Seattle Sounders 2022 review: CCL Glory, MLS disappointment
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA – The calendar year of 2022 proved to be one with an early peak for the Seattle Sounders, who never seemed to catch their late season groove that MLS has grown accustomed to. Seattle, albeit dealing with injuries to crucial contributors, could not put the pieces back together after the incredible achievement of becoming the first MLS team to win CCL in it’s current form. The kings of North America, Seattle ended the MLS regular season in the eleventh spot of the Western Conference.
The Concacaf Champions League victory was an obvious peak of the season, but at what cost? (Photo by Liv Lyons)
Highlights
Winning the Concacaf Champions League: Obviously this is the crowning achievement from the season, the Champions of Champions. Kings of North America, an entry into the club World Cup. We could go into this more, but that’s what the recap is for. This win was viewed by many as a hinderance as well, as many thought that the Sounders never truly recovered from winning this trophy.
Victory over Charlotte FC: Charlotte began their inaugural season out strong, but hit a snag when they came up to Seattle. While the away side got on the board first with a Ben Bender goal, the Sounders used some late match magic and a Raul Ruidiaz golazo to win. In poor weather, the Peruvian striker delivered a rocket that put Seattle ahead and they never looked back. The win gave Sounders fans some hope that they could turn things around after a middling start.
Four goal thrashing of Vancouver: Coming off of the thriller against Charlotte, the Sounders welcomed their rivals to the North to Lumen Field. Seattle pounded the Whitecaps with a four-goal performance, and a shutout to boot. Nico Lodeiro opened the scoring in the fifth minute, Raul Ruidiaz scored a brace, and even Alex Roldan got in on the fun to make it four to nothing.
Gritty victory in Toronto: Four matches after the dominance over Vancouver, Seattle had a unique victory over Toronto on the road. The highlight of the match was the difference in age of the goal scorers, as young Dylan Teves got on the board first, and Fredy Montero scored the second. A gritty win that showed off the potential of the depth that Seattle possessed.
Nico Lodeiro had a roller coaster year, but did end up leading Seattle in points with 18 (Photo by Liv Lyons)
MVP
Nico Lodeiro had some tough spots in this season, for a period of time looking as if father time had really caught up to him and that his time with Seattle may be coming to an end. I won’t try and persuade you to think that Lodeiro was otherworldly, but he provided leadership for the Sounders while also totaling the most points for Seattle (18 total). Lodeiro was the only Sounder with double digit assists, four more than the next closest on the stat sheet. If Lodeiro is able to find more consistency in his form throughout the course of the season, Seattle may yet again be their juggernaut selves, barring that Joao Paulo is able to pair with Lodeiro again as he has in his time with the rave green.
Defensive MVP
This particularly designation is tough because of how Seattle's backline struggled mightily throughout the season. Jackson Ragen was a bright spot, with a few hiccups, but every Seattle player had hiccups throughout the year. Ragen, among the backline members that played the most, was a part of the fewest allowed goals. The youngster was part of three clean sheets, had 13 interceptions, and provides young promise at the center back position. There are still some things that need to be cleaned up for the 24-year old, but there is promise that he can be a stud along the backline in rave green for quite some time.
Cristian Roldan looked like an easy MVP candidate for the majority of the early season, but an injury hindered his performance the rest of the way (Photo by Liv Lyons)
Newcomer of the year
Albert Rusnak had a somewhat bumpy first year in Seattle, but with the Sounders returning most of their 2021 side and getting relatively quieter years from their younger players, he’s the obvious choice. The midfielder was considered one of the biggest free agent signings in MLS history, and he certainly provided a unique presence for Seattle. Rusnak played a multitude of positions for the Sounders, from CDM to outside mid. That was largely in part due to Joao Paulo’s injury, and the massive hole he left in the midfield. Seattle typically doesn’t make big main stream splashes in free agency, so this was a big change for them. Hopefully, with a fully healthy midfield that will include Lodeiro, Joao Paulo, and Rusnak will fuel a successful attack for Seattle.
HC Brian Schmetzer and his crew will have a longer than normal offseason to evaluate their issues (Photo by Liv Lyons)
Biggest flaws
Defensive flaws fail to improve: A big issue for Seattle all season long was their consistent miscues, mistakes, lapses, and sometimes just downright moronic actions from the backline. The important word in that past sentence is “consistent,” as the Sounders failed to really get back to their strong defensive ways or clean up the mistakes that they made all season long. In 2021, the Sounders were one of if not the best defensive clubs in MLS. There are pieces in place and there were flashes of great play throughout the season, but the backline never truly found their footing. Regaining their proper mindset and getting back to their style of futbol should have the backline looking like a brick wall once again when 2023 comes around.
Lack of midfield cohesion: The loss of Joao Paulo proved to be huge for the Sounders, from set piece play, to goal generation, and sometimes down to leadership. Through the majority of this article, it cannot be stated how large of a loss he left when he came out of the CCL Final victory and never returned. An MVP finalist last season, the Brazilian midfielder was able to be a facilitator in the midfield, generate on set pieces, and provide rock solid presence for the club. His return next year should provide a huge uptick in the Sounders form.
Set piece weaknesses: This aspect is a biproduct of the point above. The Sounders were downright bad when it came to set piece opportunities this past season. With the loss of Joao Paulo early in the season (notice a trend here?), Seattle posted a lowly 0.2 average for set piece goals this season, far from their 2021 total. Seattle was restricted to goals from penalties (see Nicolas Lodeiro) or little open play scoring to fuel their offense, and that just cannot happen. The Sounders will need to go back to the drawing board when it comes to their set piece play.
Need for major change?
After this tumultuous struggle of an MLS season, many have introduced the idea for major change from the club. Whether that be the removal of HC Brian Schmetzer, GM Garth Lagerway (sometimes both), or certain players, the sort of torch and pitchfork approach has been brought up. This is an overreaction, and Seattle shouldn’t take any head with this sort of suggestion, but it isn’t like they would anyway. The Sounders may need to make some personnel decisions on the defensive side of the pitch as well as on the attack, but we should see a majority of this roster return.