Sounders struggle to solve scoring woes
SEATTLE — The Seattle Sounders thought they had found the scoring oasis after tallying three goals against Charlotte FC earlier this month.
It appears to have been a mirage.
To be clear, the Sounders had more or less a full attacking core in that match, something they are currently missing. But after a 0-0 home draw to Orlando City Saturday evening, the questions about where the goals — and victories — are going to come from are increasing.
With no wins in five matches, the early season cushion the Sounders had established is gone, and with limited financial flexibility and several Sounders away on international duty for at least a few more weeks, head coach Brian Schmetzer said the players on the field will have to solve this issue with the help of the coaching staff.
“It’s always a learning moment for me,” Schmetzer said. “We can’t micromanage players’ decisions. So, what you work on is their cognitive, vision and their decision-making by asking them a question. … And so, they learn, and they watch the film and we’re trying to make them better.”
The Sounders started the match well, nearly scoring in the opening minutes when Héber got off a shot in transition. About a minute later, Nicolás Lodeiro hit the crossbar with a shot. The Sounders continued to create a fair number of scoring opportunities through a good deal of the match. Sounders midfield Obed Vargas said the positive start was the result of a focus on maintaining intensity.
“We were aggressive, something we learned from [playing LAFC],” Vargas said. “We took a goal super early, we didn’t to do that again. I think we were super intense, super focused. And we created a good chance there that hit the bar. If it goes in, it’s another game.”
Unfortunately, many of the chances the Sounders created were squandered by forced passes that resulted in turnovers. Schmetzer said he challenges the players to think about potential missed opportunities in those cases.
“My message is always, ‘Did you see this pass over here when you tried to force the ball over here?’” Schmetzer said.
Teachable moments aside, with some of the core attacking talent unavailable, the Sounders roster is more than a little incomplete, and Schmetzer is relying on a mix of older veterans and inexperienced youth. So even if Schmetzer wanted to make personnel changes, he indicated there aren’t many options to choose from right now.
“Right now that’s tough, with slim pickings on the roster,” Schmetzer said.
The Sounders did register their 10th shutout of the season, and the defense has remained a bright spot through much of the season. Defender Yeimar Gomez Andrade said he is happy with the defensive performance, but like others said the teams focus is on scoring goals.
“We are playing well defensively, but we are having trouble on the offensive end,” Yeimar said. “We know that not having key players like Raúl [Ruidíaz], like Cristian [Roldan], Alex [Roldan], Jordan [Morris doesn’t help]. It’s no excuse for the situation we are in right now.
“But we have to keep focusing on the team and we have to turn this thing around. It’s not easy. But we are working on improving our game so we can turn the situation around.”
Source: Sounder At Heart