Seattle Sounders need to ask tough questions of themselves

Lots of questions need answers around camp Seattle Sounders today.

Clearly, things went very wrong, although the Galaxy’s extra day of rest, the game’s venue (L.A. was at home) and Los Angeles’ ability to locate top gear just in time all had influence on a night of Galaxy hammer-blow dominance.

Still, it was surprising to watch Seattle, an MLS “final four” team, after all, so helpless about it all. The visitors were mildly effective on defense, but for only a half, and more or less inept at the attacking end all night.  So let’s dive in:

• What is this damaging disconnect between Fredy Montero and the playoffs?

He’s clearly a talented soccer player, one who passes the eye test and carries the statistical proof over a significant sample (47 goals in 119 MLS matches represents prodigious production.) But his post-season totals are alarmingly skinny: He has zero goals in nine games. Heck, Montero has just five shots on goal.

Not that it’s all his fault. Last night, stranded as an isolated striker, Montero had little chance to make anything happen. The lack of connection between Montero and attacking midfielder Christian Tiffert was in stark contrast to what was happening at the other end, where Galaxy men were whirling and twirling in a swell interchange that kept the Sounders defense in perpetual flummox.

• Were the tactics and personnel decisions in Sigi Schmid’s 4-5-1 right?

Was it really the time to try something so unfamiliar?

Was attack-minded Mario Martinez really the best choice here? He wasn’t up the job defensively, and his choices to shoot from spots that could only be called wildly optimistic demonstrated an alarming naiveté.

Across the field from Martinez, was inexperienced Alex Caskey the right man for the job? Either way, the Sounders’ midfield was a mess, and an overrun mess at that, despite a numerical advantage in the center third.

• What of goalkeeper Michael Gspurning, who picked a terrible time to have a lousy match?

We’ll pick this one apart in a separate post.

• Didn’t the Sounders learn a doggone thing from last year’s 3-0 loss at Real Salt Lake?

There is a genuine psychological barrier between 2-0 and 3-0. A two-goal margin sounds manageable, especially at a place the Galaxy men do not like. (Artificial turf is the major scourge in Galaxy minds.)  So, win by a pair, the series rolls into extra time and you step lively with the home crowd in tow for the additional 30 minutes. That sounds doable.

But the third goal is a killer.

In last year’s playoffs, an opening leg got away from Seattle similarly. They refused to re-focus and re-group defensive at 1-0 and 2-0 down and conceded the killer third goal. The Sounders pressed bravely in the return leg but the margin was simply too unforgiving; Schmid’s men won the night 2-0 but fell on aggregate 3-2.

And yet, there they were again Sunday in Southern California. Schmid needed to be more emphatic about the night’s task, to concentrate on defensive shape and dogged effort at all costs, never mind if a goal or even a second goal finds its way through. And yet …

“It’s a hard one to take. It’s very similar to what happened last year when we went into Salt Lake, so it’s disappointing that we repeated that,” Schmid said after last night’s loss.

And a bit later he said: “…then we go through a bad period in the second half where we just lost our shape, lost our concentration, lost our focus, and they bang away two goals, and we’re actually a little fortunate it wasn’t three or four.”

(MORE: match analysis of Sunday’s 3-0 win)

(MORE: the Galaxy doing so many little things right)

(MORE: highlights, and the Galaxy’s brilliant movement on offense)