Sounders control match, pull out rare late victory

Sounders get emotional lift from win.

It’s probably still too early to say their scoring woes are behind them, but the Seattle Sounders at least issued a reminder that they’re still capable of putting balls in the net.

Although after the first 45 minutes of the Sounders’ 3-2 thriller against the Vancouver Whitecaps, fans could have been forgiven for thinking it was going to be another frustrating performance. The Sounders entered the halftime break down 1-0, after conceding a set-piece goal, despite enjoying a near 70-30 possession advantage.

But in the second half, the Sounders gave the Whitecaps a taste of their own medicine, scoring on a pair of set-piece opportunities, and finally pulling out the winner in stoppage time after the Whitecaps were reduced to 10 men. As a result, the Sounders remained alive in the Cascadia Cup race and kept pace with the top of the Western Conference leaders as they prepare for a midweek road trip to San Jose.

Head coach Brian Schmetzer said he was proud of the his players’ performance on the road, particularly coming from behind twice in the match.

“That team found a way to win,” Schmetzer said. “They went down twice, I don’t think deservedly because I think we outplayed them for large parts of the game. I thought our possession sequences were great. When they celebrated Yeimar’s goal, that’s a team that’s together [and] committed.”

The Sounders got several standout performances in the three-goal outburst, particularly from winger Léo Chú, who repeatedly tortured the Whitecaps backline on his way to a two-goal performance which also included drawing a second yellow card on Mathías Laborda. While not credited with an assist on the Sounders’ winning goal, it was his shot on goal which helped set up the final tally.

“He still has room to grow, and if he really digs into his career, he’s going to be a tremendous player in our league,” Schmetzer said. “He’s got all the tools: Speed, technique and talent. The two goals were kind of a bonus.”

To Schmetzer’s last point, Chú said he mostly focuses and getting other players opportunities, but was happy to contribute to the scoreline.

“I always try to assist the other guys, and today Jackson [Ragen] gave me some goals,” Chu said.

Ragen’s actually tallied two assists on the night, as the Sounders' somewhat dormant set-piece attack roared to life. Ragen said it’s been a focus of the team, as they try to be more versatile in their attack.

“It’s something we’ve been working on, we’ve struggled for a lot of the year,” Ragen said. “Hopefully there will be a lot more the rest of the year.”

Schmetzer said the credit goes to assistant Andy Rose, who has been working with the team on being more dangerous from dead-ball plays.

“Andy Rose has done a great job, he works hard getting the guys organized. A lot of times it’s delivery, but tonight some of the tactics we tried...the players were able to execute.”

Interestingly, Schmetzer elected not to make any substitutions until stoppage time, which could have consequences as they prepare for a midweek match. Schmetzer said he didn't feel the need to make any substitutions given how the team was playing.

“We were playing well,” Schmetzer said. “I don’t know if the game required any subs. We’ll make changes for Wednesday against San Jose but I think that group of players deserved a chance to win the game. I thought we were in control of the game.”