Major League Soccer is back and the Seattle Sounders are officially 50 years old! To celebrate the occasion, they debuted their snazzy 50th anniversary kits and updated crest. The colors and design pay homage to the Sounders teams that played in the North American Soccer League from 1974-1983, and the United Soccer League from 1994-2008. In my humble opinion, they absolutely nailed it with this jersey, and I can’t wait to buy one.
The Sounders began their 2024 campaign with a 2-1 loss to bitter rivals LAFC. The Rave Green were missing several key starters for the match including Stefan Frei, João Paulo and Albert Rusnák. Rusnák was slated to start, but picked up an ankle injury in the last training session before the match. His presence in the midfield was definitely missed, as the Sounders struggled to make an impact against a strong LAFC squad that was oozing with confidence.
The match started brightly for the Sounders when LAFC center back Jesús Murillo botched a clearance, and the ball fell kindly to Jordan Morris in the third minute. However, he squandered the chance with a weak shot that was easily saved by new LAFC goalkeeper and World Cup winner Hugo Lloris.
The rest of the first half was dominated by LAFC, who tested backup keeper Andrew Thomas early and often. Last year’s Golden Boot winner Denis Bouanga was constantly menacing the Sounders back four, and was responsible for one of two first half chances that went off the crossbar.
As halftime approached, it seemed like the Sounders would miraculously make it to the break without conceding. Unfortunately, they were undone in the 45th minute by a wonderful volley from Timothy Tillman. The winger latched onto a beautiful cross from Omar Campos and connected sweetly to ensure LAFC went into the second half with all the momentum.
When play resumed, things went from bad to worse. The Sounders came out flat, and were lucky not to give up a second goal when Buoanga was again denied by the crossbar. The crossbar was on it’s way to becoming the Sounders man of the match until Mateusz Bogusz piled on the misery in the 55th minute with a glorious strike from just inside the 18-yard box.
Undeterred, the boys in green kept fighting and were rewarded for their perseverance after Morris was awarded a penalty in the 73rd minute. New boy Pedro de la Vega confidently strode to the spot and slotted the ball home with the poise of a veteran. Ultimately, it was too little too late from the Sounders who will look to get back to winning ways against Austin FC on Saturday.
Although the loss was disappointing, I thought the Sounders showed a lot of heart and were able to compete despite being down several key players. There are some positives that will give the team some comfort moving forward. De la Vega only played 25 minutes, but in that short amount of time he looked like the real deal, teasing his dribbling and playmaking abilities. Nathan, who was filling in for the injured Yeimar Gómez Andrade at center back, also played admirably. He made several big plays on defense, including a goal line clearance that kept the match at nil nil.
The major question for the Sounders is can they fix their offense? They struggled to score goals for the majority of last season and that trend seems to be continuing. Raul Ruidiaz looks like a shell of his former self, and Jordan Morris needs to do some soul searching with just 5 goals in his last 25 matches.
The midfield also needs to do their part and get the ball into dangerous positions more often. I thought they lacked offensive urgency until they brought on De la Vega and struggled to create chances, aside from a few weak shots. The defense also allowed LAFC too much time and space on the ball and were once again plagued by poor marking.
I believe Rusnak is the Sounders x-factor this year, With Nico Lodeiro gone, someone has to step up and fill the creative void he left behind. If Rusnak can regain his 2021 form, when he scored 11 goals and recorded 7 assists for Real Salt Lake, he should have no problem stepping into the #10 role. The #9 role is up for grabs as well, and the burden will fall on Ruidiaz and Morris to produce. If players stay healthy and the offense starts gelling, the sky is the limit for this team.
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