Seattle Sounders Vs San Jose Earthquakes: 3 things we learned – A brilliant stalemate
2. Seattle miss Joao Paulo
The Seattle Sounders struggled to deal with San Jose’s high press in the first half. Nicolas Lodeiro was marked out of the match entirely, literally, the backline was unable to beat the first line of pressure with few open teammates to find with forward passes, while Cristian Roldan did not look nearly as comfortable in a wide role.
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Their primary issue came in central midfield. Gustav Svensson and Jordy Delem are both industrious, hard-working, defensively sound holding players who provide structure and protection in front of the back four. But when it came to dealing with the Earthquakes’ pressure and playing around and through it, they offered very little indeed.
It seems odd to say for a player who only arrived this offseason and has played just four games, but the Sounders desperately missed the calming, energetic influence of Joao Paulo. Arriving as the Rave Green’s third DP, Joao Paulo immediately proved his quality. He is a supreme passer, a capable dribbler, and knows how to receive the ball under pressure, both in more advanced areas of the pitch and as a deeper-lying midfielder.
It was this precise player in midfield that they needed here. Svensson and Delem were unable to shake off their markers and combine with another to allow Seattle to build play from deep. They were easily pressed, lost the ball early on, and then were entirely bypassed later on as Seattle went more direct, oftentimes losing the ball in the process, thus allowing San Jose to build pressure. When Joao Paulo is fit to return remains to be seen, but Brian Schmetzer and his midfield need him.