Seattle Sounders vs. New York Red Bulls: Player ratings

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Frei comes up big to keep NYRB at arm's length.

Seattle returned home with a bounce-back performance against New York Red Bulls last weekend. It was a dominating performance where the Sounders were the better team in most facets of the match. The final score was a close 1-0 due to Seattle's lack of finishing on quality chances. The game wasn't without drama, though, as after scoring early, Seattle had a key injury and a late red card that kept New York in the match. Seattle ended the match with mostly defenders on the field, and this wall of defense was enough to hold on for all three points, pushing them back to the top of the Western Conference for now.

Frei has earned clean sheets aplenty this season, with Saturday's match being his league-leading eighth in 15 matches. Unlike many of the previous shutouts where he excelled with positioning and a strong defense in front of him, Seattle conceded a number of great chances to New York and it was Frei's masterful goalkeeping that kept the opponents to nil.

One thing I liked: In the 66th minute with Seattle squandering big chance after big chance on the other end, it took Stefan with a huge save to keep the Sounders in the lead. After a breakaway on an over the top long ball, Elias Manoel was in on goal with only Frei to beat. Frei denied the tie with great positioning and quick reflexes to deflect a low shot wide of frame.

One thing I didn't like: Seattle was clearly fearful of the NYRB press, as they avoided short goal kicks in favor of long clearances. While this was a safe and solid decision, it did often result in conceding possession immediately.

Going forward: As this up-and-down season continues, Frei is getting a shutout in half his matches.

Baker started at left back for the still recovering Nouhou, and was excellent in the first half. He showed all the poise and execution you could wish for, continually connecting up the left wing and being an integral part of the offensive push. He was just okay after the half, struggling some as New York made some quality adjustments at the break. Baker then moved into wide and central midfield positions as the tactics dictated late. He had two tackles, two interceptions, 11 recoveries, and four clearances.

One thing I liked: The first half was a masterclass in composed execution from Cody. Time and again if left alone, Baker pushed the ball into attack, finding skip passes forward to Héber and linking up vertically on his wing. When pressured, he calmly navigated out of trouble with tight control, short passes, and some nifty dribbles.

One thing I didn't like: New York realized that Baker was a threat and adjusted more pressure to his side in the second half, consistently looking to switch and take advantage of Seattle's central focus. Cody struggled somewhat when forced to defend straight up as a left back versus the free-flowing positioning he was allowed prior to the break.

Going forward: Baker looks like an absolute find at the left back position, comfortable with both feet and showing speed and strength. He isn't better than Nouhou yet, but any fears that he can't handle the position at this level have evaporated.

Ragen returned to the starting lineup and the team again pitched a shutout. It was nice to see the lanky centerback roaming the defense, winning headers and cleanly distributing. He led Seattle with five clearances and four aerials won.

One thing I liked: In the 14th minute, Ragen had a perfect foul, where he obstructed his opponent but not obviously, to hold up play and prevent what could have been a devastating numbers-up counter attack for NYRB, but in a way that wasn't a yellow. This was a tidy piece of intelligent defense that doesn't show on the scoreboard but made a huge difference.

One thing I didn't like: Perhaps tiring, Ragen made some large errors late, including an 80th minute drop pass to Frei that was weak and almost gave away a goal, and an 84th minute foul on the edge of the box allowing New York a set piece and earning Jackson a card.

Going forward: A total team defensive effort earned another shutout, and Ragen seems to know when to be aggressive on the ball and when, such as this weekend, to distribute long and wash your hands of possession.

Yeimar was again tremendous against NYRB, leading the defensive effort with a ton of stat-worthy actions. He ended with two tackles, three interceptions, and six clearances while completing 75 percent of his passes.

One thing I liked: In the 49th, Yeimar came across behind the left side of the defense and saved the day, one of his incredible 14 recoveries on the night.

One thing I didn't like: In the 50th minute with New York seemingly held without any decent chances, a speculative cross somehow got over Yeimar and onto a Red Bull head for a free shot from about six yards out. Seattle was lucky the shot was pushed right at a well-positioned Frei.

Going forward: Yeimar and Ragen have forged an excellent partnership in the middle of the defense, and when they stay connected, teams are getting shut out.

With Jordan Morris in front of him, Alex was again more of an ancillary player, getting involved sporadically and being part of another shutout defense. He had no shots and a single key pass, but also three tackles and two interceptions in a balanced effort.

One thing I liked: Alex's key pass came right after halftime as he stormed into the attack and got involved, something that usually spells success for Seattle. Unfortunately, his perfect cut back cross was kicked into T-Mobile Park by Nico Lodeiro.

One thing I didn't like: With 54 percent passing, Roldan struggled to connect with teammates, and when you have the fourth most touches on the team, you have to find the same color shirt with a higher percentage of your attempts.

Going forward: With Morris being injured and the possibility of Cristian Roldan returning, the odds of Alex Roldan being more active on the right may be rising.

João Paulo had a strong match, right up until he earned his second yellow and an early exit with 15 minutes to play. In his time on the field he led the team in touches and had four tackles, part of a very solid match. Unfortunately, he had to hit the showers early.

One thing I liked: Most of Seattle's offense originated on the left, and it was there that João set up shop, earning all of his nine recoveries on that side of the field. His ability to both combine on offense and stop defensive counters through the wing was essential.

One thing I didn't like: The first yellow seemed pretty unnecessary, knocking an opponent heading away from goal in a retaliatory manner after Nico was bumped. The second was soft, but it was a foul the veteran should have understood he can't make.

Going forward: JP gets the midweek match off, and with Seattle as dependent as they have been on his play, it's a real shame.

Albert did a little of everything, touching the ball 50 times while leading the team with 88 percent passing and being part of a suffocating middle defense that frustrated NYRB out of any coherent offensive shape. He continually connected with others, finding outlets and being a release valve for any pressure exerted into wide areas.

One thing I liked: In minute 22, Rusnák supported the left side and found a deflected ball. His nifty outside of the right foot through ball hit Léo Chú inside and put him and Morris in a 2-v-5 with the Red Bull defense. That was a clear mismatch, and Seattle had the winning goal.

One thing I didn't like: In the 48th minute, Rusnák surged into the space on the right, found a Roldan through ball and the subsequent perfect crossing pass into both Héber near and Chú far post who had beaten their marks. It was Héber that got to the pass, but he put it wide of everything.

Going forward: Rusnák continues to do all the little things and be an ironman when it comes to minutes, tirelessly running the midfield with a huge responsibility to connect the offense and defense.

Chú got another start on the left and was dealing early, pestering New York up the wing time and again in the first half. In the second half he had fewer opportunities, but still made great choices when on the ball and released into space.

One thing I liked: He was only credited with three key passes and a 64 percent completion rate, but his assist was a great illustration of how Léo can pick up his head and choose the right pass for the situation nearly every time. After creating separation, he found the single Sounder in the box and assisted Morris for the fifth time this year.

One thing I didn't like: In the 72nd minute Chú was well behind the play as NY pushed forward. Along with more pressure down his wing came an increased need for defensive presence that was hit and miss for Léo in the second half.

Going forward: Absolutely love how much Chú varies his service into the area, and he nearly always makes good decisions when he grows into the match.

Nico was immense in a busy first half, overloading the left and linking up with teammates to release Chú up the wing and create, as well as diving into the box vertically to be an offensive option himself. In the second half, he was more of a possession magnet, holding the ball centrally and battling as New York adjusted numbers into the midfield. He had a shot and three key passes to go with 65 impactful touches before subbing out with five minutes to go.

One thing I liked: His defensive work rate and movement cutting down passing lanes is often overlooked, but his team-leading five tackles was a great indicator of how much work he put in defensively in the center of the pitch.

One thing I didn't like: Nico got frustrated in the midfield, often being overwhelmed by bigger players and less able in the second half to find the ball and willing runners in space. He fell back into hopeful crosses late.

Going forward: This was one of the better matches with a withdrawn forward, and the Seattle adjustment allowed Nico to maintain impact when crowded by the nine. Hopefully he doesn't get asked to play three matches in a week.

Jordan looked great on the right, as Seattle ran out the same look, but adjusted a bit to find him space on the back side. With Nico and Chú dealing to him, Jordan consistently ran across the box and found chances, culminating in his goal after nearly scoring in the first few minutes. He had two shots, 100 percent completion, and the game-winning goal in his short time on the field.

One thing I liked: Morris recognized the space Chú would run into and was already anticipating his service in the 23rd minute, getting goal side and then finishing strong from the center of the goal mouth after a perfect cross from Léo. Pretty unstoppable combination when they both are in sync like that.

One thing I didn't like: Immediately telling teammates he "did his groin," Jordan had to sub out after scoring; he likely hurt it hustling into the box to score. Finally scoring after eight matches, this is a massive loss.

Going forward: Morris has a huge percentage of Seattle's goals, and it will be essential for Seattle to turn teammates’ big chances into actual goals without Morris there to create layups every match.

Héber again played up top and again played excellently as a withdrawn forward, finding pockets of space to work and combining repeatedly with Albert, Nico, and the wide players to create chances. His spacing is good and helped overload the midfield to create chances in quick transition. He had three shots.

One thing I liked: Héber continues to show a unique hold up option, and his runs create useful space. It was especially nice to see Baker recognize Héber's runs diagonally and find entry to the forward by skipping the midfield altogether.

One thing I didn't like: Héber must be close to the top xG in the league because Seattle keeps creating big chances and he keeps almost scoring them. The "almost" is the problem, though, and at some point you must do more than get to the impactful spot. You have to execute the finish. The best chance came in the 62nd from Rusnák, and it should have put the game to bed.

Going forward: Héber creating for others has been solid, and he also gets into dangerous positions, so that is a fantastic combination. He doesn't look like he is over it, but at some point he needs to find the extra bit of quality needed to score the chances he finds.

Teves had the difficult position of entering the game cold 23 minutes in for an injured Morris, but he did nearly everything well. A tireless worker, he started by making unique runs on the right side, pressing the opponent through the middle, and eventually he played as a lone forward for a team down a man.

One thing I liked: Dylan left it all out there. Playing like a man possessed, he was energetic for his entire time on the field, earning Seattle possession time and again with pressure on the right. When the team went down a man, Teves was sent alone to the top of the field and he responded by making repetitive runs to the corner to hold the ball, make the opponent predictable, and eat the clock to help earn the win.

One thing I didn't like: He had two shots from the run of play but neither were on frame. And while he made good runs, Teves wasn't as dangerous as Morris. New York took advantage of that in the second half.

Going forward: This was a pure hustle match in a game that needed that from this player. Dylan will need to show more than hustle at some point, but should be proud of his work against New York.

With JP getting an early exit, Seattle pulled the striker for a defensive midfielder. Josh came in and ran hard for the last 12 minutes of the match; he had 12 touches and 75 percent passing.

One thing I liked: Atencio is deceptively fast, and on a number of occasions he nearly broke out against New York as a one-man counter attack.

One thing I didn't like: A number of times Josh was beaten in the middle, and with a tactical setup of almost all defenders, the confusion on role was to be expected.

Going forward: Josh had some of his momentum derailed by injury, but he looks stronger in the last few outings. He may be again ready to show the form that excited everyone a month ago.

Arreaga came in to help Seattle transition to a five-man backline and see out the end of a shutout. He had eight touches, including a blocked shot.

One thing I liked: Xavi was ready to attack the opponent, repeatedly surging forward and physically challenging for the ball in the midfield.

One thing I didn't like: He had a very risky tackle in the box in extra time that was ultimately deemed clean but likely had everyone holding their breath for a moment.

Going forward: Xavier Arreaga is a good defender, but the team has looked more calm when Ragen starts. Xavi will likely be a quality backup and spot starter for the rest of the season.

Nouhou was given an extra week to regain fitness and started this match off on the bench, entering late to add another pure defender to the team.

One thing I liked: After entering the match, he won a throw off his first touch. Later, a crafty dribble killed more clock and forced a yellow card on the Red Bulls.

One thing I didn't like: A bit too excited to run, Nouhou was offside in extra time which allowed the opponent to get possession and push the ball forward to search for an equalizer.

Going forward: It's likely that the left fullback position is his when he's fully healthy and fit, but the emergence of Cody Baker has made rushing Nouhou back into the lineup unnecessary.

Before this game (Freemon's first for the Sounders) the Realio scouting report said he’d call a lot of fouls in the midfield but not give out very many cards. The expectation was that NYRB (a team that fouls a lot) would take advantage of this against the Sounders (a team that fouls very little), and that Seattle would squander those ensuing set pieces. This scouting report was very wrong!* There were a combined total of seven yellow cards and 33 fouls called, with Seattle earning 19 of them. With that many calls, both teams were often befuddled by what was a foul, and it was unclear what then translated into a card. Unfortunately for Seattle, two of them were for midfield fouls by João Paulo.

One thing I liked: A referee giving 9th and 27th minute encroachment cards for Red Bulls delaying restarts seemed like a good omen.

One thing I didn't like: This match became very choppy, and unfortunately the referee was reffing via card. Small things like missing clear handballs or literally being in the way of players were easily passed by, but when taken with the sheer number of bad calls and dangerous play as a result of them, this referee and staff struggled. At one point Baker got called for a foul when undercut and landing on his face.

Going forward: Debating the red is likely what people will remember from this referee, but perhaps more important was the introduction of a new ref who was clearly overwhelmed by Lumen and the crowd.

*Unfortunately, this author was correct about the Sounders’ inept set pieces.

It would seem John Tolkin was just as good as any other Red Bull, and the poll results reflect this. He showed plenty of hustle in an attempt to flex their vaunted press, and he provided the side with some tactical flexibility throughout the match. Of note, he did lead the team with four key passes.

Next up: Midweek special missing some major pieces. Usually that means a 4-0 win.