Sounders see a win become a draw on three separate occasions.

Seattle went across the country to play their first-ever road match against Charlotte FC, a second-year MLS team which hasn’t been very good. In true 2023 Sounders style, they looked both amazing and awful in the span of the match, dominating the possession and shots metrics and scoring the most goals they have scored in months. Where the offense looked dangerous, the defense was a disappointing combination of very good and terrible. Playing with a lead for most of the match, for whatever reason Seattle kept relaxing, and while they only allowed three shots on goal all match (yay), all three scored (boo). Unable to hold three separate leads is a definite problem for the Sounders, although there were glimpses of quality. Maybe more concerning were some tactical changes and personnel decisions that impacted the match and didn’t pan out.

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Goalkeeper

Stefan Frei – 5 | Community – 5.4

Did Frei have to do much? No. Did he earn his tenth shutout? NO. Could he have allowed two goals and still won? Yup. That’s a 5 rating in my book. He had zero saves.

One thing I liked: The game organization was there from the back, outside of a few big blunders. In the 9th minute, Frei took the opportunity to get a long ball out to Cristian in a field-stretching moment. A 78th minute punch was solid.

One thing I didn’t like: Just like Frei may be overrated on shutouts when he doesn’t have to do much, he gets dinged on losses and draws when he doesn’t have to do much. Organization, composure, intensity: these are all things that Frei can bring to the tempo of a match, and against Charlotte there was a lot that went wrong.

Going forward: Seattle’s defense just shut down multiple times and immediately were penalized, which isn’t directly on Frei but something for all to improve upon.

Defense

Nouhou – 5 | Community – 5.7

Nouhou had a quiet match on the left, doing his job for the most part, but struggled at times with Karol Swiderski who consistently gave the Sounders trouble. Nouhou had a small number of defensive actions and struggled in spurts, similarly to the rest of the team.

One thing I liked: In the 37th minute Nouhou completely dispossessed his opponent in a beautiful “welcome to Nouhou” moment.

One thing I didn’t like: A rough foul in the 78th minute gave Charlotte the ball in a dangerous spot for a set piece, earned Nouhou a yellow card, and helped fuel the momentum shift that the home team rode to another equalizing goal.

Going forward: Last year Seattle’s defense turned off enough times to scare many observers, and matches like this show some frighteningly similar mistakes.

Jackson Ragen – 6 | Community – 5.8

Ragen had an up-and-down match that mirrored his team’s play. He led his team with five clearances, had 91 percent passing on 51 touches, and was strong at combining with teammates when Seattle had the ball. His footwork in transition moments was an issue.

One thing I liked: Ragen has often sent diagonal balls to open up space this season, but in minute 11 against Charlotte he went directly over the top in a central pass, ultimately dropping a perfect assist onto the streaking run of Cristian Roldan. This came off a dead ball, perhaps breaking Seattle’s free kick impasse?

One thing I didn’t like: Jackson was a big part of a reactionary defense that allowed things to happen to them instead of forcing their will on the opponent, resulting in players marking space while Charlotte scored.

Going forward: Ragen showing a bit of direct play is a great thing for whoever plays right wing.

Yeimar – 5 | Community – 5.2

Seventy touches, 88 percent passing, and four each of interceptions and clearances would normally be ingredients in a top-notch contribution to a stellar defensive outing. Unfortunately, Seattle struggled when possession grew stagnant and on multiple occasions the back line was trying to be the creative fulcrum for the team. When combined with Yeimar’s penchant for errant passes, this was a hit or miss venture.

One thing I liked: In the 36th minute Yeimar put an excellent ball over the top to Albert Rusnák, ending with a Raúl Ruidíaz golazo.

One thing I didn’t like: With Seattle seemingly cruising in the first 10 minutes, Swiderski juggled a ball on the end line and Yeimar quit on the play, clearly thinking it was out of bounds. We will never know if it was, but we do know the Charlotte striker clipped it back post for an easy finish to tie the match.

Going forward: For as great as he can play, Yeimar is just as prone to turning off as the rest of this defense with startling regularity.

Alex Roldan – 5 | Community – 5.5 (off 87’ for Baker)

Roldan returned from a card accumulation break and was excellent early, making things happen up the right wing. He was active throughout, combining with his brother and getting into dangerous places consistently.

One thing I liked: The early diagonal cross returned with Alex, and he tried it in the 8th and 82nd, on his way to a team-high two key passes.

One thing I didn’t like: With Seattle breaking out with excellent numbers in the 32nd minute, Roldan got it all wrong by crossing directly to the keeper instead of one of three other options in the box.

Going forward: Last time I thought more subs should have been used with tired players. This time Alex and Obed Vargas subbed late, which messed with the shape. And Charlotte scored two minutes later.

Defensive Midfield

João Paulo – 7 | Community – 6.7

JP was his usual strong self, pairing with the less effective Vargas and trying to do a majority of the central midfield work. He led Seattle with 92 touches and completed 83 percent in a valiant attempt to be the entire midfield through long stretches of play.

One thing I liked: João Paulo was everywhere, especially in a turbulent first half when his combination centrally unlocked the ever-present Albert Rusnák into attacking areas.

One thing I didn’t like: The connection with Obed was all over the place; it’s hard to place too much blame on JP, but he consistently ran himself out of position trying to do too much.

Going forward: With as many central options as Seattle has, the one constant is JP.

Obed Vargas – 5 | Community – 4.9 (off 87’ for Atencio)

Vargas returned from a successful US U-20 trip and was immediately slotted into the starting lineup. At times he looked as disconnected as you would expect from a guy who hadn’t been with the team for a month. His 47 touches/84 percent passing and a single tackle defined an outing where he struggled for most of his time on the field.

One thing I liked: Obed was beaten in the 6th minute and took a professional foul. Seattle is not a huge “fouling as a tactic” team, but Vargas correctly read the situation and stopped the opponent’s momentum, allowing the defense to reset.

One thing I didn’t like: This was a rough game for Vargas; he wasn’t effective centrally and consistently struggled to connect passes into attacking areas. In the 53rd minute he trailed an entire counter attack before committing to a slide tackle that was casually stepped around prior to Charlotte’s second goal.

Going forward: I don’t know Seattle’s official depth chart, but Obed seems to be the most trusted option for Sounders staff when DP-level players are out. He has struggled with MLS play.

Attacking Midfield

Léo Chú – 5 | Community – 5.1 (off 71’ for Morris)

Léo Chú continued to get heavy minutes with injuries around him and was active in this match but clearly missed Nico Lodeiro’s service up the wing. Chú had a single shot in addition to an assist on the second Sounders goal.

One thing I liked: In the 36th minute Chú followed up an over-the-top play well, making the smart decision to get the ball to Raúl and get out of the way.

One thing I didn’t like: Consistency is still an issue for Léo, who made a number of wrong choices in this match with choosing between runs, crosses, and shots. This was compounded by only finding 20 total touches.

Going forward: Léo has filled a giant winger need this season but still depends on teammates for service.

Albert Rusnák –7 | Community – 6.9

Rusnák got a chance to play the 10 and didn’t disappoint. He was everywhere, combining from minute one and creating opportunities all over the pitch. His 54 touches included two key passes, a near-goal on an early shot, and constant movement to be an option for teammates from sideline to sideline.

One thing I liked: In the 3rd minute he first-timed a perfect through ball to put Raúl in alone off a throw in. He followed that up with a shot of his own. Later he chased down an over-the-top ball and found Raúl through Chú for the second goal. Albert was dealing all night.

One thing I didn’t like: Charlotte bottled up some of the over-the-top stuff in the second half, and Albert was forced further and further from goal as he tried to support a flagging central defense.

Going forward: Many have wondered what a Rusnák central attacking role would look like, and initial returns are quite promising.

Cristian Roldan – 7 | Community – 7.3 (off 74’ for Rowe)

Seattle has clearly missed the myriad talents that Cristian brings to the field. It’s not a fluke that the Sounders were more dangerous and offensively coherent with the smart movement and connection that Roldan added. He only had 27 touches, but he opened the scoring and was a consistent force on the right that balanced out the field.

One thing I liked: You can’t teach the instincts to go over the top in the 11th minute, and you can’t easily learn that magical touch Cristian displayed as he took a 50-yard long ball softly down and finished clean to open the scoring.

One thing I didn’t like: Cristian tired and looked potentially hurt by the 74th minute. He was definitely playing less aggressively than usual, which may be baked into the pie at this point.

Going forward: It’s awesome to see Roldan back and he’s a massive improvement to the team on the offensive end.

Forward

Raúl Ruidíaz – 8 (MOTM) | Community – 8.4 (MOTM) (off 71 for Héber)

Raúl got a start for the first time in months and rewarded this masterful tactical move with two goals. Not only did he do the thing Seattle struggled with for a majority of the time he was out, he led the team with four shots (all on goal), and had 92 percent passing and 44 touches. Raúl was active and effective.

One thing I liked: Raúl’s goals demonstrate how valuable he is and why he would be hard to replace. Effective at build up, Ruidíaz can score in so many ways. The first was an “I’m just better than you” goal where he took a ridiculous distance+angle and slammed the ball home from 25 yards. The second was more cerebral, as he found the right run and finished clean after a roadblock in front of him missed the ball. That back post run was a tricky one, something Seattle greatly missed without Raúl.

One thing I didn’t like: Ruidíaz started hot with a great 3rd minute run, but when Albert put him in on goal with only the keeper to beat, his shot went right at the goalie and robbed Seattle of an even hotter start.

Going forward: Seattle missed both the little things and the big things Raúl can do. Hopefully healthy and continuing to find service will see him score many more goals.

Substitutes

Héber– 5 | Community – 4.6 (on 71’ for Ruidíaz)

Héber came on to relieve Raúl who is still recovering from injury. He touched the ball three times.

One thing I liked: In the 94th minute Héber nearly won it for Seattle, getting through but ultimately losing out to the double whammy of a great keeper save and being offside.

One thing I didn’t like: In 20+ minutes on the field, three touches is way too few and showed how ineffective Seattle was at finding Héber.

Going forward: Héber didn’t see the ball but almost did something big. The “almosts” are getting to be too much.

Jordan Morris – 5 | Community – 5.1 (on 71’ for Chú)

It was fantastic to see Morris return quickly from a groin injury, getting 20 minutes to close out this match. He had five touches.

One thing I liked: After pulling up lame directly from scoring a few matches ago, just seeing Jordan healthy enough to get back on the field was a hint that the best 11 may at some point play together.

One thing I didn’t like: The subs were ineffective, with Morris only completing a single pass and not being in the match at all.

Going forward: Morris (and Cristian) returning is big for the team, but apparently they are off to the USMNT so bleh.

Kelyn Rowe – 5 | Community – 5.0 (on 74’ for Cristian Roldan)

Kelyn Rowe played, subbing in with 15 minutes to go.

One thing I liked: It’s hard to be ready quickly, and an apparent injury to Cristian made Kelyn have to warm up and sub in on short notice.

One thing I didn’t like: In the 81st minute Rowe was beaten to the end line.

Going forward: The lineup struggled, and the subs didn’t improve things.

Joshua Atencio – 5 | Community – 5.0 (on 87’ for Vargas)

Atencio came in late to finally give Obed a break. He struggled like his teammates.

One thing I liked: Atencio had a late pass wide to Morris that nearly created something.

One thing I didn’t like: A bad pass in the 88th minute was followed by trying to dribble through the entire opposing team in the 90th, and both were poor choices.

Going forward: Atencio might have been a better choice to start centrally, but he didn’t prove that in his three minutes of playing time, so he’s likely back to the end of the bench.

Cody Baker – 5 | Community – 5.4 (on 87’ for Alex Roldan)

Baker came in on the right. He had 11 touches.

One thing I liked: In only a few minutes, Baker was second on the team with two tackles.

One thing I didn’t like: Cody got somewhat lost defensively as he and Atencio combined to watch the game-tying cross enter from their defensive area.

Going forward: Baker has earned some confidence from the staff.

Referee

Lukasz Szpala – 7 | Community – 5.5

This referee was fairly innocuous, letting the play speak for itself and making calls when necessary. With 22 fouls called, it was a clean match that also had five yellow cards. The splits saw Charlotte being the more physical team and Szpala did well to communicate with the players and prevent the game from getting out of control.

One thing I liked: Giving four cards to the team fouling more was a novel concept, and the 62nd and 87th cards were quality calls that often aren’t booked.

One thing I didn’t like: There were a few moments that were up in the air for calls, the most egregious being Charlotte scoring off a ball that may have been over the end line, with no clarification or check seemingly instituted.

Going forward: Seattle played a highly volatile match and the referee was strong in allowing the play to remain safe yet exciting.

Charlotte FC MOTM

Karol Swiderski had two excellent touches in the 17th minute, keeping a play alive that his direct opponent had left for dead. In doing so, he assisted on the first of Charlotte’s three game-tying goals. On their second, he was involved in the buildup, and on-hand on the off chance Frei had been able to parry. Oh, and he created a chance for Ben Bender in the 60th that was saved only by the post. So yeah, he was in amongst it.

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Next up: Seattle is gaining and losing players at a high rate, but with some big matches coming up, hopefully they can get most of their optimum lineup on the field together.