Making Sense of the Sounders Loss to Olimpia

The Seattle Sounders stunned supporters and MLS fans alike after crashing out of the Concacaf Champions League to Olimpia in penalty kicks. The Honduran side came back to tie the Sounders in both legs, notably scoring an absolute golazo in the second leg with only a few minutes remaining in a game where the Seattle looked sure to advance. Here we attempt to break down that second leg and discuss why the Sounders failed to dispatch a scrappy but less talented Honduran side.

Fight and Grit

Perhaps no other stat line so accurately captured the essence of the game as the foul total. 42 fouls in total were committed, 22 for the Sounders and 20 for Olimpia. The Hondurans started the match with an incredible energy only to be matched by the Sounders.

Two players in particular set the tone for Olimpia, Deybi Flores and Carlos Pineda.

The pair combined for 24 total defensive actions, 6 fouls won, and 6 fouls conceded. Rather than concede space for the Sounders in buildup, the two constantly compressed space both forward and towards the touchlines. While the Sounders showed composure and crispness in buildup despite the pressure, the pair established Olimpia’s tactical approach to the match. It’s no coincidence that the pair’s combativeness led to Olimpia’s goals, Pineda nicking the 50/50 ball away from Roldan which led to the first corner and Flores drawing the foul which led to the free kick and Pineda volley.

The knock on effect for Olimpia was evident; they pressed much higher and weren’t afraid to foul the Sounders far from goal.

Of course, this was also aided by Olimpia’s reluctance to possess. Instead Olimpia played as direct as possible and focused on winning second balls. This was to little run of play effect of course but it allowed them to draw set pieces and prevent midfield turnovers and thus Seattle counters (still smh about Jones not passing to Morris in the 15th minute on one of Seattle’s only counters).

Final Third Tempo

As said before, the Sounders were crisp in buildup despite Olimpia’s intensity. Seattle finished the match with 64% possession and an 83% PA. Those pass totals and accuracy exceeded that of a number of home game wins last season even with Lodeiro and Svensson. The Sounders final third quality dropped precipitously, however, and they managed to generate only two shots from inside the box the entire match. There are a number of reasons one could point to but a few that stood out to me:

1. Lodeiro was missed. Lodeiro is one of if not the best tempo setting playmaker in the league. His ability to connect players allows more men to filter higher into the attack.
2. Svensson was missed. Delem had one of his best possession games in a while. Yet, his limited technical ability and apprehension to join the attack meant the Sounders lacked a player to slow the game down and connect short passes higher up the field.
3. While Joevin Jones showed effectiveness as a conduit between the defense and attack, his positioning often compacted the Sounders shape. With Leerdam rarely ever joining the attack behind him (more on that later), the Sounders right had two players to play through rather than play to in order to hold possession deeper down the right.
4. Olimpia’s combative, high flying nature meant that when the Sounders did break pressure, they then played too quick and direct. Olimpia exerted their style over the match.

Bad Crosses from Left, Zero Crosses from Right

If there’s one thing we’ve come to expect from the Sounders, it’s crosses from dangerous areas. Schmetzer refers to these areas as the optimal assist zones and, against Olimpia, the Sounders managed to reach these zones. As the teams only recipe for the attack, however, the Sounders had to execute. Despite getting into good positions Nouhou failed to deliver the final ball, often taking too long to play it in or create space for himself. Morris had 3 great chances to find Ruidiaz but could not execute.

Meanwhile, neither Leerdam nor Jones ever got into an optimal position down the right to deliver a good cross in.

It wasn’t until Cristian Roldan popped up on the wing did the Sounders attempt a cross from the right (which should be a positive sign). With Brad Smith and Victor Rodriguez gone from last season and Roldan starting at RW, it will be interesting to see how well the team can replicate the successful crossing tactics of last season.

Conclusion

While the Sounders probably deserved to move on and advance, soccer is a game of tight margins. That the Sounders weren’t able to blow open those margins is a disappointment, but not a worry, given the return of better attacking players and a strong aerial presence at CB. With CCL now out of the way, the Sounders should make a strong run at the Suppporter's Shield.