It's the Hope That Kills You

It was a beautiful summer night for some football as the Sounders hosted Liga MX side Monterrey. The Sounders had two scenarios where they advance: Win 3-0 and not get a red card, or score at least four goals and win by three. It seemed like an impossible task, but hey, you can never count the Sounders out, right?

Going into the game, I had no idea how to feel. We had yet to determine which Sounders team would show up on the pitch on Sunday. In reality, I hoped for the best but expected the worst.

And well, we got the worst.

Right from kick-off, the Sounders came out HOT. They looked like a team possessed by the ghosts of Souders past. They earned a freekick within 30 seconds, and Nico sent in a beautiful curled ball into the upper 90 to make it 1-0 in the first minute. Not even five minutes later, Leo Chu did what he does best and weaved through defenders to send a perfect cross to an open Jordan Morris, who headed it home to make it 2-0 within six minutes.

Seattle pushed to extend their lead and play their way into the next round of the Leagues Cup, but Monterrey’s influence in the game started growing. German Berterame got the Rayados in the game in the 31st minute, putting away the rebound from his own shot thanks to some shoddy defending from Ragen, Yeimar, and JP. Berterame then tied the score in stoppage time on a penalty kick after Albert Rusnák had some contact on an attacker's heel. Mind you, it all started with a piss poor decision from Leo Chu to pass into the box with four Monterrey players surrounding him and Albert… you learn not to do that shit as a kid.

Fans hoped and expected a similar start after the hot start to the first half. That was some false hope. 

Right from the second-half kick-off, the collapse only accelerated. Less than three minutes after stepping on the pitch, Monterrey capped off a straightforward drive through Seattle’s end of the field with a well-taken goal to give Monterrey the lead. This goal was another example of some shit defending. Yeimar was at least three-five yards away from Ragen, giving Monterrey that space. AND, since Ragen can’t defend 1-on-1 for shit, Berterame had no problem dinking the pass to his open teammate.

The Sounders did keep pushing for another goal of their own. Shortly after a dangerous look for JMo fizzled out, German Berterame was finishing his hat trick at the other end of the field as he put the final touch on a play that saw Obed Vargas left defending a breakaway on his own. I was getting food in the press box when this goal happened, so I’m just going to say it was more bad defending, but I’m not blaming Vargas. There were other chances from Raul, Jordan, and a few others, but it’s not worth mentioning at this point.

In the end, Monterrey showed Lumen what real football is, and the Sounders could not respond. The final score was 4-2, and the Sounders are officially on a three-week break before hosting Atlanta United on the 20th.

Last Few Thoughts

Nico is no longer our captain?!

I did not notice this until the end of the game, but Nico was not the captain at the start of the match. JP was holding the captain’s armband and passed it around to Yeimar before his red card and then to Raul. I found it a little odd until Schmetz said this in the post-match presser:

“Him and I were having conversations on what we could do to change the team. We made a decision for Frei to become the captain. Then he got hurt, and we decided to go with JP.”

I find it interesting that Nico has essentially stepped down from being captain, is in the last year of his contract, AND, along with the club, made that tribute video celebrating seven years with the man. It makes me think he will retire or be on his way out at the end of the season.

Well-deserved time off.

The Sounders won’t play another competitive game for three weeks, next facing Atlanta at home on August 20. There’s a high likelihood that the team comes into that match with a bit of rust, but at this point, that doesn’t seem any worse than how they look right now. Whether it’s tactics, tired legs, or a mentality problem, those three weeks will give Brian Schmetzer and his staff a rare opportunity to work on the issues on the training ground before returning for the season's final stretch.

In reality, this team will probably reach the playoffs, but fixing the problems plaguing the Sounders in the coming days may help them do something when they get there. Selfishly, I am happy about this break from watching the Sounders, but this certainly won’t be my last article until then. Maybe when we all return next month, we can all start having fun again.

Schmetz in the hot seat

I’ve been avoiding talking about this for a while now. I’ve been in the camp where Schmetz deserves more time with the team to get it to gel again. The problem is, I don’t think that’s going to happen. The team is in the worst form they’ve been in since I’ve been a fan. We’ve scored 15 goals in 18 games, only won five of those 18, and the team looks disjointed as all hell.

The players don’t even look like they’re having a good time.

That falls on the coach. He has been stubborn in his ways and seemingly refuses to switch things up. And no, moving Rusnak back to where he started the season does not count. He does not take criticism well at all, and as a journo/writer, if you even question anything, he’ll just shoot you down. That’s why people don’t ask the hard questions. What's the point?

What gets me, especially after last night, is that Schmetz said that fans should be happy with how the Sounders played. TELL ME, SIR, WHY THE HELL WOULD FANS BE HAPPY WITH LOSING AND GETTING OUTCLASSED?!

I know that he is a fantastic coach and a Sounders legend. There is no denying that. But it’s time he starts changing things before shit hits the fan. I honestly believe that if the Sounders don’t get a result in the next three league games, more people will start calling for his head.

There’s an old saying in soccer that hits true after last night’s game…

It’s the hope that kills you.