The Sounders’ surprising answer to missing Jordan Morris | OneFootball

Jordan Morris has only played in 10 games this season, and he had to leave the game early and will require surgery on his shoulder. It is up to the rest of the team to perform in order for the Sounders to achieve success this season.

Considering Jordan Morris and Seattle's defense have been their recipe for success, multiple defenders being suspended, Stefan Frei on concussion protocol and Jordan Morris going down early in the match to injury made the game's outcome look bleak. It didn't help when San Jose scored and put the Sounders down a goal.

The Sounders have lacked productivity from several players like Pedro de la Vega, Jesus Ferreira, Danny Musovski has been underperforming for much of the season which has led to a static offense with few chances and even fewer clinical finishes.

Sometimes when things look dark, some light enters and everyone is saved, at least for the moment. Jordan Morris is still the key to the Sounders' attack, but he will also need help from his teammates.

The Sounders’ surprising answer to missing Jordan Morris

In the match against San Jose, the next-man-up mentality prevailed. Ferreira has been technical, but not synced with his teammates. De la Vega has been stuck time after time with the ball at his feet and no options. Other than Musovski's run of games with a goal, he has struggled to find the back of the net. Nouhou and Ragan were out on suspension and Andrew Thomas is an unknown quantity.

De La Vega played his best game as a Sounder, he was sharp, he distributed balls to teammates making dangerous runs, and drove the ball in the back of the net with a shot from distance. Musovski capitalized on some quality passes and Ferreira seemed to be on the same page with his teammates.

Finally, the supporting players look good with their contributions and seemed to play with a spark that has been missing.

Depending on the timeframe of Jordan Morris's return after having surgery on his shoulder, getting all of the players moving in the right direction may be the critical element for a deep playoff run, with the return of Jordan Morris.

This was only Morris's 10th game this season, and it appears he will be missing for some time. This will provide the supporting players an opportunity to develop consistency, and their last game was a good start.

The Sounders' last game before the Leagues Cup will be at Atlanta on Saturday. Atlanta is in the bottom 3 of the Eastern Conference. They had tied 3 games in a row before dropping the last match against Charlotte after leading 1-0 at the half.

As Seattle builds momentum in the second half of the season, success against Atlanta could continue to bolster the confidence of the team and set them up for League's Cup and MLS title run.

With the improvement of play, Ryan Kent will have to step up his impact if he is going to earn minutes. Since his early success and productivity he has struggled to connect with his teammates. Andrew Thomas is an effective keeper, and these games approaching will provide him with more experience which is the only part of his game that is lacking.