Source link : https://usa-foot.com/asn-mls-cup-preview-shorthanded-columbus-have-uphill-problem-vs-seattle/
The league will cliam a brand new champion on Saturday night time when Columbus hosts Seattle in MLS Cup. Previewing video games is difficult in 2020 as gamers are sometimes dropped attributable to COVID with little or no warning and that was the case as Columbus misplaced two of their greatest gamers this week. ASN’s Brian Sciaretta chimes in together with his ideas on the sport.
BY
Brian Sciaretta
Posted
December 11, 2020
3:25 PM
SHARE THIS STORY
THE twenty fifth AND MOST difficult season within the historical past of the league will conclude on Saturday night time when the Columbus Crew host the Seattle Sounders in MLS Cup at MAPFRE Stadium. Seattle Sounders the defending champions and are searching for their third title in 5 years and stroll into this one with a decisive benefit after COVID-19, the defining theme of 2020, dominated out the Crew’s Darlington Nagbe and Sergio Santos.
Listed below are some ideas on this recreation:
Seattle will management possession
Within the large win over Minnesota within the Western Convention remaining, Nicholas Lodeiro touched the ball 106 instances over 90 minutes. That’s the norm for him as he all the time appears to get on the ball loads and put on different groups down. With out Nagbe, it’s a sucker’s guess for Columbus to attempt to management the possession recreation. Columbus might want to sit again and take up strain, be defensively compact, after which attempt to hit Seattle on the counter.
As Matt Doyle has talked about, Seattle aren’t nice in opposition to a bunker crew and their method is to hit repeated crosses when opponents bunker. So Columbus may need unintentionally stumble right into a approach of forcing Seattle into a troublesome scenario.
Seattle has quite a lot of offensive weapons. Along with Lodeiro, Jordan Morris and Raul Ruidiaz are nice forwards on this league that know methods to win. However Seattle has proven time and time once more that it has different items – whether or not or not it’s Will Bruin or Gustav Svensson. Then whenever you suppose they’re all contained, Shane O’Neill can rating a set piece objective.
However for Seattle, all the pieces will movement via Lodeiro.
“I’ll give you one analogy,” Seattle supervisor Brian Schmetzer mentioned. “What you guys might think is pressing, let’s just say he has 10 forward passes. The 10 forward passes, maybe eight of them don’t result in a shot on goal or a goal or something that works. To me, and to Nico, that’s okay. If you don’t try those pass, if you don’t try and get Jordan Morris in on goal, then you never know if the goal is going to get scored.”
Aidan Morris may play for Nagbe
Nagbe has missed time this yr for Columbus and when he has, U.S. U-20 defensive midfielder Aidan Morris has generally earned the beginning. Morris has achieved properly in these conditions however that is completely a special degree. Seattle, come playoff time, can raises its recreation right into a gear most groups by no means attain within the common season.
If Morris begins on this one, it is going to be a particular alternative for the homegrown participant – and on the place he can actually make a reputation for himself forward of the U-20 cycle’s restart. Morris can win a bodily battle, play strong protection, and hit good passes – however he can’t replicate Nagbe. He can’t be requested to stick with Lodeiro. It’s going to take a crew effort for the Crew to play protection and Porter has the unenviable job of both reshaping the crew’s defensive construction final minute or hoping that the reserves can fill in and permit Columbus to play is authentic approach.
“On a professional level, my job is to, no matter what happens, find a way to win, get my group prepared to win under any circumstances,” Porter mentioned. “I’ve done this a long time. I’ve had a lot of things pop up. You have to be mentally strong. You have to keep your group mentally strong, as well. It’s why I work on the mentality and the resiliency and the unity of a team every single day, because I know in football there’s a lot of adversity, there’s a lot of things that pop up, there’s a lot of ups and downs, there’s a lot of disappointments.”
Does Columbus have items to counter?
The lack of Santos leaves the Crew short-handed on the wings and its skill to take from extensive positions is decreased. How Crew supervisor Caleb Porter adjusts will likely be attention-grabbing as Derek Etienne stays a logical selection however hasn’t performed in over a month. A variety of what the Crew does depends on Lucas Zelarayan however the important thing for him to achieve success is to get him additional up the sector.
Zelarayan shouldn’t be like Nico Lodeiro who can outwork nearly everybody on the sector, play each protection and offense whereas touching the ball 100 instances or so. Lodeiro all the time appears to have the ability to get himself the ball. In concept, for Seattle, Joao Paulo is the connector between protection and offense, however Lodeiro may do it himself.
Zelarayan might want to both drift again and play a deeper function, or different Crew midfielders like Morris or Artur will want get him the ball in a way much like Nagbe.
Porter addressed the media and expressed his want to have Columbus play the identical approach it all the time has with out Nagbe.
“We have a system, we have a game model,” Porter mentioned. “Our system and our way of playing overall shouldn’t change with one or two guys out, otherwise it’s probably not a very good game model.”
Columbus has had Zelarayan and Nagbe out for prolonged stretches this season however the issue is that Seattle is simply on a totally totally different degree within the playoffs in contrast with common season video games. Whereas Porter has placed on a courageous face in entrance of the setbacks, tactical changes is likely to be essential.
If Zelarayan drifts additional again within the midfield, what’s his outlet? Nicely, if the sport turns right into a monitor meet, Zardes is effective. He’s a middle ahead however, as we noticed in opposition to Nashville in extratime within the Crew’s first playoff recreation, he will be very helpful if the sport turns right into a monitor meet.
To win this recreation, the Crew are going to want somebody out of the extraordinary to step up – like Aiden Morris or Derrick Etienne.
Prediction 
Seattle should be the favorites even when this recreation featured a 100% wholesome Columbus crew. The absences of Santos and Nagbe will damage, however this can nonetheless be a great recreation. It is going to be an uglier and fewer engaging recreation as Columbus received’t be capable of do precisely what it desires. Whereas it plans on enjoying the identical approach, the Crew may resort to clogging and fouling. However that must be efficient in conserving the sport shut.
Seattle, nevertheless, has an excessive amount of expertise and I believe they win it 2-1 and proceed to make its case as the most effective groups within the historical past of this league, Lodeiro as the most effective gamers in league historical past, Jordan Morris as the most effective American gamers in league historical past, and Brian Schmetzer as the most effective coaches in league historical past.
Folks ought to recognize this Seattle crew as the most effective membership groups within the historical past of American soccer.
Author : usa-foot
Publish date : 2025-01-09 17:59:22
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.