TUKWILA, Wash. – Slowly but surely, the Seattle Sounders are getting back to full strength.
So far in 2020, the Sounders navigated their Concacaf Champions League schedule and the first match of their league campaign without two of their most vital contributors. The most obvious of those would be star playmaker and captain Nicolas Lodeiro, who has been working his way back from hamstring tendinitis. But there’s also Swedish defensive midfielder Gustav Svensson, who handles much of the dirty work in front of the back line and is one of the most skilled passers on the team in his own right.
Svensson has been out with a strained calf but has been participating in full training throughout the week and Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer confirmed on Thursday that he will be available for selection against Columbus Crew SC at CenturyLink Field on Saturday. Although Lodeiro has been ramping up his workload throughout the week, Schmetzer indicated he might need one more week to rejoin the lineup. That indication was confirmed on Friday night when Lodeiro was listed as out on the Sounders' official injury report.
Still, both will be back on the field soon, and there are some ripple effects to consider as to what Seattle’s starting XI is going to look like when that happens. What is the ideal lineup?
When the Sounders signed Brazilian midfielder Joao Paulo, the idea was that he would slot in next to Svensson in the defensive midfield, moving Cristian Roldan from that spot higher up the field, but Lodeiro’s absence forced Schmetzer into some tinkering. Joao Paulo has spent most of his time in Lodeiro’s usual spot as the No. 10, save for the second half in Seattle’s season-opening 2-1 win against Chicago Fire FC, when Roldan moved up to that spot and Joao Paulo dropped back into the defensive midfield.
If Svensson starts against Columbus, expect Roldan to stay high, with Joao Paulo slotting in beside the Swede. That figures to be the first-choice pairing throughout the season, health permitting. While Joao Paulo showed he’s plenty capable of playing up a line, and figures to do so on occasion, the deeper-lying role lends itself more to his two-way skillset and ability to pick out runners with pinpoint long passes.
“Two really experienced players,” Schmetzer said on Thursday. “It’ll be a little bit of a work in progress because Gustav missed some considerable time [in preseason], but we’ve got some ideas figured of how we can play out of the back on our goal kicks and during the run of play that’s always changing and those guys are smart enough to figure out what they do best. So, it’ll make our team look a little different, but hopefully for the better.”
On the whole, this means Schmetzer’s ideal XI will probably feature Svensson and Joao Paulo shielding a backline of Kelvin Leerdam, Xavier Arreaga, Yeimar Gomez Andrade and a rotation of Joevin Jones and Nouhou at left back, with Lodeiro as the 10 flanked by Jordan Morris and Roldan and Raul Ruidiaz up top.
A role change for Cristian Roldan
It might seem odd given how much time he’s spent developing as a defensive midfielder and the degree to which he’s thrived at that position, but all of this means that generally speaking, Roldan figures to be playing much more as an attacker this season. While it’s a change in role, it might not require as much of an adjustment period as you might think.
Roldan first made his name as a dominant center attacking mid at the University of Washington, and when he has played there or out wide as a professional, he’s put up numbers. He assisted on both of Morris’ goals against Chicago playing as a No. 10 and had a goal of his own waved off on a close offside call. He figures to move to the wing opposite Morris when Lodeiro is back, but assuming the Uruguayan misses one more match, Svensson’s return could result in another run for Roldan as the 10 on Saturday.
Asked about his two-assist day, Roldan cited the move up the field as the obvious catalyst, but noted that he’s hoping to get on the ball more when Lodeiro’s return pushes him back out wide.
“Out wide I thought I didn’t get enough of the ball,” Roldan said. “I felt like I was making a lot of runs but for some reason the ball just wasn’t finding me. When you play as a 10 you find ways to cheat a little bit defensively and really hurt them on the counterattack. I thought we implemented that really well and I think I was a little more effective in the second half for that reason.”
Return of the captain
All things considered, the Sounders have adapted to playing without Lodeiro during this stretch better than they have in years past, when they would often look disjointed and struggle for ideas in the attack without their midfield metronome.
Still, Seattle are no doubt giddy at the possibilities of what Lodeiro’s return will have the team looking like. That’s probably especially true for Ruidiaz, who has struggled to get on the ball and has yet to find the scoresheet through two CCL matches and one league match.
“To be fair to Raul, I think he misses Nico,” Schmetzer said after the Chicago match. “I think those two guys had a really good partnership last year and it’s always harder to create things in our sport than it is to defend and destroy. So, getting Nico back will help Raul. Once we get everybody together again, I think that will help. Raul is a good pro, he knows the drill. He’ll get his goals.”
Anyone who’s watched the Sounders over the past few years knows that Lodeiro’s impact goes beyond just the goals and assists. His all-around work rate on both sides of the ball is what makes him such a unique asset – one of the best No. 10s the league has ever seen -- and it’s why it’s so difficult to replace him when he’s not on the field. For Seattle, the hope is that Lodeiro’s impending return will be the last missing piece that pushes the team to the next level.
“To be missing guys like that and be able to create that many chances and score more goals in that past game is pretty exciting,” Roldan said. “But at the same time, adding these guys to the mix and realizing how good we can be at full strength, that’s something we’re looking forward to.”
