Decision Day is here, and the Portland Timbers are in town. The largest Seattle Sounders crowd of 2024 will watch their team try to turn more than one narrative on its head as the season comes to a close.
The Sounders, who have not beaten the Timbers at home since 2017, can prove that the frustrating Gio Savarese era of underperformance against their rivals is over and done. They can lift the Cascadia Cup in front of their supporters. While ascending into the playoffs, they can send Portland tumbling in the opposite direction. Moreover, they can solidify a new storyline for the 2024 season that is less about injuries and poor starts and more about resilience and success. Let’s look at what has been working for Seattle’s attack and how they can finally turn the tide against the Timbers.
Sussing out Seattle
The most consequential turning point of the 2024 season came back in June, when Paul Rothrock entered the Seattle attack leaving Raúl Ruidíaz on the bench. Perhaps the second most significant moment came in Seattle’s last meeting with Portland when Cristian Roldan was pushed back a line to fill in for the injured João Paulo. In the six games since, Cristian has made the position his own, and Seattle’s more direct wing options playing in his stead have transformed the team.
Seattle’s top three players since August in American Soccer Analysis’ goals added (g+) metric are Jordan Morris, Cristian, and Paul Rothrock. Morris’ elite ability to receive progressive passes is well documented, but the connection between Cristian and Rothrock has helped the Sounders create danger from wide areas:
On the other wing, Pedro de la Vega still has not broken out as a DP-level contributor, but his play against Colorado showed undeniable improvement. In previous weeks, Pedro was clearly trying to do too much. He opted for poorly chosen shots and dribbles as if trying to make up for lost time. This match was different. Rather than try to be a hero, Pedro was a teammate. He stayed in position, received passes, and focused on beating defenders. It was sequences like this one that show how Pedro can be an asset in the remaining matches of 2024:
This is the ideal Sounders build-up sequence in 2024. Lightning quick movement from back to front gets the defense sprinting toward their own goal. Ragen breaks lines, Morris receives the ball dropping off the back line, and Rusnák is in the right place for one-touch distribution to the wing.
Too often this season, the wing was where attacking moves like this would die. Without the quickness and dribbling ability to beat defenders, the play would sputter and the Sounders would often recycle possession as the defense became organized. Between Rothrock, de la Vega, and Georgi Minoungou, that is changing. As de la Vega rounds the corner with one touch, leaving his defender in the dust, he has four targets arriving in the box with Colorado struggling to track them all. This sequence did not end in a goal, but the blueprint for success is there if Seattle can get a similar level of production on their left side that they are enjoying from Rothrock on their right.
Scouting Portland
Evander was a dark horse MVP candidate for months before the Timbers’ late-season slump all but ended those discussions. Still, there is no debate on who runs Portland’s attack, or who opposing defenders fear most. In this sequence, Evander’s movement toward the ball draws a defender, creating a hole through Dallas’ midfield. Evander then changes course, sending a one-touch pass out to the wing to continue the attacking movement:
