Scoreless Sounders limp to another league loss against New York Red Bulls

Just a few days after a solid victory against the Kitsap Pumas in the U.S. Open Cup, the Sounders went to New York hoping to kick off the rest of the MLS season with a solid win over an Eastern Conference leader.

Going into this match, the Red Bulls only had three more points than the Sounders. The East’s inferiority this season meant that margin was enough for New York to be in second place in the conference. But, the difference proved accurate, as the Red Bulls dominated the Sounders 2-0, and the papered-over cracks on the Seattle side have started to rip open and widen.

It’s quite telling that head coach Sigi Schmid’s post-match comments were possibly his most negative of the season, as he indicted his players in a pretty vicious manner: “When they are playing the game, they can’t sit there and pout and throw a tantrum and stop playing.” This isn’t aa true example of the vibe of Schmid’s comments as a whole — but it does reveal that the frustration has started to boil over for both the players and coaching staff. Everything that’s been tried hasn’t worked, the coaches seem to be out of ideas and the players, for whatever reason, haven’t been able to get into consistent form.

Defending aside — Brad Evans was quite poor in the buildup to NYRB’s second goal — the Sounders’ biggest problem on the night was a familiar one: lack of finishing. They had 16 shots in the entire 90 minutes … but only three of those were on target. That number actually flatters the team’s performance — NYRB also had three shots on target, and two of those became goals. Even the shots that the Sounders put on frame weren’t very good. Schmid has emphasized all season that getting back out to the training pitch to work on finishing is the best way to work on that part of their game. Clearly another approach is in order.

The way this season has gone for Seattle — especially their consistently poor finishing — shows that the overhauling of the squad hasn’t really worked. The loss of forward Obafemi Martins left the attack toothless and inconsistent, and the lack of new signings is starting to look worse by the week. General manager Garth Lagerwey has maintained that the squad was good enough to wait for new signings to come in July rather than at the beginning of the season. But even a couple superstars may not be enough to rescue Seattle’s 2016 season.

The front office also continues to say that the most important signing will be a creative midfielder, but the awful finishing shows that some new blood in the forward positions is also necessary. Nelson Valdez hasn’t shown to be worth even a portion of his inflated Designated Player contract, and Clint Dempsey seems to be saving his best form for the U.S. team. Jordan Morris has been a bright spot, but relying on a rookie, even one as talented as Morris, isn’t going to win trophies. The Sounders absolutely must sign a proven goalscorer who’s not in the twilight of his career, can immediately impact the 2016 season and lay the foundation for seasons to come.

Aside from making new signings, the players need to do something — or anything — to get mentally focused every week. Many of them can play much better than they did against New York and they have at times this season. Guys like Joevin Jones have great moments — like his appearance against DC United — but he was mostly invisible against New York. Players have had to learn how to play different positions all over the pitch and at times seem incapable of grasping new sets of duties when tasked.

There’s still plenty of league matches to play this season, and it’s definitely too soon to write off the Sounders in the playoff race. A turn in form and a handful of positive signings in the summer could help provide the extra push, but it won’t be easy. Creating good chances and putting in good final balls is key to winning games; punting it forward and hoping somebody wins a header isn’t. Schmid should stick to what suits his players best, and the players absolutely have to adhere to those instructions as best as they can. But if none of this comes together and the front office makes poor signings in the summer (or make none altogether), the club will need to think long and hard about how it conducts itself if it misses the playoffs for the first time since joining the league.

Spenser Davis also covers the Sounders for Sounder at Heart.