Key takeaways from the Sounders’ preseason in Spain

The Seattle Sounders are expected to spend another day or two in Marbella, Spain before returning home, but by all accounts, this portion of the preseason is over. The Sounders played three European opponents during their stay in Spain, finishing with a combined score of 7-7 in 435 minutes (I hesitate to take this as an actual record, but the first two game days were in some ways separate). (The final match was two 90-minute matches).

The three opponents the Sounders faced provided some good tests. Serbian side TSC Váčka Topola (which the Sounders won 3-2 in 120 minutes) and Denmark’s Odense BK (which the Sounders lost 5-1 in 180 minutes) have both returned from mid-season breaks; Meanwhile, Sweden’s IFK Norrköping (the Sounders won 3-0 in 135 minutes) had similar preseason conditions to the Sounders.

Of the three games, Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer was clearly the least satisfied with the last one, but also acknowledged some mitigating circumstances. Not only were the Sounders without their entire starting backline, but three other top reserves were also missing. As a result, the Sounders had to dig deep into their lineup to play two 90-minute games. In addition to being the first time the Sounders went up to 90 minutes all preseason, the game was just four days after their previous training match and one day earlier than originally scheduled.

“I didn’t have a lot of energy today,” Schmetzer told the media. “We could have pressed more. We had some clear chances. I think we probably should have scored two or three points. That was our Achilles heel. That’s why we That’s what I came to work on.”

Of course, this trip was not about results. The main focus of pre-season is to get fitness, iron out kinks, embed some new tactical wrinkles and generally create a sense of team. By these standards, Mr. Schmetzer at least seemed satisfied.

“When they arrived, we were very happy with the fitness level,” he said. “All the tests for fitness, we achieved them. That will put us on track to start the season in good shape. “As for the attacking movement, we have ideas that we can show off when we get home. There were several.”

Below are some other broad observations from the training.

general gameplay

Let’s put individual results aside and focus on how the Sounders played. In fact, we were able to watch almost the entire game and I think the Sounders looked like a team that was going to press aggressively and hold a fair amount of possession. I didn’t have data from any of the games, but I can say with a lot of confidence that in every game, the Sounders had the advantage in shots, possession, and turnovers forced on the opposing end. It didn’t always lead to goals, especially against Odense, but if you’re into things like “tilt of the field,” I’m pretty sure the Sounders have consistently come out on top. I am confident in that.

But as the Odense match showed, there are definitely some issues that need to be resolved. The Sounders have been caught in transition moments several times and have some work to do there. They were also very wasteful in front of goal, a theme that was fairly consistent against all three opponents.

Jordan Morris was probably the most guilty in that regard. Looking at just his last two appearances, Morris has always been in dangerous positions, but he hasn’t been able to score. By my count, he had at least three one-on-one chances that were ultimately wasted, and he also had a close-range header that he missed. It’s too early to say this is a cause for concern. I think you could argue that it’s almost desirable to eliminate mistakes like this now, but this is something that needs to be watched closely.

“We tell ourselves, ‘He got there, he made it happen,'” Schmetzer said. “At some point he has to score goals, but this is a pre-season match so you can attribute it to his heavy feet. Goal scorers score back-to-back goals. It’s just a matter of getting fit, feeling good and scoring goals.”We’re confident we can get him the ball in the right places.”