Every Sounders flaw got exposed in brutal Minnesota ambush | OneFootball

It was no surprise that Minnesota packed in their defense and waited to counter-attack. However, the Sounders could not figure out how to beat this tactic and come away with points. The Sounders streak of home unbeaten games ended playing against a team that has never earned a point in Seattle.

Overall, their 3 game home stand went satisfactorily, with 2 wins and a loss, but this game was a set back for their momentum going into next week's game and the following Club World Cup.

Against Minnesota, it was the Sounders' strengths that let them down. Their defense made critical mistakes against the counterattack, whether it be a sloppy challenge or a lapse in coverage, along with Stefan Frei botching a redirect in front of the goal, which led to the third Minnesota goal.

Where the Sounders pride themselves on defense and their goal tending, that and their inability to take advantage of chances led them to be on the short side of goals in the match.

In part, injuries factor into their defense. Bell's foul for the penalty kick was part of the issue, but Nouhou and the defensive midfielders failed cover a player in front of the goal at the 6 yard line.

Brian Schmetzer admitted that they "fell into their trap" and struggled at times with defensive transitions. When they did have momentum, they hurried their chances and came up short. The Sounders players donned shirts at the pregame that protested their pay for the Club World Cup, surprising Schmetzer.

Even though it is against the team philosophy that the next game is the most important one, it seems like some of the players may have been looking ahead, hindering their focus on the task at hand.

One player who now has a lot of things to look forward to was Jesus Ferreria. He scored a goal in his last game, which helps with his confidence, but more importantly he missed the game against Minnesota to be home with his partner who was in labor. Hopefully for Sounders Nation, he returns to play next week with a new sense of joy in his game.

While the officiating was decent in the match, the official could have refrained from rewarding a penalty kick, but it was a foul. Shortly after that Gressel received a yellow card for a foul. In the restart, he was beaten and pulled a Sounders player down from behind, but never received the second yellow card which would have changed the game drastically.

He was then subbed out immediately because the young manager for Minnesota recognized that they had dodged a bullet.

As far as what did work for Seattle, there are a couple of things worth mentioning. They were down by two goals at two different stretches during the game and kept fighting back. Both outside attackers, Kent and Minoungou provided sparks from the outside. Along with scoring a goal, Kossa-Renzi had another good game and Hawkins had a solid performance.

Up next for the Sounders is the top team in the Western Conference. Vancouver was crushed on Sunday when they lost Cruz Azul 5-0 in the CONCACAF finals in what manager Jesper Sorensen described as a "devastating loss," and a "huge disappointment." It may be hopeful to say that their next game will be another let down after being deflated.

Vancouver will be missing several players (Sam Adekugbe, Ali Ahmed, Jayden Nelson, Sebastian Berhalter and Brian White) for international call-ups. Gauld will miss the match due to a knee injury. These players have amassed 62 games this seasons collectively, so it is uncertain what the Vancouver squad will look like as they host the Sounders.

Andres Cubas, Pedro Vite, and Giuseppe Bovalina were also called up bringing the total of matches up to 91 games collectively. White, their leading goalscorer, Ahmed their leader in assists, and Cubas, their most suspended player will all be out for the game.

The Sounders have their absences as well, but maybe not some that you would expect. There are call-ups for Seattle as well, Osaze De Rosario, Stuart Hawkins, Reed Baker-Whiting, Nouhou, Obed Vargas and Snyder Brunell will also be missing the match in Canada. Collectively, they have played in 41 games.

Yeimar's status is unclear but his return for this weekend seems unlikely. Kim Kee-Hee is expected to be out for 1-3 weeks but Jordan Morris may be available for the match against Vancouver. While Nouhou and Vargas are regular starters, and injuries have made other roles more significant, the Sounders will not be missing most of their critical pieces.