SEATTLE – Only time will tell if the addition of Nicolás Lodeiro turns out to be the attacking spark that saves the Seattle Sounders’ season.
But making his team debut in Seattle’s 1-1 draw against the LA Galaxy at CenturyLink Field on Sunday, the Uruguyan midfielder showcased the intriguing skill set that led the Sounders to sign him to a Designated Player contract earlier this week following a lengthy pursuit.
Lodeiro played all 90 minutes on Sunday, leading the team in touches and taking four shots, while also acting as the type of creative facilitator the Sounders have sorely lacked all year.
“You guys saw it. He was very good.” Sounders interim coach Brian Schmetzer said. “You saw his ability to cover ground at a high level, connect passes and run the team. There were a lot of positives out of that.”
Although Lodeiro’s debut was encouraging, it wasn’t quite enough to save Seattle from yet another frustrating result on Sunday in which the Sounders left feeling like they comfortably outplayed their opposition, but couldn’t parlay the strong performance into a victory.
“We have to continue working; we have to continue on this road," Lodeiro said through a translator. "This is the right path; we have to stay concentrated for 90 minutes and not give anything away.”
Seattle had a 1-0 lead late into the contest courtesy of a 49th-minute finish from second-year midfielder Cristian Roldan. But, as has been their custom in 2016, the Sounders couldn’t manage to finish an array of additional opportunities that would have padded the lead.
LA equalized on Sebastian Lletget’s tally in the 78th minute, forcing the Sounders to settle for their third draw of the year.
“I think all of us are disappointed [with the result],” Roldan said. “You saw the locker room, people had their heads down just because we thought we deserved more. We played really well. Sometimes that’s just the way soccer is but that’s also the story of the team.”
Sounders captain Brad Evans also expressed disappointment at the draw, but added that improved showing from Seattle’s attack can be viewed as a positive ahead of next week’s road clash with Orlando City SC.
“Obviously nobody in here is satisfied with a draw,” Evans said. “Especially at home. But at the end of the day, the dialogue in here after the game was that if we keep playing like that, we can find ourselves getting on a good run here.”
