contest began relatively even, as possession was about split and neither side were able to get a real dangerous chance on each other’s goalkeeper. As we approached the 30-minute mark, the Sounders started to find some sort of cohesion and were able to get attempts from Heber and Dylan Teves, but nothing that beat Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver. Those opportunities seemed to point momentum in the direction of the home side, but things took a sudden turn in the 36th as Ethan Finlay found the bottom corner to get Austin on the board. In an add play, Adam Lundkvist was going out of bounds but was able to keep the ball in play and send it in the direction of Finlay, where two Sounders couldn’t intercept. The ball found Finlay, and with the help of the Seattle defenders in the box that stood still like status, he was able to rifle it home. Any momentum or positive pace of play that was being generated by the Sounders was wiped away in that instance, leaving a bad taste in the mouth of the rave green.
Seattle Sounders midfielder Dylan Teves had numerous opportunities in his second straight start at right wing (Photo by Paul Kahl)
Promising start to the second squandered
Following the frustrating end to the first, the Sounders came out of the locker room with quick and efficient passing that had them looking to strike at any moment. It looked like Seattle was unbothered by the goal that they had allowed going into the break, and they were ready to equalize like it was just a small inconvenience towards their overall goal. With Raul Ruidiaz still out, Heber was able to create a ton of danger as he totaled six shots within the Austin box. Dylan Teves, getting another start on the right wing, made numerous quality runs throughout the first 15 minutes of the half before he was subbed off in favor of Leo Chu. Once again, it was Austin spoiling Seattle’s positive play with one quick and fluid strike as if to defiantly say that what the Sounders had been building didn’t matter.
Ethan Finlay, scorer of the first goal of the night for Austin, sent an excellent ball into the box where the Sounders had numbers and it seemed a headed clearance was imminent. Seattle midfielder Joao Paulo attempted to clear the cross with his head, but was out of range and more so leapt backwards and missed. The attempt by Paulo seemed to influence the decision of Sounders center back Yeimar, who decided to not contest the ball, allowing Gyasi Zardes to perfectly head it far bottom corner for Austin’s second score of the night. For the second time in the match, Seattle had been left watching an Austin goal as if they were fans on YouTube watching the highlights.
Seattle Sounders forward Fredy Montero nets the only goal for his club in the loss (Photo by Nate Koppelman)
Montero magic?
Sounders club legend Fredy Montero came on as a substitute in the 71st minute, bringing a nice spark to the match and eventually scoring the only goal for Seattle just eight minutes after hitting the pitch. As the match wore on, the Sounders continued to present danger and had numerous near-miss opportunities that made it seem as if there was a force field around the goal, a problem the 2022 second-half Seattle club faced often. Heber, off a broken possession, was able to find a drop pass to a streaking Montero who was left all alone to beat Stuver far corner and cut the deficit in half. Although mainly a substitute now and someone that doesn’t contribute a lot of minutes, Fredy Montero continues to add to his legacy in a Sounders uniform and was quality here when he was called upon. Unfortunately, nobody else was able to replicate what Montero had done, whether it unlucky or just not good enough, and his goal remained the lone score for Seattle.
Seattle Sounders defender Nouhou was able to get his first action after having to battle Malaria (Photo by Nate Koppelman)
Cause for concern
While the Sounders still remain atop the Western Conference despite the loss, there is some cause for concern after the losses to Sporting KC in the last home match and tonight’s result. Those are two clubs that had been waddling through the mud to begin the season, and if KC’s recent stretch is any indicator, while have used a win in Seattle to kickstart their season as if it was an energy boost. Yes, with the Sounders being the powerhouse that they have been in their MLS existence, it’s reasonable to expect that clubs may bring a little extra to play them, especially at Lumen Field. Even with that being considered, these losses and even the win that was far too tight on the road against Houston are Seattle’s on fault. The midfield hasn’t been good, not looking sharp in the loss and struggling with the teams press was also failing to bring enough speed defensively. The play at centerback struggled, largely highlighted by the Zardes goal, and if I have to mention issues at centerback, we’re in trouble. Lastly, the finishing was reminiscent of what we saw in the second half of the season for this club last year, where they couldn’t buy a goal if they tried. Seattle must kick things back into gear, as their hot start to the year will only keep them near the top of the standings for so long.
As a unit, Seattle will have to play better going forward (Photo by Paul Kahl)
What’s next?
Seattle will head up North to face their Cascadia rivals Vancouver for their next battle on Saturday, May 20th. It’ll be the second Cascadia match that the Sounders will play this season, and Seattle will have to play far better than they did when they were in the Rose City to avoid being blasted by a Whitecaps team that’s had an alright start to the 2023 campaign. Defender Nouhou should be ready to go for Seattle in the upcoming contest after getting some minutes towards the end of tonight’s loss, while the rest of the Sounders will continue to need to pick things up as they will most likely still be without forward Raul Ruidiaz and midfielder Cristian Roldan. Kickoff for that match this weekend is at 7:30PM PST, on the Apple TV subscription MLS pass.
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