Sounders Bring New Look To CONCACAF Champions League
Let me be the umpteenth domestic soccer observer and quip ‘what a difference a year makes’ when talking about the Seattle Sounders current MLS season. A year ago, their first in the league, was a rousing debut. With a 12-7-11 record, they finished with the fourth best mark in the league, a point out of first place in the final Western Conference standings. Even though they were bounced out of the quarterfinals of the MLS playoffs, they puncuated their first season in the top domestic league by winning the US Open Cup Championship. Year 2 in Seattle? Try sophomore slump. They’re just 6-8-4 and standing behind the pecking order for the playoffs. They’re just a single point out of the race, but all four teams ahead of them for the wild card spots have games in hand against the Sounders. It’s going to be a tough road to get into the postseason. Not only do the Sounders have to rip off a winning streak, considering the extra games the other challengers have yet to play, but they might need one or two of the teams above them to tank the second half of the summer.
But its not a totally lost summer for the Sounders. They’re alive and kicking in the pursuit of another US Open Cup title with a semifinal date next month against Chivas. They also have their debut in the CONCACAF Champions League tonight, with the first leg of a qualifying playoff against Matapin of El Salvador this evening south of the border. The second leg is next week, with the winner advancing into a spot in Group Play this fall. Earlier in the month, Sounder fans pondered flipping priorities and just cash in on the regular seasons to throw their energies into the tournaments instead. It’s hard to blame them for that sentiment. Take the US Open Cup. While they are an assortment of necessary results away from qualifying for the MLS playoffs this year, they are just two wins away from defending their Open Cup title. Is that important? Absolutely as it gives them an automatic spot in next year’s Champion’s League. As for the current Champions League, their path is as tough as it gets. After the LA Galaxy fell into a black hole last night, the MLS could use a little boost out of Seattle. If they can somehow topple Metapan, then Sounder fans will get treated to the excitement of group play as opposed to just playing out the string of a seemingly hopeless MLS season. To that end, tonight and next Wednesday against the El Salvadorians as well as the Open Cup date with Chivas on September 1 are arguably more important that whatever is on their MLS docket the rest of the summer.
However its worth noting that a lot has changed in the last month. While it might not be reflective in the standings, the Sounders are, uh, a more sound team to end July than they were at the beginning of the month. Injuries and a lack of consistent goal scoring have been a huge problem all season long for Seattle. Not only have the Sounders never once started the same first X1 unit that brought them glory a year ago, but they’ve shuffled 26 different people into the starting lineup this season. Nate Jaqua, who tallied 7 goals and 9 assists a year ago has missed most of the year. Midfield Osvaldo Alonso has missed almost three months with an aggravated hamstring pull. Michael Fucito and Brad Evans have missed serious time. As for those have played throughout, Freddie Ljungberg and Roger Leveseque, expected to pick up the offensive slack, hadn’t scored a goal between them through the start of July. Ljungberg has all but whined his way out of favor with Seattle and hasnt been playing recently as the team tries to transfer him.
Other than that situation, things have finally been coming together for the Sounders this month. They’re starting to get healthier. Alonso, perhaps the best ball winner on the team, is almost in top form and should play a lot tonight. Jaqua wasnt even cleared to play soccer this season until late June, and they’ve slowly worked him back into game shape. He was strong enough form to net a pair of goals against LA in an US Open Quarterfinal game earlier this month. Levesque, though, finally tallied a goal when he headed in the game winning goal against DC United two weeks in the 89th minute. They’ve also added some additions in recent weeks. Midfielder Michael Seamon, a rookie from Villanova, has been playing all month as the Sounders have been getting better results. They’ve also perhaps the best foreign transfer during this open window not named Thierry Henry. The Red Bulls and Thierry have been rightfully getting a ton of run in the media with their American soccer marriage, but dont short sell the positive impact the Sounders might get from striker Blaise Nkufu. The Swiss National player has been tearing up the Dutch Eredivisie, scoring 114 goals in his seven seasons with FC Twente. The Dutch club transferred him to the Sounders after his World Cup run with the Swiss ended. He hasnt played much yet, but got his first start Sunday night against Colorado. While he didnt find the back of the net, it’s telling that a team that’s struggled to score most of the season, tallied twice in the game’s first 20 minutes with their new striker on the field.
Blaise Nkufo, the best MLS foreign import this transfer window not named Thierry Henry
The Sounders have now won back to back MLS games for the first time this season. Can that momentum carry over into this CONCACAF playoff leg? This is an evolving team, one thats more healthy and more talented than the side they’ve been playing with for the bulk of their regular season. This could be a compelling team to track in the upcoming weeks as they continue to mesh in new faces like Nkufo and Seamon and inject the healty bodies of Alonso and Jaqua into a lineup that’s already seeing solid production from the likes of Freddy Montero, the only player currently in the MLS’ top-10 in goals and assists, and midfielder Sanna Nyassi and Steve Zakuani. It might be too late to make a run at the MLS playoffs. But, the US Open Cup is there for the taking. And, who knows, there might even be a Champions League group stage during which they can show off their new, improved form. The Sounders are saying all the right things in the run up to the match. But, it will take more than words–in fact, it might take some goals–to get by Metapan first. Los Caleros have been one of the top El Salvador clubs teams for most of the last decade. Their club soccer is divided into two seasons, Clausura and Apertura, and Metapan has one at least one of those chases four years running. They were in this tournament a year ago, but couldnt advance out of group play. That’s the task for the Sounders tonight. We’ll find out if they’ve truly turned the corner with their new and improved look.
