Realio’s Ratings: Return to hope?

Seattle returned home to Lumen Field and stomped on Sporting Kansas City in a 2-0 emphatic win that wasn’t as close as the final scoreline. It was a question of how many Seattle would win by, not whether they’d win, as a dynamic offense created opportunities in a variety of ways. A missed penalty and a VAR reversal were among multiple other Sounders opportunities as they had good chances all afternoon. The best defensive tactic the Sporks could muster was their goalkeeper’s time wasting in the first half down multiple goals. This did work out, as Kansas City held on to claim all zero points in a comprehensive loss. They did have a penalty save and a shot cleared off the line, two moments that can go into Peter Vermes’ trophy room of “moral victories.” 

Hopium (overly positive) take: Seattle was the better team and they played like it, consistently on the front foot and creating chance after chance while coasting to a comfortable shutout. 

Copium (deliberately negative) take: Are we excited about beating another bottom dweller? Didn’t we learn from the last time?

Goalkeeper

Stefan Frei – 7 | Community – 6.9

Frei returned to the starting lineup and picked up where he’s been for most of his Sounders tenure: making saves, having big loveable dogs, and earning shutouts. He had two saves, but his best moment came in the 3rd minute as he stretched to his left to deny a breakaway score in a 1-v-1 situation. The play was ultimately brought back for offside, but this was a fantastic parry. Stefan continued this level of goalkeeping for the rest of the match, keeping the shutout throughout via a 37th minute punch and 65th minute catch in traffic that kept the sheet clean. 

Hopium take: The defense dominated, and Frei showed no ill-effects from being kicked in the face, outside of a sick scar.

Copium take: It took a midfielder to make the best defensive play of the match, and this ensured a defensive shutout more than anything Frei did. 

Defense

Reed Baker-Whiting – 6 | Community – 5.8 (off 66’ for Bell)

Reed started again on the left and was okay in a match where he took a mostly defensive position behind aggressive outside midfielders. RBW wasn’t too involved, staying mostly out of the match and not being an aggressive part of the offense or defense, partially because of a soft yellow card early. He seemed to be an afterthought in the first half, as Ragen played pattycake with Yeimar in the back and mostly ignored RBW. Reed had a nice 61st minute run up the line until he was eventually fouled, showing a different tactic in the second half. 

Hopium take: Another RBW match, another shutout, another multiple-goal win. Starting to add up a few quality outings in a row. 

Copium take: Struggling with 98 year old Johnny Russell isn’t a great look, and only winning a single duel all night didn’t impress. 

Jackson Ragen – 8 | Community – 7.4

It took a while for Seattle to get into the match. With SKC dedicated to a high line of confrontation but not pressing until a certain point, at times there were a lot of passes between Jackson and Yeimar as the Sounders struggled with ideas on getting the ball forward. Seattle controlled the ball well, and Jackson’s 94 percent passing was a side effect of this boring passing. When the Sounders did get forward, they looked dangerous, like when Ragen pounded a rebound home in the 19th minute to change the gamestate. As the field opened up, so did Jackson, who ended with 9/12 on long balls as he looked to get the width involved from his deep central position. 

Hopium take: This guy scores with his head, his feet, his MIND, and then on the other end steals your soul defensively. 

Copium take: It’s a bit weird that he rarely if ever wins the first ball on a corner kick. 

Yeimar – 7 | Community – 7.0

Another shutout that had Yeimar written all over it. Four aerials won and five clearances were great. Absolutely mind-boggling were his seven interceptions. That was as many as every other player on his team combined, as Yeimar gobbled up SKC’s attempted passes forward time and time again. His aggressive defending jumpstarted numerous Sounders chances. It wasn’t all great, as Yeimar had a horrible pass in the 31st minute that gave SKC the ball and a chance in a match that wasn’t yet over. 

Hopium take: Yeimar is a menace all over the field, defensively pressuring opponents into mistakes, recovering in the rare moments he errs, and covering everyone else’s behind. 

Copium take: Passing the ball to the other team is bad, mmmkay?

Alex Roldan – 6 | Community – 6.0

Alex played a much more stay-at-home role, allowing the wingers ahead of him to be direct and goal dangerous as he stayed back as a support for central and wide channels on the right. He had 86 percent passing and a single shot, while not getting into as many advanced positions as we have seen previously. In the 7th minute of first half extra time, Alex inexplicably played with the ball in his own box, nearly offering up a big chance for no reason. 

Hopium take: With direct wingers and central connection, Alex doesn’t need to be the phantom offensive creator. 

Copium take: Alex has regressed so much that Seattle game plans around him, no longer relying on him to provide offense. 

Defensive Midfield

Obed Vargas – 6 | Community – 6.2 (off 77’ for Atencio)

Obed was cautious in his return to the starting lineup; he began the match being overly negative in possession and making some poor decisions. He cleaned up his eventual 37 touches to end with 92 percent passing, which included a key pass. His big play came out of a scramble around the box, as Vargas got possession and took an assertive dribble into the area, getting tripped and earning a PK for his efforts. He was only credited with three defensive actions, but did earn three fouls as Vargas was strong in possession. 

Hopium take: The dive into the box that earned the penalty is the kind of attacking instinct you can’t teach. 

Copium take: Obed did his best Pete Vagenas impression for much of the match. Being scared to attack spaces was a reversion to his past mistakes that I thought were over. 

Cristian Roldan – 8 (MOTM) | Community – 7.6 (MOTM)

Although others had the final touch, nearly everything good came through Cristian Roldan, who was absolutely electric in this match. Seventy-seven touches and a single key pass don’t begin to describe how much impact Cristian had. He was everywhere, with four tackles, seven duels, and 10 recoveries, part of a solid outing. He saved a goal off the line that might have changed the entire tenor of the match. Pushing the offense forward meant he was springing the wide players and Jordan Morris vertically, connecting through the middle, and adding 13 passes directly into the attacking third. He set the tone and was everywhere in this match.

Hopium take: Finally settling into a position that allows him to flourish, Cristian is doing so. Able to impact the match on nearly every iteration of play, Roldan is the missing ingredient to make the midfield hum. 

Copium take: He’s an average player everywhere instead of dominating in a single position. Remember how good he was at outside back for three matches? Cristian joins a crowded group of okay midfielders. 

Attacking Midfield

Paul Rothrock – 8 | Community – 7.4

For some of the beginning of the match, Paulie Roth’d. He fumbled controls and frustrated himself and others with some poor touches and misplays. A 22nd minute breakout needed a better connection for Morris who had made a strong run. But then, in the 40th minute, ACDC came on and we were, indeed, about to ROCK. Doing what he does, Paul scored an essential second goal, as usual drifting into the perfect supporting position in the box to cleanly strike home from a few yards out. A 48th minute pass to Morris deserved more as well, another incredible look that created a massive chance. We salute you, Paul, you created chances for others, scored, and even had eight recoveries as part of your usual yeoman’s work defensively. 

Hopium take: Who cares about fumbles and poor touches? Dude shows up big to either create or score a goal nearly every match. Or both. 

Copium take: I care about those things and he could do better. 

Albert Rusnák – 6 | Community – 7.0 (off 85’ for Leyva)

Albert was strong in this match, using his positioning and movement to help create some of the best Sounders chances. He ended with three key passes to lead the team and added a shot on frame. This was part of a near 90 percent passing night that saw Rusnák use his head, drop excellent set pieces, and combine across the attack for much of the evening. With a chance in the 44th minute to seal the match away, however, Albert faltered from the penalty spot, with a weak effort that didn’t trouble the SKC keeper (Tim Amelia Bedelia, per my son). 

Hopium take: Header assists are on the menu. 

Copium take: Things haven’t seemed as comfortable from the penalty spot since Nico left. 

Georgi Minoungou – 5 | Community – 6.4 (off 66’ for de la Vega)

MLS level defending means multiple defenders were quickly out to double and triple team Georgi much of the night, and when he wasn’t having his shirt pulled in a ridiculous attempt to hurt him, Minoungou was consistently beating those groups of opponents after a rough start riddled with turnovers. Unfortunately, the end product eluded him, as a few great plays were often followed up with a lack of the killer final ball. He ended with 68 percent passing and failed to record an accurate cross. 

Hopium take: Having two aggressive and vertical options alongside Morris with Roldan feeding inside-out passes changed the offense to a more sustainable creative attack that didn’t rely on crosses and had multiple points of ingress. 

Copium take: Solid results need to include impacting the score via a goal, an assist, or a created opportunity, and until then it’s just stepover practice. 

Forward

Jordan Morris – 7 | Community – 6.6

Morris did everything in this game except score a goal that stayed on the scoreboard. He was direct, dynamic, and goal-dangerous, but the final pass and shot eluded him for an ultimately frustrating evening. He led Seattle with four shots, added a key pass, and had a massive six aerials won. One of those was an excellent 19th minute header on a corner that forced a desperation save and subsequent follow-up goal from Ragen. Jordan was constantly dangerous, but it’s frustrating to wonder: if he had completed more than 50 percent of his pass attempts or finished a few of his opportunities, how high might the score have been? 

Hopium take: The entire package of dominant aerials, connective play, and goal-dangerous creation for himself and others shows that Morris is here and owning his physical dominance at the 9 position. 

Copium take: That’s a few matches in a row where Jordan is missing “striker’s” goals, and while it’s unrealistic to expect him to finish everything … why not? 

Substitutes

Jonathan Bell – 5 | Community – 5.7 (on 66’ for RBW)

Bell played for 30 minutes but didn’t do a lot notable, as SKC was in “prevent ourselves from coming back” mode and Seattle was in “ECS gets souvenirs” mode for much of his time on the field. His 79 percent passing on 14 attempts was clean, boring defensive play. 

Hopium take: Nou-who?

Copium take: With 20 touches in nearly a third of the match, Bell didn’t separate himself as an option. 

Pedro de la Vega – 5 | Community – 5.8 (on 66’ for Minoungou)

Supplanted from the starting lineup by Seattle’s other young international signing in this summer window, PDLV arrived in the second half and again showed flashes of brilliance combined with a distinct lack of cohesion with teammates. Perhaps most frustrating was that he only had 14 touches. In his time on the field, he did make dynamic movement, had at least one nice cross and one nice dribble, and wasn’t afraid to mix it up defensively. 

Hopium take: Another healthy outing, this time against a physical team known for their cheap play. It’s a great introduction to MLS as he grows into his role. 

Copium take: Remind me how much we spent for this backup guy who doesn’t do much?

Josh Atencio – 5 | Community – 5.9 (on 77’ for Vargas) 

Josh came in as a sub and kept up where he left off, being very active on the ball (24 touches) and distributing well. Using his length in the midfield meant fewer passing lanes for KC, who were busy trying to get delay cards to keep the match close. Atencio did his job well.

Hopium take: There was a good connection between him and Roldan and Seattle looked comfortable playing both ways after he entered. 

Copium take: Obed is the higher priority talent, meaning Atencio is the odd man out. 

Danny Leyva – 5 | Community – 5.5 (on 85’ for Rusnák) 

Leyva got a few minutes at an intriguing position, as the central attacking midfielder. He did a bit of everything right, including going 3/3 passing, being successful in his lone dribble attempt, winning his duel opportunity, and even tracking back in the 85th minute to defend, something not normally expected from that position. 

Hopium take: Depth at the 10 from a homegrown talent who can spew the ball around creating for others and himself through quality touch, immaculate set piece delivery, and offense without having to be a defensive dynamo? Smell test passed. 

Copium take: Let’s be honest, there should always be high paid external players at these skill positions. Are we giving up on Leyva being more than a career backup?

Referee

Drew Fischer – 5 | Community – 6.1

Fischer was his usual infuriating self at times, including liberal use of “play on” and some no calls that were frustrating. A number of fouls were borderline, especially the foul on Minoungou, which had potential to be very dangerous, while lacking any pretense of being a soccer move. Wait, where have we seen this before against SKC? Overall, the match was relatively well refereed, with the caveat that with Seattle dominating and the visitors seemingly willing to play for an 0-2 loss, it lacked SKC’s usual intensity and physicality. 

Hopium take: Against a physical team, Seattle used Cristian’s intensity to give as much as they got, and the referee was strong in giving equal calls, but also in using the tools at his disposal to ensure that the better team wasn’t penalized. 

Copium take: Fischer was dying to make the big call, and Seattle was lucky the second half was a bunch of meh, as there was a red card and a penalty call burning a hole in his pocket. 

Sporting Kansas City MOTM

Timmy had a decent save on Seattle’s opener, parrying Morris’ initial effort before watching helplessly as Ragen made it 1-0. Towards the end of the first half, he did well to deny Seattle a third from the penalty spot. The second half could have been trickier for Melia, but the Sounders opted to put their chances high and/or wide.

Hopium take: None.

Copium take: Trash took itself out.

Upcoming: Midweek match against San Jose Earthquakes, another team Seattle should beat. 

Hopium take: Seattle has now thrashed two weaklings in a row, Columbus and Kansas; time to add another to the list. 

Copium take: Trap midweek game against a team already eliminated from the playoffs, so they’ve got nothing to lose.