Century Link Field, Seattle, WA
Kickoff: 3:23 p.m. ET/12:23 local (PT)
Approximately two hours before "#SEAvSKC" became the steady, #1 trend on Twitter in the United States, the afternoon started off with business as usual for the 39,240 gathered within the footballing cathedral of MLS; CenturyLink field. For the hosts, the match yielded the largest home opener crowd in a 40-year history. Ponchos adorned with Sounders and Kansas City logos fought in unity against the heavy Bay Area rains, jumbles of unique scarves were raised to the opening skies, and "The Home of the 12th Man" united as one spirit and one voice for the iconic Sounders *boom, boom, CLAP.*
GOALKEEPER SITUATION (KC): For the first time in ninety matches, Sporting Kansas City, will not have Jimmy Nielsen between their posts at kickoff. The hero of the 2013 MLS Cup Final announced his retirement from The Beautiful Game shortly after Sporting claimed the trophy over Real Salt Lake in early December. Eric Kronberg will take the place of Kansas City's 'Keeping King, this season, beginning with his fifth cap for the club this afternoon at CenturyLink. But don't be fooled; Kronberg is no amateur. As the most tenured player in this Kansas City squad, hopefully he can embrace his new role as a starter and bring leadership and confidence to the Sporting Kansas City backline while rekindling his role of importance in the team. As a side-note: it takes an absolutely magnificent player to endure eight years of playing sidekick. Footballers burn for nothing more than to play the lovely game. Incredible character, Kronberg; good things come to those who wait.
CAPTAIN AMERICA (SEA): Clint Dempsey has returned from his loan spell with Fulham, which surprisingly didn't see him receive very much game-time. He'll start on the bench, today, and it will be interesting to see how Sigi Schmid (love that name!) incorporates Captain America into the Seattle squad this afternoon. Deuce has played 180 minutes and been in three countries since last Sunday, but we all know that whatever the challenge may be, Dempsey is the more than up for it. Can he bring his internationally-acclaimed, MNT-enhancing, mind-bottling skill to the Green and Blue army today? I surely hope so.
Clint Dempsey has partaken in three matches over the course of the past week... in three separate competitions, in three countries, across two continents... Captain America knows no boundaries.
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The 19th season of MLS has officially begun, ladies and gentlemen. Live it, love it, enjoy it!
In just these opening minutes, Benny Feilhaber has had a very visible impact, with his incredible eye for passing lanes. Kansas City have begun with a lot of early pressure, and the Sounders' on-field presence isn't matching the supporters' aura quite yet, if you can really even judge a match by the opening three minutes. So much has happened already.
3'Kenny Cooper takes an early, near-post shot that goes just shy of Kronberg's outstretched hand. As one of the new components of this Sounders team, it will be nice to see what kind of impact Cooper can have, today. He comes as a replacement of sorts for Eddie Johnson, now a DP for D.C. United, so he has some big shoes to fill this season. Can he and Dempsey work together to be one of MLS' most lethal striking partnerships, and define the new guard of Seattle Sounders FC?
KENNY COOPER... Acquired from FC Dallas; December, 2013 Variety: Sounders FC will be Cooper's fourth footballing home in just four years. The striker was also a standout with the Red Bulls and Timbers, prior to his time in Dallas. Clinical: Cooper has added 24 goals to his all-time tally in his last two seasons alone. Replacement: Sounders will be looking for the striker to fill the scoring void left by Eddie Johnson. Record-holder: Cooper is #19 on MLS' all-time goal-scoring list. |
- Graham Zusi is being given a lot of space by the deep-lying Sounders center-midfielders. If he continues to engage in give-and-goes with players moving along the flank, like Peterson, Sapong, or even Feilhaber, Sounders may surrender an early goal. So far, Sapong has wasted a few of these golden chances, but perhaps he'll grow steadier over the 90'.
- Aurélien Colin was such a presence for Kansas City in the 2013 MLS Cup final. His man-of-the-match performance stands out in my mind, so let's see if he and Matt Besler can keep things tight in the Kansas City defense against Sounders' feisty attack. Besler is incredible, so this center-back pairing should be excellent to watch.
- Kansas City has had much of the early control over the match. The Sounders are looking to win things back but haven't maintained substantial, fluid possession.
| REMEMBER WHEN... For many MLS supporters, or general fans of The Beautiful Game, you may remember C. J. Sapong more readily as the "the guy who wooed Hope Solo." Back in 2011, when Hope Solo had a nation beneath her spell following her near-victorious Women's World Cup stint with the U.S. Women's National Team, Sapong wrote the world's leading goalkeeper a... rap, professing his infatuation with her. A video of the encounter, posted to Sporting KC's YouTube channel, has since accumulated over 500,000 views. |
- This crowd is great. Hats off to you, CenturyLink supporters. Who are the Seahawks again? #SoundersTerritory
- Marco Pappa: another new face in the Bay Area. The allocation ranking has allowed Sounders to effectively re-shape their team. Pappa played last season in Holland's Eredivisie for Heerenveen. The Eredivisie is one of Europe's most technical and underrated leagues, and a home to USMNT talents like Aron Jóhansson (AZ Alkmaar) and Juan Agudelo (on loan to FC Utrecht).
- Zusi has held a massively creator-type role in the center of the field, although Neagle and the the Sounders defense have guarded their fortress with care. Each threat from Zusi is deflected away, menacingly.
- So far, Kansas City has had a more direct approach to attack. Seattle's plan when advancing down the field seems diffuse; the ball has been in the air in a hardly-controllable state far too often for comfort; the match is lacking a lot of composure.
- The key to this match for the Emerald army: don't leave Zusi unmarked! San Zusi loves nothing more than to create and drift, drift and create. That could be a fatal move for the home side if the central midfielders aren't more aware of his dynamics.
V AMOS, SAN ZUSI After his Mexico-saving, stoppage-time equalizer against Panama in the final World Cup qualifying match of the Hex in October, Graham Zusi's following throughout North America has definitely... skyrocketed. The USMNT's midfield maestro was seemingly out to please in this year's season opener, hanging around and doing what he does best in the space behind the opposition's central midfield. Zusi, alongside his partner-in-crime, Benny Feilhaber, terrorized the Seattle back four, but a lack of sharpness from Sapong and Peterson saw several chances go to waste. As the season progresses and the Opening Day cobwebs clear away, keep an eye out for that Kansas City attacking quartet. |
16'
- Aurélien Collin is the first to be disciplined by tonight's "replacement" official. (As a FIFA-qualified official, hailing from Ireland, who was patrolling Bayern fixtures in the UEFA Champions League just months ago, I wouldn't be so blasé as to associate sub-par with referee Alan Kelly's title of "replacement';" until the MLS officials' union can sort out labor terms with the "not-so replacement" referees, he'll be a regular, of sorts, anyhow). Collin's booking receives some satirical response from Twitter, as expected; Howler Magazine (@whatahowler) is the one of the first to poke fun, with the hashtag "#ReplacementReffed." Ha. ha.
- BY THE WAY: Collin was MLS' leader in yellow cards in 2013. Starting off 2014 well there, Auré.
- Alan Kelly has been consistent in this first quarter of an hour. So many doubt "the replacements", but we may just miss the consistency from officials like Kelly when the "no-so-replacement" referees return. Food for thought.
Random Thought #1: Zusi, that ponytail is absolutely fantastic.
Collin is walking on thin ice with another [professional] foul. It would be hard to imagine that Kelly isn't losing his patience rather quickly, now. Captain Besler impedes on the situation to calm the Frenchman and keep him from leading the MLS in both yellow and red cards after just 20 minutes.
25' Too. Many. Fouls. Too. Many. Set-pieces. The. [Artificial]. Pitch. Is Too. Wet. For. This.
- Fouls, of course, equate to set-pieces. With Kelly having to turn to his whistle so often, and the ever-worsening weather conditions on CenturyLink's dreaded artificial turf, set-pieces awarded for slips, trips, and balls played mistakenly out-of-bound are becoming the name of the game. Luckily for Seattle, they scored eight goals on set-pieces, last season. In contrast, Kansas City conceded five. The corners and free kicks have undoubtedly enhanced Seattle's game, and for the first time in this first half an hour, they look to be falling into a rhythm. Play seems far more balanced from end-to-end. That's an amiable quality of MLS: volatility and box-to-box play; it's nearly impossible to read a game so early.
34' KC! Zusi slips through a lovely ball that leaves the Sounders defense in a temporary frenzy, but Peterson sends the ball entirely too high and clear over the target. It's unfortunate how many of Zusi's created chances have gone to waste.
35'
- Feilhaber has excellent composure: he and Zusi are a pretty dangerous combo. Gardner has been excellent, as well.
- Seattle has a innate talent for keeping Zusi’s sweet delivery spot covered in the box; they haven't allowed a single Kansas City player to take advantage of the consecutive set-pieces, in the slightest.
39' Sounders and Sporting KC have two of the most tasteful kit designs that I've seen all week! Both teams are boasting clean, sleek concepts that don't vary too drastically from previous seasons, yet somehow incorporate something fresh and new. Of the two, Kansas gets my honorable mention.
TWO-TONE, HOOPS ... ARGYLE! As proclaimed by USA Today's For the Win blog, Kansas City may very well have the most visually-appealing kit range of the new season (subject to allegiance discretion, of course). Most of the 2014 MLS kit releases have brought sighs of relief amongst supporters, with some especially innovative and experimentative alternate-kit designs that put a spin on classic and recognizable charm. What are your opinions on Sporting KC's 2014 range? |
- Matt Besler acts quickly to clear a very dangerous-looking ball that trickled into the box off of a deflection. Smooth, defending from the Kansas captain, right now.
- Marco Pappa has owned this pitch throughout the first half. Looks like he’s enjoying his football, a lot. Worthy of Rosales’ #10, in my opinion, but then again, I'm not exactly a Sounders die-hard. What's your opinion, Sounders fans?
Random Thought #2: In a bi-national league, I can see why MLS would want to have flags worn on the armbands for differentiation, but it always throws me off, for some reason. Would it make more sense if it was the flag of the player's home country? Or not? Perhaps it's just me. *Carry On*
45+1' Halftime! That was, by far, one of the more entertaining, scoreless halves of football that I've seen. Once Sounders found their game and became more comfortable and rhythmic through the middle of the field, we saw end-to-end action, counter-attacks, and a more balanced possession statistic. This could definitely be either team's game.
BENNY FEILHABER Each contribution from the Kansas City midfielder has been precise, and with conviction. His link-ups with Zusi were a highlight of the first half, and it will be interesting to see if the duo can continue the pressure, and vision for passing lanes, into the second half. USMNT: In January, Feilhaber was called up by Klinsmann into the USMNT's month-long training camp. Feilhaber, who is Brazilian-born, has 40 caps and 2 goals for the red and white of USA. |
HALFTIME WITH SIGI After a half that saw his squad as the "late-bloomers," Seattle's coach Sigi Schmid reflected on the first 45 minutes of the season with the NBC crew. AS TOLD BY SIGI [the paraphrased edition]:
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SOUNDERS: Standouts of the first half | KANSAS CITY: Standouts of the first half |
Minute-by-minute:
46' Feilhaber is booked for a foul. There really wasn't much of anything there in the way of intent or infraction, but Kelly has had his number for a while. Welcome to the second half, Benny. #ReplacementReffed
We may see some substitutions made by Kansas City, this half, that reflect their upcoming schedule; they will play five games in a span of 16 days, with their first CONCACAF Champions League fixture as early as Wednesday. They'll need to keep the squad fresh and rotated.
Random thought #3: Is 'the eighteen' a "proper" nickname/abbreviation for the 18-yard box, MLS viewers? I read a BBC article that coined the term as "an Americanism [in football]." Anyhow, that's what I've called it all my life. Still, food for thought. #ProudAmerican
The Sounders have started the half with some more conviction, but they still lack the recovery of the second ball. A lot of uncontrolled, in-air play. The technicality of each of the players allows for it, however, and it hasn't gotten out of hand, yet.
- 50' Feilhaber is such a feisty player, in the best way possible. Combined with his vision, he is quickly becoming one of my standouts of the match. He just sees things.
- Seattle is producing lovely bouts of Barça-esque passing, but the chemistry for tiki-taka isn't apparent, yet. All of the players have the capacity for the high-speed, passing-oriented play they are attempting. One bad pass takes too long to recover from, and Kansas City's direct approach and ability to snatch up lose balls could be risky.
- Kronberg’s decision making, aerial abilities, and athleticism is on par. For a guy who has devoted his soul to Kansas City for eight years and only gotten to feature five times in that period, he’s very sharp and quite the professional.
- WHAT A MISS. The final pass is a point of weakness for both sides. If only Martins had collected that cross from Neagle...! Sounders narrowly miss an opportunity to go ahead.
- Zusi continues to roam around and create chances for the visiting side. Schmid most certainly won't be pleased that his defensive midfield continues to neglect him as a massive threat.
55' Captain America is warming up! This is not a drill. I repeat; this is not a drill. Clint Dempsey is warming up!
Kansas City has a more organized air about them, so far. Seattle is still struggling to establish themselves. Upon the recovery of possession, Sporting KC players have an objective, passing pattern, and plan of attack to follow that makes their counterattacks more fluid and more threatening. Seattle is struggling to recover the second ball, as Schmid mentioned at the half, and it merely bobbles before Kansas snatches it up again. Have some conviction, Sounders!
58’ Dempsey enters the match, and Pappa is off for Seattle. Great first half from him, but his anonymity for the past quarter of an hour makes this a smart tactical substitution; Dempsey will undoubtedly add more emphasis and control for the Sounders, as well as creativity, but is it bold of Schmid to introduce Deuce so early? His recent return from an uneventful loan away at Fulham didn't allow for much preseason practice with this budding Seattle squad. Also, after 180 minutes of play in the past week, across two continents, and in three unique competitions, I'd imagine that even Captain America is fatigued. Even so, he'll have to hide it; he'll get a solid half hour, today, during which he will look to impact this scoreline. For Kansas City, Peterson is off for Zizzo, now. Will Zizzo be able to anticipate Zusi's passes out wide better than Peterson was able to?
60’ Some compare the CenturyLink crowd to the football faithful of Europe, but I honestly think that this group of supporters is strictly unique. There is a full-force band playing tunes, sections of the stadium orchestrating chants and corresponding choreography, smoke flares, scarves raised... what a breath-taking atmosphere.
70' Cooper is trying, trying, trying to notch a goal, and unfortunately, to no avail. His shot narrowly crosses the mouth of the goal, but the cross is unanswered and it goes out of play. It's a lucky moment for Kronberg, who would have been easily-beaten, otherwise.
71' San Zusi goes down for nothing; some side-by-side contact leads to an uncomfortable-looking tumble, but Zusi walks it off, and opts to play on rather than receive further medical evaluation.
74' Zusi takes so much care with each pass he sets up in the corner for either Sapong or Zizzo, but the reception is continually all wrong for the strikers. Sapong is beginning to drop into the central part of the field now, and is finding himself more involved. Glad to see him realize that he was getting a bit lost out wide. Similarly, for Sounders, Martins is beginning to drop in. It's the final 15-minute crunch, and the players will really be looking to get involved now. Surprisingly, both strikers have had almost immediate rewards when pinching in from their high and wide positions... Vermes and Schmid should note that.
76'
- The Seattle crowd is roaring. Trumpets are singing, drumbeats are echoing off of the walls at CenturyLink... no one is losing faith yet. It's nice to see such a passionate crowd of supporters in the US. Proving international critics wrong, one MLS match at a time. #UsAmericansKnowOurSoccer
- Chad Marshall has had a vastly under-appreciated match for the effort he has shown. Each move he's made to cut off dangerous KC corner passes has been effective. He may just be the prime reason why the match is still at a deadlock of zeroes; he has worked to defuse every genius moment from Zusi.
- Feilhaber’s free kick goes in and Kansas almost reaps the reward. Zusi determinedly goes after the deflection, and finds a way to lift the ball back into the area, almost finding Sapong, but Frei, who has been excellent all game long, denies CJ, expertly. So close...!
- Kenny Cooper comes off now after a tireless effort to put a ball into the back of the net. Chad Barrett will come onto the pitch now: last year, the 29-year-old recorded two assists and two goals in 19 matches for the New England Revolution last season.
85' FALSE ALARM! Confetti rains down and CenturyLink is engulfed in uproar after Martins passes the ball into the net; however, the linesmen have had their flags up: it's Seattle's first offside call of the match. The chance is probably the best display of skill in a while, as it spawns from a [very cheeky] outside of the boot pass, crafted by none other than Clint Dempsey. That man has style.
86' HOMEGROWN DEBUT: Lamar Neagle, who has had an effective afternoon on the flanks, makes way for SEAN OKOLI; the 21-year-old joins fellow homegrown youngster, DeAndre Yedlin, on the field for the final few minutes of play.
88' Okoli’s first touch in MLS was almost an assist. Love it! Fresh legs, exemplified... and seconds later, it's Okoli again! Two of the most-threatening plays of the half, for Seattle, have come from the debutant within two minutes of his entrance.
Random thought #4: WOW! This guy has been on the bench for over 80 minutes?! Way to make a great impression on your MLS debut, Okoli! Great substitution from Schmid, who is likely suppressing a smirk of contempt on the sideline. Okoli is the perfect powerhouse substitution for Seattle's final push... but did his entrance come too late?
- CAPTAIN AMERICA: New team; same Clint. Dempsey introduces craft of another dimension. Every aspect of his game incorporates the experience and style of everywhere and every technique he's played with. It's great to watch: he adds great depth to the Sounders' play.
- Brad Evans goes to collect the ball, which has gone out of play, and heads toward the corner flag. The fans know that it’s getting down to the last straw, now. CenturyLink stadium, all 39,000+ supporters, rise in unison... chilling.
- SEATTLE IS REALLY STARTING TO PRESS: Alonso picks up the play and finds Evans, who puts it up once more, only to narrowly miss an awaiting Dempsey and get cleared by Kansas City.
- Hats off to Dom Dwyer: the Kansas City man has been running, non-stop, for the majority of this match. He's making me tired just watching him. His incredible work-rate is beginning to pay off, as he seems to be getting into more clinical positions in front of goal, now.
- Sapong watches on as poor Dwyer struggles to control his touch. If it wasn't already obvious, CJ's contribution this afternoon has been a bit sub-par, in my opinion. No real conviction to his play, but it is the first match of the season. Still, it would have been interesting to see him come alive there, and nick that ball just out of the reach of Frei (who has been fantastic).
- Zusi lines up behind his umpteenth (seventh) corner of the match, and opts for a very driven, pacy, quick-dipping ball rather than the lofts that we were beginning to get used to. Unfortunately, Dwyer is just as stunned by the ball's tragectory as us viewers watching at home, and he misjudges it entirely; the KC striker sticks his head into the jumble of bodies clustered within the box, but only gets enough on the oddly-flighted ball to skim it out of play.
90+3' Feilhaber off now: Ike Opara on for Kansas. Interesting. I'll take it that, at this point, Vermes is looking ahead to that Champions League fixture against Cruz Azul on Wednesday. Feilhaber is an asset that you'll want to keep injury-free, although considering how late we are into the match, it's interesting to see that Vermes has opted to park the bus and introduce a defender rather than leave in one of his most-effective midfielders of for a last-minute goal push in these final seconds.
90+4' SOUNDERRRRRRRRRRRRRS! Captain America receives a perfectly-flighted cross from Okoli (the kid is absolutely on fire), but substitute Chad Barrett stamps his name on the ball and sends it into the back of the net. Sounders have defeated Kansas City four times prior in stoppage time, and it appears that lightning has struck again. If you listen closely, you can still here CenturyLink roaring, and Kansan hearts shattering. What. An. Ending.
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ALAN KELLY: RECAP | #ReplacementReffed:
"I thought he did well. I don't have any complaints about how he handled his job. I think KC was happy about it as well. I think they are just a team that commit something like 120 more fouls than we do in the season." |
FULL-TIME: SEATTLE SOUNDERS 1-0 SPORTING KANSAS CITY
A fleeting, but fatal, vulnerability in Kansas City's defense leaves the defending champions reacclimating themselves with the taste of defeat just 90 minutes into their reign. After their first half control and organization, the match looked almost secure, but as always, possession and attractive football is never as powerful as capitalization in front of goal. Applause to Clint Dempsey and Sean Okoli for the assist and build-up for the Green Army's Opening Day scoring hero, Chad Barrett. Taking Feilhaber off exposed the entire Kansas City midfield in a matter of seconds, and Okoli took his time and space well. It's nice to see a homegrown player with a debut of that caliber. Okoli changed the face of Seattle's game, but it's another homegrown Sounder that will take the Volkswagen man-of-the-match: DeAndre Yedlin. The Sounders right back was able to find space on the wings and play his own game. A constant threat for the full 90 minutes; very deserving MOTM recipient.
A NEW ERA: Now united as a unit under their first victory of the season, the Seattle Sounders will bridge their Old Guard with the New to find balance and be a threat this season. The team will face Michael Bradley's Toronto FC next Saturday (4:00 PM, ET) and will look to secure another victory. #ItAllStartedHere | |