Realio’s Ratings: Shutout D is back

Facing a Houston team that had won 17 of 24 points in their last eight matches and was ahead of them in the standings, Seattle knew this would be a real test. They passed it: the 1-0 home win was just enough to bump them over Houston and into fifth in the West as the Sounders finally beat a playoff team. A methodical Seattle was resilient after a slow start, grew into the match to create the best chances, converted enough of them, and then showed its usual resolute defense to ensure a shutout win. The game wasn’t pretty, especially in the second half, but the recipe for Seattle success via strong, cohesive team defense and opportunistic offense was followed well. 

And yet? Seattle allowed a single shot on target in the 2nd minute. Yet did anyone really feel comfortable with a one goal lead late?

Goalkeeper

Stefan Frei – 7 | Community – 6.6

That's another shutout for Frei, his 11th clean sheet as part of another great season. This one needed a near-post save in the 2nd minute to keep Seattle from going down early, and an 88th minute punch out was part of holding on under some late pressure. In between, Stefan was a game manager who made smart distribution choices and kept his defense compact and organized. 

And yet? Frei quietly has the most clean sheets in the league and has allowed the second fewest goals of any of the top keepers and yet is completely ignored for GKOTY. 

Defense

Nouhou – 7 | Community – 6.7

This was one of Nouhou’s best performances of the season, as he completely shut down his side, made smart choices on when to go forward, completed 92 percent of his passes, and enabled the space and support needed to activate Paul Rothrock in front of him. This match was a great example of how much defending Nouhou does before the actual defensive third, with his fancy 1-v-1 moments. Time and again, he recognized Griffin Dorsey attempting to overlap into the attack, and Nouhou quickly defended this area, forcing the play back inside early, preventing a Houston push before it even developed. When he did go forward, it was measured and meaningful, including a great 69th minute cross and an earned corner seconds later. 

And yet? Nouhou has changed his play to fit the needs of the team, is making great decisions on both ends of the field, and yet the team’s issues are Nouhou’s fault, right?

Jackson Ragen – 8 | Community – 7.0

Ragen is getting more cover these days from the players to either side and it has supercharged his play, both in possession and defensively. His near-perfect defensive positioning meant he had moments to make essential blocks and cut out passing lanes. His 97 percent passing was also almost perfect, consistently finding the right distribution up the field. He won every duel, missed two passes all night, and combined with teammates to limit the opponents to very few opportunities. 

And yet? Jackson has almost completely eliminated his early season defensive lapses, and yet he and the rest of the team continue to take a while to settle into games. 

Yeimar – 7 | Community – 7.4

Defensively, Yeimar was immense. His five aerials won cleared any danger, and he had a ridiculous eight clearances as part of strong positional defense. For long stretches of the match, Yeimar and Ragen shut down the middle, funneling attacks wide and back. Yeimar was credited with 12 defensive actions. Many of the transition opportunities the Sounders had after finally warming into the match were due to him cutting passing lanes. 

And yet? Yeimar has had a lot of movement around him with players and tactics, and yet he continues to be the best center back in the league, dominant in all phases of the defense. 

Alex Roldan – 6 | Community – 6.0

A vastly improved Alex Roldan held down the right side, working with Pedro de la Vega in combination and supporting a robust defensive effort. He again failed to play off and release Pedro in front of him, but he ended with a shot and a key pass and has settled into a more pragmatic defensive position. The one “shot” actually ended out for a throw-in, which was slightly embarrassing, and at the end of the half he had a weird moment where he awkwardly fell on the ball on the end line, but was otherwise solid on the defensive end. 

And yet? By staying back, Alex is helping transition defense, something that has knock-on effects across the back line, and yet he is struggling to combine going forward with de la Vega. 

Defensive Midfield

Obed Vargas – 5 | Community – 6.0 (off 84’ for Atencio)

It took a while for Obed to get warmed up in this match, and his struggles early were mirrored by the Sounders. Weathering the first 10 minutes and growing into the game, it was good to see Obed start to control passes centrally and look vertical, and Seattle benefitted. For long stretches in the middle of the match, Vargas was a solid central connector, attracting fouls for his trouble, and the Sounders were able to severely limit the Dynamo from any cohesive looks. 

And yet? When Obed is struggling or slow to get into the flow of a match, it creates huge issues for Seattle’s possession, and yet when he turns it on he can supercharge central dominance. 

Cristian Roldan – 6 | Community – 7.0

The elder Roldan bounced back from a struggle in the previous match to again be the dynamic player Seattle needed, especially early when he was isolated centrally. As Seattle exerted more control in the middle, more opportunities for going forward appeared. He had a shot, a key pass, and was continually one of the few players looking to release Jordan Morris over the top. His positioning in the middle remains critical to the Sounders’ success, as is his ability to cover wide and vertically as needed. 

And yet? Cristian is a mainstay in the central midfield now, and yet he hasn’t looked great in the second match of a multi-match week when forced into desperate defending late. 

Attacking Midfield

Paul Rothrock – 8 (MOTM) | Community – 7.6 (MOTM) (off 84’ for Minoungou)

Again it was Rothrock who read the soccer flow, followed up a loose ball in the 22nd minute, and slammed home a shot through traffic. He followed this in the 30th minute with an excellent looping ball to Morris that should have put Seattle into a more comfortable two goal cushion. These big plays more than offset his struggles, which included randomly dribbling out of bounds and missing an open Albert Rusnák right before half. Those two moments above encompassed Paul’s entire statline of one shot and one key pass, but it was enough to push a resilient Sounders team through, and honestly, this may not have been three points without him. 

And yet? Rothrock is a near-perfect fourth option, a relentless worker who has surprising touch in the big moments, combining game intelligence with effort to make shit happen, and yet Seattle might need a third option, not a fourth. 

Albert Rusnák – 6 | Community – 7.0

Albert played okay, combining with teammates in an effort that could have easily been masterful had others combined better with him. Leading the team with five key passes, Rusnák created for teammates who failed to finish. Albert seems determined to play the way he is facing, often forcing the ball back into his defenders when holding the ball up. A turn and dribble would eviscerate defenses and often be a better option.

And yet? I’m guessing Coach didn’t want to risk pulling Rusnák off late, and yet Albert has been used to getting a second half sub and may struggle with a multi-game week. 

Pedro de la Vega – 6 | Community – 5.8 (off 64’ for Baker-Whiting)

This was a hopeful outing for PDLV, who grew into the match with the team and started to really cook, combining with Jordan in ways previously unseen. In the 34th minute, he had a fantastic run and give-and-go with Morris as the two both attacked from the right side with incredible pace and deft touches, nearly ending in a goal. An excellent 55th minute shot forced a save as part of a two shot, one key pass outing. Pedro is still too hesitant in his acclimation to teammates, with a 47th minute play highlighting this indecision; he needed to slip it in for Morris or take the shot, but instead he got caught in the middle and the moment was wasted. 

And yet? Improved play and the connection with Morris is especially exciting, and yet fighting for playoff seeding — and into the playoffs — we’ll need more. 

Forward

Jordan Morris – 6 | Community – 6.7

Morris was a persistent menace going forward, creating chances with his movement, thanks to excellent understanding by Rothrock regarding how to find him, and by PDLV regarding how to connect to his feet. This meant great things for flowing offense, but a lack of the final touch or ball prevented Seattle from extending the lead. An especially unfortunate play came in the 30th when Rock put in a perfect ball that a lunging Morris toed off the post and out. A 53rd minute header was another opportunity squandered as Jordan was a tiny bit of execution short of impacting the scoreboard. 

And yet? Morris is a constant menace to get in behind, combine in the middle, or set up teammates, and yet if he’d been slightly more clinical, he could have had a brace and made this match more comfortable. 

Substitutes

Reed Baker-Whiting – 4 | Community – 5.6 (on 64’ for PDLV)

Reed was the first sub into the match and relieved Pedro at the wing position. Taking up residence on the left side, RBW played a half hour but was barely involved, ending with only 16 touches. Showing some attacking flair, three of these were in the Houston area, and his nice dribbling made an appearance. 

And yet? Reed’s best play came right after entering, showing strong dribbling and athleticism on a great run, and yet he followed it up with a poor connecting attempt, a microcosm of his recent appearances where he isn’t adding much. 

Georgi Minoungou – 5 | Community – 5.8 (on 84’ for Rothrock)

Georgi came in as a late sub and was cooking, if cooking meant getting absolutely and flagrantly hacked every time he got near the ball. Poor guy was fouled about six times in his short time on the field, but he still managed 16 touches and a perfect passing completion rate. Added to that was four won duels, two tackles won, two fouls committed and an eye-opening (sorry) array of impacts on both sides of the field. 

And yet? Georgi was incredibly active on both sides of the field, and yet his six minutes was likely better remembered for how many times he was pummeled by Houston. 

Josh Atencio – 5 | Community – 5.8 (on 84’ for Vargas) 

A beautiful left footed cross far post in the 86th minute was a perfect example of what Josh brings to this team. He added some quality play in the middle, turned in 88 percent passing and brought energy and cohesion to help make the final few minutes much improved over the previous match. With only 11 touches, it was a clean and quality end to the game from Atencio.

And yet? Josh Atencio has looked good just about every time he’s stepped on the field this season, and yet he still can’t seem to find more than a few minutes late in games. 

Referee

Allen Chapman 4 | Community – 4.8

For much of this match, the referee was at an appropriate level: not overly involved, allowing advantage, and keeping the match flowing cleanly. Even the 18 total fouls called and the four cards would seem reasonable if you hadn’t watched the second half. The signs were there starting around the 50th minute, however, as PDLV was hammered in a very dangerous foul by Franco Escobar that was not called, moments after an appropriate yellow was awarded to Escobar for a separate foul. It completely devolved late, as Chapman’s refusal to protect players resulted in dangerous play as Georgi Minoungou was absolutely creamed in the 88th and 89th minutes to the point of bleeding, with zero repercussions. This is distressing to watch.

And yet? By all accounts Allen Chapman is capable of refereeing well, often for long stretches within a match, and yet without fail, he will devolve into the league’s worst referee, as he has been this season for Seattle. 

Houston Dynamo MOTM

I do not know why Steve Clark has earned MOTM in this one. The opener was well taken, but he put himself in no-man’s land on what should have been Seattle’s second. He made two entire saves, both on tame Rusnák efforts in the latter stages of the first half.

And yet? Points for the rat tail, I suppose.

Upcoming: Big week continues with a trip to Vancouver this Wednesday.

And yet? Vancouver away never seems like a big hype game, and yet this game could define where Seattle ends in the standings.