SEATTLE — One of the consistent criticisms of the Seattle Sounders during the Brian Schmetzer era has been entertainment value. Now, if you’re someone who is primarily interested in winning, this is maybe a rather inconsequential frustration. The Sounders have been doing enough winning throughout their history that it provides enough entertainment on its own.
Still, there’s a valid concern in there. The Sounders fell one goal short of advancing in the playoffs each of the past two years. Both years, they had the best defense in MLS. But they were ultimately undone by a middling offense.
It’s probably unfair to call them “boring” — I’ll always argue that a tightly contested match in which you care about the outcome is almost never boring — but there were plenty of long stretches where they weren’t “fun”, either.
I don’t want to make too much out of three early-season matches, but this year sure looks like it’s going to be different.
In Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Antigua GFC that secured advancement to the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16, the Sounders were flying around the open field. There were backheels and rainbows; pressing and counter-attacking; dynamic movement and plenty of goal-scoring chances. There may have been fewer than 25,000 in attendance, but they were loud, energized and lively. Lumen Field felt like someplace you’d want to hang out.
It’s obviously early, but it also continued a trend we’ve seen since the start of preseason. The Sounders have now scored eight goals in three competitive matches, with at least two goals in each game. Those eight goals have been scored by five different players, and four other players have provided at least one assist. That’s nine players who have already gotten on the scoresheet, and that’s without even counting secondary assists. Even more, all eight goals have come from open play.
A year ago, the Sounders didn’t score their eighth goal until the sixth game of the season. That’s also when the ninth player got onto the scoresheet, but four of those goals were penalties. The Sounders didn’t score their eighth open-play goal until their 12th competitive match of the season (in May!). For the record, they also didn’t score multiple goals in a game for the third time until Game 10.
The player who best exemplifies this change is Pedro de la Vega. After scoring a brace against Antigua, he already has three goals and has played 169 competitive minutes. A year ago, he didn’t get to 169 minutes until July 13. He finished the year with just one goal and one assist in about 1,100 competitive minutes.
More than the goals, de la Vega seems to be playing with a confidence and freedom we simply never saw last year. He was always willing to run at defenders and put in effort defensively, but it almost always seemed like he was pressing. As if he knew that he needed to win over skeptical coaches, who had likely grown frustrated with his inability to stay healthy early in the year.
Rewatching Wednesday’s game is to witness a player free of those self-made shackles. He took five shots, with four of them on frame and the other blocked; he had 76 touches, with eight of them inside the Antigua penalty area; he was 4 of 9 on dribbles and won 9 of 16 duels. For all his aggressiveness, he also completed 44 of 47 passes.
But de la Vega was also emblematic of some of Schmetzer’s frustrations after the game. In a match where the Sounders started with a 3-1 aggregate lead, it was a bit more wide open than Schmetzer would have liked. For all his energy and aggressiveness, Schmetzer would have also liked de la Vega to play a bit more controlled.
“You’re going to talk about all the good things that he does,” Schmetzer said. “I will pump the brakes a little bit. At 1-0 did we lose a little bit of control of the game, and certainly taking that goal, I didn’t enjoy that.
“It’s not just Pedro, but other guys on the team might have taken some liberties. Pedro’s last bit of learning curve has to be what it takes to win a MLS Cup, what it takes to go deep in CCC, is a little more discipline.”
One play in particular seemed to raise Schmetzer’s ire. Toward the end of the first half, a ball was played to de la Vega along the sideline. The Sounders appeared to have a chance to counter-attack if he played the ball back to João Paulo, who had a clean line of sight to Jordan Morris.
But rather than make the simple play, de la Vega controlled the ball and then rainbowed his defender before doing it again to another defender. He didn’t lose the ball, but he did put Paul Arriola in a somewhat awkward position and started a sequence that eventually resulted in Antigua scoring their only goal.
Last night I asked Schmetzer about de la Vega’s performance. He mostly praised him but also said “he’s got to do better in certain moments. That little flick over the head by the sideline and then the other team comes down to score, that stuff has to stop.” Here’s the play he’s talking about:
— Jeremiah Oshan (@jeremiah.sounderatheart.com) February 27, 2025 at 11:03 AM
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It was a pretty spectacular bit of skill but it was a situation where practicality was preferred, at least by Schmetzer.
“He’s going to get the accolades because his two goals tonight were certainly worthy of all the good words,” Schmetzer said. “But he’s not a finished product.
“He’s got to do better in certain moments. Those little flicks over the head by the sideline and then the other team comes down and scores, that stuff has to stop.”
Through one lens, it may seem like Schmetzer is trying to tamp down de la Vega’s creativity. I don’t think that’s what he meant, though. What he seems to want is for de la Vega to be pickier about using his creativity when there’s a clear purpose. I think of the Rabona he hit down the sideline in a preseason game or the scorpion kick he used to retain possession in the first leg against Antigua. The double-rainbow here felt a bit more like showing off.
“If you guys don’t get excited watching him play, then I think there’s something off,” Schmetzer said. “His technical ability, the way he can do some of the things, the way he manipulates the ball are fantastic. But in order for us to win a championship, we need to make sure he uses his skill set in the right way.”
What should be particularly encouraging is that de la Vega seemed to take Schmetzer’s critiques in stride. Even for a player who admitted he struggled with confidence last year, he doesn’t seem like a player who constantly needs to have his ego stroked.
When de la Vega first joined the Sounders, he was presented as someone who could potentially lift the team to new heights. There was an understanding that it would take time and that he’d need to grow into the No. 10 shirt he was given right off the bat. It would be naive to suggest de la Vega has arrived, but it’s at least looking like we may have gotten through the awkward phase and are about to get to the adventurous part.
“I needed to score at home, so I’m happy for that,” he said through a translator. “But I’m happier for the team and the performance we could put together. There’s always things we can improve, but it’s early in the year and I think we’re going to get that improvement as we move along in the season.”
