After surviving vs Dallas, Sounders face tough opponent in Colorado

DALLAS – It wasn’t the easiest of matches, but nobody really expected it to be. The Sounders came to Dallas with a 3-0 advantage against what according to the standings was the best team in the league. Sure, Dallas had lost a couple key players, but it’s still a fairly deep team that has had a great season that included two trophies. And so the Sounders faced a menacing, relentless Dallas attack Sunday night. They weren’t perfect, not by any stretch. Two goals conceded isn’t great, but in the context of this match, it was acceptable.

Sounders hang on vs Dallas to earn spot in Western Conference Championship

Even though Dallas ended the season with the Supporters’ Shield, the Colorado Rapids are a very different and, at times, more difficult opponent. They gave the Sounders fits in both meetings this season, and they’ll be much harder to break down in the Western Conference Championship than Dallas was. If the Sounders lose Jordan Morris for that match, things could be a bit more difficult, but they could manage it.

One of the defining characteristics of the team under new coach Brian Schmetzer is that it’s finding goals from all over the place. Nicolas Lodeiro’s goal Sunday night was created by Tyrone Mears, and it was after Morris had been substituted off. So if Morris is indeed unable to play in two weeks, we’ll probably see Brad Evans come in to the side if he’s fit for a full match, unless Flaco Fernandez or Andreas Ivanschitz come back from their injuries.

It’s potentially a good sign for the finals that Roman Torres was on the bench in Dallas, though what that means for his national team status could also change the game. Zach Scott wasn’t the worst against Dallas, but he made a handful of mistakes that could have turned the tide early and put his team in jeopardy.

Mears, by far one of the most maligned figures on this team, had one of his best matches in green. He had a highlight-reel-worthy flying header to block a shot in the opening minutes, and his work to find the space to send the cross in for Lodeiro’s goal was exceptional. As it is with such players, though, which Mears will show up in both games against Colorado?

The Sounders were forced to hobble to the final whistle, but they still managed to keep it together and avoid any unnecessary risks or red cards. Dallas tried to target and get under the skin of certain players, but the Sounders kept their wits about them and focused on the task at hand. Cristian Roldan was targeted very early, and his lashing out earned him an yellow card. He said after the game that he wanted to test the referee early and force him to call a consistent match. Roldan did well to keep himself in check for the rest of the 90 minutes, as did his midfield partner, Osvaldo Alonso.

If this sounds like a pretty mixed bag for the Sounders, it really is. While they did well to hold Dallas to just a goal and find one for themselves, they did it despite a number of mistakes and injuries. Now there’s an international break to worry about, but hopefully for the Sounders, the two weeks’ rest for much of the squad will help them get healthy again. If Schmetzer can get his team healed up and work on a few of the weaknesses it showed in Dallas, the Sounders have a great chance to get a result in the first leg of the conference finals.

Spenser Davis also covers the Sounders for Sounder at Heart.