+/- Ratings: Sounders vs SJ (9/10)
Well that was quite the performance, though it was a little bit boring to grade after the first 30 minutes or so. It's been long enough where nothing new can really be said about the game itself, at least as far as I've seen, so I'll get right into the scores.
#16: Josh Atencio (0)
In Poss: 0
Out of Poss: 0
Transition O: 0
Transition D: 0
Events: 0
No negative scores on the entire squad!
#15: Alex Roldan (0)
In Poss: 1
Out of Poss: -1
Transition O: 0
Transition D: 0
Events: 2
#14: Shane O'Neill (1)
In Poss: 0
Out of Poss: 1
Transition O: 0
Transition D: 0
Events: 3
O'Neill had a nice long pass to start the attack on Joao Paulo's goal at the start of the second half.
#13: Will Bruin (1)
In Poss: 0
Out of Poss: 0
Transition O: 1
Transition D: 0
Events: 3
Bruin attempted a lot of dribbles in this match, which is pretty unusual. He didn't have much success, though he was often on an island without much help.
#12: Stefan Frei (2)
1st Half: 0
2nd Half: 2
In Poss: 1
Out of Poss: 1
Transition O: 0
Transition D: 0
Events: 2
Quiet day at the office for Stef. His distribution has improved over his 6 and a half years in Seattle.
#11: Jordy Delem (2)
In Poss: 1
Out of Poss: 0
Transition O: 1
Transition D: 0
Events: 4
#10: Yeimar Gomez (3)
In Poss: 0
Out of Poss: 2
Transition O: 0
Transition D: 1
Events: 5
Yeimar played solid defense and was safe in possession.
#9: Nouhou (4)
1st Half: -3
2nd Half: 7
In Poss: 1
Out of Poss: 5
Transition O: -2
Transition D: 0
Events: 12
Nouhou had a bit of a rough start to the match, picking up 4 negative events in the first 8 minutes, but was excellent for the remainder of the match. He had an excellent service in the 2nd half which should have been an assist, but it wasn't finished. He had the better of Espinoza throughout, picking up 0 negative defensive events.
#8: Xavier Arreaga (4)
1st Half: 3
2nd Half: 1
In Poss: 2
Out of Poss: 2
Transition O: -1
Transition D: 1
Events: 10
Arreaga was able to start numerous attacks from the back, including an assist on the opener. Defensively, he did his job, though he wasn't often put into challenging situations by the opposition.
#7: Raul Ruidiaz (5)
1st Half: 5
2nd Half: 0
In Poss: 5
Out of Poss: 0
Transition O: 0
Transition D: 0
Events: 10
Ruidiaz had an impressive boxscore, though his score of +5 through about an hour is merely above average. It can be hard for strikers to match the scores of midfielders in this system, though certainly not impossible, as Ruidiaz scored much higher in two of the playoff matches last season.
#6: Joao Paulo (6)
1st Half: 4
2nd Half: 2
In Poss: 6
Out of Poss: -2
Transition O: 0
Transition D: 2
Events: 9
Joao Paulo had another solid outing, showcasing his versatile passing range and aggressive defending after turnovers. He meshed nicely with Cristian Roldan, and with Joevin's performance on the right, has cast doubt on the security of Svensson's starting spot, something which seemed unlikely weeks ago. With rotation a must on a cramped schedule, this is no bad problem to have.
#5: Cristian Roldan (7)
1st Half: 6
2nd Half: 1
In Poss: 2
Out of Poss: 2
Transition O: 1
Transition D: 2
Events: 7
Cristian had an excellent game at his preferred position in the double pivot. While he will likely see time at multiple positions, the performance of players like Nouhou and Jones, as well as health, are probably the deciding factors in where Cristian plays his minutes. Roldan's score, accrued over just 57 minutes for a very strong per 90 score, was fueled by having no negative events on the evening.
#4: Kelvin Leerdam (7)
1st Half: 4
2nd Half: 3
In Poss: 3
Out of Poss: 1
Transition O: 3
Transition D: 0
Events: 6
Leerdam didn't have many events, but still picked up a goal and an assist. Only one of his events was negative, and even that was in the attacking third as he scuffed a through pass. Kelvin has been one of the Sounders top performers this season, and he is probably the third best finisher on the team. For my money he's been the best RB in the league this season.
#3: Joevin Jones (10)
1st Half: 9
2nd Half: 1
In Poss: 8
Out of Poss: 0
Transition O: 2
Transition D: 0
Events: 11
This game certainly suited Jones's skillset from RW. He often found himself switching with Nico and playing as a 10 as well. His ability to hit dangerous passes and crosses from difficult positions, such as moving in the opposite direction as he intends to kick the ball, is unmatched on the teams and I wish he would display it more.
#2: Nico Lodeiro (13)
1st Half: 14
2nd Half: -1
In Poss: 14
Out of Poss: 1
Transition O: -1
Transition D: -1
Events: 15
Lodeiro had a remarkable first half where he had a great assist, and could have had another. He faded out like most of his teammates in the second half, which has been a bit of a trend with Nico this season, but it doesn't matter to much if you can regularly put of double digits in one half.
#1: Jordan Morris (19)
1st Half: 7
2nd Half: 12
In Poss: 12
Out of Poss: 1
Transition O: 5
Transition D: 1
Events: 16
Morris did not fade in the second half like many of his teammates did, adding two assists. He easily could have had a hat trick of goals and of assists on Thursday. While the defending on the first goal was as bad as I've ever seen from a professional side, everything else he did was still impressive. 19 is the second best score of the season, only behind Yeimar's +21 against Columbus. That said, the game against Columbus was a very active game in general, and it asked a lot of Yeimar in particular, as Columbus looked to quick counter attacks, and allowed Seattle to play through him instead of Arreaga. This match had very few events overall, and nothing about it necessarily filtered the most important parts of the game toward Morris. So Morris's score might be more impressive all things considered.
Match Stats:
Total Score: 84 (1st out of 13 matches)
1st Half: 52 (1st)
2nd Half: 32 (3rd)
In Poss: 56 (1st)
Out of Poss: 13 (6th)
Transition O: 9 (5th)
Transition D: 6 (10th)
Events: 115 (13th)