Seattle Sounders 2015 Season Thread

[Smurf]

Ozzie is having surgury on his right groin muscle. He will be out the beginning of the season.

 

[dumbrabbit]

Man I'm really hoping they get a new CBA done. No telling what the consequences will be if a lockout occurs.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Ozzie is having surgury on his right groin muscle. He will be out the beginning of the season.

Actually better news than I expected, some groin surgeries can take much longer to heal.

We NEED Ozzie, cause I'm worried about our back line. Mears is a nice addition, but if we don't now have the oldest and slowest back line in the MLS, I don't know who does. Moving Evans to CB and keeping Leo was not the "back line retooling" I envisioned during the off season.

 

[razgriz737]

Looks like we've signed a young Colombian defender. On mobile right, will try and get a link later.

 

[SeatownJay]

Looks like we've signed a young Colombian defender. On mobile right, will try and get a link later.

Andres Correa. http://www.soundersfc.com/post/2015/02/ ... A9s-correa

Also, if anyone's interested in following the youngsters at S2, USL has announced that all games will be streamed live & free on Youtube.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Looks like we've signed a young Colombian defender. On mobile right, will try and get a link later.

Andres Correa. http://www.soundersfc.com/post/2015/02/ ... A9s-correa

Also, if anyone's interested in following the youngsters at S2, USL has announced that all games will be streamed live & free on Youtube.

Good signing, will add some much needed depth and youth to our back line. Not sure if Correa is front line starting caliber talent, but he could become that in a year or two. He was on Columbia's U21 national team, so he's got some talent for sure.

 

[Smurf]

There is that pace we needed along the back.

Hope Correa can get some time.

 

[Smurf]

Sounders started pre-season action tonight vs FC Tuscon.

Starting 11:

Martins, Dempsey
Neagle, Pineda, Azira, Pappa
Gonzales, Marshall, Evans, Mears
Frei

At half right now. Sounders up 4-0.

2 Goals for Neagle, 2 goals for Dempsey.

 

[Smurf]

Parsemain add's 2 more in the second half. Sounders win 6-0.

 

[Seabhac]

Season Tickets just arrived - with a nice summertime scarf.
Getting pumped for opening day.

 

[SeatownJay]

Seattle with another preseason match tonight, against Sporting KC. Sigi has decided to experiment again, this time trotting out a 3-5-2 lineup. The result so far is a 2-0 deficit at halftime.

 

[CurryStopstheRuns]

Down 0-3 now

 

[Smurf]

2-3 the final as the sounders fall to SKC.

Tried a 3-5-2 in the first half to little success. Had the ball a bunch but not a lot of chances.

Victor Mansaray (the soon to be 18 year old HGP) had himself a hell of a game today. Came in the second half and had a goal and an assist.

 

[razgriz737]

Scott totally blew it on that first goal. Wasn't sure if the second one was his fault as well. Hope we can get this defense sorted out...

Liked what I saw from Mansaray and Roldan.

 

[Smurf]

Scott totally blew it on that first goal. Wasn't sure if the second one was his fault as well. Hope we can get this defense sorted out...

Liked what I saw from Mansaray and Roldan.

First was Scott. Second was Evans. Third was Correa, Lowe and Ockford (So everyone).


Roldan was brilliant with his minutes. Kovar had a good showing too. His left foot is just awesome. Gave us great service.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

2-3 the final as the sounders fall to SKC.

Tried a 3-5-2 in the first half to little success. Had the ball a bunch but not a lot of chances.

Victor Mansaray (the soon to be 18 year old HGP) had himself a hell of a game today. Came in the second half and had a goal and an assist.

The MLS just isn't a league that has the talent to run a complicated formation like 3-5-2. Gotta have defenders and mids with the possession skill and passing to work the ball around, and the Sounders in particular don't have the defenders that can make those pinpoint passes and clears..........as evident by Scott's horrible touch and both Gonzo and Mears getting out of position early and often in the first half.

Bottom line, there's a reason most MLS teams run a boring 4-4-2 formation. It's safe due to personnel issues.

 

[Uncle Si]

2-3 the final as the sounders fall to SKC.

Tried a 3-5-2 in the first half to little success. Had the ball a bunch but not a lot of chances.

Victor Mansaray (the soon to be 18 year old HGP) had himself a hell of a game today. Came in the second half and had a goal and an assist.

The MLS just isn't a league that has the talent to run a complicated formation like 3-5-2. Gotta have defenders and mids with the possession skill and passing to work the ball around, and the Sounders in particular don't have the defenders that can make those pinpoint passes and clears..........as evident by Scott's horrible touch and both Gonzo and Mears getting out of position early and often in the first half.

Bottom line, there's a reason most MLS teams run a boring 4-4-2 formation. It's safe due to personnel issues.

Most teams in the MLS use a hybrid of a 433 (usually a 4231, 4213 or even a 4411). SKC utilizes a straight 433 with a flat midfield 3 most the time, which makes it a tactical nightmare for a three back.

That said, a 3 back set up does require technical acumen from its outside CBs. "pinpoint" in a 3-5-2 isnt nearly a requirement that a 3-4-3 would need, as you have two holding mids always in good receiving position and your wingbacks are generally further up the field. Most of the possession comes through the midfield 5. Not sure who the Sounders have to play two holding mid roles and make it work. Doesnt sound like they have anyone.

I didnt watch the game, but if the Sounders are employing speed to run off their two aged strikers, the system makes sense. I dont think possession soccer in the MLS is paramount to its existence, as shown by how the NASL MN United team outplayed them not too long ago (a team built to possess much like an EPL team). The midfield tends to get crowded by the physicality of its players.

 

[SeatownJay]

Sigi played 49-year-old Leo Gonzalez as one of the wingers in the 3-5-2. That should tell you how unsuited the Sounders are to that formation.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

I didnt watch the game, but if the Sounders are employing speed to run off their two aged strikers, the system makes sense. I dont think possession soccer in the MLS is paramount to its existence, as shown by how the NASL MN United team outplayed them not too long ago (a team built to possess much like an EPL team). The midfield tends to get crowded by the physicality of its players.

I just saw the highlights, the 3-5-2 broke down because both Mears and Gonzo pushed too far forward, which exposed us on the quick counters.

The thing with the 3-5-2, is you have to have your mids in perfect positioning to stop the interior passes and through balls to the forwards, and SKC took advantage of that the entire first half with continually finding space inside to push forward.

Again, just not a good formation for this team's personnel with a bunch of veterans that have played in 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 systems their entire careers. Maybe by mid season it'd start clicking? But that's some serious growing pains in hopes it pays off later in the year.

I guess I commend Sigi for at least experimenting in the pre-season.

 

[Uncle Si]

I didnt watch the game, but if the Sounders are employing speed to run off their two aged strikers, the system makes sense. I dont think possession soccer in the MLS is paramount to its existence, as shown by how the NASL MN United team outplayed them not too long ago (a team built to possess much like an EPL team). The midfield tends to get crowded by the physicality of its players.

I just saw the highlights, the 3-5-2 broke down because both Mears and Gonzo pushed too far forward, which exposed us on the quick counters.

The thing with the 3-5-2, is you have to have your mids in perfect positioning to stop the interior passes and through balls to the forwards, and SKC took advantage of that the entire first half with continually finding space inside to push forward.

Again, just not a good formation for this team's personnel with a bunch of veterans that have played in 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 systems their entire careers. Maybe by mid season it'd start clicking? But that's some serious growing pains in hopes it pays off later in the year.

I guess I commend Sigi for at least experimenting in the pre-season.

Well ideally the 3 CBs can handle interior passes and through balls, and your wingbacks can track back on the far side to establish a back 4 when the wide CBs shift over. the role of the holding mids is more to contain counters and disrupt possession in front of the CBs that may force them to step away from their lines.

But, atleast one holding mid needs to cushion the 3 backs. I mean at a relatively simple level, you'd train the strong side CM to push up with the ball, ask the weak side to slide to the middle to support the attack. Alot of this depends on what the attack looks like (is it paced, or possession).

I think the Sounders need to do a lot of searching this off season as to how to support their strikers. if playing wingbacks is a solution, then you need to figure out how to support them.