Sounders at Earthquakes: JP unable to drag tired teammates along

The Sounders took all the momentum earned from grinding out a couple of solid victories in a row and promptly threw it out the window midweek, offering up a tired squad that produced almost no exciting soccer, losing to the San Jose Earthquakes 2-0. After starting well, Seattle conceded an early penalty kick and failed to create many chances for the final 70 minutes. A perplexing choice not to rotate players unless ordered by physios meant a tired, slow team was content to pass around the back but failed to create incisive runs or direct play attacking the goal. The result was a dreadfully boring affair highlighted by a wonder strike from San Jose in an altogether too predictable loss on the road.

Stefan Cleveland – 5 | Community – 5.9

Cleveland again gave up two goals, this time without making any notable saves. After Seattle conceded an early penalty, Stefan was unable to keep out the spot kick, and that was the turning point after a somewhat promising start.

One thing I liked: In his defense, Stefan was only scored on via a penalty kick and a world-class volley direct from a corner, neither of which he should be expected to save.

One thing I didn’t like: Cleveland guessed correctly on the PK and even got a hand to it. If he had somehow saved that chance, it might not have been the momentum changer that it became for San Jose.

Going forward: He hasn’t looked bad, but it’s telling that this keeper and defensive combination have conceded two goals per match while the team has averaged less than one when the other guy plays.

Nouhou – 6 | Community – 5.7 (off 81’ for Baker-Whiting)

Nouhou was fine in this match, tasked with dealing with the Earthquakes’ best player and conceding some chances but holding his own much of the evening. His 69 touches had a 91 percent completion rate, and he added a shot on goal as well.

One thing I liked: In the 12th minute Nouhou put Cristian Espinoza in his pocket, completely dominating the San Jose winger while flaunting his tremendous 1-v-1 defensive ability.

One thing I didn’t like: Nouhou was badly beaten twice, in the 10th and 30th minutes, but luckily João Paulo was there both times to cover.

Going forward: Nouhou is doing his job to give Léo Chú opportunities, but even he was rightfully frustrated with the offensive pace was set to crawl mode.

Jackson Ragen – 6 | Community – 5.7

Ragen was okay, controlling much of the ball as Seattle continually passed around the back forlornly looking for someone to create from deeper areas. His 94 touches led the team, which is indicative of a tired squad constantly passing the ball backwards.

One thing I liked: If you are going to give your centerback nearly 100 touches, it’s nice when he returns 92 percent completion rate including 7/10 on long balls, as Jackson did everything he could to support tired teammates. An over the top ball to Albert Rusnák in the 60th minute was promising.

One thing I didn’t like: The transition defense was poor, especially through the middle, and Ragen was caught in possession (likely because people kept forcing possession through him) more often than usual. A 46th minute turnover was almost converted into an SJ goal.

Going forward: Keep the horseshoe of death in the past, please and thank you.

Yeimar – 5 | Community – 5.0

After a massive effort on the weekend, Yeimar struggled in transition, and on multiple occasions a domino effect through the middle landed in his lap, with the Colombian defender not able to snuff out every chance. Forced into a lot of the ball (92 touches) Yeimar was asked to distribute, and his 89 percent passing was good, but not particularly dynamic.

One thing I liked: San Jose had a number of chances that only strong defense by the Sounders snuffed, such as a 45th minute 2-v-1 where the 1 (Yeimar) won.

One thing I didn’t like: In the 18th minute, after a number of midfield failures, Yeimar lunged in the box against a San Jose attacker and committed a penalty, which was the end of any momentum Seattle had accumulated up to that point.

Going forward: Yeimar giveth, Yeimar taketh away.

Cody Baker – 5 | Community – 4.8 (off 46’ for Roldan)

With the incumbent right back having played and traveled a lot in the last month, one of the few changes Sounders staff made was to introduce Cody Baker as the right back. He was up for the physical battles of the position, but wasn’t able to be part of the attack, leading to a giant void up the right wing in both directions. His 67 percent passing was an issue that the opponents continually exploited.

One thing I liked: A pure hustle play in the 22nd minute earned him a cross as Baker often had the right idea and showed some fight after conceding early.

One thing I didn’t like: Baker struggled in possession, but getting fleeced defensively in the 46th was a surprise from a normally solid defender.

Going forward: Was anything more predictable than pulling the rookie out at half?

João Paulo – 7 (MOTM) | Community – 6.6 (MOTM) (off 66’ for Atencio)

The one guy who looked capable of playing on short rest was JP. But that idea was wasted by surrounding him with a tired offense and mismatched midfield, as he was forced to fix both offensive and defensive issues. His 87 touches and 90 percent passing weren’t the story; rather it was his effort that put him constantly into possession as the only one visibly creating in either direction.

One thing I liked: When Nouhou was beaten, JP was there. When Obed was bypassed in the middle, JP recovered. A 38th minute counter attack was single-handedly stopped by João. His passing forward at least tried to find open players regardless of pedigree. He did a lot.

One thing I didn’t like: JP is great, and he clearly tried (and almost succeeded) to do everything, but it’s ridiculous that a team with this much talent still needs their 6 to be perfect in order to get purchase on either end of the field.

Going forward: He showed fatigue late as the coaching staff capitulated after the second goal and gave him a brief rest by subbing him out, which likely won’t do much to offset the work he’s being forced into every three days.

Obed Vargas – 5 | Community – 4.9

Obed had a great statistical game, yet struggled immensely in yet another full match in the midfield. Leading the team with six tackles, turning 75 touches into 53/57 passing would normally be a great outing, but that was misleading as the young midfielder had issues in transition space defensively and was again passed around on offense as a non-viable option by teammates.

One thing I liked: In the 14th minute, for one of the first times, we saw JP and Obed combine centrally to attack directly up the middle, finding each other to move forward. Attempts to utilize this massive area have been sorely lacking in prior games.

One thing I didn’t like: Watching San Jose run past him in the midfield again and again in transition sure got old.

Going forward: “You can put your hand up the puppet of stats….”

Léo Chú – 5 | Community – 5.7

Léo Chú without energetic pieces around him looked mundane, and he also tired as the match went along. He ended as team leader in creation with two key passes but ultimately struggled to find space and connection with tired teammates, and often was on a different page from players he was trying to link up with. A 79th minute shot by cutting in on his right was the lone shot from Léo.

One thing I liked: Three tackles, including a great defensive play in the 16th minute to track back and help the defense, showed a lot of intent and energy from the midfield.

One thing I didn’t like: Chú seemed overly insistent on going to his right (towards the center of the field) as San Jose defended him well. His lack of polish with that move, as opposed to his stellar ability to push left down the line and find attacking angles, limited his effectiveness.

Going forward: Léo needs people who can combine to give him space and options, neither of which he found much of in this one.

Albert Rusnák – 5 | Community – 5.4

Albert was again asked to play all across the middle, supporting a lagging right side of the attack and dealing with congestion in the middle as both Héber and Nico Lodeiro cluttered up the center spaces often. He had over 90 percent passing on 64 touches, but only a single shot and a single key pass, often looking lost on how to break through via connections with teammates.

One thing I liked: Early on while Seattle looked fresh, Rusnák was pulling strings well, including a perfectly weighted pass to Chú in the 7th to create opportunity, and a shot in the 11th.

One thing I didn’t like: Rusnák faded as the players around him wilted, and he had little impact on the match whatsoever.

Going forward: Who knows what the intention was in the middle of the attack, but I can’t imagine this is how they drew it up.

Nico Lodeiro – 5 | Community – 4.5 (off 67’ for Teves)

After a productive match on the weekend, but only a few days rest, it was not surprising that Nico dropped in nearly every effectiveness metric, ending with 53 touches, 82 percent passing, and a single key pass in a rough (and short) outing. This was a mess from the start, as Lodeiro was unable to connect cohesively with the offense.

One thing I liked: In the 10th minute he checked to the ball from the right side, offering his outside back a forward option that has been lacking for a month, and a quick free kick a minute later nearly sprung Rusnák for a chance.

One thing I didn’t like: After the first 15 minutes or so, Lodeiro wasn’t great, overloading space and clogging up the middle, getting stuck going to his weaker right with no overlap option, forcing passes, and being unable to bring his usual level of play.

Going forward: Without the connection to Raúl, there wasn’t much for Nico to work with, and I sure can’t wait for him to start this weekend on tired legs cause “he deserves it.”

Héber – 5 | Community – 3.7 (off 66’ for Ruidíaz)

Héber played in this game. He had 18 mostly useless touches and had a hard time figuring out where to be in the offense with himself, Nico, and Albert all trying to occupy the same space. A shot before subbing out early in the second half was the lone highlight.

One thing I liked: A slick 7th minute shot on the turn forced a save and showed how he is able to get balls on frame in the rare occurrences this team can get him the ball closer than 30 yards out. Héber also had a nifty back heel to put Nico in space in the 36th minute.

One thing I didn’t like: Trying to be a holdup player to support a tired midfield meant Héber was often in the way and not stretching the field, which congested space for everyone else. He compounded this with 60 percent passing, although he received the ball often without viable options.

Going forward: Héber didn’t gel with the lineup and I’m not sure whose fault that is.

Alex Roldan – 5 | Community – 5.4 (on 46’ for Baker)

Alex subbed on in hopes of using some of the massive space on the right that was consistently vacated by Nico. He valiantly tried to use his 40 touches to do that, but had little luck.

One thing I liked: A nice 55th minute cross nearly found a target on the back post.

One thing I didn’t like: Subbing in an overlapping guy to cross repeatedly from the width to 5’7” Ruidíaz was perhaps overly hopeful.

Going forward: In hindsight this was a waste of Alex, who is now likely to play tired this weekend.

Josh Atencio – 6 | Community – 5.2 (on 66’ for JP)

Apparently the bar for Atencio to get playing time is down 0-2 on the road in the second of three matches in seven days. He took his 35 minutes and played well, showing skills and initiative that you might imagine would be worth exploring, especially when dealing with fatigue and fixture congestion.

One thing I liked: Great defense in the 74th. An 88th minute recovery. Creating one of the best chances of the night by driving into the box and crossing in the 89th.

One thing I didn’t like: Nothing Josh did was a surprise; the surprise was he actually got to play.

Going forward: Anger subbing out two DPs predictably down on the road on short rest after running them into the ground two games in a row is something.

Raúl Ruidíaz – 5 | Community – 4.9 (on 66’ for Héber)

Raúl came in to play with the subs and got 17 touches, mainly in a holdup capacity as the midfield had trouble getting the ball into dangerous areas.

One thing I liked: Raúl had a shot and a nice switching long ball that opened space.

One thing I didn’t like: A 75th minute bad pass showed just how out of sync he was with the rest of the team.

Going forward: Adding Raúl to this group seemed like just satisfying a competitor’s desire to play rather than a solid tactical plan.

Dylan Teves – 5 | Community – 4.4 (on 67’ for Lodeiro)

Teves entered as Seattle threw in the towel with half an hour to go, deciding to let some fresh legs play for the first time in multiple matches. Dylan had 18 touches, won a header, and had a few cross attempts in a quiet appearance.

One thing I liked: Teves worked to balance the field, staying more positionally sound than the man he replaced.

One thing I didn’t like: For all his effort, Dylan wasn’t able to combine with anyone on the right, limiting his own success and that of Alex behind him.

Going forward: Anger subbing out two DPs predictably down on the road on short rest after running them into the ground two games in a row is something.

Reed Baker-Whiting – 5 | Community – 4.8 (on 81’ for Nouhou)

Reed got a late runout and was active, with 19 touches, two headers, and a shot.

One thing I liked: RBW pushed forward well, attacking space and showing a great attempt at a cross in the 89th minute.

One thing I didn’t like: A bad 83rd minute cross killed a chance.

Going forward: Reed appears to be an afterthought.

Fotis Bazakos – 4 | Community – 3.9

Coming off back-to-back low ratings from yours truly, there weren’t high expectations for this referee to do well, yet somehow he clocked in under expectation. A choppy, sluggish match had only 18 total fouls called, evenly split between the two teams, yet plenty of contentious no calls that left many wondering what was happening. Two yellows were handed out to the away side.

One thing I liked: An early advantage call and ignoring a number of dives from San Jose were highlights.

One thing I didn’t like: An example of how badly this match was refereed came in the 86th minute as first Reed was kicked in the head to the point of bleeding yet no foul was called and the elusive drop ball (also known as the “I have no idea what to do” referee move) was used. During the delay for, you know, bloody head trauma (no foul), VAR recommended a blatant hand ball in the box review as a San Jose defender had controlled the ball with near perfect basketball ready-stance hands. This was ultimately ignored, and we played on.

Going forward: A late PK likely doesn’t change the points, but it might have been a tiny bit more ammo to not run your starters into the ground.

Cristian Espinoza gave San Jose an early lead thanks to a penalty hit with terrific power and placement, beating Cleveland despite his correct guess. Additionally, he created opportunities with his delivery from corners, and nearly found San Jose’s second just before the half, on one of the few occasions he found space around Nouhou. And, of course, he opted to bypass the entirety of the box with a corner delivery in the 65th that allowed Miguel Trauco to hit an absolute stunner.

Next up: Fully expecting the same lineup because “they earned it,’’ OR playing a bunch of Defiance guys. Either way, buckle up for whatever we will get this weekend versus Dallas.