Seattle Sounders: Possession to be Key vs. Atlanta United
If the Seattle Sounders are going to be successful against Atlanta United they are going to have to dominate possession.
Before the international break, the Seattle Sounders picked up their first win in a home match against the New York Red Bulls, putting them at 1-1-1 on the season. Atlanta is so far 100% on the road with a 4-0 win against Chicago. With Atlanta’s offense firing on all cylinders right now, how will the Sounders stop them?
First things first, life for Seattle’s backline will be made a little easier with Josef Martinez ruled out for 4-6 weeks after injuring his left quad on international duty with Venezuela. He has scored five of Atlanta’s eleven goals so far this season and his absence will definitely be felt Friday.
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Even if Martinez is out Atlanta still has an incredible attacking force going forward, with Asas, Villalba, Almiron pulling the strings, and either Kenwyne Jones or Brandon Vazquez stepping in for the injured Martinez. In order for Seattle to hold their own against such a strong front line, the Sounders will have to dominate possession.
In Atlanta’s two big wins against Chicago and Minnesota, they were most dangerous when they were in control of possession, not once scoring against the run of play. Seattle will have to use this to their advantage and be able to control possession against a very possession oriented Tata Martino side.
In order to do this, the midfield three for Seattle will have to be on top of their game. It can be assumed that Cristian Roldan and Ozzie Alonso will be in the two pivot roles, both of which have been typically very good in possession. But depending how Dempsey is feeling after going all 180 minutes for the USMNT, we will either see Flaco coming in the middle of the field or Lodeiro tucking in with Flaco going out wide. Whoever fills in for Dempsey will have to make sure to provide a transitioning outlet without losing the ball frequently.
Next: MLS: All the Goals from Week 4
This is a very winnable game for the Sounders as long as they don’t let Atlanta boss them around at home, like Minnesota did.