San Diego and Seattle may have tied, but fans lost
According to Brian Schmetzer and players like Christian Roldan, the Sounders put maximum effort into the match. They did what the Sounders have struggled to do this year, they scored two goals that gave them a commanding lead in the game.
Most soccer fans know that 2-0 scores can be dangerous. However, Seattle played well, maintaining possession for a majority of the game. When San Diego did get a half chance, they did not look like promising efforts to score, instead they looked like desperate attempts by a team that has struggled this season.
With all things being equal, the story should have ended there, but the officials inserted themselves into the game and changed the outcome in favor of San Diego.
The first intervention
A San Diego player shot like many attackers do. He missed. The official called for a goal kick. It all seemed normal. Then the video review sent the official to watch the replay. In soccer, contact after the shot, when the shot is not affected, is not considered relevant enough to give a penalty kick. For some reason, this time it was called. The judgement of a foul being called that did not effect the shot was determined to be a penalty-worthy foul.
To compound the issue, the Sounder’s keeper saved the shot. The rebound went in front of the goal and San Diego was able to beat the defense to the ball and kick it in. As a quick aside, this happened to me in a game where I made the save and the rebound was scored, which led to a lot of running in the next practice. The problem with this rebound goal was that the San Diego player/players started charging the goal early, which is called encroachment. The play should have been reviewed, the goal disallowed (like an offsides call), and the Sounders should have had the ball. That review either didn’t happen, or was rushed because play resumed without a lengthy pause.
At this point, the score was 2-1, but the game was tied. The Sounders had scored twice, both in the run of play. The first goal was due to a fantastic shot by Dejan Joveljić. The second goal was more of a team effort that was started by a high press and finished off by the youngster Sabastian Gomez who has seen an increase of minutes as of late. The officials responded with a couple of calls in favor of San Diego.
The second intervention
With little time left in the game, and San Diego attacking out of desperation but finding no clear chances to score, Stuart Hawkins grabbed the jersey of the attacking player, who was heading out of bounds and had no options except to fall down. The fall was not caused by a jersey pull. It is up to the official to determine if the contact impacts the play. In addition, they have to apply a higher level of scrutiny if the result is a penalty kick. In other words, what is a foul at midfield isn’t necessarily a foul in the penalty box. This was ignored by the official, and a second penalty kick was awarded, resulting in the officials beating the Sounders 3-2, and San Diego being awarded a point for showing up.
I will concede that the Sounders could have scored a third goal that may have put the game out of reach, beating San Diego and the officials proved to be too much for the Sounders that finished the game bruised, battered and exhausted.
Brian Schmetzer claimed that it was a loss, making their next game of critical importance. The Sounders play Houston on Wednesday in Seattle. Houston is currently in fifth place in the Western Conference, and they are looking to move up in the table for a better playoff position. The Sounders are in a much more dangerous situation. With three games left, they find themselves one point above Colorado and two points ahead of the LA Galaxy.
The Sounders would prefer to stay at their current position so they don’t have to play in the wildcard game in order to make it into the playoffs. The Sounders are now four points behind LAFC, so those two points would have made a significant difference in the Sounders’ placement in the table. While not mathematically eliminated, San Diego is now tied for twelfth in the division and have two teams above them that are out of the playoffs at this point with only three games left.
It was the fans that lost out in this game. The officials made these calls, that were questionable at best, to determine the outcome of the game. The Sounders dominated the game. They were fouled multiple times, including in the box, but it was overlooked. I have heard of a home team advantage, but that shouldn't be the deciding factor in the game, it should come down to the players making plays. I feel cheated because the game play did not match the result, which was determined by the officials.
The Sounders need to win to ensure that with the exception of one time, they continue to make the playoffs. That one time was the same season they won the CONCACAF title. The Sounders have demonstrated that they are a force to be reckoned with. The addition of Dejan Joveljić, who is now tied for the team’s lead in goals, and the consistent play of veterans such as Albert Rusnák, the Roldan brothers, Nouhou, Jordan Morris, and the additions like Sebastian Gomez, Snyder Brunell, and Stuart Hawkins providing some youthful energy that may make this another team for the ages if the Sounders can pull off another title run.
