MLS is Back Tournament: Three things we learned from the Sounders opening match
March 1, 2020. The number one movie in the box office about four months ago was The Invisible Man and the Seattle Sounders were opening the 2020 MLS season vs. the Chicago Fire.
Nobody would’ve guessed that the Sounders 2-1 victory would be the first and last game before the Sounders and the league took a break due to the coronavirus. On July 10, Seattle returned to the pitch in Orlando for the MLS is Back Tournament and opened up with Heritage Cup rival, the San Jose Earthquakes. Here’s three things we learned from the Sounders scoreless 0-0 draw vs. San Jose.
Playing for a purpose
If you talk to players and coaches of the Seattle organization to a man, they will tell you that they play for cups, trophies and glory. With the national spotlight on the tragic murders of Black people in America, the focus has turned to the Black Lives Matter movement and while teams have put their own touch on how they pay tribute to those victims. Seattle has decided to do the same. In Friday’s game vs. San Jose, players wore tribune tags on the backs of their jerseys with victims that have been killed by senseless violence.
Local Seattle activist, artist, and app developer Teddy “Stat” Phillips helped design the captain’s armband for the match that displays a colorful design and says the words “Vote. Every. Damn. Time.”
Relax, it’s just one match..but
Seattle’s lack of possession in the first half after a few minutes of being a scoring threat was quite alarming if you’re a Sounders fan. A 63-37 posesion edge by the earthquakes and an additional eight to six shots on goal advantage is a bit frustrating but there is something to it. Seattle was without Joao Paulo who was out for the game with a quad injury, so that man in the midfield that can help limit the possession form the opponent was not there.
Another observation was it was very evident that Seattle had not played in a while, 120+ days to be exact. I don’t think there’s a question of fitness in the team’s training camp leading up to the Tournament that many heard during the ESPN broadcast. Playing the first competitive game after a long rest will have some signs of over aggressiveness. 13-total fouls in the first half and each team collecting a yellow card is the perfect example of that. The second half had many sequences of guys pulling up with injuries and cramps, as most soccer in humidity do. The Sounders did make subs (four out of the allocated five for each match in the tournament) but it was clear that the four months off and an intense rock fight vs. San Jose took a toll physically. It’s not to be blamed on match fitness, it’s the first match in four months for both teams.
Stefan Frei putting the team on his back
Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei was without a doubt the man of the match for the Sounders. After being peppered with early shots from San Jose in the first half, a slog of a game midway through the second half gave way to each team getting chances to break the game open with a shot on goal. Frei came up with diving saves (seven total saves in the match) in the sweltering Orlando night to keep a clean sheet and preserve the 0-0 shutout.
While Friday’s performance by Frei is one Sounders fans will be proud of, the amount of chances San Jose got should be somewhat alarming, but as previously mentioned, we’ve got a long way to go in this tournament. Treasure the Frei performance for what it was tonight, a work of art.
This story was originally published July 10, 2020 at 8:16 PM.
