Sounders were good in first leg, but they’ll need to be even better

The 2016 Sounders story has been anything but business as usual, but their decisive 2-1 win over the Colorado Rapids on Tuesday showed just how far the team has come.

The Rapids came to Seattle as one of the best teams in the league, especially defensively. They conceded not just once in Seattle, but twice. And the lone unfortunate away goal came courtesy of a deflection off Chad Marshall. The Sounders kept the Rapids’ attack at bay pretty well. But despite the good performance and solid result, the Sounders will need to be just as good – actually, better – in Colorado on Sunday.

Considering the number of shots the Sounders had (15), they put a respectable number of them on target (six). But they still only managed two goals on the night, one from Nicolas Lodeiro’s penalty. Multiple players missed excellent chances that could have really put the Sounders at an advantage in the next leg.

With no Sam Cronin for Colorado in the second leg (suspended due to yellow-card accumulation), the Sounders could get even more chances in front of goal. Zac MacMath also showed on Tuesday that his absence from the starting XI since Tim Howard’s arrival may have hurt his confidence and form. With Colorado so stout at home, the Sounders must really make their shots count on Sunday, in ways that they didn’t in the first leg.

Something else that the Sounders will need to be wary of that kind of hurt them in Tuesday’s match is their organization at the back. Sure, Colorado’s only goal was thanks to a deflection, but the Rapids’ attack was given too much space in the final third to create the chance. The Sounders’ defense, especially the fullbacks, were a tad lax at times and didn’t mark their opponents as tightly as they should have. Tyrone Mears should have been better about keeping an eye on Shkelzen Gashi, who will be even healthier and ready for Sunday’s match. That matchup could determine the outcome of this entire series.

Despite those hiccups that they’ll need to focus on in training this week, the Sounders played quite well in many areas. Having Jordan Morris back may have saved the game for Seattle, and Lodeiro’s play continues to amaze. Cristian Roldan looked as good as his midfield opponents, Jermaine Jones and Cronin.

Even Nelson Valdez looked close to scoring again in the playoffs, though his near misses were a scary reminder of his regular-season form. Brad Evans and Andreas Ivanschitz, fully fit for the first time in months, managed to get some minutes but were clearly not ready to start. Those players were promising and part of Seattle’s win, but they clearly need to improve on that before Sunday.

Between the bad, the good and the improving, the Sounders managed a solid win in Tuesday’s first leg. But the exact same performance may not be enough in Colorado.

Sure, the Rapids will be without Cronin, but their defensive record and home form is nearly impeccable. As Colorado head coach Pablo Mastroeni noted after the match, his team are pretty good at squeaking out 1-0 wins. And that’s all the Rapids need to progress thanks to their away goal. Seattle head coach Brian Schmetzer knows all of this. If he can prepare his team to be rock solid in the back and efficient with the chances on goal it gets, the Sounders could be playing for their first ever MLS Cup next month.

Spenser Davis also covers the Sounders for Sounder at Heart.