Sounder Strategy: Rapids are plunging

The MLS playoffs are all about peaking at the right time. The Seattle Sounders’ trophy case is heavy with the silverware of squads that got hot when it mattered most, often following or amid lack-luster regular-seasons. Having gone a league-best 11-2-2 in their last 15 and winning four of their last five, including a convincing 3-0 win on Wednesday, they might be poised to do it again. Their penultimate regular season foe is the Colorado Rapids, whose form is heading in the opposite direction with three losses in four. Let’s look at why the Sounders keep improving, and how they can take down a faltering opponent.

Sussing out Seattle

The Sounders have not been perfect down the stretch by any means. Even against Vancouver mid-week, defensive lapses while up a goal threatened to turn the match. The concept of a “trap game” is debatable in a league with the parity of MLS, but the Sounders seem to be vulnerable to low-energy atmospheres this season. Two weeks ago, facing the hapless San Jose Earthquakes with a sparse home crowd and tired legs, Seattle’s lack of focus gave us sequences like this that are best set to a soundtrack of Yakety Sax:

The Sounders and Earthquakes battled to determine who could lose possession more times in a minute.

The good news is that there are no more trap games on the schedule. Seattle will be facing playoff-caliber opponents and likely ampted up atmospheres until their season ends. Tired legs will still be a factor, but focus should no longer be an issue.

The season winding down unfortunately also means that a potential breakout for Pedro de la Vega is running low on time. The knock on de la Vega has always been his decision-making in the final third. On sequences like this one, Pedro’s gravity draws four defenders to his immediate vicinity, but his tunnel vision lets him down and he misses the opening for a slipped pass to Rothrock:

De la Vega draws defenders with his attacking run, but his decision making lets him down.

It is looking more and more like his breakout will have to wait until next season. More than anything, Pepo appears to be trying too hard to make up for lost time with poorly-selected shots, trying to play the role of the hero rather than a member of the team’s supporting cast:

Pedro tries to force the issue with ill-advised shots from distance.

Luckily for the Sounders, they are looking less and less like a squad that needs Pedro’s heroics to beat their Western Conference opponents. Instead, de la Vega can focus on being just one of three effective winger options in the Sounders’ arsenal.

It has been an awfully long time since Seattle could consistently boast danger on both wings at the same time. Jordan Morris has been Best XI caliber on the wing but always played the position as a wide forward looking to get into the box. Cristian Roldan’s wing role was to control possession from the right half-space, relying on an overlapping fullback for width. Léo Chú had his breakout last season, but opposing defenses figured out his one trick by the end of the year and his productivity fizzled. But times are changing. The Sounders have true wingers on both flanks that opposing defenses don’t know how to handle.

On the left wing, 5-foot, 8-inch Paul Rothrock should have no business winning a hopeful long ball against 6-foot tall Griffin Dorsey, who has a better angle to judge this pass and intervene:

Rothrock slips by a much larger defender and loops a key pass to Morris.

But Rothrock reacts quicker, uses his strength to box out Dorsey and beats him for a free cross to Morris. Plays like this have made Rothrock indispensable. His instincts and decisiveness are first rate.

On the right side, Georgi Minoungou had Whitecaps defenders on skates all night long:

Minoungou making Whitecap fullbacks blush.

If Minoungou is to stay one step ahead, he will need to diversify his repertoire. That will include driving directly at the keeper at times and improving his passing. Nevertheless, his early returns are exciting. While his dribbling skill was well advertised when he signed with the first team, his strength and balance when winning 50-50 balls or holding off a defender on his back are a pleasant surprise.

In Rothrock, Minoungou, and de la Vega, the Sounders have three wingers capable of holding possession when isolated and regularly beating defenders on the dribble while spreading the field wide without the need for an overlapping fullback. The Sounders have been pining for something, anything resembling productivity from their wingers. Clubs like LAFC have overwhelmed Morris with fast, physical centerbacks and dared Seattle to beat them from wide areas. While the Sounders do not have the top wing talent of a club like the Galaxy, they might have just enough to turn the tide against their most challenging opponents.