Sounder At Heart 13 hours ago
How to solve the Xavier Arreaga problem
Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports The Sounders had hoped Arreaga would be their No. 1 centerback but early struggles may force them to seek other solutions. The 2020 MLS Regular Season is still very much up in the air, but we at least have the next phase of games to get ready for. When the Seattle Sounders return to play later this month they will still have some massive question marks around what their best lineup looks like. That’s due at least in part to the underwhelming play of centerback Xavier Arreaga, a player that was signed last year to replace defensive stalwart Chad Marshall....
Sounder At Heart 16 hours ago
Brad Smith officially available after Bournemouth bids farewell
Photo by Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Sounders had previously expressed openness to bringing back the Australian international, but it’s unclear if they’re still interested. Brad Smith is officially available after his contract with English Premier League side Bournemouth came to an end on Monday. Smith had spent the latter half of the 2019-20 season on loan with Cardiff City in the English Championship where he made just three appearances, all off the bench. Smith had been under contract with Bournemouth for the past four seasons, but had made just five Premier...
Sounder At Heart 19 hours ago
Major Link Soccer: MLS is Back, again!
Photo by Brett Carlsen/ MLS has announced the early stage of their post-MLS is Back Tournament plans. MLS is coming back after the MLS is Back Tournament finishes. Meanwhile the USL trudges on as games are postponed due to coronavirus, European cup competitions continue, and a Seattle restaurant group offer support to those impacted by the disaster in Beirut. Seattle/Tacoma MLS is coming back to (some) home stadiums. MLS unveils Seattle Sounders' schedule for resumption of the 2020 regular season | Seattle Sounders FC The recent disaster in Lebanon hits close to home for Wassef Haroun,...
Sounder At Heart Aug 8, 2020
MLS announces schedule for home-market games
The Tennessean-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Content Services, LLC The majority of the matches in local markets will be played without fans in attendance. MLS unveiled a partial plans for returning to home markets and will be doing so at near breakneck speed. In what is being dubbed as “Phase 1” of the post-MLS is Back Tournament schedule, teams will play six games against regional opponents over a less than three-week span. In Phase 2, teams will play 12 more games against still-to-be-determined opponents and dates. The Seattle Sounders will open play with a road game against the...
Sounder At Heart Aug 4, 2020
Tacoma Defiance not content with a bonfire against Portland
Charis Wilson / Sounders FC Communications A controlled burn provided Defiance with their path through Timbers 2. Monday night in Portland, Tacoma Defiance (2-1-2, +4) put themselves into second place in Group A as they beat Portland Timbers 2. The team outdid themselves from their previous meeting with Portland, when they won 3-0 at Cheney Stadium on July 18, by winning 4-0 on their rival’s home turf. The win marks the third straight positive result — and second straight win — since the league’s restart. The result will hopefully serve as a confidence boost and the ideal...
Sounder At Heart Aug 3, 2020
Is Deandre Yedlin returning to MLS?
Photo by Lee Smith/Pool via Sounders are monitoring the situation, interested in reunion Now that most of the 2019-2020 European season has concluded, the international transfer window is set to see a bunch of movement as teams reload for the 2020-2021 season. One report indicates a current English Premier League player and former Sounders homegrown star may be on the move back to MLS, and the Sounders are interested in retaining his services. Very interested. According to Tom Bogert of MLSsoccer.com, Newcastle right back Deandre Yedlin appears close to be making an exit from the...
Sounder At Heart Aug 3, 2020
Realio’s Ratings: At least they can come home now
Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/ Joevin Jones provides an immaculate cross and a lone bright spot as Seattle exits MLS is Back. I won’t sugarcoat it; this was a mess. Seattle lost 4-1 to LAFC, but it could have been even worse. Outshot 23-11 and with expected goals conceded over four, this game sometimes looked like even more of a rout that it ended up. There were huge gaps in team cohesion, seemingly zero ability to adjust tactically, and a central midfield that was outnumbered and outplayed. There was a small bit of life after some late tactical adjustments, but that was countered by...
Sounder At Heart Jul 30, 2020
Fans or not, Sounders planning to resume season
Photo by Jeff Halstead/Icon Sportswire via While Sounders are writing off season tickets, MLS is reportedly preparing for 18 more regular season games. The Seattle Sounders’ stay in Orlando ended with a disappointing 4-1 loss to LAFC in the quarterfinals of the MLS is Back Tournament, and now that they’ve returned to Seattle, they await a final decision from MLS on how the 2020 season will resume. On the business side, the Sounders have already made a decision to effectively do a hard-reset on the 2020 season. Having only played three of the 18 games in the season-ticket package —...
Sounder At Heart Jul 30, 2020
Sounder at Heart podcast: MLS is BLAH Tournament
Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports This episode is about the Sounders trip to Florida and their early return home The gang is back with an episode to discuss the Seattle Sounders performance in The MLS is Back Tournament. Mark is joined by Susie, Miki, and Tim. Of course, the Sounders underperformed based on their expectations, but the crew discusses whether or not that really matters in the long run. Don’t worry, there’s a lengthy chat about what went wrong for the Sounders, but there are also reasons to be optimistic.
Sounder At Heart Jul 29, 2020
What we learned at MLS is Back
Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/ It’s important to remember we did not see the Sounders at their best. The record will show that the Seattle Sounders were roundly outplayed by Los Angeles FC in their MLS is Back Round of 16 match. The 4-1 scoreline was, arguably, even a bit flattering to the Sounders, who had no answer for the LAFC press early on, were a bit lucky not to concede a couple more goals, and didn’t really muster much of an attack until subs starting coming on in the second half. Taken as a whole, the performance at the tournament was hardly inspiring. The Sounders only...
Sounder At Heart Jul 29, 2020
Nos Audietis, Episode 319: At least no one got sick
Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/ Sounders head home after disappointing performance. And just like that, it was over. After going 1-1-1 in the group stage, the Seattle Sounders were bounced from the MLS is Back Tournament in the Round of 16 by LAFC. The 4-1 scoreline may have been a little flattering even as the Sounders were thoroughly outplayed. Disappointing as that loss was, neither Jeremiah nor Aaron were quite ready to freak out about it or about the state of the roster in general. They were happy that no one seems to have gotten sick while they were there, though. Download |...
Sounder At Heart Jul 28, 2020
Sounders vs. LAFC: community player ratings form
Photo by Joe Petro/Icon Sportswire via Your last chance to rate your Sounders at MLS is Back! The Seattle Sounders escaped the group stage of MLS is Back only to put up a lackluster performance against last year’s Supporters’ Shield winners, LAFC. Seattle looked off from the jump, and repeated errors at the back resulted in a 4-1 defeat. Note: Some readers are experiencing rendering issues with the form on this page, especially on iOS devices. Here is a direct link to the form; we hope this allows everyone to submit a response. Here’s the scale: (Substitutes can be left blank if...
Sounder At Heart Jul 28, 2020
Will Bruin’s return a rare bright spot in dispiriting loss
Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/ Sounders forward ended 13-month layoff by scoring a goal on his second touch. On a night filled with frustrations, there was at least one bright spot for the Seattle Sounders in their 4-1 loss to Los Angeles FC that knocked them out of the MLS is Back Tournament: the return of Will Bruin. The journey back from the knee injury he suffered last June was longer and more circuitous than originally planned — spanning 13 months while being interrupted by a global pandemic and a second injury — but went pretty well, all things considered. In addition to logging...
Sounder At Heart Jul 28, 2020
Talking Points: Sounders looked out of gas
Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/ Despite being the better rested team, Sounders never caught up to LAFC’s energy. The Seattle Sounders saw their MLS is Back Tournament end in ignominious fashion, on the receiving end of a 4-1 beating by the 2019 Supporters’ Shield winners Los Angeles FC. The score was every bit as lopsided as the game, as the Sounders were unable to cope with the relentless high press from LAFC. Making matters worse was the decision to almost exclusively play out of the back, which seemed to play right into the tactics employed by LAFC coach Bob Bradley, who moved his...
Sounder At Heart Jul 28, 2020
Sounders vs. LAFC: Highlights, stats and quotes
Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/ The Sounders were out shot 25-11. Facing their stiffest test of the MLS is Back Tournament, the Seattle Sounders flopped. From the opening whistle, the Sounders struggled to handle the Los Angeles FC high press. When they broke, they got into dangerous positions only to waste the opportunities. On the other end, LAFC created plenty of good chances of their own and benefitted greatly from some sloppy Sounders play. Although the Sounders came close to tying the score relatively late, the 4-1 scoreline was more than fair. MATCH SUMMARY Seattle Sounders FC 1 -...
