Around the League: Seattle leans on wide play to add variety and create operating room
SEATTLE
In full flight, Seattle presents a direct, potent threat few teams can thwart. The preferred modus operandi unlocks teams with a series of vertical passes through midfield to provide Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins with the necessary supply. It is a brisk and often overwhelming gambit given the movement of the front two and the speed of the combination play.
Opposing teams often tend to combat those streamlined measures by adding a third player in midfield and restricting the space in front of the back four. Those tactics frustrated the Sounders at points last season (the 1-0 home defeat to Vancouver last October presents perhaps the most effective example of the practice) and prompted a renewed emphasis on starting the approach play from wider areas at the outset of this season.
The influence of those efforts cropped up in the 3-0 victory over New England on Sunday night. Both goals from the run of play started with the willingness to stretch the field horizontally and then use the resulting space ruthlessly.
“There wasn’t much rhythm, but we tried to get into those pockets,” Dempsey said. “But, at the same time, we were trying to get the ball wide. I think we caused them trouble when we got the ball wide because we had good service. That’s something that we’ve added to our game this season, a little bit more width. Hopefully, we can start getting some more goals from crosses and it opens up the middle and [we become] more of a dual threat. It makes it more difficult to stop us.”
Seattle always boasted that component in its game (the Sounders scored eight times from crosses last season, good enough to place third among the 10 playoff teams, per Opta statistics), but the need for spacing is particularly important given the balance in midfield. Lamar Neagle often operates as more traditional wide player on the left, while Marco Pappa usually slides infield from his perch on the right to accommodate his left foot and provide room for the right back -- DeAndre Yedlin last year, Tyrone Mears this year -- to join the play on the overlap.
As Sounders coach Sigi Schmid noted in his post-match press conference, the dynamic works best when Pappa starts in the wide areas and times his runs into the middle of the field appropriately. If Pappa plays too narrowly from the outset, then teams collapse into the middle of the field and restrict the latitude to play forward to Dempsey and Martins. If Pappa stays too wide, then he limits his ability to combine inside and prevents Mears from charging up from the right.
There are times when Mears -- more of a traditional fullback than Yedlin at this point -- will remain connected with the back four to limit the threat of a quick counter when Seattle concedes possession, but there are also moments where it makes sense for him to join the play. Those moments -- as evidenced by the second goal against the Revs -- show the menace created when all of the segments of the team work in tandem.
“You feel like when Clint and Oba get the ball, something’s going to happen,” Mears said. “I do have to pick and choose my moments. Playing with Pappa, he’s a fantastic player. He sucks the left back in all of the time, which opens up the wide spot for me. I think we’ve got a good partnership going there. I always say that I have to be defensive first, but when that space opens up, I’ll go.”
It is a maxim worth cherishing across the board. Seattle remains at its best when it can link narrowly and quickly through midfield, but it must also take the space afforded in the wide areas and use it wisely from time to time to ensure all potential avenues remain open for the foreseeable future.
Quick hits
Toronto FC secured perhaps the best result of opening weekend with a 3-1 victory at Vancouver on Saturday.
There were plenty of encouraging signs to take from the display, but the Reds will benefit most from their ability to assess the needs of the game and then tailor their response accordingly.
Vancouver bossed the proceedings for much of the opening half-hour because TFC lacked the proper defensive shape. Warren Creavalle pushed too far forward on the right given the threat posed by Kekuta Manneh over the top in a bid to provide width for the narrow midfield diamond. His positioning left Steven Caldwell exposed to service into the channel and stretched the back four accordingly. Manneh roamed freely and threatened constantly by latching onto diagonals and throughballs into that space.
Creavalle and TFC adjusted as the first half progressed and sorted things out entirely after the interval. The diamond midfield exerted its influence in the second half with simple, effective possession to limit opportunities to counter and place pressure on the Whitecaps. The defense limited the threat on the break and over the top. And the visitors managed the game adroitly to ensure the good work in the final third ultimately reaped the desired rewards.
“I thought the performance was different in a lot of regards,” TFC midfielder Michael Bradley said. “I thought, early on here, they certainly caused us trouble with their speed, their athleticism and their mobility. But I thought once we got a grip on that, we handled the game pretty professionally and pretty well. I thought, especially, in the second half, in terms of understanding what the game was about at that point, being able to play, find little pockets and move for each other and then defensively control situations, I thought that part was all very good. In the end for me, it was a great way to start the season, a great road performance and a huge three points.” …
D.C. United general manager Dave Kasper received a multi-year contract extension on Wednesday after instigating the best worst-to-first turnaround in league history a year ago. Credit Kasper and United coach Ben Olsen for highlighting their primary strengths -- identifying young domestic products and molding them into a cohesive unit with the aid of seasoned campaigners -- and then relying upon those tenets to guide the team back towards a successful path and solidify their futures with the club. Both men are now tied to the club for the next few years. That development means United boasts some necessary stability as the club works toward opening its own ground at Buzzard Point in 2017. …
Montréal must figure out a way to cope without the influential Justin Mapp for the next four months. Mapp suffered a dislocated and fractured elbow during a collision with Bill Hamid in the waning stages of the Impact’s 1-0 defeat at D.C. United on Saturday. His absence for the next four months strips away one of the more reliable creative influences in the side. Impact boss Frank Klopas likes to play inverted wingers when possible, but Andres Romero might offer the best option on the right once he recovers from a quad injury. …
FC Dallas addressed its concerns at right back by signing Je-Vaughn Watson to a new contract. Watson isn’t a defender by trade, but the versatile Jamaican international slotted into the position well last season. His presence in the squad increases the options available to Oscar Pareja in a spot where his side lacks depth. …
New York City FC made the back page of the New York Daily News for all of the wrong reasons in the buildup to its first match at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. NYCFC coach Jason Kreis said all of the right things about playing on a poor surface during the club’s media day, but he must wonder behind close doors how exactly his possession-oriented side will hit top gear if the grass isn’t up to snuff.
