In the last ratings I jokingly predicted this one could be a trap game for the home team, but wooo doggy, that 4-0 win over the Leagues and MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew felt great no matter what you call it. Both teams were weakened by injuries and call ups, but Seattle had the best chances in the first half. Their pressure eventually led Columbus to defend against a vertical Sounders attack which ended badly for the Crew. With no substitute keeper on the bench, their goalie was red carded for attempting to pull a Marie Antoinette on an onrushing Jordan Morris. Up a man and facing a field player in goal, Seattle scored on their first kick after the card, and then added three more in the second half as they cruised to a deserved, comfortable romp in Ohio. Je me demande si Nancy regrette de ne pas avoir de gardien remplaçant? Peut-être que tout le monde a été mystérieusement empoisonné à nouveau? D'autres excuses?
8 Ball says: As I see it, yes. A single match doesn’t mean much, but an organized Seattle team was the better throughout, and they forced a massive error before taking full advantage of the situation on the road.
Goalkeeper
Andrew Thomas – 6 | Community – 6.5
Andrew Thomas faced a single shot on goal in the … 89th minute. He saved it! Speaking of saves, it’s safe to say he was better than anyone the Crew played in goal. Otherwise, I can’t critique that performance because the defense in front of him limited the Crew to few opportunities. To his credit, Thomas controlled the back well, distributed cleanly, and importantly, didn’t come out and punch any opponents in the face.
8 Ball says: Most likely. There isn't much to say about Andrew in this match, but he seems ready now to help whenever the Sounders need him.
Defense
Reed Baker-Whiting – 6 | Community – 6.0 (off 77’ for Bell)
Reed was part of a bend-but-don’t break left side of the defense that faltered but didn’t concede. After the previous outing, it was good to see RBW use his size and physicality a few times, and his recoveries combined well with the defensive help of those around him. Two highlight plays came as Reed put a ball out defensively on the back post, and had a nice 1-v-1 defensive moment in the 54th minute. Freed from much pressure after the card, it was a little disappointing that he didn’t help overload the attack.
8 Ball says: Ask again later. Reed was part of a shutout, and extenuating circumstances aside, made better decisions in this one to go with a solid, but not great defensive outing.
Jackson Ragen – 6 | Community – 6.6
Ragen was a solid distribution option, linked well centrally, and was part of a resilient defense that limited Columbus for the entire match. A few struggles in the first 10 minutes included a poor middle pass in the 7th and a sliding dive and miss combo in the 9th, but neither resulted in anything against. He had five clearances when Columbus had enough players to attack with, then transitioned forward and earned a key pass when Seattle had more possession.
8 Ball says: Outlook good. Ragen has been quietly excellent for months now.
Yeimar – 7 | Community – 6.7 (off 77’ for Nathan)
Yeimar was a standout in the defense, time and again defending all across the field. With the left struggling at times, he alertly came across the field multiple times to support the left wing when necessary. With four clearances and two tackles, Yeimar was a stalwart defender, but he really stepped up on distributing the ball; his 98 percent passing included a beautiful 53rd minute laser beam pass across the field to release Seattle into a transition moment.
8 Ball says: It is certain. Yeimar is DPOY-worthy.
Alex Roldan – 5 | Community – 6.2
Roldan had a quiet match for a guy with 86 touches. Important possession went through Alex, but he wasn’t a driving offensive force. Aside from some messy turnovers, his 89 percent passing was very conservative. It was frustrating to watch Alex pass backwards and central while ignoring opportunities to push the ball forward, but there’s comfort knowing he was the second best goalkeeper to play in the match.
8 Ball says: Don’t count on it. Alex’s penchant for negative passing and overly conservative play is frustrating for a team that needs attacking fullback support. Even against an opponent down a man with no legitimate keeper, he still had zero shots, zero key passes, and zero accurate crosses.
Defensive Midfield
Josh Atencio – 8 | Community – 6.5 (off 77’ for Leyva)
Atencio was awesome in this match, and had someone not had a hat trick, Josh was in the talk for MOTM. Statistics-wise he filled it up with two shots, a key pass, three tackles, two interceptions and 93 percent completion rate. More importantly, he combined beautifully up the wing in the 14th, found more combinations up the line in the 36th, a 50th minute turn, dribble, shot combination, and ended with a 67th minute assist to Albert Rusnák. Most importantly, he paired with Cristian Roldan to control the middle, and Seattle pressed through his dominant central play flawlessly.
8 Ball says: It is decidedly so. He is back, he is dominant, and he is forcing himself into the starting discussion.
Cristian Roldan – 8 | Community – 6.7
This was one of my favorite Roldan performances of the season, which was not defined by a few big moments, but rather the intensity of an entire match of high output. He controlled the center, leading the game with 91 clean touches. He added a shot and a key pass. He layered on five tackles and two interceptions, and continually looked to put Morris through. His over-the-top ball created the moment that changed the match, and throughout he was the metronome that ran the Sounders and kept them on the front foot. Nothing was a better depiction of that than when he took a ball in the center of the field in the 70th minute with a three goal lead and instead of standing on the ball he cleanly turned away from pressure, pushed the ball forward, and Seattle added a fourth because of it.
8 Ball says: Without a doubt. Roldan in the midfield made Seattle much more dynamic through the center of the field. He was effective both offensively and defensively in a way the Sounders desperately need.
Attacking Midfield
Paul Rothrock – 7 | Community – 6.9 (off 81’ for Chu)
Rothrock started out rough; he made nice plays early but often followed them up with mistakes or turnovers. That wasn’t the case when he moved to the right and put in an absolutely perfect 33rd minute cross that unfortunately Morris was unable to finish. No such problem occurred in the 60th as Paul put in another glorious cross to Jordan who tapped in for a very important second goal of the match. This was a phenomenal pass, and the Rock set up multiple other big chances with sparkling connection play. He wasn’t perfect, but four shots and two key passes helped cover for some of his early defensive and passing struggles.
8 Ball says: Signs point to yes. Paul needs a little doubt to spur him to even more accomplishments.
Albert Rusnák – 9 (MOTM) | Community – 8.7 (MOTM)
HAT TRICK MAN RUSNÁK was excellent. He nearly found Morris going forward in the 17th minute but left it short, and did the same again in the 23rd. After that, he locked in to the tune of three shots (each a goal), four key passes, and a massive scoreboard-changing output to take advantage of Crew errors. His essential goal right after the red card set the tone and was followed up with the sort of gorgeous shot from the top of the box we are getting used to, and another moments later on a beautiful first time redirect that beats any goalkeeper in the league.
8 Ball says: You may rely on it. No one on the team was better equipped to take advantage of the space after the red card. Rusnák did this incredibly well, the engine of the Sounders on nitrous who made sure that the team got the ending they deserved.
Pedro de la Vega – 5 | Community – 6.0 (off 57’ for Minoungou)
Pedro was part of a Sounders first half that was cagey but also created the best moments of the two squads, with PDLV nearly connecting on some intricate central movement and passing that was gorgeous but lacked that finishing touch. He did pants Diego Rossi at one point, dribbling around him and playing down the wing, but his night was defined by some annoying turnovers and not specific offensive highs.
8 Ball says: Concentrate and ask again. Who knows how PDLV fits into the team at this point. On one hand, he was active and creative in ways Seattle desperately needed. On the other, he still isn’t on the same page with everyone else and didn’t add enough.
Forward
Jordan Morris – 8 | Community – 7.3
Morris was excellent throughout the match, whether it was holding the ball to bring the wing play up, or running centrally behind the defense. His 33rd minute miss was frustrating, as Paul found him in the box with a good chance. But Morris more than made up for that, as a peanut-butter-and-throughball combination with Cristian got him in behind only to be guillotined by Crew keeper Abraham Romero. Morris shrugged it off and was unstoppable in the second half, dashing perfectly into the box to finish on the end of a cross in the 60th on a play he started by ripping the midfield open with a direct dribble. Then he flipped the script and ran inside out and assisted neatly to Rusnák 10 minutes later.
8 Ball says: Yes definitely. Jordan Morris is doing everything that people have said he can’t. He stretches the field, scores, assists, creates the space for everyone else to work, and is a relentless attacker.
Substitutes
Georgi Minoungou – 5 | Community – 6.0 (on 57’ for PDLV)
Georgi had a less than expected impact on the match, but was still very good in attacking down his wing when given the chance. A muted 13 touches was surprising, but he returned 100 percent passing and found a key pass for his efforts. His 62nd minute run and cross was an excellent piece of work.
8 Ball says: Better not tell you now. Unfortunately, until Georgi has that assist from beating his man and completing the play, he is still a work in progress.
Danny Leyva – 6 | Community – 5.5 (on 77’ for Atencio)
Leyva took over in the middle and did a good job spraying the ball, showing his penchant for attacking play. He had a shot and a key pass in limited minutes, but it was an excellent 79th minute recovery that bodes well for future minutes.
8 Ball says: Cannot predict now. Leyva is on the rise, but it's still hard to tell where he fits on the team. His highs are MLS level, his lows are not.
Nathan – 5 | Community – 5.4 (on 77’ for Yeimar)
Nathan arrived and immediately turned the ball over on a crummy central pass, then settled in and did his defensive job well. Usually a strong passer, he didn’t have a lot of opportunities to show it off.
8 Ball says: My sources say no. It’s hard to see where he fits on the team but he did get a few minutes.
Jon Bell – 5 | Community – 5.6 (on 77’ for RBW)
Bell had an inconsistent outing. Two interceptions and 93 percent passing were positives; a rough spot of defending in the 82nd minute showed a slowness to close down centrally as a Columbus attacker glided into the box past him.
8 Ball says: Very doubtful. This wasn’t great, but not sure where Bell stands.
Léo Chú – 5 | Community – 5.2 (on 81’ for Rothrock)
Léo had an up and down match. At times he looked strong, like the run and combination with Morris in the 82nd that needed one more pass, or when he took a shot off the crossbar in the 92nd. But he struggled with what looked like an injury, and his 86th minute pass to absolutely nobody was that of a lost, demoralized player.
8 Ball says: Outlook not so good. It's honestly a shame to see Chú barely get in the match, have a negligible impact, and look hurt throughout.
Referee
Rosendo Mendoza – 7 | Community – 6.6
Mendoza didn’t have a lot to do in this match, with only 13 total fouls called. The biggest play of the match was correctly called as a red card, and he did well to listen to VAR to confirm the foul. The instant yellow for PDLV was probably correct, as was ignoring Rossi’s typical blatant dive in the 57th. Christian Ramirez had multiple tries at earning a late yellow, but Mendoza wasn’t interested, instead allowing a suspiciously small amount of extra time in each half. Credit to him for getting out of the way and letting the soccer happen.
8 Ball says: Yes. Okay reffing, and it was excellent that Daniel Badford didn’t put his stamp on this match in his usual fashion.
Columbus Crew MOTM
This was probably not how Sean Zawadski saw his evening going. Initially lining up as a center back, he soon found himself between the posts due to extenuating circumstances. Now, normally a goalkeeper wouldn’t get away with letting in four and still coming out as the MOTM, but I’d like to see any of you do better!
8 Ball says: Ask again later. On second thought, hopefully they won’t have to ask again later.
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