Ship's Log, October 12: Three Sounders deserve year-end award consideration

Dave Clark -

It's voting season, both in MLS and in reality. With more advanced metrics and access to matches than ever you would think that MLS voters would pay more attention to Western Conference teams outside of LA than ever before – but you'd be wrong.

Despite Seattle rapidly closing in on a Concacaf Champions Cup slot, being the hottest team in the second half and having the best defense in the league, you'll find few national pundits putting Seattle Sounders on their various ballots.

There are four players that belong in the conversation for Best XI and/or individual awards based on their quality of play.

Stefan Frei

The Nick Rimando of the modern era, somehow Stef can finish in the top 5 of shutouts every year, dominating the box and metrics while leading a team that gives up a goal a game for a decade (we don't talk about 2022) while never finishing first in Goalkeeper of the Year voting.

Hugo Lloris is probably going to win the award, because LAFC and he are big names. But that's not why a person who gives up a third of a goal more a game while having a worse save percentage should win an award.

Frei is merely a single clean sheet behind Lloris. He's better than Hugo at traditional metrics and they're both middle of the road for post-shot xG stats while being undifferentiated there.

Has Frei made a few mistakes this year? Sure! But that's true of any keeper, because anyone who thinks Hugo Lloris is perfect certainly hasn't watched his games, nor have they reviewed the stats.

A vote for Lloris is lazy. That's while he'll win.

Yeimar or Jackson Ragen

The same people not voting for Frei are the same people who aren't voting for the best centerback on the team with the best defense. It's as if no one gets credit for Seattle's defensive success.

Defensive stats are more under development than attacking ones. The team network and control-of-space are harder to define via metrics than scoring goals and slanging passes.

But they aren't useless.

A note: for MLS, unlike our later Sounder at Heart voting, the Defender of the Year must play along the backline as a CB, FB or WB.

The best interrupters and foulers at CB via G+ are all dominant on poor defensive teams. That data doesn't help narrow things down. Conventional stats like Tackles+Interceptions aren't helpful either – Vitor Costa of the woeful San Jose Earthquakes defense doesn't belong in the discussion.

Inertia votes will probably lead to Walker Zimmerman and Matt Miazga both being finalists, despite injuries leading to substantial missed time and their teams being mediocre defensively.

Yeimar, a two-time finalist, could get that recognition again. But part of his problem is that defense is a team effort and Jackson Ragen is also on the squad. Ragen has more goals, which voters-from-distance tend use as a tie-breaker.

The thing is, for all of Jackson's story and success he isn't the most important defender. It is Yeimar who sits further back more often. It is Yeimar who makes more last moment blocks and it is Yeimar who deserves the voting attention.

Toss aside the past winners and recognize excellence – Vote Yeimar.

Two that shouldn't get recognition, but were really good this year

Albert Rusnák

Double-double seasons used to be rare. But this year there are a lot of them, including for the nearly certain MVP, Messi.

Talking about Rusnák and his awards case is to note that the only thing that matters in the MVP voting is who people are voting for in second place. Thirteen players have 10 or more goals and 10 or more assists. All are on playoff teams. Plus a couple more could reach accomplish that in the final week of the season.

The thing that Albert has going for him is that his emergence of quality post injury recovery directly coincides with Seattle being the hottest team in the league. When considering value that should matter.

But in a league that is absolutely stacked with top-end talent it's probably not going to be enough. He's been great for 2/3rds of the season.

In a league with a solitary Best XI (no second team, or third team like other leagues of this size) Rusnák will merely have one of the best seasons a Sounders 10 has ever had while receiving a smattering of national recognition. He'll then go on to be, for the second time, the highest paid within-league free agent.

Brian Schmetzer

It took him too long to change tactics and bench underperforming attackers, but once he did make those changes he's taken the team to the sixth-most wins, fifth-most points, best defense, and sixth-best road record – all while playing with a single DP for the majority of the season.

Seattle's performance in the final two-thirds of the regular season is on par with Miami, Columbus and the LAs. A coach that makes tactical shifts successfully should be rewarded for that.

But, Brian is combatting a national "ah shucks" and "players' coach" narrative that harms his respect.

Similar to Frei, he'll be a never-quite-exceptional coach on an annual basis while dominating the points per season, trophies per season, overall trophies and points per match charts (2nd best among coaches with 200+ matches).

Tata, Nancy, 'Dolo, Vanney, Noonan have all had strong seasons. Outside of Nancy and Noonan they had expected seasons. But they also didn't make dramatic shifts in performance after horrible starts or when two DPs became unavailable due to injury and age.

Tata and Nancy will finish one-two, the only real question is in which order. But Brian belongs in the conversation, someday.

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Catching up on Sounder at Heart

Here's what you missed on the site this week.

Sounders

Next match: Seattle hosts the Portland Timbers on Decision Day next Saturday. The match is on MLS Season Pass at 6 pm PT. With a win the Sounders take the Cascadia Cup and can finish as high as second in the league with help from Vancouver and San Jose versus LAFC.

Reign

Next match: Sunday Reign FC travel to Utah Royals, playing at 2 pm PT in a must win match on ESPN2. Without a win Seattle is eliminated. Even with a win they need a lot of help, and in some scenarios can still be knocked out with two weeks to go.

Defiance

Next match: The playoffs start Sunday with Tacoma hosting Ventura County in a 4 v 6 matchup at 7 pm PT.

Spokane

Zephyr host Lexington Sporting Club Sunday at ONE Spokane Stadium and on Peacock+ at 2 pm PT.

Velocity host Greenville Triumph Saturday at ONE Spokane Stadium and on ESPN+ at 6 pm PT. Winless in their last four Velocity are sputtering towards the missing the playoffs.

Looking back at the news

Everything else you need to know

On World Mental Health Day the NWSL PA announced the Om Arvind gift. The American soccer community lost Arvind earlier this year. Om was a blogger and advocate for the league and mental health around the game.

The USL suspended Jermaine Jones. The former USMNT player suggested that his current squad were failures for playing in USL League One, which is odd because that's where he was coaching poorly before getting suspended.

The NWSL draft is no more. Former Sounder, now agent, Mike Fucito points out that for most draft picks the draft was merely an invitation to tryout, which can be done without a draft.

San Diego Wave, NWSL Sued For Team's "Abusive And Hostile Work Environment" | Defector

Researchers work to make pitch-perfect turf for the 2026 World Cup | NPR

What can the Sounders do with next year's cap space? Soundernavia has the possibilities.

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