The Seattle Sounders have a new coach and a new playmaker, but they still managed to suffer the same struggles that have made the 2016 season a disappointing one.
Newly signed designated player Nicolas Lodeiro made his debut in Seattle's first match since parting ways with long-time head coach Sigi Schmid and while the former Boca Juniors midfielder looked as good as advertised, his new teammates couldn't help deliver the victory the club sorely needed.
Poor finishing and defensive mistakes have been a problem all year for this underachieving Sounders bunch, and both were problems yet again. Interim coach Brian Schmetzer could only shake his head at the final whistle, knowing the Sounders created enough chances to win but settled for a draw against a Galaxy team that had to be content with leaving Seattle with a point.
"The guys played hard. I have absolutely no complaint about their commitment to the game," Schmetzer said. "It's just we need to score the second goal, the third goal, the fourth goal. It's not good. We're all frustrated."
The good news is Lodeiro looks like the exact kind of player Seattle has been lacking all season. His creativity on the ball and vision were clear to see from the early goings of the match. It isn't always easy for a new midfielder to arrive in MLS in midseason and fit right in, but Lodeiro arrived with a high enough level of fitness to step right into the starting lineup, and then showed the skills that should help Seattle's attack reach a new gear.
"You saw his ability to cover ground at a high level, connect passes, run the team," Schmetzer said. "There was a lot of positives out of that. I think together, obviously Clint (Dempsey) will work higher up the field. Clint leads the front line, Nicolas leads through the middle, we've got experienced guys at the back. I was encouraged."
Cheers to you, Nico! Welcome to Seattle #SEAvLA pic.twitter.com/LIq7mDXci3
— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) July 31, 2016
The Sounders won't be able to fully capitalize on Lodeiro if their finishing doesn't improve, and it was simply not good enough on Sunday. Jordan Morris has been enjoying an excellent rookie season, but as he carries more responsibility in the attack, he will face more pressure to convert chances at a higher rate. On Sunday, Morris had a handful of clear looks that he failed to convert, any of which would have put the match out of reach.
Morris wasn't alone. The Sounders managed a whopping 18 shots on Sunday, including eight on goal, but only Cristian Roldan's blast beat Galaxy goalkeeper Brian Rowe. Dempsey finished with a team-leading five shots, but did appear at times to still be trying to figure out how to play with his new teammate in the middle.
"We just need to fine-tune to make sure that Clint and (Lodeiro) figure out the right spacing," Schmetzer said. "I thought a couple of times we could have done a better job in keeping Clint a little higher, which would be my preference, get Clint closer to goal because we're going to need to rely on Clint to score some goals."
Lodeiro only joined the Sounders earlier in the week, but appeared to be right at home at CenturyLink Field, even though he admitted afterwards that he had never played on artificial turf before.
"There are good players. The truth is it's a team that has good players and the truth is we played well," Lodeiro said. "Not too well since we only tied, and that hurts because we wanted to win, but when there are good players and they receive you well, it's easy to feel comfortable."
Lodeiro's impressive debut bodes well for Seattle's chances of turning around a disappointing season, but time is running out to salvage a campaign that could see the Sounders miss the playoffs for the first time since arriving in MLS in 2009.
One thing is clear, Seattle's finishing will need to improve. The Sounders now have the playmaker they sorely needed. it will be up to Dempsey, Morris, Nelson Valdes and others to finish the chances that are bound to come their way.
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