After a brutal midweek game in Mexico that resulted in multiple injuries and a discouraging loss, Seattle traveled to the suddenly competent St. Louis City SC and failed to impress. The Sounders gave up an early goal due to some sloppy play, and then they couldn’t create enough quality chances to equalize. Lacking some creative forces and unable to break down a league-leading defense, the Sounders fell back into the old system where they play pretty well, but fail to score and ultimately lose. The 1-0 St. Louis loss was the kind of match Seattle used to win, taking advantage of a small chance and then defending stoutly to hold on. Instead, the Sounders allowed another early goal and had to chase the rest of the match. They lacked a number of key attacking pieces and again showed their struggle to break down compact teams.
Goalkeeper
Stefan Frei – 6 | Community – 5.9
Frei hasn’t looked sharp this season. He’s been fine for most of the matches, but is part of an underperforming defense that’s prone to mistakes. Stef was credited with four saves, and the St. Louis keeper only had one, and that was pretty much the difference in the match. The home team made the biggest moments count and there was no big defensive equalizing moment.
What I liked: I was impressed with Frei’s excellent distribution in the 60th minute, something that isn’t normally a strength. His 90th minute save gave Seattle some extra time to attempt to earn a road point.
What I didn’t like: It looked like Frei was slow in the 15th minute as the game-winning free kick was stoppable had he gotten a better jump or more push. His awkward hop-and-fall-down motion wasn’t enough to threaten a good shot.
Moving forward: Frei has been slow to grow into this season, and without an impenetrable defense in front of him, he’s giving up many more goals than usual.
Defense
Nouhou – 7 (MOTM) | Community – 6.1
Nouhou played as a left back next to Jon Bell and was very strong, continually shutting his width down and preventing anything from the left. His 88 percent passing on 90 touches was part of Seattle’s dominant possession game.
What I liked: In the first six minutes, Nouhou’s looping ball up the left found Paul Rothrock and was excellent. Less impressive but much more necessary were his two goal line saves, as the match was nearly over in the 85th and 90th minutes, and both times a crucial block or clearance on a goal-bound effort gave Seattle a lifeline.
What I didn’t like: With Seattle giving up an early goal and then St. Louis bunkering in, Nouhou’s defensive prowess wasn’t called on as often as usual, and he was fine moving the ball forward, but offered little creativity on a team that needed more from its wings.
Moving forward: Nouhou has individually been very good this season, but the defense has yet to gel.
Jonathan Bell – 5 | Community – 6.3 (MOTM)
Bell combined with the defense to get a lot of possession touches and completed an excellent 93 percent of his passes. A moderate defensive effort included four won aerials.
What I liked: Bell’s defense in the 28th showed a great awareness of where he was needed to support teammates. He had similar coverage in the corner in the 79th minute, and he showed improvement on his positioning.
What I didn’t like: A 3rd minute foul was a dangerous play, and a minute later he forced a poor pass forward in a shaky start.
Moving forward: Bell looked more comfortable this match with Jackson Ragen to his right to protect his weaker passing side.
Jackson Ragen – 6 | Community – 5.3
At times the Sounders looked like a team that was used to distribution from different angles, and that’s because the main distributor, Ragen, moved to the right. He played well individually there, completing 93 percent of his passes, but the team struggled to utilize his gravitational push on the right and find the right balance through the middle.
What I liked: Jackson led the team in shots, which isn’t normally a good thing, and he continually got into good spots, forcing a save in the 40th minute. He combined this with excellent distribution, continually pushing the ball forward. His 11 passes into the final third showed great right-sided push.
What I didn’t like: After a weird trip in the 14th minute, Ragen fell and grabbed the ball. Looking again, it wasn’t due to cleats or the turf giving out, he just didn’t plant his foot for some bizarre reason, and fell to the ground under some pressure. Understandably fearful of giving up a breakaway, he stopped the ball, got a yellow card, and gave up the eventual game-winning free kick. Everything that could go wrong, did.
Moving forward: Ragen distributes well from either side in the back, but Seattle struggled to adjust to the new passing angles.
Midfield
Paul Rothrock – 5 | Community – 5.7 (off 80’ for KKR)
Rothrock started on the left and looked to continue some improved play, but he took a while to wake up and get into the match. He ended with 50 touches but only a single shot. He was frequently unable to break down his man and find connectivity with the central attackers.
What I liked: Similar to other games this season, Paul started slow. He did make his presence known upon starting the second half, with a nice shoulder tackle to earn possession and push the ball to the middle. The connectivity central was nice, with Rothrock constantly attempting to bring Albert Rusnák into the match, often by making direct runs of his own.
What I didn’t like: Paul was 0/6 crossing the ball, failing to connect to anyone all match. In the 55th minute, he added an absolute horror ball from the back that Seattle was lucky didn’t harm them.
Moving forward: Rothrock is a quality wide player in spurts, but that consistency of play is severely lacking.
Obed Vargas – 6 | Community – 5.7
Seattle returned to MLS play with the same central pairing from midweek. Vargas and Cristian Roldan paired well together but were underwhelming. Obed’s 95 percent passing was fantastic in the middle, controlling possession, but having only one key pass meant he wasn’t supporting an offensive effort that needed it.
What I liked: The vision and understanding of teammates was excellent in the 56th minute. Obed looked forward and nearly got Georgi Minoungou clear on a direct ball that had a chance to break open the set defense.
What I didn’t like: Unfortunately, the pass above failed, like Seattle’s many failures of the evening. Too many times an extra touch, a slow recognition of movement, or an error on a connection play meant the few opportunities this defense gave were wasted.
Moving forward: Obed seems much more in control and confident on the ball in traffic, but he’s taken a step backward with his creative forward movement.
Cristian Roldan – 6 | Community – 6.0 (off 79’ for Leyva)
Cristian balanced out the Ragen movement by shading over centrally and supporting left, which changed the Seattle attack and attempted to provide central cover. His 90 percent passing pushed the ball through the middle, but none of his three shots forced a save.
What I liked: This match displayed excellent two-way play from Cristian, who made a number of direct runs and shot attempts but also defended well. He won all of his tackles attempted and had a delightful physical shoulder and “gimme that” steal and defensive play in the 71st that provided a spark.
What I didn’t like: An attempted looping pass in the 47th minute went out of bounds, and a 58th minute open header on a corner didn’t test the keeper. These small opportunities were few and far between against a strong defense, and were wasted.
Moving forward: Cristian looked tired and was subbed in this one, another player who may have been overused to start the season.
Alex Roldan – 6 | Community – 5.8
Alex was very active, getting more touches than anyone else on the field (103) and used 89 percent passing to create a lot of possession for Seattle. This wasn’t always possession with a purpose, as the Sounders failed to break through directly on goal with any regularity. Alex did have two key passes, but he had a lot of interplay with Ragen and not enough going forward.
What I liked: Finding Georgi Minoungou up the wing looked like a strong option, and Roldan pushed the ball forward in the first five minutes to a strong right side. In the 9th, he spotted a diagonal Jesús Ferreira run and added a nifty dribble forward a minute later.
What I didn’t like: Defensively, Alex was solid, and a 51st minute recovery showed he was still aware of those duties, even as St. Louis sat back after scoring. For as much as Roldan was on the ball, he didn’t add offensive push with consistency.
Moving forward: Alex as a nominal midfielder in the half spaces works for possession, but he gets lost when Georgi is in front of him expecting a clear out.
Attacking Midfield
Albert Rusnák – 6 | Community – 5.7
Albert returned to pull the strings for Seattle and had an up and down game when it came to connecting with teammates. The distribution from the back was very right-sided and pulled Albert from his customary left channel, forcing a team shift. Rusnák did well to be the offensive catalyst, earning two shots and a team-high three key passes.
What I liked: A great through ball in the 53rd minute put Rothrock into space, and a 74th minute free kick showed that in a moment’s time Albert can create a dangerous scoring chance. Two minutes later Albert had a great look on a shot of his own.
What I didn’t like: Rusnák and Ferreira weren’t on the same page for much of the match, with Albert looking cramped for midfield space without the gravitational pull of Jordan Morris to create room to work. He missed Jesús vertically in the 8th minute as these two struggled to connect.
Moving forward: Rusnák continues to create from his central position, but playing a false nine doesn’t seem to work quite yet.
Georgi Minoungou – 5 | Community – 6.1
Georgi started on the right as a wide playmaker and is having a number of interesting moments as he grows into a full-time MLS player. His 63 touches included creating two key passes and multiple shots of his own, however the payoff moment eluded him, failing to put shots on frame or find the necessary pass. Seattle kept looking to Minoungou to find a way through the disciplined defense.
What I liked: Four completed dribbles for Georgi is the kind of individual play that creates big opportunities, and his 37th minute was another to add to his highlight reel. No matter what else is happening in the match, having someone you can depend on to win an individual battle and create pressure is a huge tool.
What I didn’t like: GM lost nine duels, constantly struggling to play any form of defense, which pulled resources over to his side to support. He needs to work on not getting pushed off the ball. His decision making in the attacking third is great until the moment after he has completed his 1-v-1 play, and then it’s a fiesta.
Moving forward: Georgi’s decision making still lags behind his ability to create.
Forward
Jesús Ferreira – 5 | Community – 4.5 (off 64’ for Musovski)
Ferreira started at the 9 and played a completely different role for Seattle than Jordan Morris does. Very possession oriented, Jesús rarely made long diagonal or vertical sprints, instead attempting to connect in the right central channel as a false 9. This had variable results, and with only 22 touches and a single shot, he wasn’t the dynamic striker we hoped for.
What I liked: As a holdup forward and checking to the middle, Jesús was great, finding multiple times in the first ten minutes to open the middle with his back to goal. His playmaking ability was on display in the 26th with a nice vertical pass to Cristian, and you could see Ferreira’s class on the ball.
What I didn’t like: Jesús started at the tip of the Sounders spear but often created more of a concave shape, which is bad for spearing and not great for soccer attacks! He rarely stretched the defense, and his connective play didn’t end with him in the box with touches, making his performance particularly toothless.
Moving forward: Seattle’s offense looked better with Moose playing more direct as a forward, and the verdict is out as to whether Jesús will look better should he do similar.
Substitutes
Danny Musovski – 5 | Community – 4.8 (on 64’ for Ferreira)
Musovski entered after having scored in his previous match and brought confidence into his direct play. Almost immediately, his inclusion changed the shape for Seattle, who looked to position a little more effectively and aggressively at the low St. Louis block. Only getting five touches, Danny still managed a shot.
What I liked: Immediately dribbling at the defense in the middle of the field in the 68th minute, Musovski won a corner kick. His vertical positioning and willingness to run off the ball and stretch the field opened up more standard passing for Seattle who improved with these options.
What I didn’t like: With only five touches, it was hard to get the ball, and while he ran a lot to space, he was more effective opening options for others than being goal dangerous himself.
Moving forward: Musovski showed the ability to understand the tactical needs, and he continues to offer a different option at attacking positions.
Danny Leyva – 5 | Community – 5.3 (on 79’ for C. Roldan)
Leyva earned some more time in this match, building off an impressive early season. Danny as an attacking facilitator was a late inclusion, but he was very active in short minutes. He turned 21 touches into a shot and a key pass in just over 10 minutes time.
What I liked: Leyva is creating big moments with his vision every match, and in the 87th minute he found an excellent through ball to KKR, pushing him up the wing in a play that Seattle needed to do better with.
What I didn’t like: Only 70 percent completion is low, which you don’t mind if they are attempting creative passes to break down a strong defense. But Danny had a number of errant attempts that killed chances, and he can do better.
Moving forward: Leyva is showing that his defense is average, but his creation ability is a real weapon to be deployed, as he pushes for more time in 2025.
Kalani Kossa-Rienzi – 5 | Community – 5.1 (on 80’ for Rothrock)
Kalani entered in his now-familiar late energy sub role and brought exactly that. He had eight touches and 86 percent passing, but more importantly, he brought pace and directness to the play as Seattle chased points on the road.
What I liked: KKR got two touches in the St. Louis penalty area (the same number as the starting striker) and was direct and intentional at goal in limited minutes.
What I didn’t like: An unnecessary 83rd minute backheel was another moment where Kalani got caught up in the excitement and his fundamentals let him down.
Moving forward: Continuing to embrace the super sub role and adding consistency should be the goal.
Referee
Fotis Bazakos – 5 | Community – 3.6
Bozakos refereed another Sounders match and again disappointed. He whistled 11 times against each team with Seattle earning four yellows and STL two. That seemed out of sorts with the game state, which quickly devolved into a rough match with a number of players riding the edge of the rules. A referee allowing overly physical play hasn’t normally worked out for Seattle, and it didn’t this time either.
What I liked: Early on things seemed to be going well, with Bazakos calling fouls in the first five minutes that seemed to promise a tightly called match.
What I didn’t like: Alex Roldan being hammered in the 19th with no yellow card given appeared to sanction a high physicality level, but this only confused players, who then saw some incredibly rough plays go un-whistled and others earned yellow cards. It was clear that players, coaches, and fans had little idea what led to a whistle, a foul, or a card.
Moving forward: Seattle has had some rough referee performances this season already.
St. Louis City SC MOTM
DP Eduard Löwen scored the only goal of the match via a free kick, following a slip by Ragen. He got a good slap on the ball, taking it over the wall and beating Frei at the near post. That was really about it – dude called it a night and subbed off after about an hour.
Upcoming: Back to only MLS play for a while, starting with Houston in Seattle this weekend.
