Seattle returns to big dance
Sounders return to playoffs on last-minute goal
The Sounders punched their ticket to the playoffs Wednesday with a 2-1 win over LA Galaxy. Seattle started off strong, pushed through patches of rough play in the middle of the game, and then punctuated their playoff berth with a stoppage time goal by Cristian Roldan.
Going into Wednesday, Seattle needed at least one of three things to happen to clinch a playoff spot:
1. A win over LA Galaxy
2. Minnesota draw or loss against LAFC
3. Dallas draw or loss against Colorado
The Dallas-Colorado game got delayed because of inclement weather, while the Minnesota-LAFC game took place at the same time as the Sounders’ match against the Galaxy.
The Sounders began the game on strong footing. In the ninth minute, JP kicked a corner which the Galaxy initially deflected, but JP recovered the ball and then crossed it to Morris in the box, who headed it straight into the goal. 1-0 Seattle.
Seattle kept a tight lid on the game for most of the rest of the half, allowing only two real chances for LA Galaxy to equalize. The first came in the 16th minute as Galaxy defender Julián Aude hit a cross next to the box that would have been knocked in for a goal, but Frei dove forward and intercepted the cross. The second was in the 33rd, as Galaxy midfielder Tyler Boyd got into the box but botched the cross to fellow midfielder Edwin Cerrillo.
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In the second half, however, the Sounders began slipping, and they conceded an equalizer in the 54th minute as Aude executed a beautiful cross to forward Douglas Costa, who charged forward a few meters past the Sounders defense and booted it past Frei for the goal. Tied at 1.
Seattle and the Galaxy both created opportunities for the next thirty minutes, but both defenses clamped down as offensive ball control suffered. Seattle brought in Nico and Héber in the 80th to rejuvenate their offense, and then missed a chance in the 81st with a Nico corner to Alex Roldan, who then crossed it to Ragen, who headed it just over the top of the crossbar.
By this point, LAFC had racked up a 5-1 lead over Minnesota, so the Sounders already had their playoff spot waiting for them. But the Sounders ended up seizing the clinch themselves. In the last minute of second half stoppage, Alex Roldan threw the ball in to Atencio in the box, who headed it a little downfield to the foot of Cristian Roldan, who shot it past Bond. Sounders win 2-1. Sounders go to the playoffs.
Even though the Sounders would have been in the playoffs regardless of the outcome of Wednesday’s match, it was good for the team to do it by themselves. Jordan Morris said as much in the postgame interview.
“Especially being at home, we knew that we wanted to win and clinch the playoffs on our own,” he stated. “And also, continue to climb the standings or stay towards the top of the standings, to be able to host playoff games.”
Schmetzer made sure to point out Cristian Roldan’s contributions to the team in the wake of his return from his concussion, a fact made especially salient by his game-winner on Wednesday.
“He feels like a new player [since he came back from injury]. I certainly tend to agree,” he said. “He does a lot of little things, he does a lot of big things. He’s been a critical part of the narrative of what was wrong in the middle of the year. I think we missed his ability to balance the team, the attacking and the defending,” he continued. “Tonight was icing on the cake that he scored the winning goal.”
Roldan echoed this, bringing up the thoughts that were racing through his head after he netted the clincher.
“It was a long road to recovery. To be able to score in the last minute of a very important game, it was really emotional,” he said. “I just thought back to all the moments of me in a dark room, not really worrying about anything else besides just sleeping.”
With the win, the Sounders sit second in the Western Conference, well behind Saint Louis, who have clinched the top seed in the West. Here are the current top nine in the Western Conference table:
1. St. Louis CITY SC, 17-11-5, 56 points
2. Seattle Sounders, 13-9-10, 49 points
3. LAFC, 13-10-9, 48 points
4. Real Salt Lake, 13-11-7, 46 points
5. Vancouver Whitecaps, 12-10-10, 46 points
6. Houston Dynamo, 12-11-9, 45 points
7. Portland Timbers, 11-11-10, 43 points
8. San Jose Earthquakes, 10-10-12, 42 points
9. FC Dallas, 10-10-11, 41 points
Schmetzer indicated that there isn’t any team in particular that he wants to face in the playoffs but did note the potential of a rivalry series with the Timbers.
“Let’s wait until we see how the western conference shakes up,” he said. “I don’t know if I have any favorites or non-favorites [as to] who we’re going to play, but obviously, if it was a best-of-three series against Portland, that would be interesting, because it’s the first time that we have the new playoff format, that might get a little heated. But let’s just wait and see.”
