After ugly loss, Sounders must right the ship against Columbus

The Sounders, after such a buoying win over Philadelphia that included the first goal by prized rookie Jordan Morris, were probably at the lowest point of a season filled with many after their 3-1 loss Saturday in Colorado. It was an ugly loss, and mental errors as much as the physical ones seemed to plague the Sounders. But they have a week to sort themselves out and find a way to beat Columbus next Saturday at CenturyLink Field.

One of the main problems for the Sounders in Colorado, which they hadn’t struggled much with before the match, was defending on set pieces. Illustrated by Jermaine Jones’ goal from Shkëlzen Gashi’s free kick, the Sounders seemed to lack communication and coordination on what should have been routine defending. This week, the Sounders will need to drill defending on set pieces as much as possible, especially because Zach Scott will likely be coming into the lineup for the suspended Brad Evans. Both Evans and Chad Marshall could be seen as being at fault for Jones’ goal, and they clearly lacked the discipline that we’ve seen from both players this season.

In the same vein, Scott and Marshall need to work on their positioning, especially when defending counterattacks. Both players are not the speediest, and they will need to be careful to not get caught out against players like Kei Kamara on Saturday. Even Evans, probably the speediest of the center backs, was burned for Colorado’s second goal, and Marshall could only watch as the ball skidded past him to a wide-open Luis Solignac.

Steadying the ship on defense could be as simple as drilling the defenders on set pieces and counterattacking situations, but it’s not so easy for the Sounders’ offense. For one thing, that part of the team’s ship hasn’t been steadied all season. Every time the team starts getting into an attacking groove, like against Philadelphia, it seems to regress immediately afterwards.

Even though Andreas Ivanschitz hasn’t been as crucial to the team as some might suggest, he’s still by far the most creative player on the Sounders’ roster. If Ivanschitz is unavailable on Saturday, the team will go from having a little creativity to having almost none at all. Erik Friberg will likely be shoehorned into this role, so the Sounders shouldn’t resort to just punting the ball forward to Nelson Valdez (if he plays) or over the top for a player like Oalex Anderson to latch onto. Having Clint Dempsey attempt to dribble the ball towards the goal from the halfway line is another strategy Seattle should steer clear of.

Morris’ goal against Colorado is the type of situation that the Sounders need to figure out how to initiate on a regular basis. Players like Cristian Roldan and Osvaldo Alonso can find ways to exploit the space and pick out a good pass if they’re able to make those moves further up the pitch. A three-man midfield of those two and Friberg could do this well if coach Sigi Schmid places them in such a way. The Sounders don’t need to figure out some elaborate, fancy way to score, but rather practice and emphasize the little ways they can exploit space and get feasible looks at goal.

Schmid said after Monday’s training session that there’s no need to panic, and that seven points from four matches is not as bad as it sounds.

“If we can continue to get seven points every four games from here on out, we’ll be in the playoffs,” he said.

For Seattle, steadying the ship is less about panicking and more about finding a rhythm. If the Sounders can get into a groove that they’re comfortable with and one that also earns points consistently, they can sail the ship all the way to the postseason.