Match Day 4 Preview: Four Questions With Sounder At Heart

PREVIEW – Burgundy Wave is once again collaborating with Sounder At Heart. We each asked each other a few questions about the other team to preview the match and get our audiences reacquainted with the opposition. Bellow you’ll find Dave Clark‘s responses and some betting odds. Find our piece on their site here.

BW: The biggest offseason change for the Sounders was Nico Lodeiro moving to Orlando City. Pedro de la Vega missed the Philadelphia “game” with a hamstring injury. How has Seattle looked without Nico so far this year?

The early struggles of the Seattle Sounders have shown me just how little the play of Nico meant to success and failure last year. They are just as ineffective in creating scoring opportunities this year as they were with him last year. Consistently they create a limited form of danger that indicates they should be scoring more than they do. But just like with Lodeiro in 2023 there’s not enough conversion. That’s mostly on the forwards/wingers. They’re doing a good job of pulling defenses away, which is probably why Josh Atencio is the highest non-penalty xG+xA on the team so far (also two more of the top six are the other starting DM and a starting CB). 

The lack of punch in the attack is probably best emphasized by the non-Morris/non-Ruidiaz attackers. Both of them have a single decent match. Jordan in Matchday 1 drew the penalty and had the best opportunity of the match. In the next game, it was Raul who was the best threat. Léo Chú and Danny Musovski were supposed to be supplemental attacking threats. Danny struggles to assert himself into matches and Chú remains on the island of potential when the Sounders need a continent of production.

BW: Colorado’s going to be inexperienced in midfield this weekend with Connor Ronan out with a knee injury. What’s the midfield going to look like given the injuries? What are you looking at for them to do well?

Bad news for the Rapids — Albert Rusnàk is healthy again. He’ll be in the 10, but working as a scoring threat and possession maestro. Y’all know what he’s good at probably better than Seattle does since we saw him as an 8 for a year and a half. Behind him will be two young defensive mids that are on the edges of various U.S. youth teams.

Josh Atencio is surging forth as the best player on the team so far this year (it’s a young year) and though not called up for the recent U-23/Olympic camp that may be because that camp is while the Sounders are playing games. With the health of the squad they cannot do without their best-to-this-point player. Obed Vargas helped the Sounders win the CCL back in 2022. Injury and poor form have limited his chances for calls lately. Obed is strong in lateral possession and seems to be in the spaces where the Sounders want him — always.

Expect Atencio to surge from deep spaces, controlling the turf to accept his ability to threaten goal with an emerging vision that seeks to threaten goal. Additionally look for one of the Roldans to overload the center during long possession. Seattle is willing to crowd the top of the area during prolonged possession. They must use that to create danger. Defensively they’re as stout as ever. Going up the middle is foolhardy. 

BW: So that “game” against the Union. How much do you think that match being suspended will affect this Saturday (rest vs. rust)? 

There’s a hope that the Sounders are just rusty and a bit injured. At most they’ve started seven of their Best XI in a match so far. Standing in heavy rain with nothing to show for it has to be a bit demoralizing. Re-centering after the postponement should focus on the return home and the ability to play in mid-60s and sun in front of the local crowd. Hopefully it’s easier to push the postponement aside than it is a loss.

BW: It feels like the Sounders always do well in afternoon home games, but maybe that’s anecdotal. Care to give us a prediction? Are the Rapids cannon fodder for Fox to broadcast Rave Green’s first win of the year? 

I wish I felt that way about Sounders home games. They’ve been a below average home team since the pandemic started (the only exception being in the CCL). It’s been years (2019) since Lumen Field felt like a fortress. Here’s Alex Roldan after practice Thursday.

“We need to get back to people wanting to watch us play at home,” Roldan said. “It’s a big piece to this very long year. It’s a high-pressure moment where we need to win.”

The good news for Seattle is that Colorado seems willing to give up at least a goal.

Betting Odds:

Sportsbooks in Colorado like the Sounders in this one. FanDuel for example has a Seattle win at -185. A draw is +290 with a Rapids win at +500. Those odds are almost identical to the odds for the Portland season opener. Buckle up.

Photo Credit: Mark Shaiken

Thank you for reading Burgundy Wave. If you want to support us, join our Patreon starting at $5/month. Also, we’re always looking for new talent to contribute to the site, develop, and give opportunities to. If you’re interested in covering Colorado Soccer in any way, let us know.