Tactical Shift in Seattle?

The Sounders' Transition to a 4-3-3

Coming off a rocky season plagued by injuries and international call-ups, Sigi Schmid is reportedly considering a tactical chance for 2016. Though the Sounders were among the most defensively sound in MLS - tying Vancouver for the least goals allowed - their attack sputtered. When lacking either member of their star strike duo, Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins, Seattle’s offense stalled. Even with the duo in the lineup, the team’s over reliance on the their combination play often came at the expense of their other attackers. Switching to a 4-3-3 - even on an occasional basis - could keep opponents on their toes

The Sounders’ 4-4-2 - With a full compliment of players to pick from, Sigi Schmid has lined his side up almost exclusively as a 4-4-2 over the past couple seasons. Only the injuries and international call-ups that plagued Seattle’s 2015 forced Schmid to consider alternate shapes. Rather than utilizing the direct, long-ball tactics commonly (and unfairly) associated with the 4-4-2, the Sounders employ the formation for a possession-based game.

4-4-2’s have a natural disadvantage in center midfield because of a man mismatch (3v2) versus 4-2-3-1’s and 4-3-3’s. Typically, this gives these formations an edge in the possession game against 4-4-2’s because the three center mids can knock the ball around while the opposing two are left to chase.

The Sounders, though, managed to play a short passing game with a two man central midfield because they relied on Dempsey and Martins to drop deep and provide additional outlets. Their clean first touch and passing ability allowed them to temporarily operate as attacking midfielders and contribute to buildup play. When either of that duo missed a game, though, Seattle’s attack fell apart. Seattle’s other striker options often lacked the versatility to aid in keeping the ball. In defense, the Sounders could stand up to three man midfields because of Ozzie Alonso’s insane range. Often, Alonso could cover enough ground he essentially did the work of two center midfielders. Alonso could push up high when the Sounders were in possession and still track back to break up a potential attack when his team lost the ball.

What the new 4-3-3 may look like - Using players on the current roster, here is how I believe Seattle would line up in their new formation:

While several players maintain similar positions as they did in the 4-4-2, I’ll explain some of the new roles here:

Clint Dempsey - While playing on the left wing may seem like a huge departure from his previous role with as a second striker, Deuce would slot quite naturally into spot. Toward the end of the 2105 season he occasionally shifted to left midfield (with Nelson Valdez taking his spot up top) when the Sounders were looking for extra offense.

Coming in from the left flank, Dempsey could still perform many of his forward duties while relinquishing some of his midfield ones. With former Chicago Fire man Joevin Jones pushing up from leftback, Dempsey won’t have to provide much width and can tuck inside to a more central area. Keeping him higher up the field will free him up to focus on shooting and combining with Martins rather than dropping deeper to help build up an attack.

Ozzie Alonso - Age is beginning to catch up with Honey Badger. Alonso can still put in a hard tackle and drop a pinpoint long ball to a winger but can’t cover quite as much ground as he used to. Putting Alonso in a dedicated defensive midfield spot won’t force him to push up the field so he shouldn’t ever find himself out of position.

Andreas Ivanschitz - Despite playing exclusively on the left wing for the Sounders in his limited minutes, Ivanschitz actually spent most of his career in a central attacking role. Placing him here would instantly give him more playmaking responsibility which would take some of the onus off Dempsey in regards to initiating attacks. When Dempsey cuts inside with the ball, Ivanschitz would also be free to occupy the left flank, performing a role similar to that of his first season in Seattle.

Jordan Morris - Positionally, Morris could be one of the bigger question marks in this lineup. He certainly has the pace to operate as an out-and-out winger, sending in crosses for Martins and crashing the box. The defensive side of the equation is a tad murkier however. Assuming Dempsey doesn’t have legs track back from his left wing spot, Morris would certainly need to put work in on the defensive side of the ball for Seattle. In this way, the team would defend like they did in 2015 with two banks of four, Morris on the right and Ivanschitz covering Dempsey on the left.

If Schmid views Morris as a backup to Martins or not quite ready for a starting role, Valdez could occupy the right wing spot. By playing Valdez at right midfield for the second leg of the playoff meeting with Dallas, Schmid has shown faith in the Paraguain’s defensive abilities (whether he delivered is certainly a question.)

A quick side note on Nelson Valdez: since Morris's large homegrown contract doesn't count against the cap, keeping Valdez on the team rather than looking to move him is feasible. If Schmid views Morris as a week one starter, keeping Valdez around as a depth piece on a approximately one million dollar a year contract wouldn't be good business. The Sounders are hurting for central midfield depth so that million could be better spent elsewhere.

Benefits of the 4-3-3 - Too often in 2014 and 2015 opposing teams could mark the Sounders’ strike partnership out of the game. When opponents dedicated both centerbacks and a midfield to tracking Martins and Dempsey, they could dare Seattle other attackers beat them. These other attackers - a rotating cast of Marco Pappa, Lamar Neagle, Andreas Ivanschitz, Erik Friberg and other - usually came up short. Giving Seattle another central threat in Ivanschitz would force opposing teams to not just key entirely on Dempsey and Martins.

Schmid has shown a fondness for swapping wide players during a game to try and spark an offense. A 4-3-3 would allow him to continue this habit and give the squad a very different look while keeping the same players on the field. A defender exhausted from chasing Morris around the field may not be able to track Dempsey’s runs

A 4-3-3 could also better withstand the inevitable injuries to some of Seattle’s aging attackers. Losing Dempsey or Martins doesn’t hurt the Sounders’ possession game as much because there are three central midfielders to help keep the ball. Just because 4-3-3’s are typically associated with slow build up play doesn’t mean this line up would be unable to occasionally go route one.

Additionally, as long as Martins and Morris are pushed high up the field, Seattle could play direct when the situation asked for it. With Martins’ elite ability to hold the ball up and Morris’s pace, the Sounders are sure to occasionally try playing long balls to their forwards.  

Weaknesses - With Dempsey and Morris as the two outside attacking options, the Sounders could struggle with wide play. Neither players are natural wingers and will both generally opt to tuck inside. Fullbacks Jones and Mears will then be tasked to provide the entirety of the width for the team. The concern over this is twofold: Firstly, opposing teams could theoretically pack the center of the field to prevent combination play and secondly, with both outside backs pushed up the field the Sounders would be susceptible to counter attacks. Speedy wingers like Fabian Castillo and Kekuta Manneh could potentially give this lineup fits.

Even if Sigi Schmid doesn’t fully commit to a new formation, working on and incorporating a different tactical plan could help the Sounders’ attack stay fresh and prevent the kind of slump seen in summer of 2015. A dedicated 4-3-3 could see the team force opponents to spread out their defense and not focus solely on Martins and Dempsey. Additionally, it is possible that Schmid could roll out a 4-4-2 with Morris at right midfield, Dempsey at left striker and Ivanschitz cutting inside from left midfield that would operate similarly to what I have described. In that case, the naming of the formation would be a purely semantic difference though the actual tactical set up would represent a tactical shift from 2015. Either way, the Sounders need to shake something up to avoid the kind of offensive slump from last season.