Vanney ready for Sounders’ top trio
Western representative in MLS Cup has three big scorers, and a great goalkeeper
The Seattle Sounders are a good club by any measure, but there is a terrific trio on the roster that Toronto FC coach Greg Vanney is particularly worried about.
Not surprisingly in these MLS Cup playoffs, the Sounders have been led on the score sheet by three powerhouses up front: Jordan Morris, Nicolas Lodeiro and Raul Ruidiaz. Lodeiro has two goals and four assists in the post-season while Morris and Ruidiaz have three goals apiece. Gustav Svensson has the only goal not scored by that trio.
“(Morris) just keeps coming and you have to manage that,” said Vanney.
“You gotta know where he is in transition because, for me, he’s their speed in transition. He’s the guy that really can change the speed of things.
“And you have Lodeiro who’s a fantastic passer and I think Ruidiaz is very clever — the way he moves around things, and his timing of runs and understanding of where to run is also very good,” the coach added.
“The one thing I’ll give Jordan credit for, he’s a very honest worker. He will work on the defensive side, he will work all the way to the back line. He’s a team player. (He is) a straight forward and it comes with a lot of power and a lot of speed and you’ve got to manage that. That’s going to be something we got to deal with. Anything that’s crossed from the right side, he’s going to be in the box.”
Vanney described Peruvian forward Ruidiaz as “an assassin.”
“He just finds little pockets, spaces, he will continue to work for them,” Vanney said. “He reminds me a bit of (Atlanta’s) Josef Martinez — he is a striker’s striker. He is playing for his moments. He’s very clever about manufacturing those moments and finding them. And when he gets them he is very efficient about how he goes about it. (And) obviously, he has a good supporting cast helping him, especially with Lodeiro, who drifts all around the field. You’re trying to take care of him and not allow him to be the provider. It’s something we have to take care of.”
And then there is Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei, who played for the Reds from 2009-13 before being traded to the Sounders in December 2013 for a conditional pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. Frei, 33, has established himself as one of the best keepers in MLS and is best remembered for his sensational save on Jozy Altidore’s header in the second half of extra time of the 2016 MLS Cup, the title won by Seattle on a penalty shootout.
“Good keeper. Very good keeper,” said Altidore, who turned 30 on Wednesday. “He’s a guy that over the years has continued to get better and better and better.
Even though people are telling him that (he’s hit his) ceiling, he continues to grow. I think his shot-stopping obviously is very good. He’s just good at organizing the defence and he’s always ready. There’s never too many times a shot goes and he’s caught flat-footed. He’s a guy that you gotta just try to out-wait sometimes. He’s a clever goalkeeper.”
As is Toronto goalkeeper Quentin Westberg, who is also a fan of the Swiss-American Frei.
“He’s a great goalie,” said Westberg, who joined TFC early this season and quickly established himself as the club’s No. 1 man between the posts.
“I really like (Frei) the goalkeeper and what I think I see of the man also. You got to give him a lot of credit. When you’re on a winning team, you play a part and he’s been really consistent. I think he’s played a major role (helping Seattle get to three MLS Cup finals in four seasons) and he’s one of the top, if not the top, keepers in the league.”
Frei and Westberg are both goalkeepers that aren’t overly athletic and are known for getting the most out of their abilities.
“There are different profiles of keepers. There are the keepers that make a lot of saves — that are (about) statistics, are in the highlights and everything. But at the end of the day, their team doesn’t make the playoffs,” said Westberg.
“(But) sometimes it’s about showing the light or just allowing your forwards or everyone else on the team to have the light and you’re just the consistent guy and the reliable guy. This is what I like about (Frei).”
The two keepers are also known for their beards.
“I like that beard,” Frei said of Westberg. “It’s good. He can have the better beard if he wants. I’ll take the win.”
You gotta know where he (Jordan Morris) is in transition because, for me, he’s their speed in transition. He’s the guy that really can change the speed of things.