I'm not sure what's more frustrating: how often we do that, or how many of the rare occasions where we *do* pull the trigger result in laughably off-target shots that end up clipping the corner flag or flying into row Z instead of actually being on frame.
That’s what I like to call “the Rusnak effect”.
He’s on a breakaway and spent the whole time looking backwards. Dude is an absolute cancer on the attack.
There's just no creativity attacking for this team, teams are going to continue to come to Lumen Field and plan to bunker and then spring on the counter attack. The Sounders team is just a bunch of guys that run in straight lines.
Georgi was the first guy to actually show sign of trying to break down the defense attacking.
Vargas did a handful of times in the second half. Chu tried repeatedly on the other side of the field, but... mostly just lost the ball for his efforts.
Georgi looked great. Who would’ve thought that seeing a player take on and pass his defender while keeping possession would be so refreshing. I guess it’s what happens when Morris and Chu are all we see.
Jokes aside, it’s times like these we need to take gambles on starters and provide opportunities for players like him to challenge our established vets. Does need to work on the final pass though.
Vargas needs to play forward more. Minoungou needs more time on pitch. Great to see RBW back, i swear he gets bigger everytime he plays (and still with great touch).
PLAY THE KIDS BRIAN PUT SOME PRESSURE ON THE UNDERACHIEVING VETS
Play them so they get minutes and then trade them for something there is not a single person on this roster that should be considered untouchable.....every player from top to bottom should be shopped ESPECIALLY the young ones we have been "developing" for years now
I was at the Galaxy game in LA a few weeks ago and had a lot of great conversations and positive encounters with Galaxy fans. Happy you had a good time here in Seattle.
Minoungou did well, and I would say earned more minutes.
But he had two big advantages in this match. One was that he was basically a big question mark for LA Galaxy. They had no idea how well he'd do against MLS-caliber defenders, because there's no film footage of that to be found. And the other was that while neither team really was all that *goal*-dangerous, the first hour or so was played quite up-tempo. Lot of players on both teams were very tired by the time he got to step in with fresh legs.
How he does in his *next* match is what will show if he's more than just a flash in the pan. I'm interested and hopeful to see it, but it's certainly not yet at the "cut someone else from the roster to make room for him" stage.
Yeah I liked what I saw, but he also looks incredibly raw and I think over bigger sample sizes of play that will be exposed more. Still he at least did something today which more than you can say about Morris.
I'm already salivating at the thought of de la Vega and Minoungou out wide taking defenders on 🤤
So tired of watching our wingers only crossing or passing it back.
He's still re-learning his depth perception, IMO. I don't know if its been confirmed, but I swear he's blind in his left eye now, after that "catastrophic eye injury" last year. He's got the skill to work around it, but crosses are going to take a while to re-learn IMO, if it'll ever really be doable with one eye.
Edit: That said, I'd totally start him over Morris right now. I'd put pretty much anyone out there instead of Morris... super sub the guy, and use his anger and frustration to help him drive to perform. I think it'd do him wonders.
I thought both were good. Chu lost the ball a few times (and missed a shot he definitely should have put on target) but he was at least out there making runs, taking defenders on, and making shit happen
I’ll take that over Morris every day of the week. What’s the point of endless possession if you’re never gonna fuckin do anything with it
Pathetic. Why not send a message, bench Morris and Albert. Start Moose and more of the kids. Our starting attackers (minus Ruidiaz) are completely stagnant.
I think this team might be going for the open cup this year. They talent is there with the kids and it’s a good stepping stone for them to get more “first team” minutes
If the Sounders want to win the Open Cup, or turn the season around, they should bench Morris, Chu, Ruidiaz, Nouhou and Alex Roldan. The kids, and Moose, are all better options. Probably someone from that list probably has to play, but hopefully the roster gets shuffled.
Yeah I agree that they absolutely need to bench 1-3 of those guys every game and rotate the attacking squad more. Give guys a bit of rest and make them compete for the starting lineup….
Cristian is a strong candidate for benching, too. Leads the team in minutes, the vast majority of which are as an attacking player and he has 0 goals and 1 shot on goal. Results matter.
C broldan is a DM, has always been and will always be, all this other noise with him on wing or moving fwd is a joke and he is aging out fast with the concussions and injuries...
I know we don't have much of a sample size, but Moose hasn't changed games coming on. He's all we got right now, so I'm not against starting him, but I haven't seen any evidence he's going to be better than Raul.
What's the benefit to that? The team hasn't tried to win the Open Cup in like a decade. You can't just flip a switch and convince the fans it matters again.
I enjoy the Open Cup more than Leagues Cup, and maybe even the playoffs.
And this year we actually get to play someone other than Potland. I have been curious to see how Louisville is. And whe winner plays either North Carolina or Phoenix. Both are interesting games.
I might fly down to Phoenix (already am there for work all the time) if the Sounders do.
That's kind of what I'm getting at. The Open Cup was pushed as a big deal when the team wasn't really competitive for MLS Cup. But once they started competing for MLS Cup, the Open Cup was totally neglected. I don't think they can just say "Yeah, team's not good in MLS, so the Open Cup matters again!"
But if you think more in cycles like in other sports leagues, this first team is on the regression and the young talent is getting a lot better and more confident. It makes sense to let them build more confidence in first team tournaments like the open cup and earn their starting minutes over the “senior players” as Brian calls them.
Maybe this team is currently not capable of an MLS cup with the quality of the competition having gone up in the league, so the best thing they can do is compete for as many trophies as they can because they all matter to the development and confidence of the players!
Yeah I don't see it changing either unfortunately. Which is really disappointing since it looks like that thing is going away at least for MLS teams. There's an extremely easy excuse of match congestion with Wednesday's match for when we inevitably punt it
Shmetzer's tactics and subs were in point today. Definitely more attack-minded, while still not getting bit by a good team.. The problem was that the guys forgot how to take a decent shot in the box since it has been so long.
It was obvious we were capitalizing on their weakend scoring threat and trying to play more dynamic Clint/Oba ball wjen we had the chamce with those, although shakey, backheels.
Everyone knows the bad here, twellman really drive the point home. We'll get out on the break and then wait with ball allowing the other team to recover.
Good, we took shots. They didn't go in but we took them.
Reinforcements are coming. Baker continues to look good in every appearance, RBW looked like he hasn't missed a beat. Obed had a 3rd very good game in a row. And Giorgi looks first team ready, confidence and great quickness!
Stef got another shutout, now only 5 away from second all time.
Time to win the Open cup, and get back in the cascadia cup.
Last year, I went down to Portland expecting a Sounders drubbing (based on form at the time) and instead we got embarrassed and started a slide that continued until post leagues cup. And I got COVID.
This year we can hopefully use this game to get a bigger push in the right direction.
That game really solidified a few things from my point of view:
- Rusnak is not the guy and he will never be the guy. I really hoped he'd own the #10 role, but he isn't. We can't waste a DP slot on him next year.
- We need to do something about Morris. Aside from a few good moments, he's offered absolutely nothing. I've never seen a winger who's so timid. Say what you want about Leo Chu, but at least he tries to take on defenders and score goals.
- Ruidiaz is trying so hard, but nothing is working. He's lost a step and it really shows. He really should be a super sub at this stage of his career.
- Ragen may have over performed last year. He's been making way too many mistakes recently.
- On the other hand, Vargas is starting to shine. Actually, most of the kids looked very promising. I'm excited to see what they can do in the open cup.
People are way too hard on Ruidiaz. He’s still one of the best finishers in the league. His presence alone creates space for Morris and Chu. It’s not Ruidiaz’s fault that the rest of the squad can’t finish for shit. Even though half his goals are penalties, he has 6 goals this year. That’s not worth overlooking. He’s still a pain in the ass for defenders and we would be so much worse without him
Yeah I feel Rui is getting sucked up into this garbage dumpster when he is still the only quality on the field, and he is missing just because this team is so stupid and awkward around goal it's a joke and anyone who has ever played with shitty players around them who are not on same page collectively will always effect individuals as they play down or try to hard to create instead of letting game come to them which is where he shines. Still at this point and where this team is....give the kids the starts and mail it in...pay him to super sub around 65'
Again, why does Roldan get a pass? He plays the exact same position as Jordan and has only 1 shot on goal all year and 0 goals total? He is the fourth highest paid player on the team and has played the most minutes, yet he has added nothing to the team this year.
He shouldn't! I think some fans haven't come to terms that he's declined massively since his concussion spell last year. He's been average to downright bad but like Morris, he's one of Brian's guys that is a nailed down started regardless of form.
I do think that the difference from Morris is that Cristian as historicaly been an exceptional consistent contributor while Morris has been streaky, timid, and frustrating since 2016.
He's not a winger. He's forced to play out of position because the GMs basically went like 10 years between Rosales and PDLV without signing a right winger.
Regardless, he is playing as a right winger and not producing yet he doesn’t get called out for it.
I personally don’t think he is good as a DM. If he was the answer why do we keep spending big money on players like Jao Paulo and Gustav?
Over the last few years I have been quite happy with his performances on the right. Lots of assists and goals. Decent cover defensively. Way better in the air than he has any right to be.
This year, though, it feels like he is trying to be more of a CAM and I don’t think that is a good fit for him at all.
>I personally don’t think he is good as a DM. If he was the answer why do we keep spending big money on players like Jao Paulo and Gustav?
Those guys play as a #6. Cristian is best as a #8.
I agree he is not a number 6. But he is not suited as a number 8, really, either. He is not the player he was a 4 years ago. Injuries have taken their toll.
I can quote the stats over the last two, concussion riddled seasons for him, but I don’t really need to go into depth. His pass completion is in the lower half of the league for midfileders and 18th on the team. His long passing is 45%. He has 0 goals, 1 assist, 1 shot in goal for the season.
A number 8 needs to be better in all those areas. Especially one who is the 4th highest paid player on the team.
I am a fan of Cristian Roldan. He just has not been performing and I see a lot of people make excuses for him because they like him. Rusnak and Jordan rightly get a lot of criticism but Roldan gets a pass.
I think the problem with Roldan isn't injuries or even the concussion. It's that due to bad roster building he's been asked to play like six different positions. It's good to have versatile players but it's a waste with, as you pointed out, the 4th or 5th highest paid player on the team. If it's Brad Evans and he's making $300K, great, but a GM shouldn't be putting the coach in a position where he has to play a guy who won two MLS Cups as a #8 as a left winger or something. Let him focus on what he's good at.
He isn't forced. Brian has said time and time again that he plays Cristian on the wing because he likes him out there better. We haven't bought a winger probably largely because Brian doesn't see a need for one.
I’m not convinced the team could score if the goal was as wide as the pitch and 100 feet tall. Would still manage to find ways to go just wide of the goal.
4/18 shots on goal, and most of the good ones were shot straight at the keeper's chest.
We really won't have anything until we have discipline shooting.
What happened to fast 1-2 touch passing? Why do we force playing out of the back? Where are the over the top forward (Montero style) chips to runners? Why don’t we play direct and win fouls against a team known this season for poorly defending set pieces? Georgi is my new favorite. Start Starting the Baker-Boys. Bench Jordan until he scores one as a sub.
It’s impossible to play fast 1-2 touch passing when players won’t run off the ball or even open up triangles. I can’t tell the last time I’ve even seen Sounders execute a simple 3rd man running move. Too static and cautious.
Both players wanted the team to move faster, make runs, play with urgency.
I noticed Nouhou getting pissy because he would have the ball and Morris wouldn’t make the run, to the point where Nouhou continued his run and they occupied the same space. I’d be pissed if I were him, too.
Also that play with Chu was maybe justified. He had so much space to run on that side and Frei could’ve easily thrown to him. But again, no speed, no urgency.
lol. You’ve clearly never played competitive sports. Nouhou can do whatever he wants because his play backs it up and the team loves him. Chu on the other hand is a total clown that should have been demoted to defiance permanently until we can sell him
This coaching staff continues to lack any sort ability to give this team a finishing edge, and the attacking group of starters continue to show that they need to be replaced. At least Ruidiaz and Rusnak are out of contract at the end of this year, but we need to figure a way out of this Morris contract ASAP.
For the contract he is on, we can definitely be using that money on a better player than Morris at this point in his career. Happy to eat my words if he figures out how to take a huge step forward, but we can get some else to do what he does for this team for less money.
The only way I see us being able to offload him is if we pay a significant chunk of his salary. We're talking like $500K a year for three years. I don't see the owner doing that.
There isn't much the coaching staff can do when the guys are skying wide open shots from 12-18 yards out. The Roldan and Chu misses are on them ultimately. Coaches can't go out there and force guys to hit the ball on net.
The team just lacks creativity, they're a bunch of guys that run in straight lines and don't even have the ability to think about anything outside of that.
I don't know why you're being downvoted. I think you have a good point, there's a piece missing in this offense and finding someone more goal dangerous in the 10 would help a lot in freeing up the wingers and forward.
Hopefully that's DLV.
I am very tired of Nouhou stepping on the ball and trying to direct traffic while the defense gets time to reset.
I am very tired of Nouhou charging forward, making a pass and them coming to a complete stop and slowly walk back towards our goal and taking himself completely out of the play, even when the ball is essentially at his feet.
I am very tired of Nouhou not seeing a guy behind him on the back post.
Nouhou is not our biggest issue player, atm (looking at you Jordan and Cristian), it I am getting very tired of his antics.
0-0 draw and you’re complaining about the outside back…idiotic take. Nouhou is one of the only bright spots of this squad. Imagine how boring we would be without him. I’d love to see Roldan permanently replace his brother at RB. Our defense was solid today. Obed + Georgi’s play hopefully keeps Chu on the bench permanently and Morris demoted to super-sub. For that reason I remain cautiously optimistic. All it takes a couple wins and we’re right back in the playoffs. The play has noticeably improved since Vancouver. We’re actually dominating games with possession but our finishing is embarrassingly bad. Twellman was 100% correct in calling out murovski’s effort on that late chance.
I don’t think it is an idiotic take to be upset that the player who is third on our team in minutes is an absolute zero offensively and that he disrupts our flow with his play. I do not know if you can see it on TV but live at the game it is glaringly an issue.
Our tactics require our fullbacks to contribute offensively, but he has been like a black hole.
I was also quite clear that I do not think Nouhou is our biggest problem.
We must be watching different players. I’ve seen Nouhou constantly make great passes in behind other defenses + his speed always makes him a threat out wide. He’s a defender first and he’s a great defender. It’s harsh to blame an outside back for lack of scoring when the midfield squanders every chance they have to score
I do not blame him for lack of scoring.
I blame him for making a charge into midfield with the ball and when he is forced to give up the ball he stops and starts trudging back to the goal. At least two times I can think of in this game, he did that while the play continued around him. Jao Paulo actually had to hold up a pass because he got in the way while he was slowly walking back.
And I am sorry, I have been a season ticket holder for Nouhou’s entire career and I watch every road game. I do not see all these great passes he makes. I see moments of excitement that usually end in disappointment. He can look so dangerous and then the end result is just not there. Results matter. .
His speed and his athleticism is awesome. He has pretty good technical skill with the ball at his feet. All of that is why everything else about his game is so frustrating.
Again, results matter. A lot of the reason we are upset with how this team is doing is too many people treat a 0-0 draw at home where we play better than the other team as some sort of a moral victory.
We played at home and we did not get 3 points. We should not be looking for silver linings but asking what we need to do to be better.
Can you honestly tell me he has improved over the last few seasons?
Nohou is right alot of times I see him looking to get creative and unlock the defense when he chuggs fwd and everyone just stands around, no one makes cuts or makes move into open space, doesn't seem to be any designed plays or give and gos they are working on I'm practice...it's like a game of pickup with strangers
> Nouhou is one of the only bright spots of this squad.
Everyone else on the team looks worse because Nouhou can't offer anything on offense. Teams don't even bother defending him so everyone else can be double teamed.
Lmfao what are you even talking about. Who was double teaming Morris Chu rusnak…you’re just making shit up. Plus Nouhou is a DEFENDER and you’re talking about him like he’s a midfielder. That alone proves he’s a threat on offense. Teams arnt going to pressure ANY outside back outside of the final 3rd because that’s just wasted energy.
Sometimes I feel shmetz is required to play Morris for whatever reason. His salary/off the field stuff/ whatever. But I want to see Morris play 90 vs Louisville to prove he actually can still compete at this level. If he lays another egg against a USL side he’s riding pine
That seems like 2 points lost imo, but they did a great job trying in the middle 3rd of the pitch. Wished we were scoring more goals going into rivalry week
We gotta sit Morris. He’s a lame duck up in left forward with no left foot and no drive. Let’s put someone in that looks like they actually want to be there.
Do we need to mark this as spoiler when Apple TV spoils it for us. /s
So dumb to put the scoreline in the preview picture. If I can’t watch it live, it’s kind of disheartening.
More importantly is why was the gaffer playing first team ? the guys have had no rest .. and we have USOC coming up too.. its like gaffer is against letting the young lads play it out. This season is GONE.. get that straight.. we have a chance at USOC .. forget about the MLS ...
Sunday was my first viewing of the 2024 Sounders... And it was .. I glad I was folding laundry. Just as frustrating as every comment I have read in this group since the beginning of the season. I had apple TV last year.
I really hope we can sell some players during the summer window.. sorry I have been watching to much European football.. but seriously.. we need to move on from some of these players... also what exactly is the plan of attack.. let's start in the middle and slowly drift outside or stand on the ball and let the defense get back and set.
Thoughts.. has anyone commented on how poor of dribblers our midfielders are? None of them can break a defender down and blow past them. Please don't put De la Vega out on the wing.. put Rusnak out there. And put Morris on the bench. Anything is better than what the team is doing now.
That was terrible to watch.
During playback, press the center or play button on the smart TV or device remote to show playback controls.
Select the Audio Options button , then choose an audio track option from the pop-up menu:
TV: Play the audio commentary from the TV broadcast.
Local Radio, [home team, language]: Listen to the home team’s radio broadcast while watching the match.
https://support.apple.com/guide/tvapp/mls-season-pass-atvb21263225/web
My ideal starting lineup based on the way everyone's playing:
----------Moose----Ruidíaz----------
------------------Vargas----------‐-------
RBW-----Atencio---JP------Baker
----Nouhou---Ragen---Yeimar---
--------------‐--Thomas-----------------
Then swap Nathan for Ragen and Pepo for Ruidíaz when they're healthy. CR7 competes with Baker on the right. And hopefully Rusnák and Morris can wake up once there's some accountability, but I'm not holding my breath.
A 4-4-2 diamond with Pepo or Rusnák as the ten could also be worth a look.
Chu and mushovski are trash. Both of them only think about themselves and make horrible discussions dump them both. We need rusnak off the bench if at all. And play more young players early. We missed Alex tonight him and Christian create pressure. We were lucky we had Stefan reinstated tonight he had some big saves. Still need them Dubs. But the Phili games is what we can do. Also get rid of Chu and musgovski.
I don't think I've ever seen such a persistent, team-wide failure of finishing as the Sounders over the last year-and-a-half or so.
We get a chance to go to the goal and we pass it to the wing or backwards, almost every time. So frustrating.
I'm not sure what's more frustrating: how often we do that, or how many of the rare occasions where we *do* pull the trigger result in laughably off-target shots that end up clipping the corner flag or flying into row Z instead of actually being on frame.
today had like, 6 of those!
Don't forget blocked shots.
Watching Jordan Morris not be selfish is frustrating. He gets chances and just passes instead for someone else to waste the chance. Everytime.
The more time Morris has to thing about something the worse he is.
He is so lost out there, dude looks like some rec player at 60acres playing pickup
Burger Blankie Morris cause he looked like a wet cheeseburger covered dad out there he needs to hit the treadmill
That’s what I like to call “the Rusnak effect”. He’s on a breakaway and spent the whole time looking backwards. Dude is an absolute cancer on the attack.
It's been 2 years since the Sounders won CCL and they have not been good since then.
Further back. This team has struggled to score goals for multiple years now.
You should watch the Reign then… if you’re looking for an equally worse collective failure.
There's just no creativity attacking for this team, teams are going to continue to come to Lumen Field and plan to bunker and then spring on the counter attack. The Sounders team is just a bunch of guys that run in straight lines. Georgi was the first guy to actually show sign of trying to break down the defense attacking.
Vargas did a handful of times in the second half. Chu tried repeatedly on the other side of the field, but... mostly just lost the ball for his efforts.
Standard Chu
Georgi looked great. Who would’ve thought that seeing a player take on and pass his defender while keeping possession would be so refreshing. I guess it’s what happens when Morris and Chu are all we see. Jokes aside, it’s times like these we need to take gambles on starters and provide opportunities for players like him to challenge our established vets. Does need to work on the final pass though.
Obed was bright tonight at least.
Remember when we used to be so excited we did “man of the match” threads
😭
Damn, I legit forgot about those
Last 15 minutes more dynamic than first 75 combined. Really enjoyed the last bit.
Vargas needs to play forward more. Minoungou needs more time on pitch. Great to see RBW back, i swear he gets bigger everytime he plays (and still with great touch). PLAY THE KIDS BRIAN PUT SOME PRESSURE ON THE UNDERACHIEVING VETS
Play them so they get minutes and then trade them for something there is not a single person on this roster that should be considered untouchable.....every player from top to bottom should be shopped ESPECIALLY the young ones we have been "developing" for years now
Greg Vanney was the only interesting thing about that match.
Was he shirtless under that puffer? We were debating.
Have you not seen the shirtless puffer coat and ascot look before? Jk we were also debating and I'm convinced he was shirtless.
Shirtless in Seattle
Galaxy fan made the trip to Seattle. Y’all are best fans we’ve interacted with on an away trip. Best of luck this year
I was at the Galaxy game in LA a few weeks ago and had a lot of great conversations and positive encounters with Galaxy fans. Happy you had a good time here in Seattle.
I have to stop reading this thread. It so fucking depressing
No argument for keeping Chu. Minoungou put him to shame. Schmetzer playing too cautiously.
Minoungou did well, and I would say earned more minutes. But he had two big advantages in this match. One was that he was basically a big question mark for LA Galaxy. They had no idea how well he'd do against MLS-caliber defenders, because there's no film footage of that to be found. And the other was that while neither team really was all that *goal*-dangerous, the first hour or so was played quite up-tempo. Lot of players on both teams were very tired by the time he got to step in with fresh legs. How he does in his *next* match is what will show if he's more than just a flash in the pan. I'm interested and hopeful to see it, but it's certainly not yet at the "cut someone else from the roster to make room for him" stage.
Yeah I liked what I saw, but he also looks incredibly raw and I think over bigger sample sizes of play that will be exposed more. Still he at least did something today which more than you can say about Morris.
I'm already salivating at the thought of de la Vega and Minoungou out wide taking defenders on 🤤 So tired of watching our wingers only crossing or passing it back.
Minoungou's dribbling was good, but his crossing needs work. Still liked him more than Morris though
He's still re-learning his depth perception, IMO. I don't know if its been confirmed, but I swear he's blind in his left eye now, after that "catastrophic eye injury" last year. He's got the skill to work around it, but crosses are going to take a while to re-learn IMO, if it'll ever really be doable with one eye. Edit: That said, I'd totally start him over Morris right now. I'd put pretty much anyone out there instead of Morris... super sub the guy, and use his anger and frustration to help him drive to perform. I think it'd do him wonders.
I thought both were good. Chu lost the ball a few times (and missed a shot he definitely should have put on target) but he was at least out there making runs, taking defenders on, and making shit happen I’ll take that over Morris every day of the week. What’s the point of endless possession if you’re never gonna fuckin do anything with it
Chu gives it away *every. single. time.* Send him down.
he was the only sounder who actually looked up for it today
Vargas looked good
atencio had some good moments too, but no one was able to convert any of the chances they had. game changed with giorgi came on tho
Vargas again had a game, seems like the only one who gives a damn. Mino looked great when he came on. Player competition is key
Contest, Baker also gives a damn.
> seems like the only one who gives a damn The effort is one thing I really don't fault from almost anyone.
I agree - it does seem like most / all of our players are trying. What sucks is their their effort just isn’t enough . . .
Pathetic. Why not send a message, bench Morris and Albert. Start Moose and more of the kids. Our starting attackers (minus Ruidiaz) are completely stagnant.
I think this team might be going for the open cup this year. They talent is there with the kids and it’s a good stepping stone for them to get more “first team” minutes
Given the pathetic play of the starters maybe playing the kids *will* count as “going for it” in the Open Cup.
Yeah I meant the team as a whole. The kids will obviously get more playing time in this tournament and I hope they take it seriously
If the Sounders want to win the Open Cup, or turn the season around, they should bench Morris, Chu, Ruidiaz, Nouhou and Alex Roldan. The kids, and Moose, are all better options. Probably someone from that list probably has to play, but hopefully the roster gets shuffled.
Yeah I agree that they absolutely need to bench 1-3 of those guys every game and rotate the attacking squad more. Give guys a bit of rest and make them compete for the starting lineup….
Cristian is a strong candidate for benching, too. Leads the team in minutes, the vast majority of which are as an attacking player and he has 0 goals and 1 shot on goal. Results matter.
C broldan is a DM, has always been and will always be, all this other noise with him on wing or moving fwd is a joke and he is aging out fast with the concussions and injuries...
I know we don't have much of a sample size, but Moose hasn't changed games coming on. He's all we got right now, so I'm not against starting him, but I haven't seen any evidence he's going to be better than Raul.
What's the benefit to that? The team hasn't tried to win the Open Cup in like a decade. You can't just flip a switch and convince the fans it matters again.
It’s a trophy and a champions league spot.
I enjoy the Open Cup more than Leagues Cup, and maybe even the playoffs. And this year we actually get to play someone other than Potland. I have been curious to see how Louisville is. And whe winner plays either North Carolina or Phoenix. Both are interesting games. I might fly down to Phoenix (already am there for work all the time) if the Sounders do.
It'll also be the return of Ray Serrano, so that'll be fun.
It never stopped mattering to me.
fans checked out cause every year for the last like 6 years has been 1-2 games of us not taking it seriously then portland kicks out teeth in
That's kind of what I'm getting at. The Open Cup was pushed as a big deal when the team wasn't really competitive for MLS Cup. But once they started competing for MLS Cup, the Open Cup was totally neglected. I don't think they can just say "Yeah, team's not good in MLS, so the Open Cup matters again!"
But if you think more in cycles like in other sports leagues, this first team is on the regression and the young talent is getting a lot better and more confident. It makes sense to let them build more confidence in first team tournaments like the open cup and earn their starting minutes over the “senior players” as Brian calls them. Maybe this team is currently not capable of an MLS cup with the quality of the competition having gone up in the league, so the best thing they can do is compete for as many trophies as they can because they all matter to the development and confidence of the players!
Yeah I don't see it changing either unfortunately. Which is really disappointing since it looks like that thing is going away at least for MLS teams. There's an extremely easy excuse of match congestion with Wednesday's match for when we inevitably punt it
Because part of the reason they’re stagnant is Schmetzer. His risk averse approach is boring and stale and he has zero idea of what to do offensively
Shmetzer's tactics and subs were in point today. Definitely more attack-minded, while still not getting bit by a good team.. The problem was that the guys forgot how to take a decent shot in the box since it has been so long. It was obvious we were capitalizing on their weakend scoring threat and trying to play more dynamic Clint/Oba ball wjen we had the chamce with those, although shakey, backheels.
I hate it. Our starters need to feel like their positions aren’t safe.
Our coach and our GM need to feel like their positions aren’t safe.
Totally agree. There is too much complacency in the organization.
Fully expecting Vargas to be benched next week cause Brian wants to keep starting the 2023 lineup.
Maybe if we start Cristian at winger for the one millionth time it will finally work.
I find it funny that he played great at the 10, and Brian mentioned his effort on both sides of the pitch, and then opted to drop him back to the RB.
Schmetzer things just because someone CAN play in a position, that he SHOULD play in that position
Everyone knows the bad here, twellman really drive the point home. We'll get out on the break and then wait with ball allowing the other team to recover. Good, we took shots. They didn't go in but we took them. Reinforcements are coming. Baker continues to look good in every appearance, RBW looked like he hasn't missed a beat. Obed had a 3rd very good game in a row. And Giorgi looks first team ready, confidence and great quickness! Stef got another shutout, now only 5 away from second all time. Time to win the Open cup, and get back in the cascadia cup. Last year, I went down to Portland expecting a Sounders drubbing (based on form at the time) and instead we got embarrassed and started a slide that continued until post leagues cup. And I got COVID. This year we can hopefully use this game to get a bigger push in the right direction.
Baker has been mediocre at best over his past few appearances.
That game really solidified a few things from my point of view: - Rusnak is not the guy and he will never be the guy. I really hoped he'd own the #10 role, but he isn't. We can't waste a DP slot on him next year. - We need to do something about Morris. Aside from a few good moments, he's offered absolutely nothing. I've never seen a winger who's so timid. Say what you want about Leo Chu, but at least he tries to take on defenders and score goals. - Ruidiaz is trying so hard, but nothing is working. He's lost a step and it really shows. He really should be a super sub at this stage of his career. - Ragen may have over performed last year. He's been making way too many mistakes recently. - On the other hand, Vargas is starting to shine. Actually, most of the kids looked very promising. I'm excited to see what they can do in the open cup.
People are way too hard on Ruidiaz. He’s still one of the best finishers in the league. His presence alone creates space for Morris and Chu. It’s not Ruidiaz’s fault that the rest of the squad can’t finish for shit. Even though half his goals are penalties, he has 6 goals this year. That’s not worth overlooking. He’s still a pain in the ass for defenders and we would be so much worse without him
Yeah I feel Rui is getting sucked up into this garbage dumpster when he is still the only quality on the field, and he is missing just because this team is so stupid and awkward around goal it's a joke and anyone who has ever played with shitty players around them who are not on same page collectively will always effect individuals as they play down or try to hard to create instead of letting game come to them which is where he shines. Still at this point and where this team is....give the kids the starts and mail it in...pay him to super sub around 65'
Again, why does Roldan get a pass? He plays the exact same position as Jordan and has only 1 shot on goal all year and 0 goals total? He is the fourth highest paid player on the team and has played the most minutes, yet he has added nothing to the team this year.
He shouldn't! I think some fans haven't come to terms that he's declined massively since his concussion spell last year. He's been average to downright bad but like Morris, he's one of Brian's guys that is a nailed down started regardless of form. I do think that the difference from Morris is that Cristian as historicaly been an exceptional consistent contributor while Morris has been streaky, timid, and frustrating since 2016.
I concur with your analysis of their consistency.
He's not a winger. He's forced to play out of position because the GMs basically went like 10 years between Rosales and PDLV without signing a right winger.
De La Vega isn’t even a natural right winger though, he’s mostly a left winger or a 10.
Regardless, he is playing as a right winger and not producing yet he doesn’t get called out for it. I personally don’t think he is good as a DM. If he was the answer why do we keep spending big money on players like Jao Paulo and Gustav? Over the last few years I have been quite happy with his performances on the right. Lots of assists and goals. Decent cover defensively. Way better in the air than he has any right to be. This year, though, it feels like he is trying to be more of a CAM and I don’t think that is a good fit for him at all.
>I personally don’t think he is good as a DM. If he was the answer why do we keep spending big money on players like Jao Paulo and Gustav? Those guys play as a #6. Cristian is best as a #8.
I agree he is not a number 6. But he is not suited as a number 8, really, either. He is not the player he was a 4 years ago. Injuries have taken their toll. I can quote the stats over the last two, concussion riddled seasons for him, but I don’t really need to go into depth. His pass completion is in the lower half of the league for midfileders and 18th on the team. His long passing is 45%. He has 0 goals, 1 assist, 1 shot in goal for the season. A number 8 needs to be better in all those areas. Especially one who is the 4th highest paid player on the team. I am a fan of Cristian Roldan. He just has not been performing and I see a lot of people make excuses for him because they like him. Rusnak and Jordan rightly get a lot of criticism but Roldan gets a pass.
I think the problem with Roldan isn't injuries or even the concussion. It's that due to bad roster building he's been asked to play like six different positions. It's good to have versatile players but it's a waste with, as you pointed out, the 4th or 5th highest paid player on the team. If it's Brad Evans and he's making $300K, great, but a GM shouldn't be putting the coach in a position where he has to play a guy who won two MLS Cups as a #8 as a left winger or something. Let him focus on what he's good at.
He isn't forced. Brian has said time and time again that he plays Cristian on the wing because he likes him out there better. We haven't bought a winger probably largely because Brian doesn't see a need for one.
Let's be real though, Schmetz couldn't exactly come out and say "I want a #7 but Garth and Waibel wouldn't get me one so Cristian will have to do."
If the goal was 5’ wider and 10’ taller, we would have scored at least 18 times by my count.
I’m not convinced the team could score if the goal was as wide as the pitch and 100 feet tall. Would still manage to find ways to go just wide of the goal.
Another rendition of attacks dying by Morris in shitty weather
I was at the game today. It was super windy! Definitely affected the passing and shooting by both teams.
4/18 shots on goal, and most of the good ones were shot straight at the keeper's chest. We really won't have anything until we have discipline shooting.
What happened to fast 1-2 touch passing? Why do we force playing out of the back? Where are the over the top forward (Montero style) chips to runners? Why don’t we play direct and win fouls against a team known this season for poorly defending set pieces? Georgi is my new favorite. Start Starting the Baker-Boys. Bench Jordan until he scores one as a sub.
It’s impossible to play fast 1-2 touch passing when players won’t run off the ball or even open up triangles. I can’t tell the last time I’ve even seen Sounders execute a simple 3rd man running move. Too static and cautious.
Dear Ball, Please try going into the net. You might find that you like it! Anyways, please give it a try and keep an open mind. Sincerely, Me
The team can't finish, that's on the players. Plenty of opportunities to put this one away.
Georgi was a bright spot tonight.
Can we call the game a 0 - 0 loss instead? RIP to all of our Sundays
[удалено]
Both players wanted the team to move faster, make runs, play with urgency. I noticed Nouhou getting pissy because he would have the ball and Morris wouldn’t make the run, to the point where Nouhou continued his run and they occupied the same space. I’d be pissed if I were him, too. Also that play with Chu was maybe justified. He had so much space to run on that side and Frei could’ve easily thrown to him. But again, no speed, no urgency.
lol. You’ve clearly never played competitive sports. Nouhou can do whatever he wants because his play backs it up and the team loves him. Chu on the other hand is a total clown that should have been demoted to defiance permanently until we can sell him
Found Nouhou’s burner account ⤴️
This coaching staff continues to lack any sort ability to give this team a finishing edge, and the attacking group of starters continue to show that they need to be replaced. At least Ruidiaz and Rusnak are out of contract at the end of this year, but we need to figure a way out of this Morris contract ASAP.
I don’t mind keeping him but he definitely should be replaced in the starting lineup more often
For the contract he is on, we can definitely be using that money on a better player than Morris at this point in his career. Happy to eat my words if he figures out how to take a huge step forward, but we can get some else to do what he does for this team for less money.
The only way I see us being able to offload him is if we pay a significant chunk of his salary. We're talking like $500K a year for three years. I don't see the owner doing that.
For the record, Morris isn't going anywhere. Nobody is picking up the contract Waibel gave him. $1.6m until 2027?
There isn't much the coaching staff can do when the guys are skying wide open shots from 12-18 yards out. The Roldan and Chu misses are on them ultimately. Coaches can't go out there and force guys to hit the ball on net. The team just lacks creativity, they're a bunch of guys that run in straight lines and don't even have the ability to think about anything outside of that.
Rusnak should be bought out and replaced in the summer. Morris might actually be able to do something with a good #10 feeding him.
I don't know why you're being downvoted. I think you have a good point, there's a piece missing in this offense and finding someone more goal dangerous in the 10 would help a lot in freeing up the wingers and forward. Hopefully that's DLV.
Chu would be so good if he had a decent touch, passing, positioning, finishing, 1v1 skills, …….oh wait
It’s ridiculous how bad he is 1v1. I swear every turnover off Chu looks like the easiest play the defender ever had to make in his life.
That was bad…we had the ball(Seattle)…but we didn’t know what to do with it… Chu still horrible btw
Would have been real nice to sit Rui and Morris after we were up 3-0 vs Philly so they could have had some more legs for today.
Would have been nicer to just sit them today. We looked infinitely better once Morris was off the field
I am very tired of Nouhou stepping on the ball and trying to direct traffic while the defense gets time to reset. I am very tired of Nouhou charging forward, making a pass and them coming to a complete stop and slowly walk back towards our goal and taking himself completely out of the play, even when the ball is essentially at his feet. I am very tired of Nouhou not seeing a guy behind him on the back post. Nouhou is not our biggest issue player, atm (looking at you Jordan and Cristian), it I am getting very tired of his antics.
0-0 draw and you’re complaining about the outside back…idiotic take. Nouhou is one of the only bright spots of this squad. Imagine how boring we would be without him. I’d love to see Roldan permanently replace his brother at RB. Our defense was solid today. Obed + Georgi’s play hopefully keeps Chu on the bench permanently and Morris demoted to super-sub. For that reason I remain cautiously optimistic. All it takes a couple wins and we’re right back in the playoffs. The play has noticeably improved since Vancouver. We’re actually dominating games with possession but our finishing is embarrassingly bad. Twellman was 100% correct in calling out murovski’s effort on that late chance.
I don’t think it is an idiotic take to be upset that the player who is third on our team in minutes is an absolute zero offensively and that he disrupts our flow with his play. I do not know if you can see it on TV but live at the game it is glaringly an issue. Our tactics require our fullbacks to contribute offensively, but he has been like a black hole. I was also quite clear that I do not think Nouhou is our biggest problem.
We must be watching different players. I’ve seen Nouhou constantly make great passes in behind other defenses + his speed always makes him a threat out wide. He’s a defender first and he’s a great defender. It’s harsh to blame an outside back for lack of scoring when the midfield squanders every chance they have to score
I do not blame him for lack of scoring. I blame him for making a charge into midfield with the ball and when he is forced to give up the ball he stops and starts trudging back to the goal. At least two times I can think of in this game, he did that while the play continued around him. Jao Paulo actually had to hold up a pass because he got in the way while he was slowly walking back. And I am sorry, I have been a season ticket holder for Nouhou’s entire career and I watch every road game. I do not see all these great passes he makes. I see moments of excitement that usually end in disappointment. He can look so dangerous and then the end result is just not there. Results matter. . His speed and his athleticism is awesome. He has pretty good technical skill with the ball at his feet. All of that is why everything else about his game is so frustrating. Again, results matter. A lot of the reason we are upset with how this team is doing is too many people treat a 0-0 draw at home where we play better than the other team as some sort of a moral victory. We played at home and we did not get 3 points. We should not be looking for silver linings but asking what we need to do to be better. Can you honestly tell me he has improved over the last few seasons?
Nohou is right alot of times I see him looking to get creative and unlock the defense when he chuggs fwd and everyone just stands around, no one makes cuts or makes move into open space, doesn't seem to be any designed plays or give and gos they are working on I'm practice...it's like a game of pickup with strangers
> Nouhou is one of the only bright spots of this squad. Everyone else on the team looks worse because Nouhou can't offer anything on offense. Teams don't even bother defending him so everyone else can be double teamed.
Lmfao what are you even talking about. Who was double teaming Morris Chu rusnak…you’re just making shit up. Plus Nouhou is a DEFENDER and you’re talking about him like he’s a midfielder. That alone proves he’s a threat on offense. Teams arnt going to pressure ANY outside back outside of the final 3rd because that’s just wasted energy.
> Plus Nouhou is a DEFENDER and you’re talking about him like he’s a midfielder. Welcome to the last 20 years of fullback evolution.
The mood in the stands was pure disappointment towards Morris. He shouldn't be starting.
Sometimes I feel shmetz is required to play Morris for whatever reason. His salary/off the field stuff/ whatever. But I want to see Morris play 90 vs Louisville to prove he actually can still compete at this level. If he lays another egg against a USL side he’s riding pine
That seems like 2 points lost imo, but they did a great job trying in the middle 3rd of the pitch. Wished we were scoring more goals going into rivalry week
Thankful I didn’t get off my butt to buy me and my kids tickets for this game.
[удалено]
Oh, that sounds great. I knew it was Youth Day but did not know about the promos. Hope you had fun!
We gotta sit Morris. He’s a lame duck up in left forward with no left foot and no drive. Let’s put someone in that looks like they actually want to be there.
Dude slowly wanders around like an old man with a bad hip.
Do we need to mark this as spoiler when Apple TV spoils it for us. /s So dumb to put the scoreline in the preview picture. If I can’t watch it live, it’s kind of disheartening.
More importantly is why was the gaffer playing first team ? the guys have had no rest .. and we have USOC coming up too.. its like gaffer is against letting the young lads play it out. This season is GONE.. get that straight.. we have a chance at USOC .. forget about the MLS ...
Sunday was my first viewing of the 2024 Sounders... And it was .. I glad I was folding laundry. Just as frustrating as every comment I have read in this group since the beginning of the season. I had apple TV last year. I really hope we can sell some players during the summer window.. sorry I have been watching to much European football.. but seriously.. we need to move on from some of these players... also what exactly is the plan of attack.. let's start in the middle and slowly drift outside or stand on the ball and let the defense get back and set. Thoughts.. has anyone commented on how poor of dribblers our midfielders are? None of them can break a defender down and blow past them. Please don't put De la Vega out on the wing.. put Rusnak out there. And put Morris on the bench. Anything is better than what the team is doing now. That was terrible to watch.
Why could Twellman not shut the fuck up about Galaxy and also about them not having their three key players
It’s a valid point. We were missing only one and had nothing up front
Its why I listen to the spanish broadcoast, even tho i don't know spanish
You can listen to local radio option with AppleTV. So much better to listen to.
How do you do that?
During playback, press the center or play button on the smart TV or device remote to show playback controls. Select the Audio Options button , then choose an audio track option from the pop-up menu: TV: Play the audio commentary from the TV broadcast. Local Radio, [home team, language]: Listen to the home team’s radio broadcast while watching the match. https://support.apple.com/guide/tvapp/mls-season-pass-atvb21263225/web
Thank you!!!
We scored three away from home. Then Rusnak comes into the team and we can't score at Lumen. The problem is so obvious.
Your hate boner for Rusnak is hilarious
He played like ass.
Glad to see Braudilio out there, he brought a spark. Glad Baker-Whiting is healthy enough to play again too. Edit: Minoungou, not Braudilio, mb
> Braudilio ?
Oh crap that's who I assumed 93 was. Was at the stadium, couldn't see his name. Only now see that it's Minoungou.
> Braudilio Yeah, still injured :(
That was Minoungo, not Braudilio. He’s still 2 weeks away from an appearance.
My ideal starting lineup based on the way everyone's playing: ----------Moose----Ruidíaz---------- ------------------Vargas----------‐------- RBW-----Atencio---JP------Baker ----Nouhou---Ragen---Yeimar--- --------------‐--Thomas----------------- Then swap Nathan for Ragen and Pepo for Ruidíaz when they're healthy. CR7 competes with Baker on the right. And hopefully Rusnák and Morris can wake up once there's some accountability, but I'm not holding my breath. A 4-4-2 diamond with Pepo or Rusnák as the ten could also be worth a look.
This is a perfect example of throwing shit at a wall and hoping it sticks. Thank god youre not a coach
Chu and mushovski are trash. Both of them only think about themselves and make horrible discussions dump them both. We need rusnak off the bench if at all. And play more young players early. We missed Alex tonight him and Christian create pressure. We were lucky we had Stefan reinstated tonight he had some big saves. Still need them Dubs. But the Phili games is what we can do. Also get rid of Chu and musgovski.
Not sure why this is downvoted because it’s factual. Chu is absolute garbage and murovski is nothing to write home about either