The Sounders traveled to Columbus looking to string together four consecutive victories while the home side needed to bounce back after a road loss to DC United.
The teams play contrasting styles: Seattle are a counter attacking team that rely upon two forwards to combine and create while Columbus are a possession oriented team that want to get the fullbacks up the pitch to open up space in the center for their front three.
Seattle started on the back foot, summed up best by Brad Evans:
“The first 15 minutes we had no idea what they were doing — we were completely lost.”
Kei Kamara made runs in behind the back four trying to get their defensive line pushed back. He was able to craft a chance for Federico Higuain by making a run into the left channel which dragged Evans out wide and then opened a the scoring a few minutes later by getting across Chad Marshall and nodding in a Waylon Francis cross.
With Kamara pushing the defensive line back, Higuain now had room to receive a pass, turn and feed Meram for a shot that was saved.
Marshall and Evans have been exposed playing higher up the pitch in previous matches and Saturday night they once again struggled. They are not great one vs one defenders and lacking pace and have the tendency to dive into challenges.
The problem is once they start to retreat, Seattle becomes stretched and the gap between the two banks of four is quite large. The Crew were able to exploit this by dropping Mohammed Saeid in between the defense, pushing up the fullbacks which allowed Higuain, Justin Meram and Ethan Finlay to make quick runs into the center and find plenty of space.
While a Columbus second looked more likely than a Sounders equalizer, the quality of Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins began to show. It only took one lapse from a defender to get punished and Saeid lost sight of Dempsey in the 24th minute. Dempsey, as seen above, had time for two touches twenty yards from goal to set up a shot and bent it in perfectly.
Coming into the match, the three vs two central midfield duel appeared to be a decisive battleground. However, each team had their successes and failures in this zone. Seattle’s buildup play is centered around Dempsey or Martins dropping off between the lines to find space, while Columbus allows Federico Higuain to roam. They were most dangerous when Higuain dropped off to help build up from the back allowing Ethan Finley and Justin Meram room to make central runs.
After skewering NYCFC in transition last week, Columbus prepared well to stop and rarely allowed Seattle to counter. The key man in this zone was Tony Tchani. He was responsible for stopping the first vertical pass which tends to start a break. While he did commit a couple of fouls to do so, he mostly used his ability to cover ground and his positioning (not getting caught too high up the pitch) to stop any breaks from starting. The first real opportunity was in the 43rd minute, but Emanuel Pogatetz held up well in a one vs one situation tackling the ball off Dempsey.
Higuain put the Crew ahead in the second half from poor set piece recovery defending by Seattle. Then, Columbus opened up the match creating several chances and could have added more than just a third goal.
As Seattle chased an equalizer, the relentless up and down running from Ethan Finley exposed the Sounders twice, but he lacked a final ball or shot to add a third. Finally, the third goal came. Evans was turned easily by Meram who then had space to cross, finding Jimenez on the back post who in turn centered for Kamara for an easy finish. Three times in a span of ten minutes, the Seattle back line was exposed on the counter trying to play higher up the pitch. It will be interesting to watch how they tweak their tactics.
Sigi Schmid said afterwards, “We might have got the tactics wrong a little bit and that’s on me. So that’s something I’ve already thought about.
Editorial: Schmid nobly accepts blame but too many had their worst game in the Sounders jersey
With a two goal lead, Columbus made a strange double substitution, bringing off Saeid, who had a slight groin issue, and bringing on Tyson Wahl, moving Michael Parkhurst into midfield. The Crew were not able to shut the game down after the switch and Seattle pulled a goal back through Dempsey. Pineda played a perfect chip to Martins whose shot was saved but Dempsey followed up and put in the rebound. The Sounders threatened to equalize but never quite crafted a final chance.
Conclusions
The contrast in styles made for one the most enjoyable watches of the season. Each team plays an attractive brand of soccer but does so in different manners. Seattle prefers to play frenetic matches. They do not have the players to control a match through possession and stretch their opponent to open space for their front two. An underrated player in this system is Lamar Neagle and not having him in the starting lineup hurt them on Saturday. Since Marco Pappa likes to drop off and spray passes around; Neagle’s presence on the opposite side offers a speed and make runs in behind that Andy Rose does not provide. Thus, Dempsey and Martins had more eyes focused on them and less room to operate.
Columbus, on the other hand, prefer to play a controlled game. They have eleven players who are technical and can build up from the back. With either Saeid or Will Trapp dropping off, they get their fullbacks high without getting exposed on the break.
Then, their front four offer complementary and unique traits. Finley has a tremendous work rate and speed, Meram can strike a ball as good as anyone, Higuain has the freedom and skill to go wherever he deems most threatening and Kamara can score from crosses or make runs in behind to unlock a defense. The sum of these parts equate to a dangerous attacking system that perfectly fits their style of play.
SigiSchmid and Greg Berhalter might have different approaches, but they each built a system around their players strengths rather than shoe-horning guys into uncomfortable spots. Although early into the season, both squads look poised to be major contenders for MLS Cup and the Supporters Shield
All Columbus Crew v Sounders FC
Crew SC defeats Seattle for the first time at Mapfre Stadium with a Brace from Kamara
Columbus Crew SC vs Seattle Sounders FC Gallery
Editorial: Schmid nobly accepts blame but too many had their worst game in the Sounders jersey
