It’s a tired adage, “goals change games,” but the statistics in the Seattle Sounders’ best-of-three playoff series against Minnesota United prove the point.
The fourth-seeded Loons played an identical defensive scheme for majority of Game 1 and Game 2. They ceded possession and had a backline of five clog the fifth-seeded Sounders’ attack in the box.
In Game 1, the statistical breakdown had the Sounders with 69% of possession, outshot Minnesota 14-10 and had a 2.4 xG (goal expectancy). After a goalless draw, the Sounders lost 3-2 in a penalty shootout at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minn.
For Game 2, the Sounders tweaked their starting lineup to get leading scorer Danny Musovski in the mix. The stats were similar to the opening match — the Sounders had 59% possession, outshot the Loons 11-8 and had a lower xG at 1.91. But the Sounders won 4-2 at Lumen Field on Monday, netting an opening goal in the eighth minute.
“The first goal is crucial,” Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas said of his low, left-footed shot off a cleared corner kick. “It opens them up a little bit and forces them to come out of their shell a little bit. After that first goal, we were dominant.”
Now the Sounders are facing a tough question for a decisive Game 3 at Allianz Field. Do they stick with the lineup used in Game 2 or does the outpouring of goals simply explain scoring, no matter the lineup, changed the game?
Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer and his technical staff are contemplating the issue. While playing with two forwards proved to be successful, the Sounders needed a fourth goal to ensure the win Monday.
Paulie Ball provided that in the 86th minute. Sounders midfielder Danny Leyva sent a ball on the left flank for Paul Rothrock to chase down, the winger doing so to get a pass to Vargas at the top of the box. The shot was deflected but still found the back of the net for a 4-2 lead.
Rothrock was pulled from the starting lineup for Musovski, subbing on in the 66th minute.
Not perfect
The Sounders wanted to pull the Loons out of their shell but weren’t exactly prepared for them to press. Aided by eight minutes of first-half stoppage time, Minnesota pounced on two rudimentary defensive errors to score a pair of goals for a 3-2 deficit at the break.
The Loons pressed at times during the second half and could’ve leveled the score. Minnesota coach Eric Ramsay isn’t known for spicing up his tactics, he prefers his team score from set pieces, but a decisive playoff match could prompt a change since it showed glimpses of working against Seattle.
“We didn’t play as well in the second half,” Morris said. “They were pressing and we need to clean that up.”
Keeper gate
Sounders backup keeper Andrew Thomas was spotted warming up during Monday’s match. He’s skillful in penalty shootouts, most recently winning a Leagues Cup quarterfinal match against Mexico’s Club Puebla with two saves during a shootout. But Schmetzer was curt when asked if he would’ve subbed Thomas on for veteran Stefan Frei if Minnesota would’ve found an equalizer in the second half. Frei made his 38th playoff appearance Monday, most of any active player in MLS.
“I will make decisions based on how I feel and how the game is going,” Schmetzer said. “We didn’t need Andrew Thomas.”
Quotable
“We were more decisive, more aggressive,” Vargas said of Game 2. His goals were his first in an MLS playoff match. He has six overall this season, through all competitions. “We believed the ball was going to go into the back of the net. You could see it in every movement, every second ball we scraped for. And it felt like we were winning the duels, winning the battle. Those little details gave us momentum.”