How Sounders transformed tactics halfway through season

The Seattle Sounders started this season as the favorites to win the Western Conference. That was largely because everyone thought they knew exactly what to expect from them. The Sounders had a clear way of playing, had a proven group of starting veterans, and they had even apparently solved their biggest flaw when they signed Pedro de la Vega from Argentina.

The 2023 Sounders ranked among the highest in the league for possession and field tilt. That said, they ranked among the lowest for eliminating defenders on the dribble. With the addition of de la Vega’s explosive dribbling, pundits predicted they would run the show out west.

Obviously, that is not what happened. Almost every one of those assumptions fell apart before a ball was even kicked. João Paulo and Albert Rusnák, arguably the two players most responsible for the Sounders dominating midfield in 2023, were hurt before the season opener against LAFC. Before the ink could dry on his contract, de la Vega was injured while playing for the Argentine youth national team. He was then reinjured during the season’s first home game. In total, seven players were injured or uncertain to start the season, including expected starters up and down the spine. Over two months, several more would join this growing list.

Ultimately, the Sounders got off to their worst ever nine-game start, going 1-5-3. Just in time for their 50th anniversary, it seemed the Sounders might miss the post-season for just the second time in their MLS history.

Despite these setbacks, head coach Brian Schmetzer managed not only to stabilize the team, but also to implement a slate of tactical and personnel changes that turned things around. Since the half-way point of the season, the Sounders have had the best record in the Western Conference and after Saturday’s 1-0 win over the Houston Dynamo have officially qualified for the playoffs and control their own destiny to get a top 4 seeding.

How did Schmetzer do it?

In order to answer this question, we need to understand how the Sounders played last season. The Sounders kicked off 2023 with a new system. Nico Lodeiro’s previous wide-ranging playmaking was replaced by a more positionally disciplined playmaker role, ultimately filled by Rusnák.

Defending out of a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2, the Sounders were among the most active off the ball. After pressing to win back possession, the team then sought to control the match and create opportunities through intricate passing. They ranked among the highest in passes per possession and were below average for attack speed. With the ball, the team adopted the 5-2-3 shape that has become popular worldwide in recent years. Cristian Roldan, lining up as the nominal right-winger, would often tuck inside to the right half-space to operate as a second playmaker. His brother Alex Roldan, playing at fullback, would bomb forward to hold the width high up the pitch on the right. Left back Nouhou did the opposite, largely staying home and moonlighting as a third center back. While players had freedom within the shape, another player would be expected to shift in order to maintain the overall structure. In short, the 2023 Sounders were a pretty standard possession team, but one that struggled to break down low blocks. This flaw ultimately saw them eliminated by LAFC.

This was still the game plan coming into the 2024 season. Ideally, de la Vega would enable them to unlock the settled defense they had lacked.
Of course, after the disastrous start, this strategy went out the window. In response, Schmetzer incorporated three major changes to the team’s system that radically changed how they played. Coincidentally, all three stemmed from the 50th Anniversary game against Minnesota. 

First, Jordan Morris retook his role as the starting striker from Raul Ruidíaz, who has started most of the team’s first 14 matches. Second, Seattle native and former Sounders Academy player Paul Rothrock earned a starting role as a winger. Lastly, Cristian Roldan filled in for his brother at fullback while Alex Roldan recovered from a concussion.