Will Evans line up at
right mid or right back?
This is the most important question from Seattle's side of the ball. When Yedlin had to be subbed off at half due to injury, Brad
Evans was shifted to right back. This was the preferred option of just bringing
on Zach Scott because of Deshorn Brown’s pace. Rodney Wallace isn’t nearly as
quick as Brown, so I expect to see Scott start at right back if Yedlin isn’t
good to go.
Seattle’s new 4-3-1-2 is built around the attacking trio
holding the ball up to allow the deeper midfielders to get forward into the
attack. Evans is one of the best trailing runners in the league and Burch
simply doesn’t have the acumen to make the proper runs while in semi-transition
(we saw this last night on a breakaway in the second half where a simple
diagonal run toward goal would have seen him 1v1 with Irwin, but he instead ran
away to hide out on the left wing where he is comfortable.) If the Sounders are
going to mount anything in attack, Evans has to be in the midfield, whether
that means Yedlin is fit or Scott plays right back doesn’t matter.
Will Chara and
Johnson sit a bit deeper to mark Dempsey out of the game?
The tactical and formation switch of Seattle is a clear
message that the playmaking is on Dempsey’s shoulders as Rosales rides the
pine. Dempsey was able to collect the ball all over the field against Colorado
and bring other players into the attack while pulling the defenders out of
their defensive shape. Portland has already shown the willingness to track
Dempsey wherever he may roam as demonstrated by the tackle that separated his
shoulder on the sideline last time these teams met. They’ll have to do the same
again or Dempsey will exert his will on the game like was saw against the
Timbers last time before the injury.
However, tracking Dempsey as he tries to find space means
there will be space for Seattle’s deeper midfielders to make runs forward.
Evans/Burch and Moffat will have to exploit the space left by Johnson and Chara
tracking Deuce. Eddie Johnson and Lamar Neagle will have to realize their runs
need to be timed off of Evans and Moffat collecting the ball, not Dempsey.
Will Portland’s wide
forwards be able to pinch the field on defense?
A huge part of Portland’s success this season is the
defensive responsibilities and execution of their wide forwards. They have played
very wide and cut off the passing lanes to other teams’ wide players and
forcing their opponents to play through the middle or send long balls (see the
first half of the game vs. Colorado on 9/20 for an example of this in effect).
In MLS, the trend has been for playmakers to play wide, so this tactic has cut
off the supply to their opponents’ most dangerous threats. Seattle has elected
to shift things central under Sigi’s new formation. The closest approximation
to this attacking style is RSL, who have scored 7 goals over 3 games. However,
Seattle are also more willing (and successful) than RSL to send long-balls into
the corners for their forwards to chase.
Additionally, Portland tries to cut the field in half on
defense and trap their opponents to one side of the field. Seattle will have to
either try to work in these tight spaces or they will have to try to open up
through the middle and switch the point of attack. Seattle’s midfield plays
very narrow with all 4 midfielders essentially playing as a center mid. They
should have the opportunity to combine between them until they can release a
fullback breaking forward or find a ball in behind Portland’s back line.
Will Portland’s
outside backs get into the attack or sit deeper?
This is the follow up to the previous point. Last night
against Colorado, Seattle clearly demonstrated they have no qualms about trying
to catch a defender out by playing through the air for Johnson and Neagle to
run onto in the corner. Harrington and Jewsbury will have to choose to get into
the attack, which may be necessary for them to break Seattle’s defensive 8, or
risk getting beat over the top.
Will Seattle’s narrow
3 defensive midfielders neutralize Valeri and Nagbe?
If Porter instructs his outside backs to play deep, that
allows Moffat and Evans to stay pinched narrow and eliminate passing angles
into Valeri and also clog the space that Nagbe likes to drift in to. Sigi
Schmid doesn’t give much defensive responsibility to his forwards, which means
Portland will have a bit of a staging area to build their attacks and find
their attackers.
If Valeri and Nagbe are denied the ball, Portland’s attack
won’t amount to much and they may end up just holding possession in the middle
third without any penetration. This would put a lot of onus of collecting the
ball on whoever ends up playing the striker for Portland.
Who will play striker
for Portland?
This is probably the biggest question from Portland’s side
of the ball. They have three very different options to play up top. They have
Ryan Johnson, who has subpar finishing, but can try to get in behind Seattle’s
outside backs when they venture forward. They have Piquionne who is their best option for hold up play while still being able to match up physically with Hurtado and Traore. They have Valencia who is more
technically sound, but still has questionable decision making in a
possession-based system. And finally, they have Urruti, who likes to drop into
the midfield to collect the ball and distribute from there.
Urruti may end up being the most dangerous option as
Seattle’s center back pairing of Traore and Hurtado have had a lot of trouble
this season staying connected when the forwards are dropping in to collect the
ball. Traore in particular is willing to step very high to follow the forward
and Hurtado (and subsequently Yedlin) often lags to slide over to fill the gap.
A prime example of this is Kekutah Mannah’s second goal against Seattle. This
leaves a lot of space for someone like Valeri or Nagbe to run into and run onto
the ball to be 1v1 with the keeper.
Which coach will get
it right?
Sigi has shown himself to be rather un-flexible tactically
(I’m sure he’s terrible at yoga too) inside of games during his time in
Seattle. Caleb Porter has shown himself to be able to make astute tactical
changes, especially at half time. I’ll hazard a guess that Seattle’s new system
will thrive early in the game as Evans and Moffat are able to find space
between Portland’s fullbacks and wingers. I’ll also hazard a guess that
Portland will make adjustments at half time to hold possession for longer
spells. Ultimately, Seattle is the home team and has to get the result at home so
they will go for it.
