Flurry of goals lifts Sounders to 3-0 win over FC Dallas to open Western Conference semis

The Sounders faced familiar playoff foe FC Dallas in the first leg of the 2016 Western Conference semifinals, and they shattered expectations by winning 3-0 to set up an advantageous second leg. Dallas, the Supporters Shield winner, caved under the weight of the Sounders’ attack, and the pressure will be on Oscar Pareja and his team to somehow find a way to climb out of the hole they found themselves in on Sunday.

The Sounders were forced into a number of changes, with Zach Scott replacing Roman Torres at center back due to the latter’s hamstring injury. Nelson Valdez, who scored the late winner against Sporting KC as a substitute, started in place of the injured Flaco Fernandez. FC Dallas went very defensive with their starting lineup, producing something similar to a 5-3-2, with three defensive midfielders and three central defenders.

The first half, mired at kickoff by smoke from the Sounders’ pre-game pyrotechnics, saw an early chance from Seattle thanks to some great work by Jordan Morris and Valdez, but Dallas goalkeeper Chris Seitz was equal to Valdez’s shot. The Sounders were able to get Joevin Jones and Tyrone Mears up and down the flanks regularly thanks to Dallas’ tactics, but most of the resulting attacks were snuffed out before they became too dangerous.

Dallas’ Ryan Hollingshead had his team’s first meaningful shot, but Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei turned it away for a corner. Morris found himself in the box in the 30th minute after a great flick from Valdez, but he was tackled away in the box before he could make a play. Nicolas Lodeiro nearly produced a brilliant through ball to Valdez after, but the forward wasn’t fast enough to the ball.

The Sounders started the second half on all cylinders, relentlessly attacking the Dallas defense from kickoff. In the 49th minute, Jones found Valdez in the box, and the hero against KC turned on the magic again, turning the cross into the back of the net to open the scoring for the Sounders. Just as the game started to find a rhythm again, Morris went on a tear down the left side, cutting into the penalty area and beating defenders before passing it to Lodeiro near the six-yard box, and the Uruguayan fired it in to put the home side up 2-0. Mere minutes after the Sounders had finished celebrations for that goal, Jones put in an excellent through ball between Dallas’ right wing-back and the central defenders that Lodeiro latched onto. He held onto the ball as he ran into the box and shot it past Seitz to make it 3-0.

Man of the match: Nicolas Lodeiro, whose two goals make things much easier for the Sounders as they head to Dallas for the second leg. The first was a tap-in, but it still required a ton of skill and talent to get in the right spot and do everything right to get the ball in the net. His second was far more impressive, making a brilliant run onto a brilliant pass, holding onto it, avoiding the defense, picking his moment and his shot to put his team fully in control of the series.

Turning point: The first goal opened the floodgates for the Sounders, opening up the defense and forcing Dallas to push forward and make itself vulnerable. This allowed Seattle to take advantage and score its second and third in quick fashion.

One reason to worry: Dallas is still a good team, and they won’t hold back next Sunday. The Sounders will need to be just as tight, just as sharp, and just as relentless in their tactics.

One reason to relax: A 3-0 advantage going into the second leg against the Supporters Shield winners not only beat expectations, but it set the Sounders up for a much different away game than if they had drawn or won by fewer goals. It’s not over yet, but there is much more reason to relax going into next weekend’s match than there could have been.

Notes

• The injuries could have really hurt the Sounders in this match, but interim head coach Brian Schmetzer set his team up perfectly using the players at his disposal. Nelson Valdez did his job quite well, and Jordan Morris looked better than he has in weeks – and he wasn’t even playing as a forward.

• Osvaldo Alonso had yet another great game, and he kept his discipline in check. Had he been yellow carded, he’d have missed the second leg. After the Sounders established their huge lead, Schmetzer was able to take his captain off after a good performance and no disciplinary issues.

Spenser Davis also covers the Sounders for Sounder at Heart.